7th Armoured Division at Villers-Bocage

In the days following the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, the Germans rapidly established strong defences in front of the city of Caen. On 9 June a two-pronged British attempt to surround and capture the city was defeated, but on the British forces' right flank, neighbouring U.S. units had forced open a gap in the German front line.