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It was not expected that there would be any difficulty in carrying out the job as the enemy must be considerably disorganised and would be numerically inferior without food, reserves of ammunition and altogether in pretty poor shape. A bullet travels just as fast though whatever the odds against the man who fires it and, in this attack, as in any other, men of the battalion would be killed and others wounded. It was altogether a thoroughly unpleasant job, generally considered "a bit of cake", with little kudos for success and much blame for failure. It was nevertheless a job, and an important one too.

The woods in question known as the Le Mariquet woods, were three in number and rectangular in shape. From the map, and air photos they looked like three dominoes that had been placed originally end to end but the end one had later been shifted out of line so that it now contacted its neighbour at one corner only. This displaced one was thicker than the other two and probably contained the bulk of the Germans.

It was difficult to determine the nature of the country beyond the woods, it looked like grass, and probably was, but might be anything, and of any height. Two features were quite definite though, first a road which bordered the long side of the displaced wood to continue into the 3rd Brigade area and, second, a. track which branched off from this road at right angles to cross the end of the displaced wood at a distance from it of 200 yards

Control would be difficult in the woods, particularly against enemy in scattered positions and employing sniper tactics, which was more than probable.

An extremely simple plan was laid on which would allow for plenty of modification as the situation developed. Briefly the plan was as follows.

The tanks, whose commander had still to be consulted, were to advance first and lie off each wood in turn firing into them for exactly two minutes, with everything they had got. When they had finished at one wood they were to fire a smoke shell as a signal to the battalion, and then move on to the next wood. After they had dealt with the third, and last wood, the displaced one, they were to return to their base and the battalion would think the operation without them.

Only two rifle companies were available as C Company had been employed, on the Brigade commander's orders, to fill a gap in the Divisional bridgehead in that part of the village of Ranville known as Le Bas de Ranville. They could not be released.

B Company and Advanced Battalion HQ would clear the first wood and A Company and Rear Battalion HQ would then pass through them and clear the second. While A were clearing this second one B would shift across in preparation to tackle the displaced one; when given the word to go they would move straight through it and continue until they reached the track running across its front. At this stage the CO would issue further orders.

A Company, at this period, was completely denuded of its original officers as they had all become casualties during the struggle on D day, The officer casualty rate had been higher than that of the other make throughout the battalion but in this particular company it had been the full 100% Lieut Parrish was appointed to command and this was his first action as a company commander.