Stele of the 13 / 18th Royal Hussards Mont Pinçon

Stele of the 13 / 18th Royal Hussards Mont Pinçon

Mont Pinçon, located 365 meters above sea level, is the highest point in Normandy.
In 1940, the Germans installed there a radio-control station used to direct the aviation (Lutftwaffe) towards England. The station then includes a transmitter, a factory shelter, barracks and an electrical transformer.

The capture of Mont Pinçon is one of the highlights of the Battle of Normandy. On August 5, 6 and 7, 1944, the British soldiers of the 13/18 Royal Hussards took this strategic place called coast 365, thus allowing the advance of the allies towards the pocket of Falaise to repel the German army.

Departing from Caumont-l’Eventé, the « Bluecoat » operation was launched on July 30. The objective is to push the enemy south and surround it with the help of the other armies.
The British of the XXX Corps released Aunay-sur-Odon on August 5.
On August 6, the 43rd Wessex Infantry Division attacked Mount Pinçon, but the mortars and machine guns of the 32nd German Infantry Division stationed on the Mount stopped the offensive.
At the end of the afternoon, the tanks of 13/18 Royal Hussars reach the summit of Mont Pinçon by taking a path from the village of Varinière.

At the dawn of August 7, the British managed to destroy the installations by taking more than 200 prisoners.

The pink granite stele is in memory of the soldiers who fought in the 13/18 Royal Hussards. It was sculpted by Alain Head and inaugurated in 1996.