Whilst doing the 1944 bits of the Seine crossing back in summer of 2007 I also was reading about the 2/6th Bn Duke of Wellingtons in The Fight For the Channel Ports by Michael Glover. They had been given a 12 mile front to guard which included the bridges of St Pierre-du-Vauvray and Les Andelys. They were unable to secure boats on the northern bank before the Germans attacked and with such a huge frontage for a battalion there were many places the Germans could cross. The French placed a 75mm field gun to guard the bridge at St Pierre. Luckily the CO of the Dukes, Lt-Col Llewellyn had honeymooned in that area & knew the country well. They were re-enforced on night of 8th June by a light tank and two dismounted MG detachments from 2nd Armd Bde. 11am on 9th June, enemy light tanks were seen at the northern approaches of Les Andelys and the French blew the bridge. One of the Dukes companies came under mortar & artillery fire as well as a Stuka attack. All but one of their bren guns were destroyed. German infantry were streaming acros sthe river so Lt-Col Llewellyn ordered forward his reserve company from Venables village. The company defending St Pierre held their own against attacks but were outflanked by the Germans and were isolated from the rest of the battalion. The CO asked for French reinforcements but the Dukes were on the boundary between two French brigades whose commanders refered him to the each-other with out sending any aid. 10th June the Germans were in great numbers on the south bank of the Seine but still the Dukes resisted. The isolated company fell back towards Louviers whilst the rest of the Bn fell back to the south. Eventually some light tanks of 2nd Armd Bde came to their aid . The Germans were checked , the isolated comapny reunited and orders given to fall back to the Eure , six miles to the west. The Dukes had suffered 85 casualties of whom 3 officers and 18 other ranks were killed. I just did a search on Geoff's Search Engine and see that 5 of them are buried in VENABLES COMMUNAL CEMETERY. CWGC :: Cemetery Details I drove through there and am know annoyed I didn't know they were there. Has anyone got anymore info on this action, either from the Regimental History or War Diary? It was good to remember the actions of 1940 as well as 1944 when on a family holiday. Wish I'd done more research before going. As we liked the campsite at Les Andelys so much I might suggest a return visit.
For some reason I have a scan of the 2/7th Bn pages of the regimental history, but not the 2/6th sadly.
There was fighting further north of the Dukes , 2/4th KOYLI were up at Pont de L'Arche & Le Manoir with a Pioneer battalion on their left. There was a French unit in Igoville but they left during the night leaving two AT guns & crews. A convoy of vehicles appraoached at night, one of the AT guns fired at it but it wa a convoy of refugees. Three German tanks & some infantry soon appeared , one tank was knocke dout by the AT crew, a battle developed. 6am the French enginners blew up the Pont de l'Arche bridge followed 5 minutes later by the one at Le Manoir.The KOYLI were left with four companies on the wrong side of the river. The Pioneer battalion managed to get away but their right had comapny was stuck and joined the KOYLI.The Boys ATrifle sof the Pioneers claimed three German tanks. The British had to swim the wide Seine to escape, some men fetching boats for the non-swimmers.Some found a footbridge over a weir , they came under MG fire whilst crossing. At muster that evening the KOYLI were 160 men short but stragglers came in and total casulaties were 10 dead & 23 missing, 21 wounded were ferried across by boat. I read on Alain Cauchy's profile his Grandparents lived at Igoville. His father had to swim the Seine to escape in June 1940, I imagine he saw this battle. Then in 1944 George Wilkinson's Uncle was killed there & Art Bridge fought there with Argyll's of Canada. Funny how it's all connected.
Bit from Official History. HyperWar: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940 [Chapter XIX] Certain additional units had joined the division on June the 6th, namely 'Syme's Battalion formed of troops from the reinforcement depot at the base; and the 2nd/4th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and 2nd/6th Duke of Wellington's, two battalions of the 46th Division which had been involved in the fighting at Abbeville on May the 20th and had since been reorganising at the base. These three battalions were now ocupying defensive positions near Rouen, Syme's Battalion with four 2-pounder guns and a platoon of machine guns in the neighbourhood of Isneauville, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on a bridge over the Seine and the Duke of Wellington's on the railway south of Boos. There was scarcely any artillery support for these emergency forces of imperfectly equipped infantry. And there could be no really effective control of units, for they were widely scattered over the fifty-odd miles of country between the Seine south-east of Rouen and St Vaast on the Béthune, and in isolated positions round Rouen. To speak of them as a division is almost inevitably to give a false impression of their operational value. In places they were mixed up with units of the 1st Armoured Division and at some points French troops, of whose plans and positions they had no knowledge, fought in front of them or retired through their lines. Streams of refugees added greatly to the danger and difficult of their task, making it impossible to close road blocks or prevent espionage. It was doubtless the difficulty of maintaining communications and control which led General Beauman to issue instructions that troops would hold on 'as long as any hope of successful resistance remained' and that 'Brigade commanders will use their discretion as regards withdrawal' which was to be 'to and across the Seine' Such conditional orders place a heavy responsibility on local commanders who can have little knowledge of the general course of a battle and so can hardly judge what is required of them..................
Thanks Andy, wish I'd had that map back in 2007. I always seem to find out more about somewhere after I've been there.
Its always the way mate. The battle is covered in some detail in Dunkirk 1940 - Whereabouts Unknown by forum member Tim Lynch.
I thought I would add this to the thread as it took place around the same time just north of the map in post 7. I've just read a very short account of six Senegalese soldiers captured north west of Les Andelys, probably in Igonville south of Rouen which would be dated around the 9th June. The Senegalese PoW's were made to sit at tables outside the village cafe then each one was shot in the back of the head. As their heads fell forward they were snatched back and they had their throats slit. The enemy in the area consisted of the 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions
Following the start of the new enemy offensive, RAF reconnaissance flight from Boos aerodrome near Rouen reported the advance of 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions towards Rouen. The Support Group under the command of 51st Division appeared to have been over run and the panzers were heading for the thinly held line on the River Andelle. In response to these reports the divional tank company with four Mk 1 and three Mk 2 tanks and 1st Armoured Division with 50 tanks moved forward to support the division in the Nolleval to Serquex area, and, as its flank was now open 'B' Brigade was ordered to retire over the Seine by ferries west of Rouen. The brigade's withdrawal route coincided with routes the panzer divisions were using and the brigade became badly dispersed and several detachments were cut off and lost. 2/4 KOYLI and 2/6 DWR arrived back at Rouen from their short training period and were deployed on the River Seine from Alizay to Les Andelys. Philson-BEF Orbat
Page 479 of BitW. The 7 Panzer-Division skirted Rouen to the east and at about 1.00 am on 9 June the leading panzers reached the Seine at Sotteville-sous-le-Val . They immediately turned west towards Elbeuf only to have the bridges blown in front of their noses. Other explosions followed as the French blew up all the bridges in the area and the panzers withdrew northwards to spend the rest of the day reorganising. 'I was extremely angry over the failure of our enterprise' admitted Rommel. Sotteville-sous-le-Val is next to Igoville. It was Rommels mob. I imagine the frustration & anger was too much for some & they took it out on the PoWs.
From early morning the positions of 'C' Brigade came under attack between Sigy and Serquex, at Sigy 'R' Battalion were at first successful in holding up the advance of 7th Panzer but by afternoon their positions were outflanked and the battalion was forced to withdraw losing about half its personnel cut off during the withdrawal. At Serquex 'Q' Battalion was engaged by 5th Panzer, suffered heavy losses and was also driven back. On the brigades right sector 'P' Battalion with the divisional tank company were not involved in the action but in the afternoon they too were ordered to withdraw to the Seine and hold a bridgehead to allow other units to withdraw over the river while 2/4 KOYLI ns 2/6 DWR now came under 'C' Brigade and held bridgeheads at Pont de l'Arche and Les Andelys for the same purpose. Philson-BEF Orbat
Most units managed to withdraw over the Seine during the night, though 'B' Brigade was somewhat scattered and disorganised and was sent to reassemble near Conches. The tank company had had to move further south to Coucelles to cross the river and spent the day at Gaillon in maintenance. 'C' Brigade was now holding the bridgehead at Pont de l'Arche with part of 2/4 KOYLI and 'P' Battalion while 2/6 DWR held the bridges at Les Andelys and St. Pierre du Vouvray with detachments of French units mixed in with the British battalions. Their positions came under tank attack shortly after dawn and they were soon forced to withdraw but most of the brigade transport was left behind as the bridge was blocked and ready for demolition. 2/4 KOYLI and 'P' Battalion crossed by boat or at the railway bridge at Pitres during the morning and occupied positions on the left bank. Throughout the remainder of the day enemy infantry crossed the river in small groups as it was impossible to secure the left bank with the number of troops available and the brigade was gradually driven back from the river during the day 'P' Battalion being withdrawn to Bernay to reorganise that night. Philson-BEF Orbat
The Germans continued to expand their bridgehead over the river south of Rouen but the neck of the bend opposite Les Andelys was held by 2/6 DWR with a troop of light tanks from the armoured division throughout the day until ordered to withdraw that evening as the line of the Seine was being abandoned. The brigade was ordered to move to Bernay where the division intended to reorganise and defend the line of the River Risle, the engineers and anti tank guns of the division were already on their way there to prepare defences. The tank company were under French command and operated to the south of the division during the day and saw action north of Gaillon before the order to withdraw from the Seine line was given by the French commander. Mechanical problems caused the loss of an Mk 2 and two Mk 1 tanks during the day, while a further Mk 1 disabled by enemy action, had to be destroyed. Philson-BEF Orbat
Hi, where can I find the rest of the 10th Hussars war Diary? Drew if you have any more pages I would love to see them. Regards Danny
Hello to all - just joined - I came to the forum through a link searching for 2/6 Duke of Wellington's as I am researching a book about the death of a relative of mine - Trooper Joe Small, who was killed at St.Pierre du Vauvray, probably on 10th June 1940. I have 10th Hussars info on that action, plus translations of German 6th Infantry Division action and French 2eme Dragons Portees. I have been to the graves in Venables and actually have a French eye-witness account of the actions in the area. Am very interested in finding a war diary for 2/6 as it wasn't available at Halifax and it will be ages before I can get to Kew. I am intending to travel to the area this summer, having been once before, but arrived in the middle of a local election and no-one around to chat to, but intend to look at parish records and speak to locals if possible. Probably teaching my grandmother, etc. but I found 'The Last Act' by Basil Karslake most useful, even if he does have an axe to grind. Only too happy to help anyone who wants info.
Drew, I have fair amount of material on experiences of French colonial troops in the area - particularly at Hangest nearer Abbeville and surrounding area -Rommel actually wrote home to his wife telling of how they (5/7 Panzer) restaged the battle for Hangest using colonial prisoners, but the Germans won because they had real bullets and the blacks had blanks. A lot of the atrocities were carried out by ordinary German soldiers, not SS units as happened with Gross Deutschland near Lyon. I believe scenes from this may have made their way into versions of Sieg im Westen, the well known propaganda film of the times. Good book is Rafael Scheck 'Hitler's African Victims' (Cambridge Press) I'm particularly interested in this as Trooper Joe Small was black and one of the stories about his several reported deaths is that he was shot after surrendering.
Pardon me manners, forum newbie and all - just searched your most interesting posts on the subject and you've got the book. Have you read the Kim James , 'Greater Share of Honour' is a strange amalgam of fact and fiction and it's hard to tell which is which sometimes, but he claims that all of the incidents in the book are based on accounts of real events. He's certainly done his research but my jury is out just now.
