National Archive Reference: WO 171/1132
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Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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1 | Tps marshalling East Coast embarked. | |||
2 | " " Southampton embarked, | |||
3/4 | Nothing to report - voyage uneventful. | |||
5/30 | - See Appx. "A" attached. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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5 JUN 44. D - 1 DAY. | After a 24-hr postponement on the 4 Jun 44 the Assault Gps of the Regt sailed with 3 CDN DIV from SOUTHAMPTON and PORTSMOUTH at about mid-day. Recce parties, mostly in LSI's, remainder in LSTs and LCTs. The voyage was uneventful except for a considerable swell which only diminished slightly on the morning of D Day. The plan was that 372 'A' and 'B' Tps should land with Crusader mounted 40-mm and a Mark I gun towed on Mike Sector with D/321 Bty under command - equipped with triple Oerlikons mounted on Crusaders and each towing a triple equipment trailer. On Nan Sector 'G' and 'H' Tps 375 similarly equipped with E/321 Bty under command were to do likewise. | |||
6 JUN 44. D DAY. | For tactical reasons 375 Bty were to land on Nan earlier than the 372 landing on Mike. The plan went fairly well to schedule on Nan but not on Mike. | |||
Nan Sector. Daylight | Between 08.50 and 09.20 AA Recce parties with 6 guns of G/375 and 2 guns 'H'/375 beached on Nan White: enemy opposition was encountered in the shape of S.A. fire and mortaring from BERNIERES: only one exit was usuable at this time, and the beach was solid with vehicles. As ground was gained by 8 CDN BRIGADE it was possible for guns to move away from exits and occupy temporary posns under the dunes, sea-wall, and inland. Final posns were occupied by 1700, hrs. ''H' Tp Recce and 1 tractor of 'G' Tp landed on Nan Red at 08.55 under heavy machine-gun fire and mortars. The tractor received a direct hit from a mortar and was burnt out. 4 'H' Tp guns, due to land on Red Beach, were switched to Nan White where they were joined by Tp Recce and deployed temporarily. At 14 hrs Nan Red beach was closed. ''E' TP/321 (triple Oerlikons) landed on Nan Green at 17-hrs and were in action on the exit by 18.30 hrs. Less opposition was encountered on this beach. There was very little bombing despite the excellent targets offered all day. AA casualties were remarkably light during this landing, consisting of 2 men missing and 3 wounded. There were no officer casualties. All guns came ashore successfully. | |||
Mike Sector Daylight | The time-table on Mike Sector did not work so well as on Nan; Delays were caused by enemy resistance on Red Beach and inland at VAUX - also by dense underwater obstacles, wrecking craft which, in turn, fouled the approaches. Bty HQs Recce landed at 15.30 hrs - though scheduled to arrive at 10.25 - and established the AARC ; dispositions were made for siting of guns on arrival. ''B' Tp Recce, due in at 11.30 hrs, actually landed at 15-hrs, and encountered sniping and mortaring on Red Beach. Enemy automatic fire also continued from houses in COURSEULLES until 20.30 hrs; The guns of 'B' Tp landed at 16.15 and went into action on the beach as all the dunes and approaches were heavily mined. ''A' Tp Recce, due at 10.30 hrs, landed from LSI at 12 hrs; delay was due to enemy opposition and also to the heavy swell which made the loading of LCAs at sea difficult. The 'A' Tp guns with BHQ A Gp and RHQ Recce landed from LSTs at 19-hrs. Rhino ferries were most difficult in the heavy swell and stiff breeze; delay was caused in marrying them to the LST, and finally in unloading the ferries in 4-ft of water. The wind blew the rhines sideways till they fouled each others - and also fouled wrecked craft. Many vehs were drowned, but only 2 belonging to the Regt. During this landing the craft were attacked by a JU 88, which was engaged by the guns actually landing. 'A' Tp guns were in action at 19.10 hrs. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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D/321 Bty Recce landed at 13.15 hrs (due at 10.35),and the guns at 19 hrs. The guns (triple Oerlikons) deployed round beach exits. During all the above operations no casualties were suffered by AA Units on Mike Beach: all guns waded ashore successfully, though two tracks were broken in loose sand. | ||||
D NIGHT. | Owing to the complete fighter cover few E/As had succeeded in penetrating to the beaches in the day; as soon as darkness fell, however, attacks started and continued for several hours. Unfortunately on Mike Red at 23 hrs a rhino ferry and LCP both struck under-water mines and went on fire, causing a large fire which illuminated the beach. Dets 4 & 5 of 'B' Tp endeavoured by all means to warn the craft of the obstacles as they came in, but without success - subsequently an officer and 6 men from these dets went out to the burning craft and rescued 15 men; the Troop Comd on shore organized 1st Aid and artificial respiration - having summoned ambulances; 14 of the 15 rescued survived. A further difficulty encountered was the absence of Radar owing to the late arrival of, and casualties to, Heavy AA. : also the absence of S/Ls. It soon became apparent that uncontrolled Lt.A.A. barrages were the only remedy, and these were therefore permitted. Craft to sea joined in, and a considerable - if inaccurate barrage was put up. E/A directed their main attention to shipping at sea, but also dropped a few bombs near the beaches ( 2 bombs on Nan, and 7 or 8 near Mike). No concentrated attack developed. E/A diving in singly. Average height appeared to be 2/4000-ft. Balloons were scarce on Mike. The volume of fire directed against these attacks seems to have prevented any serious damage or accurate bombing. 1 man was wounded in 'B'/372 Bty. Fighter cover was resumed at approx 05 hrs. | |||
7 JUN 44. D + 1 DAY. Daylight. | At 06.30 hrs Mike Green Beach was dive-bombed from low cloud by a ME109 - one bomb (anti-P) was dropped in a thickly-populated part of the Beach, causing casualties (20 + ). ''A'/372 Tp suffered casualties - 3 men killed, 1 seriously wounded, and 2 wounded. 1 Gun (Mk.I) was put out of action for 20-hrs. This plane was not engaged by 40-mm owing to the low cloud - 20-mm of 'D'/321 engaged and claim hits. During the day no further attacks developed, and guns were re-sited for Beach defence in areas now cleared of mines. Det 6 of 'B'/372 Tp was re-sited in the dune , and found a German soldier in a deep dug-out - he was escorted to the P-O-W cage. In the German dug-out were found :- an American Red Cross parcel for P-O-W (Capt.Hunter's report),some eye-shields,British type with instructions in Greek, several booby-trap mechanisms, NOT set. Sniping continued during the day, especially from VAUX WOOD, and mines caused casualties. Some Top Secret G documents, belonging to 51 DIV, were found washed up on the beach, and sent to Div HQ. At 19.30 hrs 'A' Gps of RHQ and BHQ 372 arrived intact - one vehicle drowned. Communications established with Tps and up to Bty. (372 had been linked to RHQ on D Day). Constant damage occurred to lines. | |||
D + 1/D+2 Darkness, | Raiding started at 23.00 hrs - main target was shipping off-shore: few E/A actually attacked the beaches. A terrific barrage was put up by ships and shore guns. At 23.15 hrs a single JU88, flying level at 2000-ft, dropped a bomb on Nan Sector. This plane was engaged by 40-mm, but not hit. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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Enemy tactics appeared to be - approach at 4000' - dive to 2000' - drop bombs - climb to 4000'. Later in night 8 bombs - mainly AP - dropped on Nan Sector; R.E. mine and amn dump set on fire; 2 casualties (wounded) in 375 Bty. At 04.30 hrs two E/A bombed Nan Sector, causing some damage in Dukw park. 7 targets engaged by 375 Bty guns. At 06.00 hrs in daylight 3 ME109s observed off Nan Sector, and engaged: formation broken up: one hit was observed. Between 02 and 04 hrs three dets of 'D'/321 Bty claimed hits on a JU88. At 04.30 hrs Mike Beach was machine-gunnder by DO217, narrowly missing 'A' Tp HQs on Mike Red. E/A was engaged when trying to bomb dock basin at COURSEULLES; one bomb,- did no damage | ||||
8 JUN 44. D + 2 Day Daylight. | F'/321 Tp landed on Mike Red at 06 hrs; this Tp had been anchored off-shore since 23 hrs on D Day. No air raids during daylight. Communications improved. 372 BHQ moved inland from beach. AARC closed after 80 BDE vehs had reported in. | |||
D+2 /D+3 Darkness. | Raids again developed after darkness, but no attacks were pushed home on Mike or Nan Sectors. S/Ls now in action, and appeared effective in discouraging raiders. One E/A,illuminated by S/L, engaged by all guns in Mike Sector; 'A'/372 Bty report hits observed. | |||
9 JUN 44. D + 3 Day. | Nothing to report of E/As. Navy engaged own Spitfires, chiefly U.S. ships. Tp Comd 'F'/321 Bty killed with driver at 14 hrs, due to hitting Tellermine (on beach) in his Jeep. | |||
D+3 /D+4 Darkness. | Very little action on Mike or Nan Sectors. Raids observed to West along coast. Spitfires again engaged at dawn by guns at sea - one seen to be hit. | |||
10 JUN 44. D + 4 Day. Daylight. | No action in daylight. All Tp Comds to Conference at RHQ re rules for engagement. 'D'/321 Bty HQ moved inland. | |||
D+4 /D+5 Day. Darkness. | All set for RADAR Barrages, but no E/A appeared. | |||
11 JUN 44. D + 5 Day. Daylight. | Bty 'B' Gps arrived. No enemy activity. | |||
D+5 /D+6 Day. Darkness. | No enemy activity on Mike or Nan Sectors. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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12 Jun 44. D + 6 day | A quiet day from the point of E/A. The A & B Gps of Unit REME W/Shops landed. The landing was very badly carried out, some vehs being on the rhino-ferry for a matter of six hours during which time they were bombed and machine-gunned by one E/A - FW190. No casualties. C.O. contacted 373 Bty attd 76 A.A.Bde. There were sporadic raids during the night 12/13 June. | |||
13 June 44. D + 7 day. | "Hold fire" and "Snakes Down", i.e. 'No A.A.Firing' and 'No S/Ls to expose', between 0215 hrs and 0300 hrs, during which time smoke was placed over the M and N beaches., No damage was reported from the raids which appeared largely to come from the NE, and it is suspected that some E/A glided into the area. A 208-Set was installed at RHQ to receive E.W. from A.A.O.R., but generally speaking the plots were (a) late, and (b) not continuous, and gave no useful infm. A false alarm Ground Alert was sounded at 0350 hrs, due to the "Take Post" whistle of a nearby H.A.A. site - being mistaken for a ground alarm signal. The shelling by the R.N. of CAEN could be observed from about 0100 - 0330 hrs, the shells apparently being fitted tracer. Warning was received that Airborne tps may pass over between 0530 and 1300 hrs, but later it was learned that the op was postponed. E/A were not in evidence during daylight. A "Walrus" was seen to escort in 4 Auster A.O.P.S at about 1900 hrs. | |||
14 June 44. D + 8 day. | Evening raids commenced at about 2330 hrs, but were not serious over M and N beaches. They continued intermittently until about 0300hrs. Again infm on 208-set was of little use as early warning. 375 Bty reported two men injured by A/P mines. The day was quiet and uneventful. A Comd Post was completed with 2 X 22-Sets, 1 X 208-Set, and a 10-line switch-board. One 22-Set was rear link to Bde HQ, one was connected by remote control to a neighbouring H.A.A. site where a Barrage Control offr(BCO) was on duty each night to order a LAA barrage based on infm from AAOR and HAA GP. So far the eqpt has not worked well enough to produce the answer for LAA. The 208-Set received AAOR plots for Early Warning and other operational messages. | |||
14/15 Jun 44. | The night produced mainly high-flying E/A and some friendly A/C, which were nevertheless fired on by ships at anchor. There were two periods of 'Hold fire', 0215 -0300, 0500-0530. From 0300 hrs the night was quiet. | |||
15 Jun 44. D + 9 day. | Day uneventful. | |||
15/16 Jun 44. | Night provided the best shoot so far. The S/L came into their own and provided illuminated targets, four of whichwere shot down in 1 Corps area. Almost impossible to say to whom the honour could be given. All Btys claim to have shot them down. The area being IAZ between 2330-0430 hrs the guns have a greater freedom than during the remaining periods when friendly fighters are patrolling. Communications are a continual worry and rarely remain 100% for more than a few hours. Wire is cut or pulled down by traffic, and battery charging is very difficult with the small plants. | |||
16 Jun 44. D + 10 day. | Daytime uneventful. H.M. The King was reported to have landed on Mike Beach. | |||
16/17 Jun 44. | Night. The R.No laid a smoke screen at dusk and dawn, and due to an off-sea breeze successfully blinded our guns at these times. The night was quiet with about two engagements, chiefly by HAA on Mike and Nan beaches. It becomes increasingly apparent that AAOR is little use to LAA. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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17 Jun 44. D + 11 day. | Daytime nothing to report. | |||
17/18 Jun 44. | A night of little activity. | |||
18 Jun 44. D + 12 day. | It is believed that a pilot-less plane flew N to S over the area at dusk. It was engaged but not hit. C Tp & E Tp were deployed on the left flank of the 3(Brit) Div at OUISTREHAM & BENOUVILLE to protect the bridges over the CAEN CANAL. They were subjected to some shelling. | |||
18/19 Jun 44. | Nothing outstanding to report. The weather deteriorated. | |||
19 Jun 44. D + 13 Day. | At about 1808 hrs a pilot-less plane was identified flying about the same course as the previous day. The cloud was low and visibility poor generally, but one site of E TP 321 Bty 20 LAA Regt R.A. u/c 114 LAA Regt,R.A had a good view of the plane. It coincided with the sketches already published in the newspapers. | |||
19/20 Jun 44. | A night of slight activity in the air. It would appear that the periods of attack are from dusk to about 0130 hrs and from 0400 hrs to dawn. Much damage was done to shipping especially LCTs & LBFs by their being smashed onto the beach by the heavy seas. Five LBSF foundered, and as a result there were numerous men wet through,and with no kit, to cope with during the day. | |||
20 Jun 44. D + 14 day. | At 1800 hrs a doubtful Mosquito - believed to be an ME410 modified - flew E-W along coast. It was reported to AAOR who confirmed from the R.A.F. that no Mosquito was flying on that course at that time. The plane was not engaged by the guns, but "Mosquitoes" may not be so safe in the area in future. | GOT TO HERE | ||
20/21 Jun 44. | A quiet night, with only about three engagements at barrage control. The weather still bad with a strong North wind and low cloud. The policy of firing when smoke has been laid over the area arises. It would appear foolish to fire and thus give away the very area which the smoke is designed to conceal. More co-ordination is required between NAVY, ARMY, & AIR FORCE. The attacks were mainly on shipping. Smoke was laid because the weather was too bad for any unloading to take place. | |||
21 Jun 44. D + 15 day. | Day was uneventful. | |||
21/22 Jun 44. | Night was again relatively uneventful. One LAA barrage was fired, but cloud was again low. | |||
22 Jun 44. D + 16 day. | The weather cleared considerably during the day. The enemy shelled a point some two miles SOUTH of RHQ. At 1945 hrs a Fortress was seen in distress - the crew baled out and the plane crashed at GRAYE-sur-MER. At 2015 hrs a second Fortress crashed about 2 mls to SOUTH of RHQ. Friendly air activity was intense from 1730 B hrs until approx 2000B hrs. | |||
22/23 Jun 44. | The night was normal with a few engagements, but generally speaking E/A were keeping just out of LAA range. Confusion is being caused by friendly A/C coming into the area between 2330B hrs and 0430B hrs, during which time the area is an IAZ. A ruling from Bde is awaited. | |||
23 Jun 44. D + 17 day. | Still no ruling received as to whether the "Mosquito" may be shot at on sight. News received that one 'I' TP gun, at OUISTREHAM was damaged by shellfire during night. No casualties. To date this is only the second gun that has been out of action since the op began, and at no time have the Regt's guns been less than 100% i/a for more than 20-hrs. At 1730 a pilotless plane was seen |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information | References to Appendices |
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and engaged. Its course was due NORTH to SOUTH, passing just EAST of COURSEULLES-sur-MER down approx Easting T978. | ||||
23/24 Jun 44 | Night was quite. At 0007 a plane - on fire - was seen to crash into the sea off BERNIERES. When first seen it appeared to have been set on fire by a friendly fighter, but was engaged in its last throes by all types of A.A. Apart from this, there were no further incidents, until 0828 when a plane - believed FW190 - was seen to crash in flames about 3 mls SOUTH of COURSEULLES. | |||
24 Jun 44 D + 18 day. | The remainder of the day was quite. Major Saint Martin, OC 373 Bty, brought news that one of his troops - "E" - under op comd 73 LAA Regt RA had suffered casualties from enemy shelling near BENOUVILLE Lieut.Sorrell killed, Lieut.Pound wounded, and 3 O.R.s killed and 3 wounded. This happened night 23/24 June. The C.O. and Capt(QM) went over to inspect 'E' Tp. | |||
24/25 Jun 44. | The sky was very clear at night but E/A were very inactive. One plane, showing navigation lights, was engaged by all A.A. at around 2330 B hrs. One report says the plane fired the wrong letters & colours - another that it fired none at all. The accurate story for Int Reps is most difficult to obtain. | |||
25 Jun 44. D + 19 day | There was a further engagement at 0540 B hrs. No hits observed. The day was quite, as has become usual. Records for unloading were broken on NAN beach - 4600 tons. | |||
25/26 Jun 44 | Another quite night with Int.Reps all NIL. The day, too, was quite. The weather was of heavy showers & sunshine. Most of the men and officers discovered for the first time that holes in the ground gather water, and most of their beds were wet. | |||
26/27 Jun 44. | The night was completely quiet with no E/A reported in the area. | |||
27 Jun 44. D + 21 day. | The day was quite uneventful. The record for stores landed was again broken - 4800 tons. | |||
27/28 Jun 44. | Another NIL night. | |||
28 Jun 440 D + 22 day. | Another NIL day. The record again broken - 5,300 tons. | |||
28/29 Jun 44. | Another inactive night. | |||
29 Jun 44. D + 23 day. | A quiet day. One Sgt and one O.R. injured by reason of the fact that the Gnr trod on a mine. That makes three such casualties in two days. In this case the ground had been prodded and worked over for some time before the Gnr finally found the mine by treading on it. The mine is believed to have been a metal cylinder - quite small, filled with white crystals and having a glass phial of acid which is broken by a striker when the mine is subjected to pressure. | |||
29/30 Jun 44. | The night from the point of view of the Unit was quiet, but planes were near the area all night and chiefly out over the sea, presumably mine-laying. |