30th July 1944 – Operation Bluecoat begins. This offensive was conceived at short notice when it was realised that only a single German infantry division defended the sector of the front near Caumont (61st Recce were in this area at Briquessard). The 50th (Northumbrian) Division, with 61st Reconnaissance Regiment, were part of this attack but were held up at Amayé-sur-Seulles (south-east of Briquessard). However, by 31st July the advance of British VIII and XXX Corps had secured a vital crossing over the River Soulevre about 10 miles south of Caumont, near Le Bény-Bocage and 11th Armoured Division were advancing towards Vire, 15 miles south of Caumont.
Colonel Brownrigg’s account of 61st Recce welcomes a return to reconnaissance after the trenches of Briquessard:
“Soon after (Briquessard) we were back to reconnaissance again, as the great surge forward began. We went through Briquessard, and were glad to see that there were quite a number of fairly ‘high’ German corpses about, which we attributed to our mortars, and the quick £300 ‘stonks’ the Essex Yeomanry used to put on for us at night. Their Liaison Officer at our Regimental Headquarters regularly worked out for us the cash value of their bombardments." (From ‘A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ by Lieutenant-Colonel P.H.A.Brownrigg D.S.O.)
*World War II British slang for a massed artillery bombardment on an enemy position.
Don Aiken also has a tale to tell from around this time:
“We were then used on small Reconnaissance foot patrols; and during one of these night patrols we were sent to try to make contact with the Germans who were thought to have infiltrated into the grounds of the nearby churchyard. The night turned out to be extremely misty and crawling through the gravestones was, in itself, a creepy business. The thought that, at any moment, a German machine gun could rattle away into your face was even more disturbing. However, we completed our search of the area without contacting any Germans, although we found a dugout which they had recently vacated. You could always tell where Germans had been by the smell; it wasn't a repulsive smell, just strongly different - probably due to the food that they ate; German sausage perhaps.
Then we pulled back to take up defensive positions. Along with another young Trooper, I was positioned in an old German slit-trench in a hedgerow alongside a path, armed with a Bren machine-gun. We alternately manned the gun and rested.
During my rest period I was suddenly 'brought up sharp' by a burst of fire from my companion's gun. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he had seen something move across the path. I looked for a long time (trying to suppress my fear) and then realised that the 'something' was a twig on the hedge, a few inches away, which had been disturbed by a sudden breeze in this otherwise still, dark and misty night.
30th July — Caumont.” (Republished from the BBC People's War website by kind permission of Don Aiken)
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