Dawn had not yet touched the rolling fields of Normandy when 320 Canadian soldiers of the legendary Black Watch Regiment stepped into formation. It was July 25, 1944. Their objective: Verrières Ridge, a commanding height south of Caen and one of the most heavily defended positions in German-occupied France.What occurred in the next few hours would become one of the darkest and most devastating days in Canadian military history.A War That Was Supposed to Be Nearly WonOnly weeks earlier, Operation Neptune—D-Day—had marked the largest amphibious landing in history. The Atlantic Wall fell faster than even the most optimistic Allied forecasts. Many believed Nazi Germany was nearing collapse.But optimism died in the hedgerows of Normandy.German command recovered quickly, reinforcing the front with hardened SS Panzer divisions—veterans of brutal combat on the Eastern Front. The battlefields turned into a grinding slaughter, more reminiscent of World War I than the mobile warfare of the 1940s. Progress was measured in meters, each bought with dozens of lives.The Plan That Should Have Never Been ExecutedBritish Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery then devised Operation Goodwood, a massive breakthrough attempt. It failed, leaving the Allies stalled before the German defensive network known as the Bourguébus Line—its crown defense: Verrières Ridge.To break it, Canadian General Guy Simonds proposed a new assault: Operation Spring.For the Black Watch, this battle carried symbolic gravity. Their predecessors had achieved the impossible once before—capturing Vimy Ridge in 1917. Now, a new generation would try to repeat that legacy.But fate intervened.Heavy rains delayed the operation from July 23 to July 25—giving the Germans time to strengthen their defenses and bring in elite reinforcements.Marching Into FireWhen the order arrived shortly before dawn, the Black Watch waited for promised artillery and tank support that never came. Communications had collapsed. No one corrected the attack order.Major Phil Griffin faced a terrible choice: refuse the command or send his men forward unsupported.He chose duty.The moment the regiment advanced, German MG-42 machine guns—the dreaded “Hitler’s buzz saw”—opened fire. Mortars and artillery lit the ridge. Witnesses compared the scene to a parade of death: soldiers advancing in perfect formation, closing ranks each time a comrade fell.Griffin was killed early. Officers died one after another. Small groups reached the German trenches and fought hand-to-hand, but they were vastly outnumbered and pushed back.By noon, it was over.Of the 320 men who began the attack, fewer than 20 returned.94% casualties—one of the highest loss rates of any Allied unit in WWII.A Victory Paid in BloodVerrières Ridge finally fell weeks later—with proper artillery and armor support—and with minimal losses. The victory felt hollow. The price had already been paid.Today, the Black Watch Regiment still serves, honoring the memory of those who marched forward into impossible fire—not because they believed they would survive, but because they believed it was their duty.