D-Day: June 6th 1944

Sword beach map from Norman Scarfe's book 'Assault Division'

The 6th June, 1944 (D-Day) saw the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, come ashore on the Normandy beaches as part of 185 Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. The Division had been assigned the landing beach codenamed 'Sword'. The landing sector was roughly 8 kilometres in length, with 3rd Division assigned a 3 kilometre stretch, code named 'Queen'. The Warwicks were assigned a sub-sector of Queen, 'Queen-White' around the seaside town of Lion-Sur-Mer, in Normandy, France.

At 'H' Hour, 7.25 am, the assault troops began landing in the sector, with the 8th Brigade (also part of 3rd Division), supported by tanks of 27th Independent Armoured Brigade and elements of the 79th Armoured Division (Hobart's 'Funnies'), fighting to secure a foot hold on the French coast which could then be cleared of mines and obstacles by the Royal Engineers ready for 185 Brigade to land and advance towards Caen, one of the Divisions key objectives for D-Day. By the time 185 Brigade approached the beach and despite the considerable difficulties presented by high tides obscuring obstacles and stubborn enemy resistance, 8th Brigade had secured a number of exits from the beach but only at the loss of many men and much equipment.

The Warwicks, along with the rest of 185, approached their appointed sector at 09.55. The Battalion of four infantry Companies (A to D referred to in shorthand as 'Coy'), with the Regimental HQ headed towards the beach in three LCI(L)'s (Landing Craft Infantry (Large)). Each vessel guided to its landing point by a navigational aid on land, which in this case, was described in pre-landing briefings as the 'Gable-Ended House'.

As the men of the Regiment, most suffering from lack of sleep and seasickness from the heavy swell of the Channel crossing, put on their equipment and checked their weapons, they came under enemy fire for the first time since their retreat at Dunkirk 4 years previously. At first the occasional shell would wail over head, falling harmlessly into the sea, But the closer the vessels came to the beach, the more enemy fire was directed at them.

LCI(L), disgorging troops onto a beach via it's two landing ramps

As the ships came in to ground themselves upon the beach, the one containing B Coy, part of D Coy and the Regimental Commanding Officer (Lieutenant-Colonel H.O.S. Herdon) was struck 3 times by enemy shells and the front disembarkation ramps (two thin rails which were lowered when the craft had landed to allow troops to move down onto the beach below), were destroyed and the vessel set ablaze.

The landing craft's Royal Naval crew, aware that the infantry aboard depended on them to reach shore safely, were able to manoeuvre their stricken vessel alongside a craft already beached in previous landings and the men on-board were, at great risk, able to transfer to, and subsequently disembark from, this vessel. Although casualties were incurred, the quick thinking and bravery of the naval vessel's crew undoubtedly saved many men of the Regiment that day.

Nor was this the only damage inflicted during the landings as A Coy's landing craft struck a mine atop a beach obstacle, with verbal testimony stating 2 men were killed in the event, one by the blast of the mine and one from a dislodged ammunition box falling from the deck above onto a soldier below, likely some of the first Warwick causalities of the day.

The confusion and congestion of Sword beach

Once ashore the 2nd Warwicks were confronted with the constant crash and rumble of gunfire, seeming to come from every direction. Acrid smoke from burning vehicles and houses hung over the beach, discarded or knocked out equipment lying everywhere alongside the bodies of dead or wounded men. By the time they had landed however, the majority of the fighting had moved inland with 8th Brigade, so only the occasional rifle round round snapped past 185 Brigade's troops, aside from the regular shelling and mortaring, fired at the beach by the Germans further in land. This allowed 2nd Battalion to move towards their rally point roughly half a mile inland from Lion sur Mer, a walled cemetery, towards the west end of the landings on Sword.

At this stage, 3rd Division's plan had been to strike for Caen with the Sherman tanks of the Staffordshire Yeomanry (27th Independent Armoured Brigade) pushing south, with the men of King Shropshire Light Infantry (K.S.L.I) mounted aboard to allow a swift advance which would be then supported by the 1st Battalion Royal Norfolks and 2nd Battalion Royal Warwicks who would advance on foot.

However, even as 185 were moving into their initial rally points, the plan was beginning to become untenable. The majority Staffs Yeomanry were still on the beach by 11.30, when the Warwicks' 4 Infantry Companies had assembled at their rally point, due to the wreckage and confusion on the landing beach.

To compound the problem, the 1st Battalion Royal Norfolks were held up on the eastern flank by two heavily defended strong points just south of Coleville that 8th Brigade were still battling to subdue. As the Warwicks sections and platoons arrived at the assembly area, in and around a walled cemetery on the southern outskirts of Lion Sur Mer, the area began to receive increasing amounts of sniper and machine gun fire from the direction of Cressons to the west (the Battalions right flank), making movement from position to position almost impossible and several men were hit. Warwickshire snipers were sent out into the cornfields to try and dispatch their German counterparts and silence the enemy machine guns. They encountered some initial success, killing or wounding at least 2 German snipers in hidden positions before they themselves took enemy fire, with one man wounded in return.

As the men of the regiment kept their heads down, attempted to dig in and returned fire where they could, fresh orders came down from Brigadier K. P Smith, 185 brigades commanding officer. The plan had changed, the Warwicks were to break contact with the enemy, with the intention of moving south east towards the other end of the invasion sector, relieve the glider garrison at the Orne river and canal bridges and then push on to Caen directly to the South.

The Warwicks were able to put in an effective fighting withdrawal, breaking contact with the enemy by laying smoke, staying low and providing stiff suppressing fire on suspected enemy positions before rallying at the east side of the walled cemetery. However this was not achieved without cost, with a dozen men killed or wounded including the Battalion's first officer casualty in Normandy, Lieutenant Pratt of C Coy. One man was also injured by an accidental discharge from a sten gun as its bearer leapt over the cemetery's eastern wall . The dangerous nature of the position initially improved by the move as the ground immediately east of the cemetery was found to be an enemy minefield.

It was shortly after midday on the 6th that the Warwicks, having broken contact with the enemy and navigated the subsequent minefield, moved south east to Hermanville sur Mer in a fast march. It was here that all the companies came together as an entire unit since their landing many hours before. From Hermanville the Warwicks then followed the roads to take them through St Aubin d'Arequenay in a South-Easterly direction passing through already captured areas. It was at this point that the vital necessity of advance became apparent as every road was choked with men and vehicles all the way back to the landing beaches where yet more troops were coming ashore. If the invasion was to succeed then breakouts must be made to widen and exploit the Allied foothold from the beach head. However the required urgency was not exhibited in the order given by the brigade commander, Brigadier KP Smith as the Warwicks were halted for several hours in Coleville as he believed St Aubin d'Arquenay was held by German forces.

Men and vehicles flowing inland from Sword beach

Landing zone N, north of Ranville on June 7th 1944

Having reached St Aubin d'Arequenay the battalion rested in an orchard whilst once again awaiting further orders. This turned out to be laced with booby traps and so any movement about the area was done with caution.

Orders finally came through for the Warwicks to attack the town of Benouville and link up with elements of the glider troops that had attacked, captured and were holding the canal and river bridges on Sword beaches eastern flank (now known as 'Pegasus' and 'Horsa' bridges). As the Warwicks began to move into position for the attack at approximately 20.50 hours, supported by F troop, towed Bofors guns of 92 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, waves of roaring aircraft towing Horsa and Hamilcar gliders containing reinforcements of the British 6th Airlanding Brigade, overflew their position and began landing all around them. The area east of St Aubin being Landing Zone 'W', part of Operation Mallard, a plan to reinforce British 6th Airborne Division already holding the area east of the Orne river and canal.

Seeing this vast armada descending from the sky certainly got a reaction from the German forces in Benouville, with positions there opening fire upon the landing troops, disclosing their positions to the attacking Warwickshire infantry. Most gliders landed successfully, despite the enemy flak and this distraction allowed the Warwicks to move forward quickly from position to position, with B Coy in the lead. The fighting was fast, brutal and at close quarters and, even after the engagement enemy snipers continued to harass and kill, each having to be hunted and eliminated.

Sadly, during the landing, one of the gliders crushed and killed 2 Warwick radiomen of B Coy who were using their radios and could not hear the shouted warnings of their fellow soldiers. The danger was not over however, once the gliders had stopped. Het up, under fire and under orders to come out shooting, glider troops did just that and 2nd Battalion soldiers had to dive for cover from a fusillade of 'friendly fire' which wounded several men. Only after hasty shouted warnings did the firing cease.

Despite this, the attack eastwards through Benouville continued until contact was made with the glider landed garrison at the bridges. Major Bundock of D Coy sought out Major John Howard, as they arrived to formerly relieve the beleaguered defenders. As he did so he realised, to his consternation, just how large a perimeter his company now had to occupy as the two bridges were over 500 yards apart. Nevertheless his men organised themselves to the challenge.

As dictated by the new plan to move on Caen from the north once Benouville had been secured, the remaining three Warwick infantry companies and their S (Support) Coy, alongside Sherman tanks (believed to be of the 13/18th Hussars) and the Forward Observation Officer's (FOO) tank of the 7th Field Regiment Royal Artillery (Capt Gregory) moved south. Evening gloom had descended and the night was eerily lit by the flames of Benouville as the column moved down the Caen road.

Rounding a bend in the road Capt Gregory's tank was hit at close range by a concealed German Self Propelled (SP) gun commanded by Leutnant Hans Hoeller, disabling the Sherman and causing it to 'brew up' (burst into flames) with an Armour Penetrating (AP) round. As Hoeller's SP gun withdrew into the gathering night Capt Gregory's crew desperately abandoned the burning tank, not all of them managing to do so perishing in the flames. There are also written reports confirming a further Sherman lost during the advance with it's turret (weighing over three tonnes) 'knocked clean off' as noted by Capt HC Illing (then A Coy commander).

The southern advance continued as darkness descended, with Lt Field leading an attack on some houses in northern Blainville and taking a number of German prisoners without loss, however further advance, near midnight, in darkness with no artillery support was a risky proposition against unknown enemy positions, so 2nd Battalion was ordered to dig in for the night in the northern outskirts of the town, it's primary objective of Lebisey with it's attached wood just to the south, as yet unachieved by the Battalion.

The men dug in, ate rations and drank sweet weak tea, cleaned their weapons and tried to get what little sleep they could through the tumult of the conflict surrounding them. Some had the arduous job of sentry duty or patrol work. The challenge to be given by all sentries that night was 'HANDLE', with the response for safe passage into British lines being 'WITH CARE'.

Lebisey, the new objective for 185 brigade, just north of Caen, was not to be entirely out of reach for all of 185 Brigade. Elements of the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI), Y Coy, with supporting tanks from the Staffordshire Yeomanry (part of 27th Independent Armoured Brigade), attained the town as the light faded. These units already having soundly defeated a major German counter offensive from tanks of the 22nd Armoured Regiment and infantry of the 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, both part of 21st Panzer Division, earlier that evening. However with German troops and tanks retreating from this failed counterattack, they then took up positions in and around Lebisey in pre-prepared defensive fortifications. The sole company of the KSLI did not have have the necessary force to hold the ground so, grudgingly, a withdrawal was confirmed to Bieville, north of Lebisey leaving the wood and village in German hands. A decision that was undoubtedly correct, but would have dire consequences for the men of the Warwicks the next day.

British infantry and tanks advance towards Caen

British infantry taking cover around an M10 'Wolverine'