Normandy - Point 102

Re. Normandy - Point 102...

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Photo reconnaissance - 24d6m1944...



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11d6m1944

Battle of Le Mesnil-Patry - Wikipedia

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24L - "B" Squadron maintained position on Point 102 until last telescopic light when they were relieved by ‘C’ Sqn, 24L. The position was under heavy mortar fire during the entire afternoon.

183424 War Substantive Lieutenant, Temporary Captain James Francis SINCLAIR, ROYAL ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS attached 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment, ROYAL ARTILLERY - Military Cross - 183424 Captain James Francis SINCLAIR, MC, REME, att'd 73 A/T Regt RA

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SRY - War Diary - 18th June 1944 : A + B Sqns relieved 24L on Pt 102 just south of CRISTOT. They were in sp of 147 Bde. A Sqn supported 6 Bn Duke of Wellingtons was positioned in a wood just NORTH of FONTENAY called LE PARC DE BOISLONDE. All this area was very severely mortared and shelled by the enemy.

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SRY - For the forthcoming attack on FONTENAY “A” Sqn will remain on Pt.102, "B" Sqn will sp Royal Scots Fusiliers on the RIGHT and "C" Sqn the Duke of Wellingtons on the LEFT. The Op. will consist of three phases and the final objectives of this Bde and 146 Bde on the right who are sp by 4/7 DG + 24L will be the line of the road VENRES-TESSEL BRETEVILLE-RAURAY.

Cristot; Lower Normandy; France | NCAP - National Collection of Aerial Photography
Frame details. Date: 24 June 1944. Location: Cristot; Lower Normandy; France
Coordinates (lat, lon): 49.191805, -0.578387. Sortie: 400/0283. Frame: 4013
Image type: Vertical. Scale: 10000

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4th7thRDG...
Sqns were disposed in Area Pt.103 in case of enemy counter attack, and the whole regiment moved in the evening to Pt.102 to the East of pt.103. This was the dominating feature over which the battle had been waged and was a filthy area to harbour in. The Commanding Officer held O Group 2300 hrs, in pouring rain.

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24th Lancers - The Regiment remained at Les Hauts Vents area during the day, moving out and deploying on Pt. 102, 8769, in the evening to be prepared to resist the possibility of an enemy attack.

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Re. Point 102 - 4/7 Dragoon Guards: extract from "The First and the Last,"

June 11th 1944
To the South East of Point 103 was another piece of high ground known as Point 102, and to command these two was to be in control of the whole area round about for several miles. An attack was therefore made by the 6th Green Howards, supported by "B" and "C" Squadrons, on the village of Cristot, which was between the two heights, with the intention of pushing on beyond it to capture Point 102. The Brigadier gave orders that the attack should be preceded in the morning by a reconnaissance in force; this was carried out by "B" Squadron with the Colonel. They reached the village and saw a great many enemy infantry about, but met no organised resistance The probability is that they disorganised an enemy counter-attack as it was forming up; but also that the enemy were thereby forewarned of the impending attack in the evening.
This was the first time that we had made an attack with infantry on an objective, planned according to the book, and as such it was a dismal failure. The theory which had been preached for combined tank and infantry attack was that the attack should go in waves, with tanks followed by infantry, followed by more tanks. Experience soon showed that to have the tanks leading at all was a mistake; that in close country they must go side by side with the infantry, and in more open country they could best give support from a position slightly in rear and to a flank.
The country in the bridgehead, however, was never anything but close. It is called the Bocage, and consists of a mass of small fields, interspersed with high thide hedges, often formed on thick earthen banks; a large proportion of the fields themselves are orchards with small bushy apple trees set close together; most of the roads are sunken country lanes, very narrow, and bounded on either side by high hedges.
The consequence of all this was that rarely could a tank see us much as 400 yards. The ground was absolutely ideal for defence and when it was resolutely defended, as it was by SS and Panzer Grenadiers, one German machine-gunner and a couple of snipers could prevent an entire Battalion moving the hundred yards between one hedge and the next until they were either killed by a direct hit (and as it was usually impossible to spot them, this was unlikely),or they were physically dug out of their hiding places in a hand to hand fight.
In conditions such as these, not only were the odds high against the attacker, and casualties both for tanks and infantry high in proportion, but also it was extremely difficult for a tank to watch its own infantry, even when it was moving with them. In this attack on Cristot, therefore, where the tanks led the infantry, it was no time at all before the two had got separated and were dealt with individually by the enemy.
"B" Squadron who were in front had no infantry with them to deal with snipers and help knock out anti-tank guns; the infantry behind them found themselves held up by Spandaus in the hedges, which did not open up until the tanks had passed. They could not call on "B" Squadron for assistance and so had to rely on the reserve Squadron, "C", to help them forward.
Alone by themselves in the orchards, "B" Squadron pushed forward towards their objective and one by one their tanks were knocked out by guns which, for the most part, they never saw. The crews who baled out were cither shot or captured by the German infantry nearby, and they finished the day with only two tanks of the nine they had started with, and the infantry still only on the edge of the objective. The infantry casualties too had been so heavy that they were unable to consolidate, and in the evening both tanks and infantry withdrew once more to Point 103.
A number of wounded men had been left behind on the battlefield and in the evening the Second-in-Command in his tank and the Medical Officer in his half-track went back to collect them, loaded up with wounded infantrymen, despite opposition, and brought them back to safety. The Medical Officer was quite impervious to danger, and irrespective of whether the wounded were friend or foe was interested only in giving them treatment and evacuating them to safety.
As this bitter day drew to a close, the enemy launched yet another counter-attack on Point 103. For a time the situation was extremely tense. The tanks on the forward edge opened fire and then had to withdraw slightly under cover of smoke. The flashes of their guns mingled with the tracer of enemy shells which were flying everywhere. An ammunition truck and an SP gun were hit and caught fire. About four Tigers actually reached the position and for a short while pandemonium reigned, but at length they were driven off and we remained in position.