WO 171/1359 - 8 Rifle Brigade - August 1944

Place	Date	Hour	Summary
CAUMONT-VIRE Sector.	1		Following up yesterday's breakthrough we continued the advance as far as LE BENY-BOCAGE which was taken easily by 'G' Coy and a Sqn of 3 R.T.R. There we spent the night. : Cas. 3 O.R's wounded.
LE BAS-PERRIER	2		An early start and we advanced to LE BAS PERIER. Here we were ordered to stop, although there was still only slight opposition, so that the Gds Armd Div on our left might catch up with us. 'H' Coy patrolled forward into CHENEDULLES and found it empty, but at 1800 hrs some enemy tks and inf of 9 S.S.Pz Div appeared. 'H' Coy got direct hit on a Panther with a P.I.A.T. but were later withdrawn. : Cas. 2 O.R's wounded.
	2	0003	In the afternoon enemy inf sp. by tks infiltrated behind us into the village of PRESLES and cut us off. Fighting went on for some hours. Eventually 2 Warwicks attacked PRESLES at midnight and found the enemy had left it. Cas: Lts. J.P. Sedgwick and J.R. Priestley wounded, 4 O.R's killed, 21 O.R's wounded.
	4		The Bn was relieved at LE BAS PERIER by 2 Warwicks, whose posn in PRESLES we took over. Relief was interrupted by an enemy attack of 2 Coys Inf sp. by tks, which we drove off together. It appeared later that the hy cas suffered by the enemy during this attack were locally of decisive importance. The relief took from 1800 - 2200 hrs, vehicles being left behind and brought back after dark.: Cas. Lt.J.L.A. Elgood wounded, 1 O.R. killed, 6 O.R's wounded.
PRESLES	5-9		Apart from mortaring and shelling the time was quiet. Lt. Oxley-Boyle went out on patrol the day after rejoining the Bn. from England and was reported missing, believed captured.: Cas. during period, Lt. P.Morley wounded, Lt. Oxley-Boyle missing, 1 O.R. killed, 20 O.R's wounded.
	10	2230	Bn. withdrawn into rest area some 10 miles back. Here a whole Coy of 8 K.R.R.C's came to us as reinforcements wwhich were very badly needed. The Coy was split up, from it Major P.Bradford took comd of 'H' Coy, Capt.J.Stringer went as 2 i/c to 'E' Coy and Lt.Gould, & Lt.Painter went as Pln Comds to 'E' Coy.
	12	2200	After a short rest we were sent forward again to a slightly different area. The Bn. was at this time working with 23 H., Coys under comd of Sqns in open country, vice cersa in close country. It appeared that the enemy was withdrawing slowly so we pushed forward Coy and Sqn gps each day until 15 Aug we were just NORTH of VASSY.: Cas. 14th. 5 O.R's killed, 1 O.R. wounded. 15th. 1 O.R. wounded.
AUBUSSON	16		From then on the adv speeded up and apart from a few sharp engagement there was little to record but the centre line. Each day the enemy withdrew voluntarily some 10 km., and each day we advanced at least that distance. Demolitions were frequent and mines were found, but no armd opposition was encountered. We reached AUBUSSON.
	17		NOTRE DAME du ROCHER provided some inf opposition but by last light the position was cleared up. We now began to get into the area were the RAF had been strafing enemy vehicles and from then till our nex rest there was an average of one wrecked enemy veh every 100x of road. : Cas. 1 O.R. killed, 7 O.R's wounded.
PUTANGES	18		To PUTANGES where the bridge over the ORNE was blown, 'H' Coy one the left flank met opposition at LAUNAY and suffered some cas. : Cas. Lt.N.Carey-Morgan wounded, 6 O.R's killed, 17 O.R's wounded.
	19		Bailey Bridge was ready by 1500 hrs. and we went on to SENTILLY where we captured an enemy hospital.
BAILLEUL	20		The Falaise pocket had now been closed and we pushed on to squeeze in the eastern side of it. Our rapid advance to BAILLEUL enabled the leading elements of 9 Pl 'G' Coy to capture Genlt. KURT BADINSKI, G.O.C. 276 Inf Div, with his staff and an excellent staff car.Cas. 1 O.R. killed, 3 O.R's wounded.
ARGENTAN	21		We were pulled out of the pocket and continued an advance through ARGENTAN, South of the pocket and almost as far as GAUBURGE;
L'AIGLE	22		Advance to L'AIGLE, after which we were withdrawn for another
	23 - 27		five days' rest in the area of RAI-sur-RISLE. Meanwhile the Falaise pocjet was cleaned up and 2 Army reached the SEINE and secured a bridgehead at VERNON.
VERNON	28	0815	Coys under comd Armd Regts, and 119 Bty 75 A.Tk.Regt., R.A. under comd Bn, were set off to drive to a conc area across the SEINE at VERNON, which we reached at 0200 hrs.
	29		Orders were for 11 Armd Div to break out of the bridgehead, being contained by the enemy 49 Div., and advance to AMIENS with a further and bery distant objective of ANTWERP.
	29	0700	Advance to area LONGCHAMPS, Coys still with Armd Regts.
	30		Advance continued all day in spite of local opposition. 'G' Coy ran into trouble at AMECOURT where Maj.McCrea was wounded, having rejoined the Bn. and retaken comd of the Coy only the day previously. About tea-time it was decided to push on during the night and try and reach AMIENS.: Cas. Maj. McCrea wounded, 1 O.R. killed, 6 O.R's wounded.
AMIENS	31	0615	23 H 3RTR with 'H' 'G' coy under comd entered AMIENS. Our night march had surprised the enemy that the main br. over the SOMME was secured intact by 23 H and 'H' Coy. and 'F' Coy had a hand in the capture by 2 FF Yeo of Gen. ERERBACH, the new Commander of the German 7 Army. During the day a bridgehead was formed and secured over the SOMME, by 23 H and 'H' Coy and towards evening we all moved across into an area some 7 miles beyond AMIENS, ready to go on the next day.: cas. 2 O.R's wounded.

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