The 320 men of the elite Canadian Black Watch were ready to storm Verrieres Ridge to break out of Normandy following the D-Day Landings. The men had lost their officers during a previous skirmish, leaving only 26-year-old Major Phil Griffin in command.

The Canadians were supposed to attack during pre-dawn to avoid becoming an easy target for the entrenched Waffen SS troops. However, it was now 9:00am, and their tank and artillery support were not there.

Despite this setback, the top officers ordered Griffin to lead his men forward and march into the belly of the beast. Undeterred, Griffin rallied his troops and called upon them to fix bayonets.

The Black Watch advanced in perfect order, unaware that an enemy force three times their size was expecting them with dozens of machine guns, mortars, and well-placed artillery just past the slope.

As the Black Watch advanced, the enemy opened fire. The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and the screams of the wounded. But Griffin and his men did not falter. They pressed on, determined to achieve their objective…

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