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The attack we not followed immediately by a third one and, as the days went by, it seemed less and less likely that there would be one and the atmosphere in the village became much less tense.

Everyone enjoyed their stay in Herouvillette except for the occasion when, through some error, the village was attacked by the RAF using rocket firing Typhoons. These are certainly most alarming weapons when you are at the wrong end of them and it was a great relief when they had fired them all off and gone away. Fortunately the casualties from this were extremely light ; a Pte of A Company, who was wounded, was the only unlucky one.

The planes were probably meant to have attacked St Honorine, which lay two miles down the road to the East, and was held by the enemy. It was not an important place and as it was also covered from several points in the divisional bridgehead, no attempt was ever made to turn them out. It was an odd situation though to have an enemy position right inside the bridgehead and produced some amusing incidents. One of these concerned a line laying signal detachment from Brigade HQ who ran their line out to St Honorine one night, thinking they were going to Herouvillette; they barged right into the German HQ with their usual chant of "Line from Brigade HQ, where do you want the instrument?" and were amazed to find a group of German officers seated round a table. The Germans were equally surprised and in the pause that followed the line party slipped away in the dark. On another occasion an RASC lorry came tearing into Herouvillette just as it was getting dark one evening and pulled up with screaming brakes and locked wheels at the first troops the driver saw. He told an alarming tale of infiltration by large numbers of enemy _who were already in the next village; he had seen them for himself and there was no doubt about it. He had taken a wrong road in the failing light and had driven right through St Honorine without knowing it.


(Archive transcripts © Copyright Normandy War Guide)

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Archive: Story of 7 Bn. Light Infantry, The Parachute Regiment, 1943 - 1944

Page: Page 29