Battle for Hill 140

Battle for Hill 140
Part of World War II, Western Front, Operation Totalize
Date August 9, 1944 Location near Estrées-la-Campagne in Normandy, France Result German victory
Belligerents
Canada	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Don Worthington †	Max Wünsche
Units involved
Worthington Combat Group	Kampfgruppe Wünsche and reinforcements
Casualties and losses
232 men, 47 tanks and many other vehicles	unknown; according to Canadians – high, according to Germans – insignificant

The Battle for Hill 140^{[note 1]} was fought on 9 August, 1944 as part of Operation Totalize between a battle group from the 4th Canadian Division and German troops, mainly from the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". It unfolded near a village in Normandy, Estrées-la-Campagne, when during a night attack, the Canadian troops deviated from the axis of advance, occupying an area contrary to the orders of their own command. The consequence of the mistake was the complete destruction of the Canadian troops by a German counterattack that lasted several hours. It was an unprecedented case during the Normandy campaign, and probably the entire World War II, for such a large force to lose track of the terrain, lose its way and consequently be completely wrecked.^[1]

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