Operation Spring - Verrières Ridge (Normandy) - 80th Anniversary Panel Discussion 

Absolutely a wonderful presentation. I love these panel discussions. More over I’m learning more and more about how instrumental in Normandy my Canadian cousins across the border were.

A truly brilliant show with three esteemed Canadian Historians, with Woody expertly prompting this show along. The time flew due to the expertise on show, the sidebar was exceptional. This is high in the top ten presentations on WW2TV. Thank you so much gentlemen

Sorry that I missed this live! Great to see these superb Canadian Historians on your channel Woody.

Great show! The historians and Woody are brilliant

This is my favourite ww2 channel. Thanks for another superb presentation.

Wonderful talk, Thank You

I do enjoy your panel shows, especially having four such great historians and communicators.

Howdy folks! Great bunch of Canadian historians talking about one of the last assaults on the Caen front. Great insight on its affect on the Cobra breakout by the US Army. Educational and entertaining.

Cracking show. For me a Socrates moment as I realise just how little I know about Normandy beyond the beaches.

One of WW2TV's truly outstanding presentations! Woody assembled a "blue-ribbon" panel of Canadian military historians who collectively made the Verrières Ridge battle understandable to me, who is just beginning to learn about the battles for Caen.😊

Top notch discussion gentlemen, simply top notch, thank you.

interesting .. and shows the power of having an experienced panel of experts

Awesome in-depth discussion. Love the interaction between the historians. Perhaps the best show on your channel. Many thx for organizing and hosting.

First want to remember those who died for our freedom during the Normandy Campaign. Great questions and wonderful banter among "the Panel". Learned things. I wish some historian would write a book about the communication/ Signal security battle in Normandy and the role it played. I know there were time when artillery could have stopped more German attacks but it was lacking due to comms. Keep up the good work.

Love your show man. Keep it going.

Always like this type of detailed analysis

Great show!

Excellent panel and discussion gentlemen.

Brilliant stream with an excellent panel

Great work. Thanks for the insightful content.

Great talk.

Great panel. The subject matter was above my head, I didn’t get some of the abbreviations, that’s my fault, not yours, but I got the drift. But the more I watch your shows, which are out of my comfort zone, the more knowledgeable I will get. It was very engaging though. Well done to all.

Thanks for this great presentation, a good refresher on the subject matter.

What a fantastic show!

Great show! Thank you.

Always top content but this was on an entirely other level....absolutely superb! Four (you too Woody) historians at the top of their game! Such incredible detail expertly and enthusiastically presented!

Another brilliant show! Looking forward to a similar show on Totalizer! Brad from OTD Military History has done a series of videos showing the ground that this and other battles were fought over. Poor substitute for walking the ground but far better than a Michelin Guide.

Brilliant once again!

Excellent, thank you.

Great video!

An outstanding discussion from an All Star group of Canadian military historians! This is the perfect response to those who think WW2TV does not cover the Canadians in WW2.

Love these discussions, between a great foursome

Outta call this channel 'WW2 University'. I feel like i just got PhD level dissertation.

That map by Mike of the mineshafts sure was a jaw dropper for me. I'd read about them, but had no idea that they were THAT extensive.

Outstanding! Cream was a rock supergroup in the 1960’s and the panel is certainly a supergroup of historians! I am looking forward to watching the next installment. Tom Mullen, Geneva IL USA

Awesome stuff

Great discussion Paul. Keep up the good work!

Really interesting panel. Thank you!

I love this panel discussions! Different views/ opinions, so learning more :). Ace team by the way!

Remember watching programe years ago that Phil Griffin was named if he or didn't deserves the victoria cross

Oral history at the Black Watch says that Griffin was told he would be supported by tanks in the attack, (there were none, the battalion went in alone.), that there would be an artillery barrage supporting the attack that morning (there wasn't), that their step-off point was secured, (Neither St-Martin, or St-Andre were captured), that their flanks were secured by the other brigade units (They weren't and the Watch had to endure enfildading fire the whole way up the slope). Maj. Griffin was lied to, and ordered to send the Watch in under false pretexts. That the official history and reports pins the blame wholly on Maj. Griffin saying, "the strategically unsound execution on the part of Major Phillip Griffin and the Black Watch" is the reason the whole thing failed is disgusting. His final orders at the crest of the ridge before his position was overwhelmed and he was killed, "For God's sake, don't send any more men" calling off the suicidal reinforcements for his toehold on the ridge, and ordering the reserve company to begin organizing a defence against the oncoming counter-attack speaks to the worth of his character. He and the regiment deserved a better fate and remembrance than to be thrown under the bus to salvage Megill's, Simond's and Foulkes' careers. All the men involved who survived the charge up the slope are unanimous about what Megill told Griffin would be the situation before they stepped off , and that he had to attack. Megill conveniently changes the time in his account vaguely saying that somewhere between 0800 and 0900 that morning he had already been telling Foulkes to call it off - This was at the same time he was ordering Maj Griffin to attack, attack, attack prior to the Watch stepping off at approximately 09h30. All that to say, I wouldn't call the Watch's past an "albatross about their neck" in which they felt honour-bound to never retreat. It was a tough unit, and its legacy was something to look up to, but they were not fanatic zealots. There's a lot more that happened that fateful day.

Wish I had the chance to watch this. What about comms, could the foo's talk to guns supporting them? That had been a problem for the Canadian's all along. You can have all the guns in the world but cannot call for it to fire on a new location it does you no good. Did it work any better in Spring?

1:12:27 Woody fears my mother's wrath. This amuses me ^_^

Another great presentation. Could this operation have turned out similar to how Totalize played out or was the terrain and German defences just too strong for manuever?

The last page is not turned yet.

iirc - an attack proceeding as expected is when a wise attacking commander starts to get worried, yes?