12th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment - Operation Paddle 20th to 29th August 1944
by Richard Salt
The breakout from the Orme Bridgehead to the River Seine.
06 June to 19 August - BACKGROUND
The 12th Devons had been in Normandy since D-Day, “A” Company landing by glider near Pegasus Bridge on the 6th June, “B”, “C,” & “D” Companies arriving by landing craft on the beaches to the West of Ouistreham on the morning of the 7th June. The Battalion had, along with other Regiments of the 6th Airborne Division commanded by General Richard Gale, been responsible for capturing and securing the Eastern flank area being the line to the East of the Caen Canal and River Orme, running from Merville, through Breville-les-Monts, le Mesnil crossroads to Le Bas de Ranville. Now on the 20th August, after sustaining frequent attacks and many casualties over a period of 75 days, had come the time for the Airborne troops to break out and push the German forces back beyond the River Seine.
In the days prior to the 20th August, the Battalion had been in the Amfreville/Le Plein/Breville area, patrolling and fighting sporadic battles North East of Breville around Bas-de-Breville and Longuemare but on the 17th August, patrols reported that the German forces had largely retreated beyond the River Dives. The 12th Devons were able to rest for a couple of days.
The breakout from the Orme Bridgehead was given the codename “Operation Paddle”. The operational plan was decided on the 16th August, the Forward Observation Officers and Liaison Officers were briefed on the 17 August. Orders were given to the Battalion on the 20th August to embus at Le Plein at 1700 hrs for Troarn. The Operation had begun!
On the 6th August, Lt. Col. Paul Gleadell had been appointed Commanding Officer of the Regiment. The Brigade Commander of the 6th Airlanding Brigade was Brigadier Edwin Flavell.
20th August - TROARN
The Battalion arrived by transport at Troarn around 1930 hrs and were ordered to march Eastwards to consolidate near the village of St. Richer at 198692. Pte. Ivor Lockett is recorded as killed in action on this day. (See Map 1 for 198692).
21st August - BRUCOURT
In the early hours of the 21st August, word came through that 1 Special Service Brigade had infiltrated the enemy and were established but under heavy fire on the high ground near Angoville to the East of Brucourt. With the intention of moving the Battalion with the 2nd Ox & Bucks to a position where the advance could be continued at first light should the enemy have withdrawn from the area, the 12th Devons left at 0200 hrs followed by the 2nd Ox & Bucks towards Brucourt, the order being to consolidate at a road junction 253756 North-East of the village. There was restricted access to Brucourt due to the waterlogged and flooded nature of the countryside to the West of the village and the night was very dark and wet. It was not known for certain if the Germans had been cleared by 1 SS Brigade from the route of the advance but It transpired they had withdrawn overnight before 1 SS Brigade advanced into Brucourt. After a difficult and fatiguing march, the 12th Devons consolidated at 253756 at 0630 hrs (See Maps 1 & 2 for 253756)
On the same day the Battalion was ordered to move towards Branville along the axis of the road (now D27) so at 1000 hrs, “C” Company led towards a road junction at 275773 arriving at 1230 hrs. “D” Company passed through “C” Company and continued the advance towards the crossroads just above the village of Branville. The leading platoon came under mortar and machine gun fire at the road junction 295783 from the enemy entrenched at the crossroads above Branville, but the Battalion was able, after some very close hedge fighting (resulting in a number of casualties), to establish positions close to La Tuilerie by 2000hrs position 295783. Casualties: Pte. Frederick Tovey & Cpl. Eric Woodcock killed and 4 wounded. (See Map 2 for 253756, 275773, 295783 & Branville)
22nd August - BRANVILLE
“C” Company advanced the next day, 22nd August, under the command of Capt. Strawbridge and occupied Branville at 0530 hrs just after the Germans had pulled out, leaving a few asleep in their slit trenches to be captured! Six British parachutists who had been hidden by the French since D-Day were liberated. The village was then occupied by “A” and “B” Companies whilst the remainder rested at 295783. Fourteen German prisoners had been captured over the last 48 hours. (See Map 2 for 295783)
23rd August – TOURGEVILLE
On the 23rd August the Battalion left at 1045 hrs to concentrate near Tourgeville arriving there at 1300 hrs. A recce patrol was sent to La Poterie to ascertain if a crossing of the River Touques had been established by 1st Batt. Royal Ulster Rifles which had been order to establish a crossing and bridgehead on the river. This being unsuccessful, the Battalion remained in position apart from a fighting patrol from “A” Company, accompanied by the C.O. which was sent to investigate a report of 50 Germans in a house near Mezeray. The report was inaccurate and the patrol returned wet and exhausted. (see Map 3 for Tourgeville & Touques)
Capt. Laurence Salt of “D” Company found time to write to his parents on the 23rd August when the Battalion was resting briefly in the area of Tourgeville “…we are moving quite fast and we are hardly long enough in one place to write letters. We are all in great form and enjoying the chase. The scenes in the towns and villages as we liberate them are most touching, so different from Normandy. Crowds gather and often block the road – there are tears of joy - flowers are thrown or tied on the jeeps – and kisses – well I think I have received more from old men than women! Every village so far has rung the church bells all day everybody is so happy. It is a wonderful reward to see such happiness.”. This reflected the experience of all those involved in the advance as French towns and villages were liberated.
24th August – TOUQUES & HONFLEUR
During the night of the 23rd August, patrols from 1 RUR and 2nd Ox & Bucks successfully crossed the River Touques and established a bridgehead. On the 24th August, the Battalion arriving at Tourques at 1100 hrs were able to cross the River Touques by footbridge and concentrated within the Town at 1300 hrs.. The motorised units under Major Dobbin, drove to the new bridges constructed at Pont L’Eveque and crossed there, rejoining the Battalion in Touques.
The same afternoon, the Brigade Commander ordered the immediate advance into Honfleur. Acquiring local transport, a flying patrol comprising the recce patrol on bicycles, 19 Platoon “D” Company under Lt. Reakes on a gas driven Citroen baker’s van and the local fire engine (complete with brass helmets) left at 1645 hrs all under the command of Major Eddie Warren, occupying and liberating Honfleur around 1715 hrs. Two recce patrols under Cpl. Lines and Cpl. Pinder established that the enemy were in control of the station and an area of high ground to the East of the Town. The rest of the Battalion left Touques at 1715 hrs and marched via St. Philbert and Equemanville reaching Honfleur at 2200 hrs. Casualties recorded: Pte. Leonard Davies and Pte. Vivian Webb killed in action and three wounded. (See Map 4 for Honfleur)
25th August - FIQUEFLEUR & ABLON
On the 25th August, “B” Company left its overnight quarters in Equamanville at 0300 hrs ordered to advance to be astride the road La Riveiere to St. Sauveur and arriving at 0615 hrs. A recce platoon pushed on for the bridge over the river at Fiquefleur but met with machine gun and mortar fire from adjoining high ground. Joined by “A” Company around 1115 hrs, both came under attack along the line of the river at 615166 “C” Company were ordered around the right flank to attempt a crossing of the river at Ablon but by 1145 hrs were held up by heavy mortar and machine gun fire. The company reached 623145 having sustained casualties of 3 killed and 3 wounded. (See Map 4 for 615166 & 623145)
The Commanding officer, Lt. Col. Gleadell, ordered “A” company to attack on the left flank supported by mortar and 25 pounder artillery but this was unsuccessful as the leading platoons were delayed by the river and could not get forward quickly enough once the mortar and artillery barrage had lifted. The enemy recovered and pinned down “A” Company with particularly heavy fire from some Germans established in the Mairie at Fiquefleur, so it was unable to advance or retreat. “B” Company moved forward to take over the road at 610167 and “D” Company were sent to the high ground East of Ablon 6114 to assist “C” Company to withdraw as it had been heavily counter-attacked on two sides. That night, “A” Company withdrew under cover of darkness and “D” Company took over the positions of “C” Company. (See Map 4 for 610167 & 6114)
That day, the 12th Devons lost three other ranks: Pte. Kenneth Amis, L/Cpl. Trevor Montague & Cpl. Leonard Smith, killed in action with Lt. Bertram Horwood and five other ranks wounded. It was also the day that three gallantry medals were awarded: to Lt. Bertram Horwood of “A” Company, the Military Cross; to L/Cpl. Percy Aplin also of “A” Company, the Military Medal; to Sgt. William Coleman of “C” Company, the Military Medal.
26th August – BERVILLE-sur-MER
The next day, the 26th August, a recce patrol commanded by Lt. Wild, crossed the bridge at Fiquefleur and established that the Germans had pulled back so the 12th Devons advanced over the bridge and on to Berville-sur-Mer, a town on the banks of the River Seine. The Belgian Corps advanced at the same time by another route and arrived before the Devons, only to find the Town had been liberated by 1 RUR which had advanced from the South. Pte. Charles Plumridge & Pte. Frank Russell were killed in action.
26th August to 31st August - CONTEVILLE & FIQUEFLEUR
The Battalion moved South to Conteville arriving at 1430 hrs at 6186 with 2nd Ox & Bucks in Foulbec and 1 RUR in La Judee. Here the Battalion was welcomed by the local French with grateful appreciation of their liberation. After some rest, the Battalion moved on the 29th August into reserve at Figuefleur. The Germans, or the survivors of them, had by that time crossed the River Seine and were established in Le Havre. Two casualties were recorded at this time, on 28th August Cpl. James Boycott and on the 29th August Pte. Eric Lockyer, both killed in action, the last recorded losses of the 12th Devons in the Normandy Campaign.
1st – 3rd September – SOUTHAMPTON via MULBURY HARBOUR AT ARRAMANCHES
On the 1st September the 12th Devons were transported back through Pont L’Eveque, Dozule, Troarn, Herouvillette, through their previous defensive area of Ranville, across Pegasus Bridge to La Deliverande to a rest camp near Lion-sur-Mer close to the point on the beaches that the majority of the Battalion had landed on the 7th June as part of the D-Day invasion On the 2nd September the Battalion embarked from the harbour constructed at Arramanches on board LSI Princess Astrid (a former cross-channel steamer on the Harwich run). Leaving around midday on the 3rd September after a warning of enemy oyster mines, the ship was escorted in a rough crossing to Southampton.
The arrival in Southampton was met by Major Gerry Palmer, the officer in command of the Residue left in England during the campaign in Normandy, and a convoy of lorries to transport everyone to the camp at Bulford and 14 days leave! After the leave period, training was resumed with a heavy emphasis on street fighting as this was what was anticipated when the Battalion returned to fight in Europe.
Notes by the Author
a) In his book “With the Sixth Airborne Division in Normandy” Lt. Gen. Richard Gale records that the number of casualties (i.e. wounded) treated by Divisional Medical units for the “Pursuit to the Seine 17th - 29th Aug ‘44” for the 12th Devons was 2 officers and 49 other ranks
b) The names and the dates of death of the soldiers named are taken from the Roll of Honour of the Regiment between the dates 20th – 29th August 1944
c) To understand the difficulties the Battalion had to overcome the following facts should be considered: -
i) The Battalion covered on foot and fighting most of the way, a distance of some 80 – 100 km (50 – 60 miles) from Troarn to its final rest camp at Fiquefleur, a period of 9 days. This was often at night, over hilly terrain and in wet conditions.
ii) The Battalion had been defending the Orme Bridgehead for nearly 11 weeks between the 6th June and the 20th August, most of the time living in slit trenches and under fire with very little opportunity to exercise, except when being rested out of the front line. The soldiers were therefore not fully fit and certainly not as fit as they were when the invasion took place. Yet they were called upon to make a rapid, physically demanding, fighting advance from Troarn to the River Seine with little time to rest.
iii) A look at a map of Normandy will identify the difficulty of the terrain. There were 3 major rivers to cross. (1) River Dives, running from Cabourg down past Troarn; (2) River Touques running from Deauville through Touques and Pont L’Eveque; (3) The lock system and River La Morelle at Honfleur Additionally, between Troarn and Dozule to the East and Northwards to Cabourg and North-East to Brucourt lies an extensive waterlogged area on each side of the River Dives, full of tributaries and ditches which is passable only with great difficulty; roads and useable tracks are few and far between. Running East from a line Dives-sur-Mer, through Brucourt to Dozule are extensive hills. Between these hills there were only two major roads running East and parallel with the coast, namely what is now the D675 and the D27. These hilly features run all the way Eastwards through Branville to the River Tourques. East of the River Touques, lie a line of hills up to Honfleur. Overall, a major physical obstacle to marching men and terrain with major defensive advantages.
iv) The enemy had plenty of time to retreat from their positions at the Orme Bridgehead to pre-prepared defensive positions to the East of the River Dives and they did so with well-constructed positions at Dozule, Brucourt, Branville, Touques, Honfleur, Fiquefleur & Berville-sur-Mer. It was the speed of the advance by the 6th Airlanding Brigade coupled with the determination and stamina of the troops that undermined the effectiveness of the enemy defences.
Richard Salt
6th February 2024
LSI Princess Astrid
