Taken from Dunkirk and the Fall of France-Geoffrey Stewart Despite setbacks the outskirts of Boulogne were reached by the Germans. Sergeant Arthur Evans, with the anti-tank platoon of the Irish Guards, recorded the ominous rumbling of gunfire all afternoon but suddenly it grew louder and nearer and contact was made around 5pm.Half an hour later, behind a curtain of shells, the first approaching tanks were sited. Evans recalls that: I could clearly see the tank commander's head above the open turret with his field glasses to his eyes. We opened fire and the tank rocked as we scored two direct hits. The crew baled out and abandoned it. Soon a second appeared and that too, was effectively disposed of.
The destroyer, HMS Whitshed, came into the harbour and her guns were immediately brought into action. The infiltrating Germans had established a MG in a warehouse a mere 100 yards from Whitshed. Her commanding officer, Edward Condor, ordered it blown apart with two well aimed 4.5" shells, eliciting a loud cheer from the Irish Guards. Their behaviour attracted favourable comment from one of the Whitshed's officers: Watching them in perfect order, moving exactly together, engaging target after target as though on parade ground drill, it was difficult to realise that this was the grim reality of battle. They were truly magnificent and no sailor who saw them could ever forget the feeling of pride he experienced.
From IG History, FitzGerald, pg. 88-90 A German motor-cycle platoon commander published an account of this action, from his point of view, in the Army magazine Die Militarwoche. "After Abbeville had fallen," he wrote, "the German armoured formations pushed on towards Boulogne. Late in the afternoon we were just outside Boulogne, in Outreau. The tanks were leading; behind came the motor-cyclists. Suddenly the advance halted. From ahead came a lively sound of fighting, the sharp bark of our 20-mm. guns (those mounted on the German tanks Pz. Kw. II) and furious machine-gun fire from our tanks. In between there were dull, heavy thuds. An enemy anti-tank gun? Then a dispatch rider dashed up. 'Motor-cyclists forward.' In a flash we had dismounted and were worming our way forward on both sides of the houses. Fifteen yards ahead the road bent sharply to the left. There stood two of our own tanks, hit by the enemy anti-tank gun. A tank lieutenant explained the situation. Round the bend were two anti-tank guns which covered the whole road and were in positions covered from direct fire. Our job is to capture these guns, so that the advance may go on. And we must do it, for every minute will save us casualties. The Company Commander decides to put in one platoon on the left of the road and one on the right, and take the enemy position from both sides at once. Brief instructions are enough, and the men prepare for action. No. 3 Platoon vanished into the houses to the right, and for us the job begins with getting through a thick hedge. In two minutes we have got through, one by one; we deploy for an attack. We creep unseen almost to the ridge - just in time to see the flash of a shot from the enemy position. Did that one catch No. 3 Platoon which had a shorter journey than we? Section No. 1 gets its machine-gun into position and fires a burst. At that instant hell is let loose. The houses ahead of us and the little wood are occupied by the enemy. Burst after burst of machine-gun fire comes whipping into the long green grass. We crouch in the thorns and nettles while the bullets whistle over us. Where are the bastards? We can't find where the shots are coming from. There must be regular fortifications, as if there wasn't enough to deal with already. Meanwhile we have found that a direct attack on the enemy anti-tank guns is impossible. Now it has grown dark. Every attempt to get within grenade-throwing distance of the enemy fails because of his defensive fire. Corporal B. is killed in trying to reach the enemy machine-gun. Shot in the head. The enemy is shooting too damned well. We managed twice more to get in a series of shots at the anti-tank position, when suddenly we hear several sharp explosions and shouting. Then all went quiet. I shout across to find out if No. 3 Platoon has reached the objective. Sergeant H. replies that it has been taken. The enemy's left flank was weakly protected, but in one sector he had dug strong defences. No. 3 Platoon had managed to get unseen within grenade-throwing distance and to capture the two anti-tank guns. In doing so, 2/Lieutenant B. was severely wounded." No. 1 Company and the first Germans both arrived at Outreau at three o'clock in the afternoon. Captain Connolly McCAUSLAND got his company into their positions on the left of the Battalion's line outside the village. Small parties of Germans, with single tanks, appeared on the ridge which overlooks the village from the south. The first shells fell on No. 1 Company almost before the Guardsmen had broken the ground for their trenches. So far the Germans had only a few light infantry guns which did little damage. By half-past five, however, they had brought up field guns and then put down a heavy concentration, again on No. 1 Company. Behind the line of shells came tanks and infantry. The leading tank advanced up the main road. Lieutenant EARDLEY-WILMOT and his anti-tank gun were waiting for it, and they stopped it dead in the middle of the road with seven direct hits. The German infantry came on. After confused fighting they were halted but only after they had got in between the forward left-hand platoon and the rest of No. 1 Company. Half an hour later, German aeroplanes bombed and machine-gunned Outreau, and under cover of this, their infantry attacked No. 1 Company a second time. This attack was also beaten off and the Germans withdrew to think again. They brought up more artillery and fresh troops. Two hours later they shelled the whole Battalion front heavily; then, when it was quite dark, launched a third attack on No. 1 Company. They got round in behind the left-hand forward platoon. Captain McCAUSLAND ordered it to withdraw, but two sections had already been overrun. L/Corporal MAWHINNEY, an enormous man with a soft, gentle voice, commanded the third section. There was a German tank within thirty yards of him, but L/Corporal MAWHINNEY managed to extricate his section without loss. So far No. 1 Company had had all the fighting. Their casualties were very heavy, but they had halted the Germans all evening and still held their main position. The destruction of No. 1 Company's forward platoon and the two anti-tank guns left nothing to prevent the Germans moving down the road under cover of darkness. Since the Germans knew that the remainder of No. 1 Company could sweep the road with fire when there was enough light to see, it seemed inevitable that they would attack down the road again that night. The Carrier Platoon, the Battalion's only mobile reserve, moved up into Outreau to block the road behind No. 1 Company. But the Germans did nothing more that night, except shell and wait for their tanks to come up at dawn. Connolly Robert McCAUSLAND, M.C. Boulogne. 22/23rd May, 1940. Captain McCAUSLAND commanded No. 1 Company during the Boulogne operations. His company was attacked twice during the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 22nd May, and continuously during the following day. Very heavy casualties were suffered, and only 3 Officers and 36 Other Ranks were present for re-embarkation on the evening of 23rd May. Throughout the final move, Captain McCAUSLAND set the finest example to his men and after the initial withdrawal of what remained of his Company on the morning of the 23rd May, he took personal command of a most important post in the village of Outreau. This post was not more than 30-50 yards distant from the enemy’s advanced elements and despite repeated attacks and efforts to out-flank them, they held their ground for nearly tow hours. The spirit and courage which animated those in the post was due in a large measure to the example set by Captain McCAUSLAND, who ignoring all danger himself, refused to allow his men to become in any way depressed by the heavy casualties they had suffered earlier in the day. Later, despite being in such close contact with the enemy, Captain McCAUSLAND was able, by skilful handling, to extricate his men without loss when the moment came to make a further withdrawal. This officer showed courage and ability of very high order throughout the operations. Lance-Corporal Thomas Henry Mawhinney, M.M. Boulogne. 23rd May, 1940. At an early stage in the enemy’s attack on 23rd May, L/Cpl. MAWHINNEY’s section became almost entirely surrounded owing to the posts on either side of him having been overrun and destroyed by enemy tanks. Thus, when the order came for him to withdraw he found it impossible to move his section because of the close proximity of the enemy and the extreme accuracy of their fire. However, by keeping his head and watching intently every enemy move, he seized a fleeting moment when their attention was attracted elsewhere and withdrew his section in spite of the fact that there was an enemy tank within 30 yards of him. By his coolness and powers of leadership this N.C.O. preserved his section intact and was able to re-join his company and take a prominent part in the fighting which went on throughout the remainder of the day. Corporal MAWHINNEY showed courage and skill of a high order. Lieutenant Eardley-Wilmot later served as a Major with the 3rd Bn IG in NWE, was the first member of that Bn to receive an award for gallantry for his actions at Cagny, and was killed in action during the action at Sourdeval which claimed over 100 casualties in 2 Coys of the 3rd Bn. Major ANTHONY REVELL EARDLEY-WILMOT M.C., 104182, 3rd Bn., Irish Guards who died age 34 on 11 August 1944 Son of Maj. T. Eardley-Wilmot, D.S.O., and Mildred Clare Eardley-Wilmot, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. M.A. (Cantab.): Exhibitioner of Trinity College. Remembered with honour TILLY-SUR-SEULLES WAR CEMETERY Grave/Memorial Reference: IX. H. 9.
Rivetting stuff, gets my gander right up. Saved in my 'Scenarios' folder for future ref. (Have got a little pre-built harbour but will have to put some thought to a bigger port...hmmm!)
Les, If you want more info see this thread which has reports about the action at Boulogne from both the IG and WG. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/report-on-evacuation-of-boulogne-20-guards-brigade.31466
