R.M. Assault Europe

Five Royal Marine Commando Units

The previous page was: "D-Day Poems"

On that special day in the fighting on land it was the Royal Marine Commandos who sustained the soldier role of the Marines' dual character, and a most important role it was.

Five R.M. Commandos, superbly trained and sparkling with magnificent vitality, took part in the assault of Europe. All five were in the thick of the fiercest fighting and, although heavy casualties were suffered, all succeeded in achieving their objectives.

During the initial phase of the fighting on the coast four main tasks were assigned to the Royal Marines. All four were seperate operations and must be described seperately.

41 and 48 R.M. Commandos were ordered to clear the coastal defences between Lion-sur-Mer on the left where the 3rd British Infantry Division was fighting and St. Aubin-sur-Mer on the right which was the area of the 3rd Canadian Division.

D-Day Poems

Clearing The Gap In The Centre

The gap between the two points was about five and a half miles. The plan was for 48 Commando to land beside the Canadians and swing left and for 41 Commando to land beside the British and swing right.

If all went well, the British and the Canadians would be able to concentrate their strength on driving forward. The two Commando units hoped to meet up at Petit-Enfer, a German strong-point half-way between the two ends of the gap, on the evening of D-Day.

48 Commando was formed-up to meet the needs for D-Day, barely three months before the invasion and its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Moulton, had done a wonderful job - admittedly with very good material - in getting it ready in time.

Moultom Had A Reputation For Cool Efficiency

A man of few words, with superb organising ability and stern self-control, in everything he did his performance would meet his desire. These qualities stood his men in good stead on D-Day, for from the moment the Commando left England it met with increasing difficulties.

The Channel crossing was rough, and the tablets issued to the troops did little to prevent sea-sickness. As the six flat-bottomed landing craft approached the beaches under the grey sky of a murky dawn.

Two of the craft hit obstacles and began to sink, and in an attempt at swimming to shore many were carried away by the strong tidal stream and drowned.

Germans Unscathed By Naval And Air attacks

The preliminary air and naval bombardment had left the German defences at St. Aubin almost intact. Both in landing and on the beach the Commando met with intense machine-gun, mortar and shell-fire.

When it reached the assembly area, it had lost thirty per cent. of its strength. Colonel Moulton had received a splattering of mortar splinters. The Padre, the Rev. J. Armstrong, R.N., who had shown great bravery while attending the wounded on the beach, was badly wounded.

Captain Reynolds, the leader of the rear troops, had both his arms broken by the machine-gun fire that was concentrated on the beaches, he carried on, smoking cigarettes lit for him by his troop, until he had to be evacuated.

Depleated But Undaunted

The Commando advanced to its appointed task: the capture of a German strong-point at Langrune which laid about 1,000 yards inland, but has a built up area extending towards the sea.

Surrounded by mines, wide trenches targeted by pill-boxes, the German's had the whole area covered into a formidable "hedgehog" of danger, capable of being defended by a small garrison and demanding maximum courage from any attacking force.

The fighting on D-Day was fierce and progress was slow and desperately contested. In the evening the Marines, with some assistance from the R.M. Armoured Support Unit, succeeded in gaining a hold in the right-hand end of the strong-point, but were unable to retain it.

At 9 p.m. came orders to hold Langrune. They had been given orders to hold Langrune at all costs, during the quiet of the night 48 Commando Unit, made its preparations for the next day.

The Situation Was Serious

The strength of the Commando was now much reduced, and contact with 41 R.M. Commando had not been established which had not been able to reach the rendezvous.

The next day's attack succeeded brilliantly. After two Canadian guns and a Sherman tank of the R.M. Armoured Support unit had partly demolished an anti-tank wall, the Commando troops gained a footing in the houses of the strong-point.

This was the end, for as the Marines began to mouse-hole (going through the thinner internal walls with explosives) through the houses to the heart of strong-point the German garrison surrendered.

Langrune, the strongest of all the German "hedgehogs" was now securely in the Allies hands, and on D-plus-2-day civilian police were already on patrol.

Casualties had been very heavy. In the two days between landing and the surrender the Commando had lost nearly half its original strength. The casualties included all the fighting troop commanders and four out of five seconds-in-command of fighting troops.

41 Cdo Met With Stiff Resistance

41 R.M. Commando under Lieutenant-Colonel Gray had met with even greater difficulties than its sister Commando 48. Two tasks had been assigned to it: (1) to destroy the German strong-point which was known to exist at Lion-sur-Mer and (2) to assault a suspected strong-point in a chateau some distance away.

For these twin purposes Lieutenant-Colonel Gray had decided to divide his Commando into two forces as soon as it had landed. Through no fault of his own the plan went astray from the start.

Although he had received a signal half an hour before the landing telling him the beach was not under enemy fire; when they landed the situation had changed, and the Commando was fiercely attacked.

Major Barclay, who was to have commanded Force II against the chateau strong-point was killed. Captain Stratford and Captain Morris, his two troop commanders, were seriously wounded.

Lieutenant-Colonel Gray Retained Control

He took Force II under his own command. At once he had to deploy one troop of Force II to help Force I in Lion-sur-Mer where the Germans were causing trouble.

The South Lancashires were being held up by the German strong-point in Lion-sur-Mer, and from the houses on each side of it snipers and machine-guns were doing considerable damage.

The Commando was forced with odds that courage alone could not overcome. both its wireless sets had been damaged during the landing on the beach, and without wireless there could be no supporting fire from the Navy.

Throughout the morning of D-day the fighting was desperateand, though one troop of the Commando succeeded reaching the houses closest to the strong-point, a powerful German counter-attack forced Lieutenant-Colonel Gray to withdraw all his troops.

The Afternoon Brought An Improvement

The Commando obtained a wireless set, and for two hours two destroyers bombarded the strong-point and the chateau. The Army sent two Battalions of infantry, the Lincolnshires and the Royal Ulster Rifles to reinforce the Marines, and during the night a new attack was planned for the morrow.

Before it started, three Heinkels, hotly pursued by Spitfires, dropped bombs on the Commando headquarters. Three men were killed and nine including Lieutenant-Colonel Gray, were wounded. It was an unpromising beginning, but all went well, for during the day the Lincolnshires and 41 R.M. Commando captured both the strong-point and the chateau in a series of brilliant assaults.

The same evening all that was left of 41 R.M. Commando advanced to Luc-sur-Mer and made contact with 48 Commando.

An Exciting And Anxious Experience

Of the Royal Marine Commandos engaged in the initial Normandy operations 46 Commando had the most anxious and exciting experience - an experience, which proved once again that in the hour of conflict improvisation is the real test of successful leadership.

The task originally assigned to the Commando was to raid the enemy batteries of Houlgate and Benerville. Specially equipped for these raids and carrying demolition charges instead of battle equipment, the Commando arrived off St. Aubin at 6:30 p.m. on D-Day.

Three and a half hours later they were told the raids had been cancelled. At 6 a.m. on D-plus-1-day the order was received to land at once and to capture the strong-point at Petit-Enfer.

The Commando had in Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell-Harvey a cool and imaginative leader whose foster-mother was improvisation and who was to win a D.S.O. and Bar in France and a second Bar later in Burma.

From Demolitions To Attacking

At 9 a.m., with such adjustments to equipment as were possible, the Commando landed unopposed. By 6 p.m., under cover of a naval bombardment and helped by the tanks of the R.M. Armoured assault Unit, it had captured the strong-point of Petit-Enfer.

Pushing on the same evening it occupied the small town of La Delivrande two miles inland.

Two days later the Commando moved to Anquerry to join the 3rd Canadian Division and on the night of June 10th was ordered to move at first light to clear the valley of the River Mue from Barbiere to Rots.

Supported by Canadian armour and by a troop of the R.M. Armoured Support Group, the Commando carried out a series of brilliant little operations and, advanced seven miles in one day, reaching all its objectives.

Rots And Le Hamel

The heaviest fighting was in the villages of Rots and Le Hamel where the Germans, drawn from the 12th S.S. Hitler Jurgend Division, fought both skillfully and courageously.

Before Le Hemal two Commando Troops, closed to within 150 yards of the artillery concentration, made a gallant assault through waist-high corn.

The Germans held their fire until the two Commando Troops were within a hundred yards, but the Marines firing their rifles, Brens and Tommy-guns from the hip, pressed home their attack and, when they were within thirty yards, the Germans turned and ran for the houses in the village.

For some hours there was fierce street fighting, with tank fighting tank and the Marines advancing in twos from door to door, until the Germans were forced to abandon both villages.

As it had advanced too far too quickly the Commando was withdrawn the next day. It had lost about one-seventh of its strength. But it had done its job with complete success.

The valley was now clear for the infantry. When two days later the Canadians reoccupied Rots and Le Hamel they found 122 Germans dead.

45 And 47 R.M. Commandos

At each extremity of the British invasion sector 45 and 47 R.M. Commandos had been allotted special tasks. On the extreme left flank 45 R.M. Commando under Lieutenant-Colonel N. C. Ries formed part of Brigadier Lovat's 1st Special Service Brigade.

The Commando landed safely on D-Day on the western outskirts of Ouistreham, a seaport on the left bank of the Caen canal close to the River Orne.

The task assigned to the Commando was to cross the canal and the River Orne and seize the bridgehead east of the river and hold the left flank of the Allied perimeter. Rubber dinghies had been provided, but were not needed.

The Airborne

The 6th Airborne Division, which had landed east of the river, had timed its attack so well that the Germans had been unable to destroy the bridges.

While the Commando was crossing the bridges, enemy snipers caused some trouble, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ries was wounded. Major T. M. Gray took over command and, swinging northwards, entered the village of Sallenelles.

Here the Commando came under extremely heavy fire from a German strong-point. Deciding to circle this position , Major Gray pushed further north to Merville where the Commando dug in for the night.

A Powerful German Force Awaited

It was now abundantly clear to Brigade Headquartersthat the Germans were in considerable strength on the east side of the Orne, and on D-plus-1-day the Commando was ordered to withdraw from Merville and dig in south of Sallenelles.

Here again, it came under heavy fire from the strong-point and, then in the afternoon it was ordered to advance to Franceville, a tiny seaside resort with a magnificent stretch of sand, which had been heavily shelled.

In the evening two Commando Troops succeeded in establishing a footing in Franceville, but a heavy German counter-attack forced them to withdraw and to fall back on Merville.

By this time the Commando had suffered considerable casualties and, in addition, had lost both its 3-inch mortars and its wireless set. In this unpleasant situation Major Gray sent three Marines to report to headquarters.

On D-Plus-2-Day

They returned with a wireless set and with orders that Merville was to be held in the face of all odds. Hard fighting continued all that day, but the Germans, well dug-in and supplied with heavy artillery held the upper hand.

Towards evening the Commando was ordered to re-join the Brigade near Amfreville. This meant that the Commando had to fight its way southwards through German lines.

It was a heavy task for a force that had lost half its strength, but the Marines accomplished it and in their break-through destroyed two German machine-gun posts and captured a mortar.

Next day the sorely battered Commando took up new defensive positions which they held with gallantry and success for several weeks during the fiercely fought battle of the Hinge.

47 R.M. Commando

Is the last R.M. Commando to be mentioned, because its amazing performance was the most spectacular, and possibly the most important of all the Commando exploits during the actual invasion.

At the western end of the British invasion sector lay the little fishing harbour of Port-en-Bessin. Five and a half miles to the north-west of Bayeux, it is situated in a tiny hollow in an imposing line of chalk cliffs which rise to a height of two-hundred feet above sea-level.

Before the war its population was just over, 1,400 souls. Even in summer there were few visitors, and its main inn, the Hotel de la Marine, had only fourteen bedrooms.

The Anglo-American planners did not fail to recognise the great advantages of the port as a handy supply centre for the armies of the invasion.

Unfortunately, the Germans had also realised its potential and what scientific man could do to strengthen the defences of nature they accomplished it, with a unique thoroughness.

The Fort Had To Be Captured

It was this fortress which 47 Royal Marine Commando under Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Phillips had been ordered to capture. For weeks before hand the men had been specially trained for this task in the hills of Dorsetshire.

As the post was impregnable from a frontal assault, the hope of success lay in an attack from the rear. The plan therefore, was for the Marines to land within the beach-head won by the 50th Division.

Then to make their way westwards across ten-miles of enemy-held territory until they reached the back entrance of the port. For this purpose all weapons, ammunition and explosives had to be carried on the back, each weighing an average of 88 lb.

Accurate Shelling By German Gunners

The original intention had been to land the Commando close to Le Hamel, a little coastal village, about six and a half miles to the west of Port-en-Bessin, but as the fourteen landing craft approached the shore, the enemy began to shell them heavily.

Forced by this fire to land a mile and a half farther eastwards the Commando nearly met with complete disaster on the run into the beach. In a rough sea four of the craft struck submerged mined obstacles and were blown out of the water.

Most of the heavily burdened men were able to slip their equipment and swim ashore. On the beach the Commando assembled under mortar fire and set out on its march inland.

Its strength was already seriously depleated, in addition to those killed or wounded, nearly a third had lost their weapons and equipment.

Worse Was To Follow

The first rendezvous was the village of La Rosiere which, according to plan, should already have been in the Allies hands. When the Marines reached it, they found the enemy still in possession.

Undaunted, the two leading troops went into the attack and after a sharp fight forced the enemy to surrender. Then, fighting their way across country through green orchards and fields intersected with hedges and ditches, they reached Hill 72.

A prominent mark two miles to the south of Port-en-Bessin, which was to be the base for the assault on the port itself. Here they dug in for the night.

In only one respect had fortune favoured them. The series of battles which they had fought and won on their way had enabled them to capture enough enemy weapons to replace those which had been lost in the landing.

Nevertheless The Situation Was Grim

The Port was known to be strongly garrisoned, and a mile to the south of Hill 72, was a fortified German base. The Commando, already several hours behind schedule, was completely isolated.

The port could not be captured without a previous bombardment, and this could only be called for and directed by radio. Three of the Commando's radio sets had been lost and the sole remaining set was out of order.

However, the Marine signallers were able to repair it, and early the next morning Lieutenant-Colonel Phillips put it to good use. He asked the Royal Navy for a bombardment at 3 p.m., the Royal Air Force for a strafe by Typhoons at 3:50 p.m. and the Royal Artillery for a smoke-screen at 4 p.m.

All Went According To Plan

And under cover of the smoke-screen the Maines went into attack. The first strong-point, just south of the town, was quickly captured. The second, to the west of the harbour, put up a much sterner fight, but was also carried.

The victorious Marines, suffered severely from the fire of two German Flak Ships until they were silenced by mortars and Bren guns, causing the assault of the main strong-point on a hill east of the harbour to be held up.

It was about this time that the Germans in the fortified base came into action. After a short bombardment they attacked the hill and, over-running the handful of Marine defenders, captured it.

Darkness was beginning to fall, and it seemed impossible to penetrate the mined defences of the strong-point that night and to hold off the expected counter-attack from the Germans on Hill 72. Checked in front and threatened from the rear, the Commando was in a desperate position.

RMs Are Trained To Meet The Unexpected

Not for the first time; and you can bet not for the last time a Royal Marine officer improvised safety out of threatened disaster. While Lieutenant-Colonel Phillips was considering the relative dangers of a night attack or waiting till the morning.

Captain Cousins reported to him that he had found a narrow zig-zag path leading up the hill; and he was confident that with twenty-five men he could take the strong-point by surprise. Lieutenant-Colonel Phillips made up his mind at once. He gave to Captain Cousins not only double the men he had asked for but also machine-gun support and the Commando's one remaining mortar.

Then in the gathering dusk he watched Captain Cousins and his men creep silently up the narrow track until they crossed the sky-line and faded from view. There was an eerie silence which seemed agonisingly long to the men waiting behind.

Then the air filled with the sound of shouting and the rattle of Bren and Tommy guns. Captain Cousins and his men were in the German positions. A second Troop was sent to assist them, and soon the victory was complete.

The German Commander Was Captured

The quick capture of the German Commander in the strong-point proved to be the winner of a very intricate situation; to say the least.

He was pursuaded to summon the rest of the garrison to surrender. And to the Commandos surprise they did. A little later the German flak-ships in the harbour also accepted the unwelcome command and surrendered.

Port-en-Bessin was in British hands, and an operation which had started with a diversity of dangers, had been crowned with glorious success.

Triumph had not been achieved without cruel losses, as always in the hour of victory, someone has had to pay the sacrifical price, and that someone has to remain behind buried in a foriegn land far from the shores of home.

The hill on which the strong-point stood was a maze of trenches and dug-outs, and in the mopping-up of the last resistance Captain Cousins was killed.

During the night the Marines established contact with the American forces advancing from the west. In the morning they stormed and re-captured their base on Hill 72. By this time British forces had come up from the east, and to them the Royal Marines handed over their dearly won prize.

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They Formed A Tiny Number Of The Forces

The Royal Marine Commandos had formed only a small section of the forces which took part in the great assault on Europe. During the critical days of the landings they had served under the general orders of high-ranking naval and military officers.

In their own actions they had received support from all three Armed Forces. But the tasks assigned to them were difficult, highly individual, and of supreme importance.

All demanded the resource, ingenuity and courage of troops specially trained in amphibious operations, and largely by these qualities all were successful achieved.

In the destruction of Langrune the Royal Marine Commandos had captured the most formidable of the German "hedgehogs" on the invasion coast.

By the storming of Port-en-Bessin they not only united the first junction between the Americans and the British beach-heads, but also captured the first French port to fall into Allied hands, and in so doing, made available a harbour that gave invaluable services to the build-up of the armies ashore.

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