KWM
Cas: Offrs:151
ORs: 46467
Total all ranks:412

WD Jun 44
7 Jun

2 Oxf and Bucks. 6/7 - 0130 - Bn moved into area of RANVILLE Chateau. Br aslt party joined Bn.
0830 - Acting on infm from patrols bn moved fwd in two coy bounds and occupied HEROUVILLETTE without opposn. ESCOVILLE (original bn task ) was reported clear except for snipers. A and B Coys moved fwd and occupied it.
D Coy moved fwd. All coys suffered from enemy SP and armd car fire. They could not get far enough fwd to obtain a good fd of fire.
Bn HQ could not get in Chateau 124714 owing to an SP gun 250x away and was mortared.
Enemy fire intensified and sp by fire inf worked fwd. As ESCOVILLE had never been captured, the def posn was not organised. CO was given permission to withdraw to higher ground at HEROUVILLETTE.
1600 - Parts of the fwd coys could only be extricated after a successful counter attack.
1700 - Bn dug in at HEROUVILLETTE.
CO (wounded on landing) was evacuated. 2 i/c took over. About 60 cas.

WD Jun 44
7 Jun

12 Devon
Landed OUISTREHAM
1700 - Conc area LE BAS DE RANVILLE.
1800 - Took over 12 Para Bn posns.

WD Jun 44
7 Jun

HQ 3 Para Bde. - 0900 - Total PWs number 152 chiefly Poles and Russians; sent to Div.
1400 - Commandos withdraw from VARAVILLE forcing us to withdraw Cdn Coy under cover of darkness from ROBEHOMME.
1700 - Div Comd arrives, orders patrols to TROARM on infm of CSM 13 Bn.

WD Jun 44
6 Jun

Action of 8 Para Bn - 3 Para Bde.
This bn dropped at 0050 hrs on 6 Jun and was allotted the primary task of destroying the bridge over the R DIVES East of TROARN, and the two bridges at BURES. Subsequently; to assist in forming the bridgehead by occuplying the area about x-rds 140703.
Again the bn was widely scattered in their drop. The DZ being West of TOUFFREVILLE, while a large proportion of the bn was dropped at the Northern end of BOIS de BAVENT.
Two and a half hrs after the drop the CO had only collected 120 all ranks at the bn RV - no RE and no MGs. He considered that he had only sufficient explosives to blow the two bridges at BURES, He had despatchcd recce parties to TROARN and BURES immediately after the drop. He decided to deal with the BURES bridges first, hoping to deal with TROARN later when his RE detachments had joined up.
The approach march began at 0345 hrs, and in passing TOUFFREVILLE the Maire of that place informed the CO that the strength of the enemy garrison of TROARN was approx one company. On reaching area x-rds 147615 the CO decided to make a firm base for the bn there, and despatched two pls to recce forward to TROARN and BURES respectively.
Meanwhile the RE detachments had landed in the Northern limits of the BOIS de BAVENT and realising they could not reach the bn RV in time, immediately set out for TROARN and BURES respectively. The detachment for TROARN in a jeep, that for BURES dragging its stores on trolleys.
The pl despatched to BURES met the OC Recce Party returning and was informed that BURES was clear of enemy - also that the RE detachment had already arrived with their trolleys. The pl proceeded into BURES where they acted as covering party to the RE detachment who blew the bridges according to plan by 0715 hrs. The pl sent to TROARN encountered an enemy force on the NW out- skirts and a pitched battle ensued.
The RE detachment detailed for the TROARN bridge consisted of one

27.


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Archive: 6 Airborne Div.: H.Q. War Diary, 1944 June

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