The Battalion's Entry Into Caen

Below, a knocked out British Cromwell tank surrounded by the ruins of Caen.

The Battalion first heard that it was to have the honour of leading the Allied Armies into Caen, on the afternoon of the 7th of July 1944. After three weeks in the line at Cambes the Battalion had been pulled out for a rest at St. Aubin d' Arquenay

, but had only been there for a single day when it was ordered to move forward again to positions behind the Brigade at Bieville prior to passing through them into Caen.

The plan was as follows: - The Brigade was to capture Lebisey Wood and having consolidated, to sieze the high ground above Caen on Ring Contour 60. The Battalion - The Royal Ulster Rifles, supported by a Battalion of the Kings own Scottish Borderers, was to move up to the heights and from there, thrust down into Caen. The first half of this plan consisted of a deliberate attack , based upon information about the strength and dispositions of the enemy which had been accumilated since D Day. The second half in which the Battalion was to be committed, depended entirely upon the progress and success of the first. The Battalions task was was to maintain the momentum of the first assault and to persue the enemy to the far side of the river Orne.The Brigade launched their attack at 4.am on the 8th of July. It was a clear night with a full moon, and as the battalion moved forward they could see the flashes and hear the rumble of the tremndous barrage which pounded the enemy for some hours before zero and by dawn, the Battalion was secure in Bieville.By 10.am the objective Lebisey Wood was reported taken, but mopping up and consolidation took time, and not until 3.pm did the reserve Battalion of the Brigade the K.S.L.I beging the advance towards Ring Contour 60. meanwhile the Commanding Officer was making his recce and making a plan with the Commander of the supporting Tank Unit, a Yeomanry Regiment , assisted by Major W.D Tighe - Wood and Captain A.C Bird, commanding the two forward companies. At 2.30pm the Battalion moved forward and debouched from lebisey Wood towards Ring contour 60 at 5.30pm

At This time no news of the progress of the K.S.L.I. had reached the Royal Ulster Rifles, nor had anything of the enemy dispositions behind Lebisey Wood. However it was obvious from the viewpoint of Lebisey That the Boshe was shelling intensively the whole area between the wood and Ring Contour 60, by using as observation posts, the chimneys of the factories at Colombelles., lying on the south side of the Orne to the N.E of Caen. These chimneys constituted too small a target for the R.A.F. or for our own gunners, yet they dominated the battlefield, and made the passage of our troops a difficult one, causing a number of casualties.

A and D Companies however moved forward according to plan. At first while they were operating in close touch with the tanks, the enemy barrage was not troublesome; but later the range was closed and some damage was done. A Coy had just established itself on the objective when Company Headquarters received a direct hit which wounded Major Tighe - Wood and a number of his staff. Captain C. G Alexander took over command.

Meanwhile liason had been made with the K.S.L.I. and with supporting tanks providing cover and protection against counter attacks everyone dug in with the utmost rapidity. Little small arms fire had been met , and prisoners were few, but the position was being continously and accurately shelled. A Company again suffered; this time its Stretcher Bearers were all wounded and great work was done by Corporal Reid, Rifleman. A. Cranston and Rifleman Devaney in bringing in and tending the wounded. B and C, the two reserve companies who moved up to the position under heavy shellfire also suffered casualties.

Bt the time the whole Battalion was in position, it was getting late and the light was begining to fail. The battalion had about eighty casualties, mostly all from shellfire, since such Germans as had been found on the objective were swiftly liquidated. Nevertheless the battalion were determined to make an efffort to enter Caen that evening and B Company under Major J.W Hyde and two troops of tanks set off to probe the enemy positions in the Northern approaches to the town. Some casualties on the start line were caused by an 88mm gun and opposition was encountered some 500 yards further on.The tanks were completely held up by the havoc and ruin wrought in bombing attacks by the R.A.F. and the men themselves could only forward with the utmost difficulty. Finally mines were discovered on the track and its verges. It was considered unwise to continue this operation by night and so

B Company, under orders from the Commanding officer, returned to their Original positions.

Early next morning two more patrols were sent out. One platoon of A Company under Lieut .R. Wise with a troop of tanks went to Calix on the Eastern outskirts of Caen, and simultaneously another platoon , also A Company

under Lieut . B.R. Burgess moved to St Julien in the N.W. of the town. The first patrol reached its objective and remained there until recalled later in the day. It had trouble with snipers and the Platoon Commander was himself wounded in the head. Lieut Burgess with his platoon reached St Julien and then began an advance of his own accord into the heart of the town. Some light resistance was thrust aside but later on the defences stiffened and casualties were sustained. Lieut Burgess was himself wounded though able to retain control of his platoon, and two of his N.C.Os were killed outright. Thereupon this patrol returned to its position at St Julien and did not link up with the Battalion until the following day.It may be said however that this platoon were the first troops into the heart of the town because the Canadians did not appear on the right until late in the afternoon, and the forward elements of the Battalion were not in Caen much before 11a.m.

At 9.30am on the 9th of July the Battalion began their advance into Caen. B comppany led the way progressing slowly, but surely systematically clearing the ruins of enemy. Small groups of retreating Germans were dealt with but no organised opposition was met, and abandoned machine gun posts and rocket apparatus testified to the swiftness of the withdrawl. Owing to the rubble and devastation caused by the bombing, movement was slow and difficult. There was no question of vehicle movement here, and so throughout this advance the infantry relied solely and entirely upon their own resources.By 11.30am major Hyde was astride the Boulevardes des Allies, and the remainder of the Battalion was pressing forward. Some casualties were sustained by D Company before moving off from Hill 60, where Lieut Palmer and his Platoon Sergeant were both wounded and evacuated,but Lance Sergeant Benass assumed command and led the platoon calmly and efficiently for

the rest of the action.

When the main body of the Battalion arrived down into the town , the advance soon assumed the air of triumphant progress rather than a calculated operation of war; the people of Caen were determined to make it so. It was soon discovered afterwards that they had suffered all the brutalities that had become common place in Europe.

Flags of France were draped out of the windows and the people pored out of their houses with greetings and glasses of wine.The rest of the operation can be swiftly summarized. the Battalion pushed gradually down to the line of the River Orne and then systematically mopped up such disorganised restistance as remained.

Smiling faces, but the price in casualties was high for troops involved in the capture of caen and civilians in the city

 All that remained was a totally devasted city.

 Allied troops cautiously enter the suburbs of Caen