TILLY-SUR-SEULLES, CORNERSTONE OF THE BATTLE FOR CAEN (June 9th - July 9th)

The fierce battle to capture the French village of Tilly-sur-Seulles was an exceptionally bloody episode in the story of the allied breakout from Normandy in the summer of 1944. South of the town of Bayeux, Tilly was not a primary objective for the allied advance in the way that the village of Villers Bocage was,  but it became the cornerstone of the battle for Caen from June 7th until July 9th. The battles for the Tilly Front such as Lingèvres, Cristot, Audrieu, Saint-Pierre, Boislonde became sadly (in)famous for the combatants and the inhabitants as well.

TILLY-SUR-SEULLES saw what was probably the worst of the bocage fighting following D-Day. The village was taken and lost 23 times and was one of the first to be destroyed during the battle for Normandy. The civilians paid a very high toll for their liberation as one out of ten of the inhabitants of the village lost their lives.

The finest German panzer divisions,  the Panzer Lehr and the 12 SS Panzer Division prevented the divisions of XXX Corps (7TH Armoured Division (the Desert Rats); 50TH Infantry Division, 8TH Armoured Brigade and 49TH Infantry Division (the “Butcher Bears”) from making significant progresses in the bocage.

The talk focuses on the infantry and tanks battles for and around the village south of Bayeux. The author, curator of the Museum of the battle of Tilly-sur-Seulles, will bring us eyewitness accounts from both the civilians and military sides to give a day after day and hour after hour portrayal of the battle and a fitting tribute to the civilians and the youth of Germany and Great Britain from the counties of Durham, Essex, Dorset, Devon, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Northumberland… who fought, and the many who died, during the bloody battle for Tilly-sur-Seulles

All are welcome and a lively evening is guaranteed! Zoom details will be sent on the day. Thanks.

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