The objective was to capture Conquering intact two road bridges in Normandy across the River Orne and the Caen Canal , providing Supply the only exit eastwards for British forces from their landing Self_motion on Sword Beach .

I Corps began Process_start the eastern thrust two days later from the Orne bridgehead , which had been secured in Operation Tonga on D-Day .

Using two landing Self_motion zones , one to the west of the Caen canal and the other to the east of the River Orne , Mallard was the third airborne operation Military_operation involving units of the division on D-Day .

The British and Canadians advanced on a broad front and by the evening of the second day had taken Conquering Caen up to the Orne and Odon rivers .

Moving into Caen at dawn the following morning , the Allies encountered Hostile_encounter resistance from remnants of German units who were beginning Process_start a withdrawal Escaping across the Orne .

Carpiquet airfield fell Motion_directional to the Canadians during the early morning and by 18:00 , the British and Canadians had linked Connect up along the north bank of the Orne .

The Germans retired Escaping from north of the Orne River but did not stop Process_end sending Sending formations to the American front .

On 18 July , the British I Corps conducted Action an advance Cause_to_make_progress to secure Getting a series of villages and the eastern flank of VIII Corps and to the west , the II Canadian Corps launched Process_start Operation Atlantic , synchronised with Goodwood , to capture Conquering the rest of Caen south of the Orne River .