Operation Goodwood order of battle explained

Operation Goodwood was an offensive operation by the British Army against the German Wehrmacht, which took place between 18 and 20 July 1944 as part of the larger battle for Caen in Normandy, France during the Second World War.

While Goodwood failed in its primary aim, it forced the Germans to keep powerful formations opposite the British and Canadians on the eastern flank of the Normandy beachhead and Operation Cobra, the First US Army attack which began on 25 July, caused the weaker German defences opposite to collapse.

British Order of Battle

Second Army
Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey

Army troops

4th Army Group Royal Artillery

8th Army Group Royal Artillery

79th Armoured Division (elements)

Major-General Percy Hobart

5th Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers (Churchill AVRE)

22nd Dragoons (Sherman Crab mine flails)

141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tanks)

1st Lothians and Border Horse (Sherman Crabs)

I Corps

Lieutenant-General John Crocker

Corps troops

27th Armoured Brigade

13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)

1st East Riding Yeomanry

3rd Infantry Division

Major-General Lashmer Whistler

Divisional troops

3rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps

7th, 33rd, 76th Field Regiments, Royal Artillery

20th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

20th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

2nd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (machine gun battalion)

8th Infantry Brigade

1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment

2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment

1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers)

9th Infantry Brigade

2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers

2nd Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles

185th Infantry Brigade

2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment

2nd Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry

33rd Armoured Brigade (attached)

1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry

Staffordshire Yeomanry

144th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps

148th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps

51st (Highland) Infantry Division

Major-General D.C. Bullen-Smith

Divisional troops

2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry (reconnaissance)

126th, 127th and 128th Field Regiments, Royal Artillery

61st Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

40th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

1st/7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (machine gun battalion)

152nd (Highland) Infantry Brigade

2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders

5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders

5th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

153rd Highland Infantry Brigade

5th Battalion, Black Watch

1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

5th/7th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

154th (Highland) Infantry Brigade

1st Battalion, Black Watch

7th Battalion, Black Watch

7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

VIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor

Guards Armoured Division

Major-General Allan Henry Shafto Adair

Divisional troops

55th and 153rd Field Regiments, Royal Artillery

21st Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

94th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards (armoured reconnaissance)

5th Guards Armoured Brigade

2nd (Armoured) Battalion, Grenadier Guards

1st (Armoured) Battalion, Coldstream Guards

2nd (Armoured) Battalion, Irish Guards

1st (Motor) Battalion, Grenadier Guards

32nd Guards Infantry Brigade

5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards

3rd Battalion, Irish Guards

1st Battalion, Welsh Guards

7th Armoured Division

Major-General George Erskine

Divisional troops

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars (reconnaissance)

3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

5th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

65th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

15th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

22nd Armoured Brigade

1st Royal Tank Regiment

5th Royal Tank Regiment

4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)

1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade

131st (Queens) Infantry Brigade

1st/5th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

1st/6th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

1st/7th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

11th Armoured Division

Major-General George "Pip" Roberts

Divisional troops

2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry (reconnaissance)

The Inns of Court Regiment (reconnaissance; attached)

13th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (Honourable Artillery Company)

151st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

75th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

58th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

29th Armoured Brigade

23rd Hussars

3rd Royal Tank Regiment

2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry

8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade

159th Infantry Brigade

4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry

3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment

1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment

German Order of Battle

Panzer Group West
General der Panzertruppe Heinrich Eberbach

I SS Panzer Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Josef "Sepp" Dietrich

Corps troops

101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion

101st SS Artillery Battalion

7th Werfer Brigade

83rd and 84th Werfer Regiments

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler

SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Wisch

1st SS Panzer Regiment

1st SS Reconnaissance Battalion

1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment

2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment

1st SS Artillery Regiment

12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer

12th SS Panzer Regiment

12th SS Reconnaissance Battalion

25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment

26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment

12th SS Artillery Regiment

272nd Infantry Division

Major General Friedrich Schack

980th Infantry Regiment

981st Infantry Regiment

982nd Infantry Regiment

272nd Reconnaissance Battalion

272nd Artillery Regiment

272nd Anti Tank Battalion

LXXXVI Corps

General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder

Corps troops

503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion

9th Werfer Brigade

14th and 54th Werfer Regiments

555th, 763rd, 1151st and 1193rd Artillery Battalions

1255th Heavy Coastal Artillery Battalion

1039th and 1053rd Anti Tank Battalions

725th Railway Artillery Battalion

16th Luftwaffe Field Division

Major General Karl Sievers

31st Rifle Regiment

32nd Rifle Regiment

46th Rifle Regiment

16th Luftwaffe Artillery Regiment

16th Luftwaffe Anti Tank Battalion

21st Panzer Division

Brigadier General Edgar Feuchtinger

22nd Panzer Regiment

125th Panzergrenadier Regiment

192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment

21st Reconnaissance Battalion

155th Artillery Regiment

200th Assault Gun Battalion

346th Infantry Division

Major General Erich Straube

857th Infantry Regiment

858th Infantry Regiment

346th Reconnaissance Battalion

346th Artillery Regiment

346th Anti Tank Battalion

711th Infantry Division

Major General Josef Reichert

731st Infantry Regiment

744th Infantry Regiment

711th Anti Tank Company

1711th Artillery Regiment

See also

Bibliography