At hand were the 2nd, 116th and Panzer Lehr Divisions, as well as part of the Leibstandarte and Das Reich, which were reinforced with the remnants of the 17th SS Division. All told, Funck had a paltry 185 tanks to turn the tide of the war in Germany's favour.

Ill omens

Allied air supremacy was now such a problem for the Germans that Hausser ordered the attack to begin under cover of darkness at 02:00 hours on 7 August. Surprise was to be of the essence; accordingly, there was no preparatory bombardment. Hitler's micro-management of the planning for the attack meant all the key documents had been delivered by hand to the German commanders in France. This had the unintentional spin-off of ensuring that the British ULTRA code-breaking operation was not able to pick up any German radio traffic about the impending attack. Unaware of the coming onslaught, Bradley had only stationed the tired and understrength US 30th Infantry Division to guard the town of Mortain, which was the first objective of Operation Luttich. It had no warning of the impending attack.

Operation Luttich is launched

Waffen-SS participation in the Mortain counterattack, as Operation Luttich is now known, centred around three main units. SS-Standartenführer Otto Baum commanded a kampfgruppe made up from the Das Reich and 17th SS Divisions. Its objective was Mortain itself. The Leibstandarte was thrown into the battle piecemeal because of delays in moving the division from the Caen Front along congested roads and under incessant Allied air attack. Only a single panzer battalion with 43 Panthers and 7 Panzer IVs, along with the Leibstandarte's reconnaissance unit and an armoured halftrack-mounted panzergrenadier battalion, arrived in time to go with the first attack wave. The rest of the division was several hours' march behind.

At first the German attack went well. Das Reich stormed into Mortain, scattering surprised American units out of its path. Its panzer regiment pushed past the town and headed 5km (3.1 miles) westwards. The division's reconnaissance battalion secured its left flank, moving 4km (2.5 miles) south of the town, which was soon the scene of fierce fighting between American infantry and Waffen-SS panzergrenadiers. The 17th SS Division's reconnaissance battalion hit the town from the front, and Das Reich's Der Führer Panzergrenadier Regiment swept in from the north. A battalion of American infantry was surrounded on the crucial Hill 317 on the eastern edge of the town. To the west of Mortain, the US 120th Infantry Regiment fought desperate rearguard actions.

North of Mortain, the advance units of the Leibstandarte were assigned to the 2nd Panzer Division. SS-Sturmbannführer Gustav Knittel's reconnaissance troops raced ahead of the tank force, spreading confusion in the American ranks. They surprised a US column near le Mesnil Tôve and captured a large quantity of trucks and anti-tank guns, before pressing on a further 3km (1.8 miles) against little opposition. By late morning, however, strong American road-blocks were in place and Knittel's men had to pull back to defend le Mesnil Tôve.

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