3rd Canadian Division, Rifle Company (BRAB04)

3rd Canadian Division, Rifle Company (BRAB04) The 3rd Canadian Division was constituted during the critical summer of 1940. Initially the division lacked even basic equipment, but the volunteer soldiers were led by veterans of the Canadian victories at Vimy Ridge and ‘The last 100 Days’ of the First World War.

The result was a well-trained and motivated Division that was worthy of those traditions. The division trained and fought in close coordination with the 2 Canadian Armoured Brigade.  The 3rd Canadian Division led the assault on Juno beach on D-Day, 6 June. Because of the need to wait for a high tide to get over the water obstacles, the Canadians were the last of the Allied forces to actually hit the beach.

Despite significant naval and air attacks the assaulting infantry found that many of the defensive positions were intact and putting up significant resistance. However, the lead battalions were able to clear the defences and establish a beachhead before pressing forward off the beach to their inland objectives. A troop of 1st Hussars (2 Canadian Armoured Brigade) supporting 7 Brigade made it further inland than any other Allied invasion unit on D-Day itself. On D+1 the Canadians pushed forward with the lead battalions of 7 Brigade, becoming the first units of the invasion force to actually reach their D-Day objectives.

Unfortunately 12 SS-Panzerdivision, the ‘Hitler Youth’, has arrived and was advancing in an attempt to crush the bridgehead. Over the next five days, the SS launch a series of counterattacks to drive the Canadians back. However, they attacked piecemeal and without co-ordination and were repulsed with heavy losses at Buron, Norry-en Bessin and Bretteville0l’Orgueilleuse. Only at Putot-en-Bessin did the SS enjoy any success, actually taking the village from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. Their success was short-lived though, as the Canadian Scottish threw them back the same day with a hastily planned but well executed counterattack.

For the rest of June they 3rd Canadian Division held their front against German counterattacks. They next went on the offensive during Operation Windsor, 7 Brigade leading the way again this time with specialist armoured support from the 79th Armoured Division. On 4 July they took the Carpiquet airfields from the 12. SS-Panzerdivision. On 8 July the division was once more in action during Operation Charwood with the British 3rd and 59th Divisions. After a month of heavy fighting Caen was finally in Allied hands.

Later in July they took part in Operation Goodwood, clearing the southern suburbs of Caen and pushing east of the Orne River. On 23 July the divisions of the II (Canadian) Corps and the British I Corps were taken under command by the new First Canadian Army. Two day late they took part in Operation Spring, primarily aimed at capturing high ground missed during Goodwood and to distract the Germans while the Americans launched Operation Cobra. During early August the 3rd Canadian division was involved in Operations Totalize and Tractable attempting breakthrough to Falaise.

During Operation Tractable the infantry road into battle for the first time in Defrocked Priest armoured personnel carriers. After hard fighting against the remnants of the 12. SS-Panzerdivision in some desperate battles the Canadian finally captured Falaise on 18 August.

Army Contents The box comes with all you need to get started with a Canadian Rifle Company. ♦ Company HQ (2 Command Rifle teams and a troop carrier) ♦ 3 Rifle Platoons (each Command Rifle/MG team, PIAT team, Light Mortar team and six Rifle/MG teams). ♦ Carrier Platoon with 2 Patrols (3 Universal Carriers and 3 Wasp Carriers) ♦ 3 Armoured Personnel Carriers (six Defrocked Priests)

♦ Machine-gun Platoon (Command Rifle team, PIAT team, four Vickers HMG teams) ♦ Heavy Mortar Platoon (Command Rifle team, Observer Rifle team, PIAT team, four 4.2” Mortar teams) ♦ Anti-tank Platoon (SP), Royal Artillery (two M10 3” SP) ♦ Armoured Platoon (three Sherman III, one Firefly VC) ♦ Army Sheet with organisations, points and arsenalDesigned by Evan Defrocked Priests Converted by Seth Painted by Jeremy