9th June 1944 – the Russian Army launches an offensive against the Finnish forces north of Leningrad and by 20th June has smashed their defences and captured Viipuri (now Vyborg) near the Gulf of Finland. Viipuri was the second largest town in Finland but was ceded to the Soviet Union as part of Finland’s war reparations.
In Normandy the RAF fly from French airfields for the first time since 1940 and two Mulberry harbours have been constructed at Arromanches and Omaha beaches (the harbour at Omaha is wrecked by a storm on 19th June but ‘Port Winston’ at Arromanches is in use for eight months). Dick Williams and Tony Rampling were meant to follow the rest of the 61st Recce Regiment to France on D-Day+3 but the sea was too rough to cross. They eventually arrived on D-Day +7.
US V Corps capture Trévières, west of Bayeux.
“The British 50th Division with the 8th Armoured Brigade had advanced south from Bayeux, but they had come up against violent counter-attacks from the Panzer Lehr Division round Tilly-sur-seulles and Lingevres (west of Tilly).” (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)
The elite 130th Panzer Lehr Division, having driven from Chartres, move into position west of 12th SS Panzer. The formidable Panzer Lehr “fought superbly to hold the ruins of Tilly, the little town in a valley south-east of Caen, which was to be the scene of some of the most bitter fighting of the campaign…The infantry were deployed in ditches and ruined houses alongside tanks employed as mobile strongpoints, meticulously camouflaged.”
“For the British 50th Division the lyrical name of Tilly-sur-Seules became a synonym for fear and endless death.” (Extracts from ‘Overlord’ by Max Hastings, Macmillan 2016 edition)
On 9th June 8th Armoured Brigade (including 61st Reconnaissance Regiment) succeeded in taking their objective, Point 103 - La Belle Épine. This was a hill that “dominated the surrounding country to the East and South and overlooked Juvigny and Tilly sur Seules, which was the hub of the German opposition: Pt 103 was thus an extremely important feature.”. They also attacked the village of St Pierre as well as columns of Germans moving north of Tilly sur Seulles towards Bayeux and east along the Juvigny-Fontenay road towards Caen. “We had a heavy day of fighting and had succeeded in stopping all further enemy movement Northwards and Eastwards.”.” (From ‘The 8th Armoured Brigade Break-Out from the Normandy Bridgehead June 7th – 12th 1944’ by Brigadier HJB Cracroft , Commander.)
Trooper Eric Brewer, of 61st Recce's ‘B’ Squadron, recorded in his diary that “Gerry had put in a counter attack on hill 103 so we returned back. Large tank battle between us, must be about 1,000 tanks (found out later that it was 1,500 tanks, British, in this battle), lots of snipers active, bullets going everywhere and SSM*.” (From Eric Brewer’s Diary by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)
*surface to surface missile?
Eric Postles account of 8th to 14th June includes:
“The tanks entered Villers but a German counter attack by the Panzer Lehr Division drove them out and heavy fighting ensued at point 103.
Our three carrier crews were holding position where two tracks crossed near a farmhouse and having exchanged fire across a field with German troops we had to retreat under fire to a ditch where the Sherwood Ranger tanks were. There were tanks exploding and on fire before a heavy barrage from our guns, and a sweep through by the Durhams restored things and we regained our position and retrieved our carriers, which luckily were undamaged. There were a number of dead Panzer Grenadiers in the area.
We decided that tracer bullets gave our positions away and removed them form the Bren Gun magazines, relying on the incendiary bullets for markers. Because of jamming, the Bren magazines had to have a reduced number of rounds in them.
We moved back to the Tilly-sur-Seulles area and Villers Bocage was not taken again until 5th August. The Bocage country consisted of small fields, thick high hedges surrounding them and sunken tracks to pass along. It was ideal defensive country and resulted in many British casualties.” (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
Don’s account of this time also describes fighting in the Bocage:
“The following days were almost as chaotic as we tried to tie everything up together. We seemed to be tearing around the countryside without much particular purpose; although I suppose it all had some plan behind it. We were making forward patrols along country roads which were lined with trees, hedges, ditches, or raised banks; all of which were ideal cover for the enemy guns. Every now and again we would make some contact with the enemy and a skirmish would ensue. Then there would be a push forward, with our troops moving through the cornfields amongst which I remember the sight of dozens of our Self-propelled 25 pounder guns blazing away to soften up an unseen enemy.
7th June - Break out to Tessel Bretville.
9th June - Recce Jerusalem
10th June — Tilly-sur-Seulles
13th June - Villers Bocage" (Republished from the BBC People's War website by kind permission of Don Aiken)
Don mentions that on 9th June 1944 61st Reconnaissance were at ‘Recce Jerusalem’ (near Chouain). In his book Roy Howard explains where this is:
‘South of Bayeux in Normandy lies a very small village by the name of Jerusalem, and at a farm just outside the village there lie a number of men killed in a battle for a German strong point.
After the war, the War graves Commission went to the location to remove the bodies for reburial in an official cemetery.
The farmer who owned the land refused to permit it saying -
“These men fought for my land, died on my land, and they shall continue to lie in my land.”
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