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7th August - The Commanding Officer reported to Brigadier S. N. Shoesmith, D.S.O.,
O.B.E., who informed him that the 2nd Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (2nd D.C.L.I.) would attack Incontro and that he would like the tanks to support in the first place from the area of Point 516. The Commanding Officer, accompanied by Major W. M. Mackean, M.C., made a detailed ground reconnaissance. It was clear that tanks could give excellent support from the area of Point 516 but in order to do so would have to be in positions entirely exposed to an unknown right flank. It was decided that Major Mackean would place Lieut. Irwin's Sherman Troop under his command and that this Troop was to be given the sole task of right flank observation and protection. In addition, a 75 mm. Troop of A Squadron was to take up a fire position to give further right flank protection whilst a further 75 mm. Troop of C Squadron should take up positions and be ready to engage targets on Point 436. The Commanding Officer returned to Headquarters, 10th Infantry Brigade, and informed Brigadier Shoesmith that the tanks could give excellent support and that he thought tanks could make the ascent to Incontro although he could not guarantee this. Major Mackean then reported to Lieut. Col. Musson, D.S.O., who was commanding the 2nd D.C.L.I, and the plan was worked out in detail. The plan was a two-axis attack, the infantry attacking along the line of a re-entrant and the tanks along the axis of Point 516, Point 424 and Incontro. The attack was timed for 0525 hours on the 8th of August. Capt. R. S. H. Sidebottom went with the scout car to Headquarters, D.C.L.I, in a farm and acted as liaison officer. A very extensive artillery fire plan was laid on. The Commanding Officer approached Lieut. Colonel Brocklehurst, who was commanding the 30th Field Regiment R.A. and asked him if he could spare a forward observation officer for the following day's attack. Lieut. Colonel Brocklehurst most kindly agreed and this F.O.O. was with B Squadron by 1100 hours.
THE ATTACK ON INCONTRO
8th August - B Squadron laagured for the night, 7th-8th August, except for No. 1 Troop which was separated from the remainder of the Squadron by an impassible cliff. At 0500 hours on the 8th, Nos. 4 and 5 Troops, two tanks of H.Q. Fighting Troop, a F.O.O. tank and the Reconnaissance Troop Shermans moved out of harbour in that order. The Troops were in position by 0545 hours, No. 4 Troop on a ridge 150 yards north of Point 516 ; No. 5 Troop, the F.O.O. tank and close support tank on Point 516, the Shermans on Point 508 and No. 1 Troop on their left.
Twelve enemy dead were found subsequently in the area where the tank fire had been directed. Heavy firing was heard from the direction of the objective as soon as the Troops were in position and when it was confirmed that our infantry were only as far as the western wall of the monastery, No. 5 Troop quickly engaged likely enemy positions with 75 mm. H.E. and the close support tank with the 3-in. Howitzer. The F.O.O. and other tank commanders spotted what they thought was a flash of a self-propelled gun from the north east and high velocity shells landed in the area. All tanks then moved on to the western slopes of the ridge, but spasmodic shelling by medium guns was experienced throughout the day. The infantry re-formed and put in a second attack along the southern wall. When they had covered about half the distance the forward tank Troops observed the enemy forming up for a counter-attack along the south eastern wall. As soon as it was confirmed that these were not our own troops, devastating fire was opened by No. 5 Troop with 75 mm. H.E. and by Nos. I and 4 Troops with machine-gun and 6-pounder H.E. The counter-attack dispersed. The enemy counter-attack force numbered about thirty. The fire brought down by the tanks was at one place only fifty yards ahead of our own infantry. This was possible due to the excellent infantry communications and the tank liaison officer at the infantry battalion Headquarters, being able to transmit these positions to all tanks on the tank wireless net
An enemy machine-gun nest was reported in the monastery tower and this was rapidly demolished by armoured piercing fire from all the forward tank Troops. A fresh infantry plan was then made for the third Company to attack at 1050 hours and, for five minutes before this attack was launched, further concentrations of H.E. and machine-gun fire from the tanks were put down along the south eastern wall. The Commanding Officer of the D.C.L.I, then asked that once the Company attack was launched, a Troop should try and get forward to Incontro. Major Mackean ordered Lieut. Foott to make a reconnaissance on foot for a route down the hill. Lieut. Foott reported that he had found a way but that the going was bad and that his Troop would be very exposed to the right. Major Mackean then went down personally on foot. These route reconnaissances were by no means easy as all had to be done on a forward slope which was under continuous shell fire and in full view of the enemy. Major Mackean discovered a way which gave defilade from the right. Lieut. Foott was then ordered to make the descent and then the ascent to Incontro. Lieut. Foott manoeuvred his Troop down an appalling slope and then, covered by No. 5 Troop on the forward ridge of Point 516 and No. 2 Troop from the ridge behind, he worked his way up the slopes of the objective to the walls of the monastery. About this time the F.O.O., Captain Sedgwick, was wounded in the face by a mortar shell while out of his tank.
No. 2 Troop then passed through No. 5 Troop and, following No. 4 Troop tracks, joined them on the objective. Almost as soon as they had arrived, Lieut. Behr and Tpr. Fuller were wounded by shell fire whilst out of their tanks. It was decided to evacuate Tpr. Fuller back in the tank the way they had come but in spite of the guiding by Sjt. Verso of No. 5 Troop, they went off their course and ran into a party of Germans armed with a Bazooka. Sjt. Verso, who was on the outside of the tank at the time and Cpl. Reynolds who was commanding it, were wounded by the projectile which passed between their heads. Sjt. Verso jumped off the tank and took cover. Cpl. Reynolds fell into the turret and L. Cpl. Gault, the driver, closed down, and with the aid of Troopers Johnson and Fuller, fired the 75 mm., traversed the turret and got the front Besa into action. He then got the tank going and took it up the hill and rejoined his Troop. Shortly after this Tpr. Martin, J., was wounded by shell fragments while outside his tank.
As a result of this attack three enemy officers and sixty-nine other ranks were taken prisoner and twenty dead counted in the monastery area. The capture of this feature forced the enemy to leave all their positions south of the river Arno.
At 1800 hours Major Mackean and Capt. Sidebottom were ordered to return to Regimental Headquarters and then, with the Commanding Officer, went to the Headquarters of the 2nd Surreys to plan for an attack on Point 437.
9th August - The 2nd Surreys put in their attack with B Squadron ready to support, but the enemy had gone with few exceptions, and the tanks had only one target of twelve fleeing Germans.
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