Armored Thunder: The Canadian Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment in the Normandy Campaign

About the Author: Lieutenant Colonel Braun served as commander of the Canadian 35th Brigade Group before retiring. He has Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees in History.
The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment was a Canadian armored regiment attached to the 2nd Canadian armored Brigade which landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in support of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and then fought through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany until VE-Day. As an independent armored regiment, it was assigned to support various infantry formations. As such, it fought the first major tank battle on European soil when it went up against the panzers and panzergrenadiers of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision (Hitlerjugend) on 7 June 1944. Its tanks entered Caen on 9 July and then took part in the advance to and the clearing of the town of Falaise. From there, the regiment pursued the retreating German forces towards the Seine River at Rouen. In a subsequent book, the author will explore the regiment's battles through Antwerp, the Scheldt, the Rhine River and the Hochwald Gap.