Operation Charnwood was an offensive by British and Canadian troops that took place from 8 to 9 July 1944, during the Battle for Caen in the Second World War. The operation was intended to at least partially capture the German-occupied French city of Caen (French pronunciation: ​[kɑ̃]), which was an important objective for the Allies during the opening stages of Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy.