Sword Beach to Bremen., A Veterans tale. Sapper

Brian :

An excellent and most stirring acocunt. Guess my dates selected were spot on ! I'll have a look at my maps for the vilage you mentioned.....
as always a most gracious thank you for sharing your life.

Erich

 

Sapper, the answer to your question is : no, I can't.
And that's one of the reasons for subsequent generations to be grateful to you and other people of your generation - that we haven't had to do the things that you did....

 

HI Everyone.
To break off for a moment from the battle of Goodwood. Let me look forward to the outcome, and what resulted from, and followed this little blood bath. There was one great saving grace about this battle, the Germans were forced to bring their armour around Normandy from the American battle front to the British army sector, because of the danger of our breakout, thus, stripping the American sector of German tanks, leaving it easier for the Yanks to break out.

It meant that the British would be faced with the daunting prospect of taking on the massed Panzers, or what was left of them. Leibstandart Adolf Hitler SS Panzer…. Das Reich SS panzer…. SS Panzer Lehr …. 12 SS Panzer. Hitler Youth…21st SS Panzer…. 9th SS Panzer…..10th SS Panzer……17th SS Panzer….. 116 SS Panzer…. The Vienna SS Panzer….Not to mention the German Para’s. All in all, what faced us was a formidable armoured and Panzer Grenadier force.

All of this we faced, and beat! While over in the West the yanks concentrated on the peninsula. When at last the Americans broke out against weak opposition, their flying columns spread out across undefended France.

Then, in one mighty thrust and in conjunction with the Americans, the British circled to the West, South, and and then turned North, to envelope an entire German army in what was to become known as the "Falaise pocket" (but more of that terrible and awful carnage later in these memoirs).

Back to Goodwood. After the attack had broken down we were withdrawn and returned to our old harbour area the other side of the Orne. I remember very clearly, how quickly the Company left that accursed place, in our half-tracks, carriers and three tonners, we came out at speed! I rode out in the back of three ton lorry. Bumpy! When we got through and later inspected our gear, we found that the full load of anti-tank mines I had been sitting on in our transport, were useless, they had been shot through with shrapnel and bullets and the yellow explosive had trickled out onto the floor.

There is a very important point to be made here. As an Assault company we had all been issued with Commando knives before the invasion, but we had to bear in mind that there was a great danger in being captured with a knife. First the Germans did not like knives and secondly: Hitler had issued an edict that any Commando's captured should be subject to summary execution, Shot out of hand! This edict was still in effect. Digging in the bottom of a fox hole where our lads had been captured would sometimes bring up a Commando knife. We were not Commando's, that did not matter we were carrying Commando knives.

Troarn? Well, we never got there. But talking to others who had fought there, they all say the same thing. Troarn had an ominous and sinister ring to the name and I would not go back there today! The name still makes me feel uncomfortable, even today. Horrible! By the way…The most dangerous thing that I ever did with my Commando knife was to open tins of soup, even then I managed to break the point off!
Sapper

The next episode:-The Battles round Vire. Deep behind the enemy lines. Boots full of blood.

 

Sapper has made an interesting point here. We have had this discussion elsewhere on this site, about the performance of Allied units in Normandy, and from the mouth of someone who was there we have what most British soldiers thought at the time - that they had spent 70+ days battering away at full strength, elite German units, taking heavy losses, while relieving pressure on the American sector and allowing a breakout in August; which the dear old Yanks take the credit for!

This is a point of view we rarely see in films like SPR where poor old Monty is always the goon...

 

Hello again everyone.
No one should ever doubt the fighting qualities of the British "Tommy" for he is a redoubtable warrior. Like the German army, they were a disciplined lot. But I must say, when ever we fought along side the Americans, they treated us like hero's, I like the Yanks and we have 'much' to thank them for. later in this narrative, I will show just how generous and caring they are as a people.
What I will say, is that they suffered from a terrible "Gung HO" attitude that cost them dear, at times 'Very dear' What has become apparent now, is that we young and green soldiers, had now become battle hardened Veterans, Veterans that would not hesitate to go out and get the enemy, where and whenever we wanted. Sounds a bit boastful? not a bit of it, we had just become experienced. Your views welcomed on this subject? I don't know where you are? but here to day, it is raining cats, dogs, and sanitary inspectors.
Sapper.Who is Brian.

 

Thanks for the balanced view, Brian.

I sometimes wonder if a lot of 'us and them' has been created post-war by writers who are keen to rewrite history and/or sell their books.

Certainly, 'in the air', I know from comments of both 8th AF and Bomber Command veterans that each had a very real appreciation of the dangers faced by the other.

 

You both bring up a very important point, as it appears in many documented movies that the US won the campaing in Normandy hands down. The bulk of the Ss armor was against the British with only 2nd SS Panzer Das reich and the weak 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Gotz v B. in action along with the 6th Para and a rag tag of Heer units. The only thing that really tied up US forces was the amount of ground they had to sweep through which much of the northern sphere was flooded plains. The British took it in the shorts and also with it's massed air support. I believe this is also one of the main reasons why the US did so well and so fast. An unlimited supply of P-47 jabo's to take on any MT and infantry support columsn causing extremem devastation in the process.
Good wood was a mess as Brian mentioned as so was the battles to the south/southwest and east of Caen.....let's read on !

E

 

Wha ? ! ....... Interesting ! My post was totally screwed up with about half of it posted and not in order with broken sentances......hhhhhmmmmmmm cyberdemons or something.

ok will try to fill in on this almost nosensical post. The US was faced by the 2 SS divisions and the 6th Para. The Bristish forces took it in the shorts at Goodwood. RAF and US air powere reigned supreme over the Normandy areas with slight resistance. Luftwaffe records would indicate otherwise but the Allied ground forces were not paying too much attention to what was going on in the air at over 20,000 feet. RAF and US air support was a necessary item and caused extreme havoc amongst German ground reserves.....
ok let's see if this works..

E

 

HI Again.
You may find this interesting, But first, we must go back to the early invasion. Our first objective after clearing a path from the beach was the little town of Hermanville. (Where incedently, I have many friends) The population of this friendly little town have sent me a whole heap of gifts. including some Calvados Brandy that is so old, that it is 'scented'

They are a delightful people, and I am always pleased to send bits and pieces for their museum cum remembrance hall. In that place you will find a poem thatI wrote, entitled, "Les Fleurs De Normandie " or "The Flowers of Normandy"

When we liberated Hermanville the old church bells were damaged. One of the officers asked them to ring out the church bells, he was told "They are badly damaged" His reply "that does not matter, they will be the first Bells of Freedom in the continent of Europe" I know it is a long time ago, but I do have a very 'crackly' recording of the original first church Bells of Freedom, and another of the church bells as they are today. I do have as well some even more "Crackly" war time recordings of the French songs of that time. Wonderful! Wonderful!
Sapper or Brian

 

Hi Everybody.
Just a little bit to day. let me have your comments if you are interested in this area.

Tilly.
Or, what was left of it.

Now! I have not the slightest idea what I was doing in Tilly apart from the fact that we were sent there to assist in the defence of the town? But I did get to Tilly. It may have been while we were on the move, whatever, I have a crystal clear recall of Tilly and could confidently walk down the slope today that was the main road, (without the need for directions). I cannot remember going there, or leaving, all I remember was the utter and complete devastation

Tilly was in the centre of the British sector and the armoured battles had raged back and forth over this little town until it was reduced to just a pile of rubble, I cannot remember how many times it had changed hands, all I can say is that the tank battles that took place there had reduced it as though it had been put through a mincer. As usual, I was carrying the Bren machine gun, and had set up the gun pointing down the slope of what was once the main street, with the Bren leaning on what was left of a windowsill, just a few bricks where the window frame had once been.

I can remember kneeling down with the Bren, covering what had been the slight downhill main street. What I do remember very clearly is that by my left leg was a severed arm still with the sleeve on it, and just a foot away, a boot with a foot still in it! All covered in the fine grey dust so typical of Normandy. I cannot remember anything else except the devastation.

A friend of mine on holiday in France, went out of his way to Tilly, knowing I had been there, he photographed several scenes of this now quiet little town, (Now returned to its normal pace of life) and I can pick out exactly where I kneeled down all those years ago, even though the buildings are new. This is the annoying thing about recall, some things I can remember crystal clear, others are completely gone, not surprising really, its over 50 years ago!
Sapper.

 

Brian :

Please continue......about Tilly..

E

 

Brian :

I am too far ahead or are you going backwards in your time line ? Tilly was June 10-19th correct, with the inclusion of the Villers Bocage incident and Chouain correct ? I keep getting the Tilly battle(s) mixed up with Epsom....which was the westward movements towards Tilly sur Seulles, 25-30 of June and included the ugly Hill 112 battles

E

 

Hi. About Tilly!

There is not a lot to say about Tilly, It was an area that had been hotly contested, the armoured battle raged back and forth and changed hands Oh! I dont know how many times.

It was just a pile of rubble. When I was there, all I can remember is just what I have written, I had been placed in a commanding position to cover the the little main street that gently sloped away from me with a wide field of fire. An old friend of mine returning from holiday went across Normandy to Tilly just to photograph it for me.

His photo's are of a little quiet town returned to its original way of life. There is a tapering stone monument in the church yard comemorating the battles, but that is all.

He took several views and although the place was rebuilt, I can still pick out the spot where I kneeled with my Bren. otherwise, they are just unremarkable photos of a sleepy little mid Norman town. Thankfully returned to its natural way of life. If I had to pick out one place that I thought had paid the greatest price for freedom, then surely Tilly must be near the top choice.
Brian.

 

Brian :

Can you mention some of the smaller villages near Tilly for us ? I am trying again to determine if it is the last town that I mentioned which was included in Epsom. Much exchanging of land for the attacker and efender alike. I've got a pretty good map reference in front of me and I am trying to plot your course back in 44.....

E

 

Hi Again.
Sorry about not including the dates when these events took place. Bear with me! When I know the dates I will include them. But please try to understand. The events stand out clear and sharp, but trying to put dates on them is very difficult. Nay! almost impossible. I must make it quite plain, that after all these years dates and sequences are, (to put it mildly!Jumbled)I relate what happened and what I remember, for some of it is engraved in my mind. Some of you may find it interesting to find out when these things happened? Perhaps you will let me know? During my service I was wounded on two occasions, it is only in the last few months that I found out the date when I was wounded the first time. I am still not sure of the date for the second wounding.
Sapper Brian.

 

Brian :

Sorry, as I do not want to confuse you, but I am trying to put your work in progress. May I ask through your memories at this point in time, has Caen been captured yet ? Again I maybe too far in your story. There are several towns that are mentioned as Tilly.

E

 

Erich.
Come to think of it! No I dont think we had captured Caen at this point. But there is where it all gets confused. One of the difficulties is that we, as a company, were seldom together, a very rare occurence indeed. We used to get spread out all over the place, and in sections. Sometimes only one or two of us. It is not unusual to get back to the harbour area then be dragged out again to a totally different area.

Sometimes these forays would be for a day in support of the infantry, or the armour, sometims out in front laying mines, Sometimes it would be a lead off for an assault. bridging. one never knew were, or when, or what, was to happen next. One never knew were we would be next. One thing I can tell you, we were much in demand, The other service branches were always glad to have us with them.

Some of us would get to clear the roads behind the lines, A very popular post. unfortunately yours truly never got many of those jobs, Too young and active!
I did cover the area to the North of Caen quite widely, Not from choice though. Sometimes we would have no idea at all where we were. I could not give the names of the villages that we saw action in, too damned busy.

After the war the R.E brought out a paper entitled 'The way forward' or something like that. It was written to explain why the sudden change in plans, and why certain things happened. events that had no explanation earlier were fully explained later. very interesting to learn why later.
Brian.

 

Brian, thank you again......very interesting.
Well the time table must be at the end of June or early July with the big armor battles as I mentioned.....in the area of Tilly sur Seulles.
I can imagine the total confusion with nothing having a characteristic look to it, especially after being bombarded, burned or cleaned right off the map and through all the maze of the wheat fields......

E

 

Hello Again everyone.
The period that follows, is probably one of the most interesting times of the whole campaign. The war had by now become more "Fluid" for the want of a better word.

For now, at last, nears the time when all that we had striven for was to come to fruition. The dreadful battles of the killing grounds around Caen had brought about the successful culmination of our taking on the best of the German SS Panzers. Victory in Normandy, was at last at hand. This little bit of war history is longer than most. To that end I have had to spilt it into sections for there was a great deal going on.

The Battles round Vire.
The Fluid war. The reluctant Hero's.

It is an indisputable fact, that for those who landed on D. Day, and served at “The sharp end” would have six weeks before they were killed, or wounded. No dispute about that, it is a bald fact. Of course, we were young and never thought that we would ever succumb to the enemy fire. Anyway, as far as we were concerned the object of war is to kill the other fellow, and not get killed yourself! Sadly, these odds against your survival were born out by what happened in actual combat. For in nearly every case that is exactly what took place…… You had six weeks…. The best one could hope for was a “Blighty” wound that did not do to much damage.

After the abortive Goodwood attack, and a short period of reconstruction, we were switched away from the death and destruction of the Caen front.

Glad to leave the stench of death, and the complete devastation of that God awful killing ground North of Caen. On August the 2nd, we moved across Normandy near to the American sector and harboured near St Honorine de Ducy, heading for the town of Vire.

There was a great change in the general atmosphere, things seemed much brighter and not so menacing, Girls in Summer dresses, actual civilian people walking about, Buildings! for us this was something that was quite new. We had forgotten that there were normal people here in Normandy, for we saw them very seldom. This feeling of near normality was soon to be dispelled. We arrived along-side an American unit to be greeted by the Yanks who seemed were genuinely pleased to see the British. I shall always remember the first meeting, An American came up to me, shook my hand and said “We are very glad to have you with us”

With their normal great generosity as soon as we arrived they came over and gave us a large towel full of goodies! K rations, they made our food look like rubbish. We had never seen such luxuries, cans of meat, Cigars, Sweets, and Chocolates, untold goodies! After our soup and biscuits we had lived on, it was absolute heaven. The khaki coloured American towel I kept for myself, it was so much better than the skimpy little white thing we had been issued with. Later, to get a right old dressing down for having a dirty towel, would you believe?

Near were we had harboured, there was a hill that looked down on the Enemy position, while far away at Vire, there was a "railway gun" a huge thing, it was too big to put on the road and when fired, it hurled huge shells at this hill, it was possible to hear it coming for some time before the mighty explosion occurred. A loud wobbling and whistling sound as the shell approached, it took some time before it arrived. Then, huge amounts of earth were blown sky high every time a shell landed.

About this time our C.R.E. came to see this unkempt and scruffy bunch. Colonel Tiger Urquhart. DSO. R.E. A fine imposing gentleman was our "Tiger" His reputation of conducting a private war with the Enemy was well known, sometimes, to be seen crawling back to our forward troops, who were amazed to find Tiger had been out in front of them. "How do you men feel about staying at the front line all the time so that you can get into action quicker" indicating in the general direction of that hill, we told him "Fine, if you can sustain the casualties" (Normally, we harboured just behind the front line, and there created a solid base from where we could sally forth into the thick of it).
Sapper Brian.
welcomes comment, for this time was absolutely crammed with incident.

 

Seems now that I have "found" you Brian. Operation Bluecoat. You mentioned coming up against the brunt of the W-SS divisions. Well here is some info in brief form.

2 August 44, SS Schwere Panzer Abt. 102 is subordinated to the 9th SS and forms Kampfgruppe Weiß. It is assembled near Roucamps and relocates to the area SW of St. Jean. Tpgether the with the SS Pz. Recon ABt. 9 the 1st company is ordered from Estry to the north exit of La Bistiere to attack towards the 2nd company, 22 British tanks are knocked out. At 04.40hrs the 2nd company reaches Roucamp, assembly area 300m to the NW. at 05.55 hrs new mission for the 2nd company. attack via St. Jean, then to the west ot the road bend 3km NW of St. Jean, there establish a covering position(1st company south of it) At 13.00 hrs order to attack behind 1st company via Estry, Pierres, Chendolle, Viessouix, Vaudry to the N of La Bistiere, covering postion at the north rim. 1st company 3km W of it near La Graverie. 2nd company starts movement at 15.00hrs and reached the road corssing 500m W of Chendedolle. 1st companie engages British armor of the Guards Division in Chendolle. Pincer movements to the south, then following the road to the S from Vassy to Vire. Near Le Hauts the advance platoon is engaged by AT guns postioned in Vire. 1 Tiger is knocked out. 2nd company outlfanks further N via Pierres and reaches the road Tinchebray-Vire, establishing a coering postion there and receives supplies during the night.

3 August 44 order fro the 2nd company to attack in co-operation with the 3./Recon 9 along the Vire-Caen rd to the N in order to block the rd N of La Bistiere. At the crossroads 3km N of Vire the advance platoon Untersturmführer Loritz, encounters enemy forces, knocking out 3 Cromwells. Subsquently several British Tank attacks are pushed back. 6 more tanks and 1 scout car are knocked out. Seizure of hill 119. Seeral enemy counterattacks are repelled: 7 tanks are knocked out. 1 tiger 233, Hauptscharführer Rowsovski, starts burning after seven hits from British tanks.
A night withdrawl to the northern fringe of Vire, then advance to Pierres. 1st company reaches La Papillonniere, attacks further N towards La Graviere and makes contact with the 3rd Fallshirmjägerdivision. Two more Tigers of the 1st company are knocked out. Remaing Tigers in the battalion- 34.
Brian, any of the place names sound familiar to you ? A brief calmness it seems for Brian and his comrades before all Hell breaking loose again ! The information coming from the excellent... Tigers in Combat 2 by Wolfgang Schneider, pages 329/330. JJF pubs 1998.

E