Operation Totalize 1944: The Allied Drive South From Caen

In Operation Totalize, Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds` II Canadian Corps launched an attack from its positions south of Caen, striking south-southeast toward the high ground that dominated the town of Falaise. The initial break-in achieved rapid success, but fierce German resistance prevented the Allies from capitalizing on their promising start. Operation Totalize subsequently failed to secure a decisive operational-level victory, allowing substantial elements of the German army to extract themselves from encirclement in the Falaise pocket.