Villers-Bocage

Villers-Bocage is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic operations of the Battle of Normandy. Many historians have analysed the events of the 13th of June 1944, with particular emphasis on the destruction of a British armoured column by the Tigers of the Obersturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann. Despite the fact one might consider this subject broadly covered, there are still unknown details to bring to light. Yann Jouault and Frederic Deprun present an incisive and extremely detailed study of the events of this fateful day, an ‘autopsy’ of the battle made possible by new evidence and never-before-published photographs. The authors pursued these leads to establish a precise and unbiased chronology of the day’s events, from the opening of hostilities between the 7th Armoured Division and Wittman up until the destruction of the last Tiger of the SS Panzer Abteilung 101 within the village. The study is broken up into two parts: Wittman’s final victory and the defeat of the Tigers, inviting a better understanding of the facts and freeing the subject from its persistent myths and legends. 192 pages, in colour, text in French.