General Eisenhower visited 61st Recce at the beginning of May 1944.
“Beginning of May, General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander, came round to visit us. He came quite close to me and I thought for a moment, he was going to see if the bow on my beret was tied properly. What General Eisenhower didn’t say to me was "You know what to do when you get over there Sandy! Give ‘em hell”. I was shaking in my boots at the thought of what was to come. The majority of us hadn’t seen any action at all so far." (From Ex Trooper Sandy Handley's ‘61 Recce - Memories of Normandy 1944 – 1945’)
Eric Postles remembers:
“An American Ranger Battalion* shared the camp area with us while we waited for the invasion. Regular briefings in a marquee took place about the D-day landing sites showing RAF air reconnaissance films. On our beach they recorded a fisherman’s horse and cart going down our beach exit track, which showed it was not mined. They also indicated a white house which was our main landmark by the beach.
We had our last exercise in the New Forest near Bournemouth. The regiment’s role was revealed. A and B squadron would provide the assault element with RHQ support. Each troop would consist of 3 carriers with 4 crew, instead of the normal 3, and one light and one heavy armoured car and the assault troop (about 30 men) on bicycles (which were later replaces by their normal half-track vehicles). C Squadron would provide signal links and support to 47 Royal Marine Commandos for the attack on Arromanches*.
We waterproofed our vehicles with canvas and Bostic and fixed metal plates to increase the height of the carriers for when they were going through water. We also lined the floor of the carrier with sandbags in an attempt to reduce the effects of land mines etc but as later showed this did not offer a great deal of protection.” (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
*the American Rangers https://www.historyonthenet.com/rangers-d-day (History on the Net website) were an elite commando unit destined to play a critical role on Omaha beach and taking the landmark promontory of Pointe du Hoc.
*47 Marine Commando landed near Asnelles-sur-mer at 09.50 on D Day “the worst time possible for mines, sea conditions and congestion in the water and on the beach” (from 47 Marine Commando Association website). Five of their landing craft were sunk and the beach was a shambles but they moved quickly off and looped round inland behind Arromanches to attack Port-en-Bessin (north of Bayeux between Omaha and Gold beach) on 7th June. “Nearly half the contact patrols with the assaulting infantry were killed or wounded on D-Day, either on the beaches or before reaching them.” (From ‘A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ by Lt-Col P.H.A. Brownrigg D.S.O.)
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