Editing Operation Goodwood (section)

===Caen===
{{Further|Invasion of Normandy|Operation Overlord}}

The historic Normandy town of Caen was a [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] objective for the British [[3rd Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Infantry Division]], which landed on [[Sword Beach]] on 6 June 1944.{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=24}} The capture of Caen, while "ambitious", was called the most important D-Day objective assigned to [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]] ([[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[John Crocker]]).{{efn|"The quick capture of that key city Caen and the neighbourhood of Carpiquet was the most ambitious, the most difficult and the most important task of Lieutenant-General J. T. Crocker's I Corps".{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb |2004|p=171}} Wilmot wrote that "The objectives given to Crocker's seaborne divisions were decidedly ambitious, since his troops were to land last, on the most exposed beaches, with the farthest to go, against what was potentially the greatest opposition".{{sfn|Wilmot|McDevitt|1997|p=273}} The [[Second Army (United Kingdom)|Second Army]] (Lieutenant-General [[Miles Dempsey]]), always considered the possibility that the attack on Caen might fail.{{sfn|Buckley|2014|p=23}}}} [[Operation Overlord]] called for Second Army to secure the city and then form a front line from [[Caumont-l'Éventé]]–south-east of [[Caen]], to acquire space for airfields and to protect the left flank of the [[First United States Army|First US Army]] ([[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Omar Bradley|Omar N. Bradley]]), while it moved on [[Cherbourg]].{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|p=78}} Possession of Caen and its surroundings would give the Second Army a staging area for a push south to capture [[Falaise, Calvados|Falaise]], which could be used as the pivot for a swing left, to advance on [[Argentan]] and then towards the [[Touques River]].{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|p=81}} The terrain between Caen and [[Vimont, Calvados|Vimont]] was especially promising, being open, dry and conducive to mobile operations. Since the [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] greatly outnumbered the Germans in tanks and mobile units, a fluid fast-moving battle was to their advantage.{{sfn|Vat|2003|p=146}}

Hampered by congestion in the beachhead and forced to divert effort to attack strongly held German positions along the {{convert|9.3|mi|km|abbr=on}} route to the town, the 3rd Infantry Division was unable to assault Caen in force and was stopped short of the outskirts.{{sfn|Wilmot|McDevitt|1997|pp=284–286}} Follow-up attacks were unsuccessful as German resistance solidified; abandoning the direct approach, [[Operation Perch]]—a [[pincer attack]] by I Corps and [[XXX Corps (United Kingdom)|XXX Corps]]—was launched on 7 June, to encircle Caen from the east and west. I Corps, striking south out of the [[6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom)#D-Day|Orne bridgehead]], was halted by the [[21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|21st Panzer Division]] and the attack by XXX Corps bogged down in front of [[Tilly-sur-Seulles]], west of Caen, against the [[Panzer Lehr Division]].{{sfn|Forty|2004|p=36}}{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|pp=247, 250}} The [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]] pushed through a gap in the German front line and tried to capture the town of [[Villers-Bocage, Calvados|Villers-Bocage]] in the German rear.{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|p=254}}{{sfn|Taylor|1999|p=10}} The [[Battle of Villers-Bocage]] saw the vanguard of the 7th Armoured Division withdraw from the town but by 17 June, Panzer Lehr had been forced back and XXX Corps had taken Tilly-sur-Seulles.{{sfn|Taylor|1999|p=76}}{{sfn|Forty|2004|p=97}} The British postponed plans for further offensive operations, including a second attack by the 7th Armoured Division, when a severe storm descended upon the [[English Channel]] on 19 June.{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|p=255}} The storm lasted for three days, significantly delaying the Allied build-up.{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=114}} Most of the landing craft and ships already at sea were driven back to ports in Britain; towed barges and other loads (including {{convert|2.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} of floating roadways for the [[Mulberry harbour]]s) were lost and {{nowrap|800 craft}} were stranded on the Normandy beaches, until the next high tides in July.{{sfn|Wilmot|McDevitt|1997|p=322}}