Page 17

THE ATTACK

At "H" minus 15 hours artillery opened up on located enemy mortar and gun positions and the barrage commenced at "H" hour. Infantry and tanks linked up successfully on the start line and the attack went in to time. However, it appears that the movement of N.I.H. to the forward assembly area and forming up point, and the artillery barrage, had warned the enemy of the direction of our attack for immediately our advance started the enemy brought down heavy concentrations of artillery and mortar fire.

The enemy made good use of air bursts just behind the barrage, where he expected to find our infantry. The first five hundred yards of the attack from start line were through dense country in which were situated several enemy strong points and in the trees were found snipers many of whom had strapped themselves to the trees. Dust caused by the barrage cut down visibility to approximately ten yards. By 0730 hours the tanks reached the edge of the woods and were faced by open ground leading to the fringe of trees and scrub on the objective. The distance to the objective was not more than four hundred yards from this point, but by this time all communication between tanks and infantry on the No. 38 set failed owing to infantry casualties amongst personnel.

A Squadron, with some of the Princess Pat's, found that they were held up by a cleverly concealed minefield and were engaged with fire from various types of anti-tank guns. In this confused fighting this Squadron lost two tanks on mines and four to enemy anti-tank weapons but in their turn destroyed one Panther Mark V, two Mark IVs. and two 75 mm. anti-tank guns as well as several snipers and enemy infantry posts. It is interesting to note here that this was the first Panther tank knocked out by the Allies in the west. Major Griffith controlled most of this operation, which lasted some six hours, on foot and under heavy fire. He ordered Lieut. D. F. Hunt to try and find a way round the right of the minefield but this officer was able to report that the right was blocked by deep wadis into one of which his Churchill turned a complete somersault.

At 0800 hours Major G. P. Russell, M.C., led the move of B Squadron out of the wood and across the open ground towards the objective. One hundred yards from the objective very heavy anti-tank gun fire was opened on this Squadron as a result of which five tanks, including those of Major Russell and Capt. M. B. Pope, M.C., were knocked out. Major Russell was seriously wounded, Capt. Pope slightly. Major Russell's tank was found later to be not more than thirty yards from a Panther turret emplacement but tank commanders could not see more than ten yards at this time owing to the dust. Lieut. J. H. Pyl, however, on the left of B Squadron, reached the objective with his Troop and there found some of the Seaforths who pointed out a house to him which was two hundred yards beyond the objective and from which they said they were being heavily engaged. Lieut. Pyl's Troop immediately destroyed this house and silenced all opposition from it, after which operation he withdrew his Troop to join the remaining tanks of B Squadron. Capt. W. M. Mackean, M.C., now commanding B Squadron, advanced into the clearing, but was immediately engaged by enemy anti-tank guns. Under cover of smoke he succeeded in extricating his tank from this position, but the tank was then knocked out by another enemy anti-tank gun. Captain Mackean and his crew evacuated the tank but were pinned to the ground by enemy machine-gun fire.

At approximately 1200 hours the Commanding Officer was informed by 25th Army Tank Brigade that enemy tanks were known to be in the area between 2nd and 3rd Brigades so he moved the Regimental Headquarters' tanks, including the Self-Propelled Battery Commander's Sherman, to the left flank.

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