Operation Totalize was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from 8 to 9 August 1944. The intention was to break through the German defences south of Caen on the eastern flank of the Allied positions in Normandy and exploit success by driving south, to capture the high ground north of the city of Falaise. The goal was to collapse the German front and cut off the retreat of German forces fighting the Allied armies further west. The battle is considered the inaugural operation of the First Canadian Army, which had been activated on 23 July.
The Polish 1st Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisław Maczek and at its peak numbered approximately 18,000 soldiers.The division served in the final phases of the Battle of Normandy in August 1944 during Operation Totalize and the Battle of Chambois and then continued to fight throughout the campaign in Northern Europe, mainly as part of the First Canadian Army.
Grainville-Langannerie is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
The Falaise pocket or battle of the Falaise pocket was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Allied forces formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, consisting of the 7th Army and the Fifth Panzer Army, were encircled by the Western Allies. The battle resulted in the destruction of most of Army Group B west of the Seine, which opened the way to Paris and the Franco-German border.
The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery is a burial ground containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. It is located in, and named after, Bény-sur-Mer, in the Calvados department, near Caen, in lower Normandy. As is typical of war cemeteries in France, the grounds are landscaped and kept. Contained within the cemetery is a cross of sacrifice, a monument typical of memorials designed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery is a war cemetery containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. It is located close to the village of Cintheaux and named after Bretteville-sur-Laize in the Calvados department, between Caen and Falaise in lower Normandy.
Orglandes War Cemetery is a German World War II cemetery in Normandy, France. It is located on the northern edge of the village of Orglandes, about 30 km (19 mi) south east of Cherbourg and 7 km (4.3 mi) west of Sainte-Mère-Église on the Cotentin Peninsula. The burials come from summer 1944, immediately following D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. It is the second smallest of the six German war cemeteries in Normandy with a little over 10,000 burials. The cemetery is maintained and managed by the voluntary German War Graves Commission.
The Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located in Bayeux, Normandy. The cemetery contains 4,648 burials, mostly of the Invasion of Normandy. Opposite this cemetery stands the Bayeux Memorial which commemorates more than 1,800 casualties of the Commonwealth forces who died in Normandy and have no known grave.
Ranville War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located in Ranville, 10 km (6.2 mi) north east of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery contains predominantly British soldiers killed during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy. A large proportion of those interred were members of the British 6th Airborne Division. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Zygmunt Aleksander Wnęk (1918–1944) was a Polish soldier and military officer. During World War II he served in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (podporucznik) on the Western Front with the 1st Armoured Regiment of the 1st Armoured Division. Killed in action during the Battle of Falaise, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration.
Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers located close to the commune of Banneville-la-Campagne, 11 km (6.8 mi) east of Caen, Normandy, France. The graveyard contains 2,175 graves of which 140 are unidentified The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Cambes-en-Plaine War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located seven km northwest of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery contains 224 graves of which one is unidentified.
Fontenay-le-Pesnel War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located 16 km west of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery contains 461 commonwealth graves and 59 German graves.
Hermanville War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located 13 km north of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery contains 1,003 commonwealth war graves.
La Délivrande war cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery contains 943 commonwealth war graves and 180 German war graves.
Ryes War Cemetery is a Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers located close to the commune of Bazenville, 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Bayeux, Normandy, France. The graveyard contains 653 Commonwealth war graves, one Polish and 335 German war graves. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Saint-Manvieu War Cemetery is a British Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located 10 km west of Caen, Normandy. The cemetery's designation often uses the nearby commune of Cheux but the graveyard is actually closer to the commune of Saint-Manvieu-Norrey. The graveyard contains 1,627 Commonwealth war graves and 555 German war graves. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux is a Second World War German military war grave cemetery, located close to the village of Saint-Désir and 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Lisieux in the Calvados department, Normandy, France. It is located adjacent to the British Saint-Désir War Cemetery and is unique as the two burial grounds are linked by a pathway. It is the smallest German war cemetery in Normandy and contains the remains of 3,735 German military personnel. The cemetery was created by the British Graves Registration Commission in August 1944 with British and German casualties buried in adjacent fields.
Les Gateys National Cemetery is a Second World War French military war grave cemetery, located close to the village of Saint-Nicolas-des-Bois and 5.5 km (3.4 mi) north-west of Alençon in the Orne, Normandy, France. It contains the graves of 19 French soldiers from the 2nd Armoured Division that died during the Battle of Alençon in August 1944.
