Editing Operation Goodwood (section)

===Montgomery===
On 10 July, Montgomery, the commander of all the Allied ground forces in Normandy, held a meeting at his headquarters with Dempsey and Bradley. They discussed [[21st Army Group]] operations, following the conclusion of Operation Charnwood and the failure of the First US Army break-out offensive.{{sfn|Trew|Badsey|2004|p=49}}{{sfn|Wilmot|McDevitt|1997|p=351}} Montgomery approved [[Operation Cobra]], an attack to be launched by the First US Army on 18 July.{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=175}} Montgomery ordered Dempsey to "go on hitting: drawing the German strength, especially the armour, onto yourself—so as to ease the way for Brad".{{sfn|Trew|Badsey|2004|p=49}}

In early July, Montgomery had been informed by the [[Adjutant-General to the Forces]], [[Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet|Ronald Adam]] that due to the manpower shortage in Britain, the pool of replacements to maintain his infantry strength was nearly exhausted.{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=64}} Dempsey proposed an attack consisting solely of armoured divisions, a concept that contradicted Montgomery's policy of never employing an unbalanced force.{{sfn|Hart|2007|pp=64–65}}{{efn|In ''Fields of Fire'', Terry Copp suggested that it was Brigadier Charles Richardson, chief planning officer of 21st Army Group, who provided the starting point and inspiration for Operation Goodwood.{{sfn|Copp|2004|p=134}}}} By mid-July, the Second Army had {{nowrap|2,250 [[medium tank]]s}} and {{nowrap|400 [[light tank]]s}} in the bridgehead, of which {{nowrap|500 were}} in reserve to replace losses.{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=65}}{{sfn| Vat|2003| p=158}}{{sfn|Dunphie|2005|p=30}} The armoured element of the Second Army consisted of the [[Guards Armoured Division]], 7th Armoured Division and the [[British 11th Armoured Division|11th Armoured Division]] and the [[4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East|4th Armoured Brigade]], [[8th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|8th Armoured Brigade]], [[27th Armoured Brigade]] and 33rd Armoured brigades, the 31st and 34th Tank brigades and the [[2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade]].{{sfn|Fortin|2004|pp=44, 52, 58, 64, 69, 74}}{{sfn|Trew|Badsey|2004|p=55}}{{sfn|Buckley|2014|p=19}}{{efn|Excluding the 79th Armoured Division, which never operated as a formation and the 6th Guards Tank Brigade still in England.{{sfn|Fortin|2004|p=47}} The tank brigades were equipped with [[Churchill tank|Churchill infantry tanks]] and a small number of light tanks.{{sfn|Clark|2004|p=36}}{{sfn|Fortin|2004|pp=47, 64, 74, 100}}}}

At 10:00 on 13 July, Dempsey met with Crocker, Lieutenant-General Simonds of II Canadian Corps and O'Connor.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|p=70}} Later that day, the first written order for Operation Goodwood—named after the [[Glorious Goodwood]] race meetings—was issued.{{sfn|Trew|Badsey|2004|p=64}}{{sfn|Ellis|Allen|Warhurst|Robb|2004|p=330}} The document contained only preliminary instructions and general intentions; it was to stimulate detailed planning, and alterations were expected.{{sfn|Jackson|2006|p=72}} The order was also sent to senior planners in the United Kingdom so that air support for the operation could be secured.{{sfn|Wilmot|McDevitt|1997|p=353}} When VIII Corps had assembled in Normandy in mid-June, it was suggested that the corps be used to attack out of the Orne bridgehead, to outflank Caen from the east but Operation Dreadnought was cancelled when Dempsey and O'Connor doubted the feasibility of the operation.{{efn|There is some disagreement whether Montgomery or Dempsey cancelled the operation. Montgomery wrote that he cancelled the operation over O'Connor's doubts about the plan and decided to attack west of Caen, in what became Operation Epsom; while Dempsey, after the war, told [[Chester Wilmot]] that he informed Montgomery that he was going to cancel the proposed operation on 18 June.{{sfn|Hart|2007|pp=131–132}}}}