Canadian Memorial - Putôt-en-Bessin

The town of Putôt-en-Bessin was among the objectives of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade on June 7.

When they went on the offensive at daybreak, the Canadians met with little resistance from the surprised Germans. By midday, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles had reached Putôt-en-Bessin.

The following day, the Germans launched bloody counter-attacks and succeeded in driving the Winnipeg regiment back beyond the limits of Putôt. The brigade retaliated at 8:30 p.m., supported by the 1st Battalion, Canadian Scottish Regiment, a tank squadron from the 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars), the 12th and 13th Field Regiments of the Royal Canadian Artillery and part of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (machine-gun battalion). An hour later, at 9:30 p.m., the Canadians had regained their objective.

In all, the Winnipeg infantry brigade lost 256 men on June 8; 105 were killed, and some were even executed after being taken prisoner. The 1st Battalion (Canadian Scottish Regiment) suffered 125 casualties, including 45 dead.