Editing 2nd Canadian Division (section)

=====Operation "Totalize"=====
By 1 August 1944, the British had made significant gains on the Vire and Orne Rivers during [[Operation Bluecoat]], while the Americans had achieved a complete breakthrough in the west. On 4 August, Simonds and General [[Harry Crerar]]—the newly appointed commander of the [[First Canadian Army]]—were given the order to prepare an advance on Falaise.<ref name="Bercuson228"/> Three days later, with heavy bomber support, [[Operation Totalize]] began, marking the first use of [[Kangaroo (armoured personnel carrier)|Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carriers]].<ref name="Zuehlke168"/> While the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attacked east of the Caen-Falaise Road, 2nd Division attacked to the west. By noon Verrières Ridge had finally fallen, and Canadian and Polish armour was preparing to exploit south towards Falaise.<ref name="Bercuson229">Bercuson, p. 229</ref> However, strong resistance by the [[12th SS Panzer Division]] and the [[272nd Grenadier Infantry Division|272nd ''Volksgrenadier'' Division]] halted the advance.<ref name="Bercuson229"/> Although 12&nbsp;km (7.5&nbsp;mi) of ground had been gained,<ref name="Bercuson230">Bercuson, p. 230</ref> Canadian forces had failed to reach Falaise itself.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Simultaneously, the Germans had launched a desperate and ill-prepared [[Operation Luttich|armoured thrust]] towards [[Mortain]], beginning on 6 August 1944. This was halted within a day and, despite the increasingly dangerous threat presented by the Anglo-Canadian advance on Falaise, German commander Field Marshal [[Günther von Kluge]] was prohibited by [[Adolf Hitler]] from redeploying his forces.<ref>D'Este, p. 420</ref> Thus, as American armoured formations advanced towards [[Argentan]] from the south, the Allies were presented with an opportunity to encircle large sections of the [[7th Army (Wehrmacht)|German Seventh Army]].<ref>D'Este, p. 427</ref> The First Canadian Army was ordered south, while the Americans prepared to move on [[Chambois, Orne|Chambois]] on 14 August. Simonds and Crerar quickly planned a further offensive that would push through to Falaise, trapping the German Seventh Army in Normandy.<ref name="Zuehlke, p. 169">Zuehlke, p. 169</ref>