 After the brutality of the combat that had occurred during the day , night was welcomed by both German and Polish forces surrounding Mont Ormel . Fighting was sporadic , as both sides avoided contact with one another . Frequent Polish artillery barrages interrupted German attempts to retreat from the sector . By morning , German attacks on the position had resumed . Although not as coordinated as on the day before , the attack still managed to reach the last of the Polish defenders on Mont Ormel . As the remaining Polish forces repelled the assault , their tanks were forced to use the last of their ammunition . At approximately 12 : 00 , the last SS remnants launched a final assault on the positions of the 9th Battalion . Polish forces defeated them at point @-@ blank range . There would be no further attacks ; the two battlegroups of the Polish 1st Armoured Division had survived the onslaught , despite being surrounded by German forces for three days . Both Reynolds and McGilvray place the Polish losses on the Maczuga at 351 killed and wounded and 11 tanks lost , although Jarymowycz gives higher figures of 325 killed , 1 @,@ 002 wounded , and 114 missing — approximately 20 % of the division 's combat strength . Within an hour , The Canadian Grenadier Guards managed to link up with what remained of Stefanowicz 's men . By late afternoon , the remainder of the 2nd and 9th SS Panzer Divisions had begun their retreat to the Seine River . The Falaise Gap had been permanently closed , with a large number of German forces still trapped in the pocket . 
