13
Le Plein—1 August 1944. Lt-Col. C. F. Phillips continues the narrative:
On Tuesday, 1 August the Commando moved to Le Plein area to take over positions occupied by 3 Commando. Positions did not require much adjusting. Commando HQ moved from Château d’Amfreville to the old 1 Commando Brigade HQ in Le Plein on 2 August. A standing patrol was maintained at Longuemar Farm and life settled down to the same routine as at Sallenelles. The Commando was soon ordered to move again so that apart from the one standing patrol no intensive patrol work was initiated.
Sannerville—6 August 1944—Related by Lt-Col. C. F. Phillips
On August 6 orders were received to relieve a Brigade of 49 (WR) Division in the area due West Troarn. Recce parties completed their work and on the next day the Commando moved in by march route. Positions in this area were much closer to the enemy and were overlooked from the high ground running north to south through Troarn. Casualties due to enemy shelling and mortar fire were heavy especially in forward positions. Patrolling was of vital importance owing to frequent rumours of enemy withdrawal. On one patrol Lt Borne (B-Troop) and L/Cpl Andrews (10 IA Commando) were killed on a mine. On Wednesday, 16 August, X-Troop confirmed a limited enemy withdrawal and A-Troop moved forward to original enemy FDL. Capt. Wood and his MOA were wounded on a booby trap and evacuated. Lt Stickings was appointed to Command A-Troop. On the next day a successful patrol by B-Troop led to the occupation of St Parr and 8 PoW were taken, 4 Commando Brigade moved up to the river Dives and Troarn was taken. The Commando (less X and HW-Troops) remained in the old area. On 18 August orders were given to prepare to cross the Dives and at 0500 hrs on 19 August the advance started.
L/Cpl Frank Wright, X-Troop:
On one of the occasions, at about 1 o’clock in the morning when we had disembarked from the lorries after much stopping and starting we continued on foot, X-Troop leading, Maj. Walton in charge, pitch-black night. We marched for some time then were ordered to take cover which was no problem as there were deep, dry ditches on either side of the road. Maj. Walton sent a small party of three men forward to act as sentries to form a roadblock and give early warning of enemy approach. They were: L/Cpl Donald McKelvie from Bradford, Marines Jock Kemp and Albert Keenan from Glasgow. After they had left there was silence for some time, perhaps fifteen minutes. Then came a sudden burst of firing, a shout, then silence again.
What on earth was that about? Then footsteps approached out of the darkness, a black silhouette, half running, half stumbling muttering and sobbing weaponless he shuffled past us and on down the road, no doubt to be scooped up by Shock Kendrick, our medic. We were to find out later—much later—that there had been an unfortunate and fatal meeting between our sentries and a patrol from 41 Commando, in the pitch-black, no time for the password and someone had opened fire with a short burst. Jock Kemp had taken most of the burst in the chest and died instantly. His best mate Albert simply gave up at that point and ran. I believe he returned to the UK shortly afterwards.
The Advance. Lt-Col. C. F. Phillips continues:
The move across the river Dives beyond Troarn went smoothly and the Commando occupied a position behind the leading elements of 6 Airborne Division with HQ at Le Manoir. Enemy shelling was frequent and one officer (Lt Gower) and 3 ORs were wounded. The night was quiet and at noon on 20 August the Commando moved across the second stream of the Dives at Putot en Auge to occupy a reverse slope position on the right of 46 Commando. Some slight but disorganised enemy resistance was encountered and one OR (CSgt Morely) was killed, and one wounded. At about midnight the Commando moved again making a night march by the right flank to join 41 Commando in a dawn attack on Dozulé. A mistake of identity with 41 Commando caused casualties to both units. We lost 1 OR killed and 1 wounded. Dozulé was occupied without resistance at first light and the Commando settled down to rest in a brick factory.
The Liberation of Dozulé
As the Germans were expecting an impending allied attack, they evacuated the people of Dozulé by 25 July 1944. Around three to four hundred soldiers occupied and had full control over this small town, as they expected a decisive battle would be fought in the ‘Pays-d’Auge’ area. Because of this Field Marshal Hans Von Kluge, who replaced Field Marshal Rommel on July 17th as Cdr of the Western HQ, thought it would be useful to visit Dozulé in the 3rd quarter of July, in order to inspect the troops and boost the depleting moral of his soldiers.
After completion of Operation Paddle on 18 August, Allied forces coming from the Salenelles-Amfreville-Breville-Sannerville-Troarn area arrived at Putot en Auge. The advance had been slowed down because of several problems the advancing troops faced: two bridges destroyed, the old canal to cross, flooded marsh, a railway, and mosquitoes. In front of them lay Dozulé between hills, which were used by the enemy as observation posts to watch the smallest of movements, and fire heavily on the advancing Allied troops.
On 18 August, British Airborne troops tried to enter Dozulé by force in a frontal assault, but they had to give up due to fierce enemy resistance. It was the same on the ‘chemin des bois’ at Putot en Auge, where several attack failed with lot of casualties.
General Richard Gale, Cdr of the 6th Airborne Division, had the conviction that Dozulé could not be taken by frontal attack, and they would have to go around by the north and south. He ordered that all hills around Dozulé should be taken, and said that the capture of Hill 134 was the key point to Dozulé.
On 19 August, 4 Special Service Brigade, consisting of 41, 46, 47, and 48 Royal Marines Commando was holding the Putot la Bribourdière area, facing Hill 134. The 1st Special Service Brigade consisting of 45 Royal Marines Commando and 3, 4 and 6 Army Commandos was holding the l’Épine sector, Font Frémy, and Royal Pré, with Mamelon Hill 72 (also called Mont d’Angoville), and Hill 130 (also called Bassebourg), as principal objectives.
Starting from the Bribourdière castle, under cover of night, 46 RM Commando climbed the sheer slope of the ‘high hill’, but at several metres from the top of the hill, a sentry was watching them. A flare lighted up and heavy fire forced the troop to withdraw from their objective.
At daybreak, they made another attempt through the woods near Dozulé, using the landscape, thickets, orchards, walking along hedges at the mercy of snipers and exploding grenades. They arrived at the bottom of Mont Ménard Hill 112, which had been taken after a hard-fought struggle. The commando found the ground strewn with 20 dead Germans; some had been killed the day before by English bombs. The Allies lost 2 killed and 18 wounded.
At Bribourdière, the order was given to make another assault on Hill 134. To attack Hill 134 at 9:00 a.m. would be madness in the opinion of the officers. Lt-Col. Peter Luard ‘thought the Germans would not expect something that foolish’.
Following orders, 48 RM Commando made their push in two waves, and again climbed Hill 134, supported by 47 RM Commando on the other slope. They made the attack in full daylight, and reached the top with light casualties.
This observation and defensive point was covered with individual holes. There were two 75 mm guns, four 20 mm guns, four 81 mm mortars, four 50 mm mortars, and a lot of 34 mm machine guns.
In the afternoon, 41 RM Commando replaced 48 RM Commando, which went towards ‘les panniers’, and Banquelion. They then came across Hill 120, the high point of Beaufour road, which was taken in spite of heavy enemy resistance. Hill 120 was thought to be vital for the success of the operation, because from it the Pont l’Evêque road and slopes towards Dozulé could be controlled.
Hill 140 at La Chapelle de Clermont, could not be ignored due to dangers it might cause. Several men from 41 and 48 RM Commando went up the hill and destroyed an abandoned armored car and found the enemy had retreated without a fight.
In the meantime after fierce fighting, le ‘Mamelon de l’Épine’ at Criqueville fell into 4 Army Commando hands. This Anglo-French Commando included the green berets of Maj. Kieffer.
Nos 3 and 6 Army Commando had taken Hill 72, called ‘Mont d’Angoville’, while 6 Army Commando and 45 RM Commando, under a hail of bombs, were already racing up the slopes of Hill 130 near Bassebourg. Mortars and bombs were hindering their progress, but nothing could stop them from taking this high point.
At Bassebourg 1 Special Service Brigade regrouped and took up shelter for the night, fearing a counter attack would be imminent. At daybreak, they advanced further towards the crossroads. As they went by they checked the school of Periers, which had been used as hospital by the Germans. There was great disorder in the rooms. Arms and legs were lying in a washtub, surrounded by blood soaked dressings. Next were the crossroads ‘La Cour Philippe’, Mesnil Da, La maison Blanche, La Croix d’Heuland via Annebault.
The fight for the hill was over. All the headlands had been taken, and cleared by the commandos. All that was left was the basin of Dozulé.
The attack on Dozulé was planned for 20 August at 8:00 p.m., by 46, 47 and 48 RM Commando. At about 5:00 p.m., men hurtled down the Dozulé side of Hill 112 and 120. Awaiting the starting time, they gathered in front of the church of Saint Leger Duboscq, near an abandoned German battery, but after a counter order the attack was postponed until the next day, which caused great deception. Dozulé was ablaze and under a heavy rain, German trucks could be heard.
On 21 August at daybreak, 41 RM Commando went down from the heights of Angerville, approached Dozulé from the rear, not meeting any opposition. The Germans had retreated during the night. In town the commandos found two abandoned German cars, artillery pieces, machine guns, ammunition and rockets. Along the main road the houses were ablaze.
Maj.–Gen. Moulton, Cdr of 48 RM Commando admitted he had a lack of audacity, because he did not push forward fast enough during the day, and had not cut off the main road Dozulé-Angerville on time.
The obstacle of Dozulé had been overcome, and the enemy had lost a vital strategic point. The route toward the river Seine now lay open. Before their hasty retreat, the Germans burned down part of Dozulé by throwing incendiary grenades inside the houses. Some claimed that Allied artillery was responsible. But the same kind of destruction by fire was found at Pont l’Évêque, were German soldiers coming from Dozulé had withdrawn.
L/Cpl Frank Wright, X-Troop:
The strangest things can happen to individuals when a unit is mobile—well, at any time really. Whilst we were back in the Bridgehead there was an appeal from HQ for a volunteer to work in the Orderly Room in HQ, become a clerk in fact. The appeal didn’t reach me and I wouldn’t have volunteered if it had, but it did reach Marine Alec T. Wright, also of X-Troop and he volunteered to work in the Orderly Room, doing whatever clerks do.
About a fortnight later someone woke up to the fact that no action had been taken in this particular matter and ‘Hadn’t Marine Wright better get his skates on?’
So one fine morning TSM Robinson approached me, Marine Frank Wright and, leaving out all pleasantries said: ‘Get your gear together Wright and report to HQ Orderly Room.’Adding with a sneer, ‘If you can find it.’ I had no idea what this was about, if anything, perhaps I was on another charge. So with TSM Robinson’s words ringing in my ears I said the briefest of good-byes to X-Troop and went in search of the Orderly Room. I didn’t find it of course because on the move all clerical work is done with one man with a pad and pencil. But I did find Tom Griffiths the only real clerk in this fluid situation and with whom I was to share the duty clerk roster.
After this unexpected change in my life and the news got through to Alec Wright he was extremely angry, and who could blame him? It wasn’t until more than six months later when Jack Thomas was transferred from X-Troop to HQ that I heard the full story.
I have never seen Alec Wright since the day I left X-Troop.
I’d been a clerk for a couple of days, sharing the duties with Tom Griffiths. He was a friendly, quiet bloke who smoked a pipe and told me all about his girl-friend in Castle Douglas. The Commando was making stuttering progress eastwards, you never knew where you would get your next meal or where you would spend the night. We passed through Troarn where the population was celebrating its liberation from German occupation. Enthusiastic members of the Resistance—the Maquis were present in large numbers in the town square, armed to the teeth. Having no Germans to shoot at they were blazing away at the sky. Also young women who had had German boy-friends during the occupation were suffering the humiliation of having their heads shaved.
Out in the countryside again, en route to Dozulé. Just getting comfortable, well, as comfortable as you can get on the back of a three-tonner, when dong/CRASH ... dong/CRASH ... that 88 mm sound, the shells come at you with the speed of sound—no warning—everyone off the lorry which hastily turned round somehow in the road and disappeared out of sight. We were told to get off the road and take cover in the hedgerows on either side. We were pinned down there for several hours whilst the 88s played up and down the road. There was ample time to study the terrain. The road towards Dozulé and the Seine was arrow straight for about two miles but beyond that was a ridge of high ground. That’s where the guns would be.
Eventually we were on the move again, the lorries appeared from nowhere, we piled on board and the drivers found a route behind the high ground.
I was duty clerk that morning and almost the first person I saw was the Adjutant, Capt. Spencer who asked me if I was the new clerk and when I said I was he told me to ‘Stick around, we might need you!’ Several senior officers and NCOs were present and we made our way up the hill. Suddenly we were at the gun site, the gun itself, sabotaged and useless now with its barrel split and distorted, completely hidden by thick overhanging branches, and what a field of fire!The landscape lay before us, fields, hedgerows and the long straight road westwards towards Troarn. With a good pair of binoculars the gunners would be able to see a field mouse move across the road one mile away.
There was a familiar sound of a jeep approaching, it screeched to a halt and the Brig. jumped out, joined the party of officers, greetings all round. Soon afterwards he was in deep conversation with our CO, Col Phillips. I realised that they weren’t talking about today’s events but about the night-time incident when a ‘friendly’ patrol from another Commando had clashed with our sentries and Jock Kemp had been killed.
I was able to watch the Brig.’s reaction when the CO reached the end of his story.
The Brig.’s head rocked back. ‘Hah, trigger happy, what?’
We intended to cross the Seine at Duclair, and arrived about mid-day. That morning we had been issued with packed lunches and I was just beginning to feel peckish. First signs that we were getting close to the river was when we encountered what turned out to be a half mile long queue of damaged or destroyed vehicles. The scene in front of us soon began to resemble the Caen road, but here was half a mile of every kind of wheeled vehicle: lorries, trailers, staff cars, coaches, tracked vehicles of all kinds, all driven as near to the river as they could get, then abandoned in the mad scramble to the boats—if there were any. This was the vehicle park from hell, monochrome in colour, only greys and blacks, and smelling of old fires, burnt metal and death.
We made our way on foot through this wilderness until we reached the banks of the river. Any thoughts I may have had about food were quickly dispelled when I caught sight of part of a human hand with two fingers and a thumb attached in the debris almost at my feet.
Our little boat trip across the river passed without incident and by evening we had reached the small market town of Cany Barville.
Here we were granted shore leave—the first since Southampton, seemed like years ago! We’d had a pay parade too so were able to afford a drink or two at the nearest café. Strict instructions to report back if any sign of trouble. I may have had one too many cognacs in the café because I remember making a complete arsehole of myself by standing up and singing Le Marseillaise right through from beginning to end in terrible French. The mixed British and French audience ignored it completely.
Lt-Col. C. F. Phillips continues:
On the next day, 22 August the Commando moved up by march route to Fonts de la Cressonnière south west of Pont L’Évêque. Here the Commando again went into reserve positions. Two proposed attacks were planned for the nights of the 23 and 24 August but both were called off at the last moment by GOC 6 Airborne Division. By a.m. 24 August the enemy had withdrawn and the advance was resumed. Before moving off Y-Troop was disbanded and all ranks divided principally between Q and X-Troops. Capt. Wray was posted to Tactical HQ Commando Group and Lt O’Brien to Q-Troop. Lt Dickie joined HQ as I.C. Lt Hughes was evacuated owing to a recurrence of a wound received at the beginning of the advance. Lt ADAM joined A-Troop from X-Troop.
Mne Fred Wildman, Heavy Weapons:
It became apparent that something big was happening as we had to trudge further and further each day to get near any opposition. This was the start of a wonderful part of our war, as we liberated towns and villages all along the coast. We were welcomed with open arms by so many smiling people along our route, people who had been under the cosh for so long.
Lt-Col. C. F. Phillips:
The Commando moved by Motor Transport to the Beuzeville area and came into Brigade reserve behind 41 and 46 Commandos. The day passed quietly until orders were received to take part in a night march to cut off enemy troops marching for the Seine. At about 0100 hrs, 26 August 4 Commando Brigade less 46 Commando moved off in single file through 41 and 48 Commandos and liberated Toutanville. The PoW were taken by the AO (Capt. Tunnicliffe).
From 26 to 31 August the Commando rested and reorganised. Every effort was made to replace lost equipment and to put troops in a fit state. 6 Airborne Division and 1 Commando Brigade returned to the UK and 4 Commando Brigade came under Command of 1 British Corps.