6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine
6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine | |||||||||
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Part of the Battle of Normandy | |||||||||
Map of the First Canadian Army's advance, August 1944. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
United Kingdom | Germany | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Richard Nelson Gale | Josef Reichert | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
6th Airborne Division |
711th Infantry Division | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
4,457 | Unknown | ||||||||
British casualties are from the start of the campaign, 6 June 1944 |
The 6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine occurred in August 1944, in the later stages of the
The
The 6th Airborne Division began their advance on 17 August, after the German Army had started to withdraw. Fighting several small battles, by the end of the month they reached their objective at the River Seine. Here the division halted until early in September, when they returned to England to prepare for further airborne operations later in the war.
Background
On 6 June 1944, the
Almost two months later on 7 August, the division was warned to prepare to advance. Their objective would be the mouth of the
In the operation the 6th Airborne Division together with the
By this stage of
Breakout
The three infantry formations of the British I Corps were deployed with the 6th Airborne Division on the left, nearest the coast. In the centre was the 49th Division and on the right the 51st Division. The corps advance began on 15 August when the 49th Division captured Vimont, followed on the next day by the capture of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives by the 51st Division.[13] On 17 August, the 6th Airborne Division advanced. The 6th Airlanding Brigade, with the Belgian and Netherlands brigades under its command, would advance along the French coastal route. The lighter forces of the 3rd and 5th Parachute and the two commando brigades would use the inland route.[14]
When it was clear at 03:00 that the German Army in front of the division was pulling back, the first divisional unit to follow up was the 3rd Parachute Brigade. By 07:00
Northern sector
The 6th Airlanding Brigade, with the Belgians and Dutch under its command, had to contend with German delaying tactics. The lead battalions advanced under heavy mortar and machine gun fire, until stopped by a strong defensive position at Cabourg. The 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles, unable to outflank the position, were ordered to dig in.[15] The next day, the battalion was relieved by the Belgians and moved to a brigade concentration point, first at Le Plein and then at Troan, which they reached by the morning of 21 August. The 6th Airlanding Brigade advance continued from here with the 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment in the lead. The battalion was unopposed until that afternoon, when they had several casualties from German mortar and machine-gun fire. With night approaching the battalion had to dig in, and prepared to continue the advance the next day.[16] At 03:00 on 22 August, the battalion started an outflanking attack on Branville, which they occupied by 08:00,[16] and later the same day they liberated Vauville and Deauville, where they secured the high ground to the north of the town.[17]
On 23 August a reconnaissance patrol from the 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles crossed the
Southern sector
In the south, the 3rd Parachute Brigade started crossing the
At 22:00 the 3rd Parachute Brigade moved forward, capturing the two canal bridges intact, and 150 prisoners from the 744th Grenadier Regiment. By 01:00 on 19 August, they were on the outskirts of
When the 13th Parachute Battalion advanced close enough to Hill 13, they carried out a bayonet charge on the summit. However, they arrived at the same time as a battalion of German reinforcements, who immediately counter-attacked, forcing the battalion back, inflicting several casualties. A follow-up attack by the Germans on the withdrawing British was stopped by an artillery barrage.[23] During this time the 12th Parachute Battalion captured Putot-en-Auge, taking 160 prisoners and several heavy weapons.[23]
The next day, 21 August, the 3rd Parachute Brigade advanced towards the
On 22 August a patrol from the 13th Parachute Battalion succeeded in crossing the eastern branch of the river, and was quickly reinforced by the rest of the battalion. They fought for three hours to gain a proper foothold and were then forced to withdraw again.
Later that day, Gale received orders that the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division would take Pont Audemer. Convinced he was in a better position to capture the crossing over the
River Seine
Having reached the River Seine, the division was ordered to hold firm between Honfleur and Pont Audemer and prepare to return to England.[29] In nine days of fighting they had advanced 45 miles (72 km),[30] despite, as the divisional commander Major-General Gale put it, his infantry units being "quite inadequately equipped for a rapid pursuit,"[31] captured 400 square miles (1,000 km2) of German held territory, and took more than 1,000 German prisoners.[29] Since landing on 6 June, the division's casualties were 4,457, of which 821 were killed, 2,709 wounded and 927 missing.[29][30] The division was withdrawn from France, and embarked for England at the beginning of September.[30]
Notes
- ^ Saunders, p.180
- ^ Saunders, p.143
- ^ Gregory, p.101
- ^ Cole, p.93
- ^ Otway, pp.187–188
- ^ Cole, p.97
- ^ Saunders, pp.196–197
- ^ Stacey, Charles Perry. "Official History of the Canadian Army". Hyperwar. pp. 265–266. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ Saunders, p.196
- ^ a b c Harclerode, p.354
- ^ Mitcham, p.192
- ^ Horn and Wyczynski, p.130
- ^ Stacey, Charles Perry. "Official History of the Canadian Army". Hyperwar. p. 266. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ a b Harclerode, p.351
- ^ Harclerode, p.352
- ^ a b c Harcelrode, p.353
- ^ Harclerode, p.359
- ^ a b Harclerode, p.360
- ^ Harclerode, p.361
- ^ Harclerode, pp.361–362
- ^ Harclerode, pp.362–363
- ^ Harclerode, p.355
- ^ a b c Harclerode, p.356
- ^ Harclerode, p.357
- ^ Harclerode, p.358
- ^ Harclerode, pp.358–359
- ^ Saunders, p.203
- ^ a b Harclerode, p.362
- ^ a b c Harclerode, p.363
- ^ a b c Otway, p.191
- ^ Gale, p.126
References
- Cole, Howard N (1963). On Wings of Healing: The Story of the Airborne Medical Services 1940–1960. Edinburgh: William Blackwood. OCLC 29847628.
- OCLC 464063862.
- Gregory, Barry (1979). Airborne Warfare 1918–1945. London: Phoebus Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7026-0053-1.
- Harclerode, Peter (2005). Wings Of War: Airborne Warfare 1918–1945. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-304-36730-6.
- Horn, Bernd; Wyczynski, Michel (2003). Paras Versus the Reich: Canada's Paratroopers at War, 1942–45. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55002-470-8.
- Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). German Order of Battle, Volume 2: 291st–999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in World War II. Stackpole Military History Series Volume 2 of German Order of Battle. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0.
- Otway, Lieutenant-Colonel T.B.H. (1990). The Second World War 1939–1945 Army – Airborne Forces. London: Imperial War Museum. ISBN 978-0-901627-57-5.
- Saunders, Hilary St George (1971). The Red Beret. London: New English Library. ISBN 978-0-450-01006-4.
External links
- 6th Airborne Division in Normandy at Pegasus Archive
- 6th Airborne Division Archived 18 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine at Para Data