Historical Overview
The village of Grimbosq is a small and rather unremarkable village sandwiched between a large forest and the steep banks of the River Orne. A rural farming community, its peace had previously only been disturbed by the train line running north from Thury-Harcourt. It was an unlikely place to become the focus of some of the fiercest fighting of the Normandy campaign.
In support of Operation TOTALIZE by Canadian forces to the east, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was ordered to attack towards Thury-Harcourt, on the River Orne. The main thrust of this offensive was to be southwards, on the west bank of the Orne. However, in what appears to have been an opportunistic move, Brigadier Fryer’s 176th Infantry Brigade was assigned the task of establishing a bridgehead over the River Orne.
In a possibly unexpected turn of events, at 1840 hours on the 6th of August a suitable fording place for infantry was found opposite Grimbosq. During the night the infantry battalions of 176th Brigade, with support from two squadrons of the 107th Regiment RAC, established a bridgehead 1000m deep on the steep east bank of the Orne to the south of Grimbosq. By 0800 hours on the 7th August the destroyed bridge at Le Bas, just to the west of Brieux, had been repaired and construction work was progressing on a more substantial Bailey Bridge. Two counter-attacks by the 271st Infantry Division failed to dislodge the British and during the day 176th Brigade enlarged its bridgehead to a width of about 3km and depth of 1.5km. Once the Bailey Bridge was completed, Churchill tanks from 34th Tank Brigade were able to reinforce the bridgehead.
Although the Grimbosq Bridgehead was established as an operational accident, it was soon apparent to both sides that it was of immense importance, as not only did it outflank the strong Thury-Harcourt position to the south, it also outflanked German positions to the north and protruded deep into the German left flank at a time when they were under extreme pressure from 1st Canadian Army’s Operation TOTALIZE to the north. It was clearly time for Sepp Dietrich, the commander of I. SS-Panzer-Korps, to deploy part of his armoured reserve, and so he ordered Kampfgruppe Wünsche from 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjügend to restore the situation.
The Scenario
This game was our annual ‘Big Bovvy Bash’ game at Bovington Tank Museum in July 2013 and Paddy Green wrote the scenario. I was particularly keen to play, as I’d only just done a tour of the Grimbosq Bridgehead a couple of months earlier. The rules used (as always) were ‘Battlefront: WWII’ by Fire & Fury Games and the full scenario can be found on the Fire & Fury website here:
http://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios/bloodhonourgrimbosq.pdf
The models were mainly from Paddy Green’s and Richard de Ferrars’ collection, with a few minor contributions by me (mainly aircraft, engineering vehicles and the roadside calvary for the calvary crossroads).
Here’s the map for our Bovington game:
The Game
With a bridgehead already established east of the Orne River by infantry wading the river, 59th (Staffordshire) Division Engineers built two bridges just downstream of Le Bas Hydro-Electric Power Station. The first bridge to be finished was a repair of the (breached) existing bridge at Le Bas. This was capable of taking Class 9 traffic, such as trucks and light AFVs, but nothing heavier. The Churchill tanks of 107 RAC were therefore waded across, aided by winches and bulldozers provided by the Royal Engineers. After considerable effort, a Class 40 pontoon bridge was built, enabling Churchill tanks and other heavy AFVs to easily enter the bridgehead.
One of the most significant events of the actual battle was the sudden appearance of a wing of Allied medium bombers, which plastered the Forêt de Grimbosq, but apparently suffered from 12th SS anti-aircraft fire. These were probably RAF Mitchells, but we couldn’t get our hands on sufficient models. A handful of Boston squadrons were still serving in the same wings as Mitchells, so we opted for a trio of lovely Boston models from Dave Schmid at Armaments In Miniature.
The bombers sweep in from the south, plastering the western edge of the forest, just to the east of Brieux. However, the sheer volume of 20mm flak results in a few downed bombers and throws off the survivors’ aim somewhat. Nevertheless, they succeed in ripping the heart out of the 271st Infantry Division company that was due to assault La Bogtierre – an event that was to have significant consequences. However, one bomber manages to drop its bombs on the Norfolks, aiding the German assault on the southern flank.
271st Infantry charge into the gap created by the RAF!
With the 271st Infantry reeling from the bombing, Siebken is forced to divert his 10th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company to assault La Bogtierre. A Vickers MMG section causes significant casualties on the panzer-grenadiers, stalling their initial assault. However, the Vickers MMG is soon silenced by massed MG42 fire. The supporting Pzkpfw IVs are engaged by two M10s, resulting in a KO’d Pzkpfw IV, but the loss of both M10s. A 6pdr hidden in La Bogtierre Farm claims another Pzkpfw IV, but the gun is forced to make good its escape when assaulted by vengeful panzer-grenadiers.
In the centre, the Tiger company seems strangely reluctant to get stuck in to the fight. The Panthers on the German right flank show no such reluctance, however!
The British at Brieux and Le Bas are arrayed in considerable depth and strength. Siebken meanwhile, has only two panzer-grenadier companies with which to fight through these positions and one of his companies is already being chewed up at La Bogtierre! Only a few British tanks and anti-tank guns have revealed themselves, but there must be more…
Wünsche’s main attack quickly takes the Calvary crossroads and drives on against determined British resistance at Grimbosq and the Chateau. German artillery slams down onto the houses, but 59th Division is giving as good as it gets, with large artillery missions being fired against the attacking panzers and panzer-grenadiers.
At the north-east corner of the bridgehead, panzer-grenadiers and Panthers push into Grimbosq.
At the western end of Grimbosq, things seem relatively quiet.
West of La Bogtierre, a 2-inch mortar team lurks behind a hedgerow, ready to deal out instant death to any Germans that come their way. The crew sharpen their bayonets and take a few practice-swings with the mortar-tube.
In the south, the 271st are faced with a succession of defended stream-lines, held by the Norfolks. Undeterred, the Germans push forward, infiltrating a significant force, including pioneers, up the thickly-wooded river bank.
Another view of the bombers’ attack.
The Norfolks attempt to plug their defences with the Carrier Platoon, but the Germans come on with increasing fanaticism!
Pioneers push forward as the Norfolks’ first defence line is breached.
At the south-east corner of the bridgehead, an isolated company of Norfolks fights a desperate rearguard action against the 271st.
With their second assault on La Bogtierre also having stalled, Siebken’s 10th Company suffers the ignominy of seeing a platoon from 271st Infantry seizing La Bogtierre with ease!
Siebken also now suffers the further humiliation of losing his prized flamethrower halftrack…
With Siebken’s 10th Company starting to suffer serious losses, the plan unravels even further as 11th Company is forced to dismount to complete the assault on La Bogtierre. German mortars crash into Brieux in an attempt to suppress British defenders there and keep them from intervening.
Panzer-grenadiers and Panthers are now pushing deep into Grimbosq and the Chateau is now largely overrun. Caught up in the moment, Wünsche does something rather rash…
Part of Wünsche’s headquarters element pauses at the Calvary crossroads.
Another view of the bitter, close-quarters fighting in Grimbosq.
Max Wünsche was last seen pushing forward for a better view of his objective…
With the commitment of his 11th Company, Siebken finally overwhelms the defenders of La Bogtierre. His battalion mortars lay smoke as 11th Company pushes on to assault the southern flank of Brieux.
Siebken’s exhausted 10th Company, aided by close support from armour, finally push the Norfolks out of La Bogtierre’s orchards. Some Churchills attempt to intervene on the southern edge of the farm, but are quickly knocked out by Pzkpfw IVs after a brief duel.
A single section of flamethrower-armed pioneers manage to establish a foothold in the south-east corner of Brieux. However, the rest of the panzer-grenadiers are thrown back in disorder. If Siebken had done his reconnaissance properly, he would have noticed that 2-inch Mortar (see 12) and would never have attempted anything so foolish against such battle-hardened hand-to-hand specialists!
The pioneers, disordered by fire from a previously-unobserved Churchill parked outside the front door (!), are assaulted by Staffordshire infantry, but succeed against the odds in beating off all British counter-attacks!
The defenders of Grimbosq are now almost completely overrun. The fighting has now reached the church and the cemetery at the western end of the village and the Staffordshire men prepare to make their last-stand. However, the Germans are rapidly running out of panzer-grenadiers!
With panzer-grenadier strength reaching critical levels, the Panthers are forced to mount even bolder attacks – pushing deep into the narrow streets with minimal support.
At the southern end of the battle, the 271st suffer a crisis of confidence at a critical moment, giving the Norfolks vital respite and a chance to plug the gaps in their lines.
The British view of the fighting in Brieux (described above).
The survivors of the Norfolks rally and form a new defensive position south of the Le Bas bridges.
Having secured their initial objectives, the 271st consolidate before pushing on to Le Bas.
The north-east corner of the British bridgehead has now been totally eliminated by the 271st Infantry.
The RAF mount photo-recce runs over the battlefield for future Ian Daglish books.
A Boston passes over Brieux just as the Tigers finally start to roll forward… and run into a screen of 17pdrs…
As it passes over Grimbosq, the German high-water mark can clearly be seen – the last panzer-grenadiers are battling the British for possession of the church, while both British and German tanks burn near the river.
A Boston in close-up.
Having remained largely idle for much of the day, the Tigers finally move forward, but suffer catastrophic losses to British anti-tank guns.
Having beaten off the British counter-attack, the 11th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company consolidates and expands its foothold in Brieux and prepares to attack that Churchill…
With British positions in Brieux finally identified, Siebken’s armour opens up on the hamlet.
The remnants of the 10th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company push forward from La Bogtierre as the Pzkpfw IVs engage in a duel with a Churchill.
The panzer-grenadiers finally take Grimbosq Church as the British survivors grimly hold their ‘Alamo’ position in the cemetery.
With serious casualties and lacking infantry support, there is little more the Panthers can do to push forward against the bridges. Nevertheless, a foolhardy Flakpanzer decides to have a go…
The other Flakpanzer wisely stays back at the Calvary.
As the Germans attempted to encircle Grimbosq with armour, a half-squadron of concealed British Churchills attempted to mount a counter-attack. The British tanks were quickly destroyed, but the Germans were halted by their sacrifice.
As the Staffords dig in among the graves and mausolea of Grimbosq cemetery, the German armoured thrust is annihilated on the banks of the Orne.
59th (Staffordshire) Division’s Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) breathes a huge sigh of relief and gets on with bridge-building…
West of Brieux, British reserve companies wait for the final German assault on the bridges.
As night falls, Siebken’s battlegroup consolidates its positions and waits for orders. Will they be renewing the attack at dawn? Or will they be ordered to quietly slip away during the night…?
Well, we would never find out, as our Bovington weekend had come to an end! However, what was clear to all was that the Germans had shot their bolt. The 12th SS had almost run out of infantry and the Panther and Tiger companies had suffered heavy losses during their charge past Grimbosq, not least of which was the loss of their CO!
The raw 271st Infantry Division had done remarkably well against the Norfolks, though had run out of steam and were faced with fresh British infantry companies dug in around the bridges. The result would probably have been the same as the historical one – some continued skirmishing during the following morning, followed by a general withdrawal to Falaise by the 12th SS.
Thanks to all who played and especially to Richard and Paddy for putting on the game. Richard’s take on the scenario can be found here:
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqaar.pdf
[Edited to add]
Here’s a link to my tour of the Grimbosq Battlefield that I took in 2012 [hopefully this link is now fixed]: www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf
Well written and simply superb
Cheers VB!
JF:
A great read and a sumptuous visual treat to boot. You and your mates certainly put on fine looking games which stand the test of time. Thank you for posting this on your outstanding blog. Keep up the great work, it is much appreciated and very inspiring.
Cheers.
Rod.
Thanks Rod! And may I say what a pleasure it is to get a message from someone who isn’t a Chinese spammer trying to sell me clock kits (of all things)…
I’ve edited the article to add a link to my Grimbosq battlefield tour photo-album.
Hi
I came across this page while researching my Grandfather’s war record. He fought in this battle as a tank crewman for 107th Regiment RAC. His tank was knocked out and he had to swim back across the river under fire. In a letter he described it as “the worst day of my life”.
Hi Pete,
That’s fascinating. Oddly enough, when I first posted my battlefield tour article on The Miniatures Page (TMP), another son of a 107 RAC crewman got in touch (he’d found the article while googling for the Battle of Grimbosq) and actually came to meet us when we did the game at Bovington. I’ll try to find that discussion on TMP for you.
If you’ve never been, Grimbosq is a fascinating place to visit, as it’s barely changed since the day of the battle.
If you ever reenact the Battle of Grimsbosq I would love to come to watch and meet you all. I am desperately trying to understand more about the battle. Your game might be just the answer.
Thanks in advance, Ben Brooker 07737684949
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your comments and great to hear about your Grandfather! It’s always great when I get comments and e-mails from the relatives of veterans and there have been a lot just lately! 🙂
When you say ‘MK’, do you mean ‘MM’ (Military Medal)? That was an incredible achievement and you must be enormously proud of him.
John Foley, author of ‘Mailed Fist’ (a superb fictionalised account of going to war in a Churchill but based on his own experiences with 107 RAC) won his Military Cross at Grimbosq and it was an incredibly hard battle for the regiment, who had little possibility of reinforcement and no chance of retreat.
Funnily enough, when we did our game at Bovington Tank Museum we were joined by the son of another 107 RAC veteran, as mentioned to Peter above. Sadly, his e-mail address now seems to be defunct. 🙁 If we ever play the game again, I will definitely let you know, but it’s unlikely to be any time soon, sorry.
If you haven’t been to the Grimbosq/Brieux battlefield, please do so! It’s that most remarkable of things – a completely unspoiled battlefield that is almost completely unchanged from the day your grandfather arrived there. Unfortunately that link to my battlefield tour seems to be broken, so I’ll try to fix it now. In the meantime try this one: http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf
Thank you so much for your detailed reply! Yes of course I meant MM, my predictive text often catches me out!!
I will definitely be looking into John Foleys account of the battle. I am so interested to learn more.
Such a shame the old email for the son of another veteran is defunct. The more information we can gather and share the better.
I am definitely looking to ride down to the Grimbosq/Brieux battlefield this year hopefully. My late Uncle managed to do the trip and described it very similar to yourself. He managed to find a building identical to that in a black and white picture. I have found the location on street view on Google maps so cannot wait to find it myself. I am also looking to try and get someone to help me merge the two photos together.
Your photos of your tour just make me want to go and visit it today, but will have to wait until the lockdown is lifted.
If you do ever re-enact the battle I would love to come and watch. It would make it so much easier for me to grasp what actually happened.
I’m so glad I come across your great site. Thanks for being so helpful.
Keep safe, Ben Brooker
You’re most welcome! You can read the account of our game above, but our game reports can cure all but the most hardened insomniacs! 😉
Are you ok if I forward your e-mail address to Peter? I can see both your e-mail addresses – better to do that than have a bot harvest your email address.
I have a copy of Mailed Fist. It’s a good book but I don’t really understand why he fictionalised it. The real story is just as interesting. I was thinking he may have possibly fictionalised it because some people in the story were still alive.
Nice! I foolsihly loaned my copy out many years ago (this is a common theme on my blog…). Yes, I think that’s the reason. A lot of veterans used ‘noms de guerre’ for their comrades when writing memoirs, but even then they still upset people (as happened to George MacDonald Fraser when he wrote ‘Quartered Safe Out Here’ – he used nicknames throughout, but some of his old comrades were still annoyed at him!
Have you read Tank Twins by Stephen Dyson? He served in 107th along with his twin brother. There is also a facsimile regimental history available.
No, I haven’t even heard of that one. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Hi Peter,
Having looked back, I find that the gentleman actually e-mailed me directly. I’ve therefore e-mailed him with a link to this article and he will hopefully get in touch soon.
Do you want me to send him your e-mail address?
Hi. Thanks for your replies. By all means send him my email address. Thanks very much
Hi Peter,
He’s not responded yet, so I’ll hold fire until he does so.
JF
Hi Peter, my Grandfather was a corporal of one of the tanks in this battle. He also belonged to the 107th Regiment RAC Kings Own. I would love to make contact with yourself and share any research we have found. He was awarded the MK and his citation is a truly overwhelming read.
If anyone has any more details of this battle I would greatly appreciate it.
Kindest regards, Ben Brooker 07737684949
Hi Ben
thanks for replying. I would very much likw to share my research with you..would you like me to text you my email address?
I can e-mail him your address if you’d like?
Yes that would be fine with me
Excellent! I’ll do that now! 🙂
Hi Peter my Grandad was a tank commander Corporal in the 107th Regiment RAC (Kings Own). His was awarded the MK for his actions in the battle of Grimbosq. I would love to make contact with yourself to share any research we may have. Kind regards Ben Brooker 07737684949
Hi Ben, with Peter’s permission, I’ve e-mailed you his e-mail address.
Hi Ben please do email me as I would love to share the info I have with you
Hello,
It’s been really interesting reading through all of this. I am currently doing research on the battle of Grimbosq and I came across this and the battle scenario on fire and fury. It’s incredibly hard to find information. From what I have gathered, Paddy Green and Richard de Ferrars did a ton of research trying to piece together what happened on Aug 7-8 1944. I would love to get in touch with either one of them or with you, if you have more information on the battle. Any help would be much appreciated. Especially if you can somehow get me in touch with Paddy Green or Richard de Ferrars? I am located in Canada so I can’t physically get information from archives etc.
Thanks so much
Rina
Hi Rina,
I’ve just dropped them a line, so with luck they’ll appear here in a minute. I know for this one they didn’t go digging through the archives (unlike the ‘s-Hertogenbosch scenario, for which Richard went to the National Archives and pulled out all the operational orders and war diaries), so it was all based on published histories such as the official histories of 59th (Staffs) Division and 34th Tank Brigade, a few individual unit histories and the operational histories of 12th SS Panzer Division by Meyer and Reynolds. I know that the first two histories were available online at the time, but only had a very short print-run, so physical copies are incredibly difficult to find (the same is true of the battalion histories).
I also did a research trip to the battlefield, which is incredibly well-preserved and unchanged since 1944: http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark,
Thanks so much! I did read through your Grimbosq Tour PDF. Very helpful and informative.
And thanks so much for dropping them a line and for getting Paddy Green to reply below. Much appreciated.
Rina
Hi Rina,
No problem. 🙂
Mark
Hi Rina, Ask away! I’ll see whatI can remember.
Thanks Paddy! 🙂
Hi Paddy,
thanks so much for replying and for what you shared below. From what I understand the Staffordshire Regiment Museum provided some info as well, right? Jeff Elson I think was mentioned from the museum?
I feel like I have gotten a pretty good understanding on what happened on Aug 7 and 8 in Grimbosq (and farther south in Brieux, La Bas etc). One of the things I am still trying to piece together is information regarding some information on casualties on the German side. 24 KIA, 91 WIA and 7 MIA are the official numbers from Kampfgruppe Wuensche.
In the northern part, where Comp A-D of 7 South staffs were fighting with parts of the 12th SS HJ most of those casualties would have happened (Grimbosq area). And since they retreated into the Foret de Grimbosq at some point in the afternoon of Aug 8 (and never came out again), the Germans could not have retrieved their fallen soldiers.
The part I am trying to piece together is something to do with a landmine. An armoured personnel carrier drove into a landmine somewhere in/near Grimbosq on Aug 8 and those 7 MIA were either all or at least 5 or 6 of them grenadiers who were on that personnel carrier. And I am trying to find information on that incident. In your research and all the information you came across, does anything ring a bell with an incident with a landmine that destroyed a German armoured personnel carrier?
Thanks so much
Rina
One thing I do remember is that there was very little information about Grimbosq. It fell in that time before Falise but after D-Day so the fighting was no longer novel and something to write about and many of the Germans fighting didn’t make it through the next few weeks. I remember having to piece together the scenario from many different sources and where faced with holes I used educated guesswork to fill them. However, having studied the forces for years while writing numerous scenarios I probably wasn’t far off the mark…..BUT it is a Wargames scenario and so balanced to give a good game. The 12SSHJ forces are probably a little stronger than they were historically.
Hi
Found this excellent stuff whilst researching my Grandfather who was a Churchill driver in B Squadron 107th, and was injured on 9th August in this area.
Visiting Grimbosq soon so this is a huge help.
Will you be replaying again at Bovington any time in the future?
Cheers
Martin
Hi Martin,
Great stuff, I hope you enjoy your visit to Grimbosq and I hope it hasn’t changed much since I last visited. Did you find the link to my battlefield tour photos? If not, here it is: https://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf
Sadly, the big wargame shows at Bovington are no more. 🙁 Grimbosq was one of our favourites though and it may well be a game that we revisit at some point.
Cheers,
Mark
Hello Jemima
I have been amused and delighted by your re-enactment of the Le Bas Battle as my father was one of the Royal Engineers there that opened up the road bridge when they spanned the blown gap.
I have written an account about the action down on the bridge as Dad told me and taking information from the 280th FC RE war diary.
I would be pleased to send you a copy via email if you like.
Like you I to have walked over the bridge there in 2015.
That followed after walking in Dad’s footsteps up Green Beach in King sector of Gold beach where he was first wave, indeed one of the first on the beach on 6th June to clear the obstacles so those following had it easier.
I down-loaded your Grimbosq tour a few years back thank very much when I was researching connected events.
My delight came from memories of late childhood /early teens when I set up scenarios of towns etc with soldiers and dinky toys taking up the floor in Mum’s front room.
It tickled me to think of the time spent setting the scene, so I can imagine the time it took to set up the Grimbosq scenario let alone the models. Well done.
By the by, Dad was born in Clydach near Swansea but the family moved to London when he was seven.
Hope to hear from you
Regards
Mike Guest
Akatarawa
New Zealand
Thanks Mike!
Even better that your Dad was a ‘Swansea Jack’! 🙂 I spent almost every weekend of my late teens going gliding at Swansea, latterly interspersed with debauching… 😉
I must confess that the overwhelming majority of the models belong to Paddy and Richard, but I’m not ashamed to say that I could add half as many again from my own collection. 🙂
Mark
Hi there,
I came across your superb Grimbosq project while digging into a new film we’re developing, and it stopped me in my tracks. The models are outstanding—clearly the result of a huge amount of care and thought.
We’re working on a film about Captain David Auldjo Jamieson VC and the action at Grimbosq on 7–8 August 1944, when he led a company of the 7th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment in establishing and holding a bridgehead over the River Orne—a story I suspect you know well.
As with The Bloodiest Square Mile, we want to tell the story from both the British and German perspectives. The British side is well covered, but we’re keen to build a clear and accurate picture of the German forces involved: who they were, how they were organised, and what their intentions and experiences were during the fight.
We’ve begun pulling together sources on the German side—material relating to elements of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” and the 271st Infantry Division, plus war diaries, archive trails, and published work by Számvéber and Cazenave—but I’m keen to broaden that base. I’d also love to know whether the models you used still exist, and if they might be available as images, video, or even physically.
Given the depth of your research into the German experience in Normandy, I wondered whether you’re familiar with this specific engagement, and whether you might have any recommendations on sources, approaches, or individuals you’d trust for reconstructing the German side of the story.
Any guidance would be hugely appreciated.
Very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Best wishes,
Angus
Thanks Angus, that’s very kind and I wish you all the very best with such a wonderful project.
I’m not sure I’ve got much more to add, to be honest. I never knew anyone who fought there, though a few families of those who did have contacted me via this site and on a related thread on the TMP (The Miniatures Page) forum. There is a small bibliography at the end of Paddy’s scenario article (linked above) and I seem to remember that the main source of information on the German side was Hubert Meyer’s history of the 12th SS (Meyer also made excellent use of British sources). Our friend Richard also dug the various War Diaries out from Kew. We also referred to the published histories of the 34th Tank Brigade and 59th (Staffordshire) Division, though they were pretty sparse books.
Have you seen my battlefield photo-tour of Grimbosq? https://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf
If you haven’t already done so, I thoroughly recommend a visit as the site is almost completely unchanged since 1944.
Yes, the models are still around. Most of them belong to Paddy and Richard and I’ve also got a pretty large collection, but aside from a few ‘special’ bits and pieces such as the bombers and some engineering vehicles, my models weren’t required for that game.
Cheers,
Mark
Dear Mark,
Thanks – we have quite a bit of work to do before May next year, when we plan to film at Grimbosq!
Yes, I’ve got your photo tour of the battlefield, which I will share with my team. It’s helpful.
I’d be really interested in asking you a couple of questions and hearing a bit more about the sources you’ve been using for your Normandy material. If you’re happy to be contacted directly, I’d be very grateful if you could drop me a quick email or, if you prefer, reply here and I’ll happily follow whatever contact route works best for you. I like to talk with Paddy and Richard to find out more about the models.
Many thanks for all the work you’ve put into the blog – it’s an excellent resource.
Best wishes,
Angus
Angus, Happy to discuss. I’ve sent you a PM on Linked In.
Hi Angus
As part of my research into my Grandads service during WW2 I have also discovered this action. He was a member of 107th Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, a tank driver in B Squadron (there is a memorial plaque on the restaurant the Auberge du Pont de Brie next to the Pont de Brie across the Orne). He was injured on 8/9th August, suffering a head wound. He was hospitalised but returned to his unit 5 weeks later and survived the war.
A great source of information is the mayor of Grimbosq Herve Guillotte. Recommended to me was the book Steel Inferno by Michael Reynolds which gives the story from a German perspective. Another incredible book is Tank Twins by Stephen Dyson which outlines the whole war for my Grandads squadron. Recommend visiting and spending time with Herve. Good luck and please keep us informed about the production. Thanks
Excellent! Thanks again, Martin!
Sadly I never received a response from the Mairie when I tried, but it was probably a different incumbent at the time. The best response I ever had was from the Mairie of Rots (fought over by the 12th SS, Commandos and Canadians), who didn’t mind me turning up with 30 kids plus adults and laid on a feast and a team of volunteer guides. 🙂
Mark
Curious. WordPress put an identical copy of your post in the spam folder. I’ll keep a close eye on that. 🙁
Mark
Yes it had a wobble when I tried my first post….it was me though. Cheers
I’ll keep checking the spam folder before just consigning it all to Spam Hell, just in case. 🙂
Hello Mark, Angus, and interested folk
Thank you Mark for the heads up about the proposed film Angus and co are developing, pun intended.
Angus in the film I would urge you to at the very least to acknowledge the Royal Engineers action getting the two bridges across.
No bridges = No battle!
Well not a fight involving allied tanks and heavy vehicles.
The following are extracts from a piece I wrote primarily for the family, in my role as family historian.
I also posted the full account including maps and photographs on WW2 Talk.
“The Battle on the Bridge at Le Bas on the River Orne 7 August 1944.
At Le Bas on the River Orne sapper Wilf Guest thought he was going to get killed.
Up to then, the bravado of his training had held sway.
However, since the morning of 6th of June death was no stranger.
Here he was in the middle of the battle with bullets, shells & mortars going off all around while the Royal Engineers were constructing a Bailey bridge over a section of the blown bridge & causeway so that men and light vehicles could get over.
Wilf recalls that several times during the night and dawn they were ordered to retreat back over the bridge and up the hill that led down to the bridge as the enemy troops vigorously counter attacked from the much higher opposite side of the wooded valley.
On the evening of 6th August 1944 2000 hours; 3 Platoon of 280th Field Company Royal Engineers moved to La Caine and went under command of 509th Field Company RE for an assault bridging operation on River Orne at Le Bas.
509th Field Company were a divisional engineer Company for the 59th Staffordshire Division
7 August at 0130 hrs. 3 Platoon move down to bridging site.
Their task, the preparation of the exit road on the enemy bank, while the 509th were to span the blown bridge with a class 9 Bailey bridge followed immediately by the construction of a second class 40 bridge alongside and at a lower level capable of taking tanks.
Continuing on the war diary of 280th actually recorded
“Heavy enemy mortar fire during the night. Few men wounded.
0530 hrs; Le Bas:
Task completed. Platoon placed in a defensive position on enemy side of bridge. Helped to repel counter attacks.
1030 hrs; Le Bas:
Number 3 Platoon relieved by infantry & withdrawn across the bridge.
While proceeding to get harboured some way off from site 3 Platoon came under heavy mortar fire & suffer heavy casualties. One man killed & several wounded.
Making total casualties for operation one man killed & fourteen wounded”.
From here 3 Platoon re-joined the 280th which proceeded to Thurly Harcourt”.
So there we are, reinforcements can now get up the hill to the Forest of Grimbosq.to support those that waded over the Orne.
While writing this note I am now wondering where Captain Jamison crossed.
Likewise, I think it was he who called the artillery onto his companies own position.
Perhaps I will wait and watch the film with great interest Angus
Best wishes with your endeavour.
Here is another fascinating fact about the 280th Field Company Royal Engineers.
Thursday 4th May 1944: Warning order received that Company may be employed in a special role in the coming invasion.
Friday 5th May 1944: Major CLAYTON receives confirmation that his Company, the 280th , are to go under command of XXX (30th) Corp for the invasion.
Rather a late invitation to the party don’t you think?
Not being actually told directly, it was about a week later that it became apparent to the selected sappers that they were to be the tip of the spearhead in the not too distant future.
Thanks Mark (The Great), keep me posted
Mike Guest
New Zealand
Thanks Mike!
Just to ‘mansplain’ for those who might not know; the Class of a bridge dictated the maximum weight of vehicles allowed to cross. Therefore the Class 9 bridge (which was built across the piers of the demolished stone bridge) could cope with trucks, towed anti-tank guns, Universal Carriers (Class 5) and other light AFVs, but couldn’t take tanks of any description (even the Stuart light tanks of a tank regiment’s recce troop were Class 12). Churchills were Class 40, hence the need for the Class 40 bridge, which was built just upstream from the original bridge.
Mark