WO 171/1307 - 1 Herefordshire Regiment - August 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 1st Bn The Herefordshire Regt.
Month and Year: August 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. G.R. Turner Cain.

Place	Date	Hour	Summary
	1	0500	Bn moved slightly E. in order to marry up with the 2 F&F preparatory to the adv.
	1	0930	Liason by higher fmn with the American forces appears to have been poor because Bn had to return to its posn of the previous night to protect the right flank. The Bn I.O. went off in a carrier and succeded in contacting the Executive Officer of the American forces on our immediate right. The American information having been obtained it was passed to higher fmn.
	1	1400	Bn cont adv. T.C.Vs. through Foret L'Eveque and took up a postion for the night at 6342 firt carrying out a clearing operation of the area in which no enemy were encountered.
	2	0430	Bn moved to 6936 East of Vire. Bn was in reverse on reverse slope of high ground in this posn and adv of 11th Armd Div halted.
	3		Bn remained in this area in reserve. Subjected to dive bombing attack by American Thunderbolts. The only cas was a cow that was splattered over the Bde Comd A.C.V.
	4		Still in reserve and subjected to slight shelling. An offr of the Bn seated himself at the side of the road to brief a small patrol od two men. While he was doing so a car drove up and some Germans jumped out and was as suprised to see him as he was to see them. The Germans put the offr and the patrol in the bag and drove of with them in their car.The third member of the patrol who had been lying in a ditch returned and reported the incident.
	5		40 reinforcements arrived.
	7		Futher reinforcements arrived.
	8	0615	Recce party left for posn of 2 Warwicks at 7135. It looked to be a particularly unhealthy one and it was decided to affect a relieve at night.
	8	2230	Bn moved to relieve 2 Warwicks which was carried out without incident.
	9		Bn spent day in slit trenches and was subjected to frequent mortaring.During the afternoon reps from the 1.W.G. arrived for relieve by them.During the day the R.A.F. which was situated in a quarry in rear of the Bn suffered particularly from enemy Mortaring.
	10		Relieved by 1.W.G. and moved to rest area La Marvindiere 7138.The relieve was carried out without being shelled and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they were well clear. Having been told we were to rest and refit it came as bombshell to be told at lunch time that we were to return the following day to the area we had just left.
	11	0700	Bn left rest area to take posn at Le Bas Perrier in Pesles. 7236.
	11	1500	Bn arr in area in rear of 1st W.G.s who were at Chenedolle 7335. and quickly dug in.
	12		The day we spent in active patroling. A few mortar-bombs came over but the day was not nearly as unpleasant as our experience in the 2 Warwicks posn, half a mile away had led us to expect.
	12	2300	Bn of Coldstream Gds relieved 1st Herefords and we left the area of Le Bas Perrier for the last time and returned to La Marvindiere.
	13	1800	Bn moved to take over a posn from a Bn of the 15 (S)Div immediately N of Estry. 7638. on arr there it became known that the enemy who had put up a very stubborn resistance at Estry had withdrawn.
	14		At first light Bn commenced Adv on two routes to the area of Theil 7635 with 2 Coys and sup arms U/C 21/C known as Bar Force on one route and the remainder of the Bn on another.
	14	0900	Bn arr in the area of Thiel and were joined later in the day by Bar Force.In the late afternoon an att was put in hill feature 212 with B Coy fwd right and D Coy fwd left, which despite fierce opposition was successful.
	15	2000	Bn took over posn from 4 k.S.L.I. N of Vassy.
	16	0700	Adv cont through Vassy Bn moving on two routes.
	16	0245	Bn reached conc area immedietly N of Fler, the feature Mt De Cerisi 8326 not being held by the enemy.
	17	0700	Bn moving on one route cont its adv. Flers was reached about 1000 hrs and we experienced for the first time the demonstrations of joy of the civil population.
	17	1600	Bn divided onto two routes to deal with miner opposition in the area of Durcet and St Opportune 9518. Bar Force carried out its task at Durcet and returned to the Bn. B Coy took an obj 500 yds N of the rd in the face of very slight opposition while 4 KSLI passed through them and cleared another enemy posn. Rifle Coys had now been adv on foot since La Marvindiere on 13 August and the men were very foot-sore and weary.
	18	0630	Bn cont its adv with Coys sitting on the backs of tks. Leading elts passed through Briouze and reached the rly and river brs at 0416 at about 0900 hrs. The rly br was being subjected to a certain amount of shelling which was thought to be from American forces adn N. visibility was very bad there being a thick mist which made it difficult to sent out patrols to make contact.
	18	1100	Contact was made with the Americans and the Div cmd of 11 Armd Div and the American Div met in the Market-Place. The Bn moved to a conc area N.E. of the town and at least some of its personnel obtained a refreishing bath and swim in a tributary of the river Ronore.
	18	1600	Adv cont in TCVs to SW of Ecouche 1816 The C.L. was being shelled by the enemy just W of Ecouche and one of our Carden Lloyd carriers was hit and set on fire, fortunately without any cas.
	18	1900	Bn arrived in conc area outside Ecouche.
	18	2100	Two shells landed outside the Command Post vehicule killing two members of the Pionner Pl who were digging in C.P. and wounding the 2I/C and Adj.
	19		Contact was made with the French Armd Div in Ecouche.
	19	1200	Bn adv deployed to Montgaroult 182196. Opposition was very slight but unfortunately one Coy Comd who was leading his Coy and sitting up in his carrier instead of sitting well down and moving in a less conspicuous posn was hit in the shoulder by a shell from a tk.
	20		Adv cont to Bourg St.Leonards via Argentan without incident where we bivouached for the night at 2000 hrs.
	22		Bn cont adv at first light passing through 4 KSLI at Gace. Part of Bn reached conc area 629396 at 1730 hrs. Confusion arose over conc area due to 2 Trig points being the same with the result that recce party proceeded too far and we got onto the Armd Bde route. Part of Bn had to clear the rd while Armd Bde passed through with the result they did not reach conc area until after dark. A Coy Comd was run over by a 15cwt truck in the dark and had to be evacuated with a badly lacerated leg.
	25	0745	Bn cont adv and sat on X rds W of Gace 5549 for the night while 4 KSLI invested Gace and cleared it.
CONTY	31	0845	Village reported clear, 40 P.Ws taken by B Coy mainly. Identification 12 S.S.Div 102 Arty Bn and 49 Div Fus.Bn.
	31	0845	Harbour parties moved fwd.
	31	0900	Bn commenced move fwd on wheels.
AMIENS.	31	1030	Conc area south of Amiens 0653. Povot formed in area of German Army H.Q.
	31	1155	Bn moved forward to hel br in Amiens
	31	1225	Arrived locn 104576. KSLI 3 Coys across river, 3 Mons to pass through.
	31	2230	Bn moved out to N.E.Amiens and pivoted. 50 Div moved in and took over posns.
	31	2400	All coys in posn, Bn area 1160.
	31		Turner Cain Lt. Col.Commanding Officer.1st Bn. The Herefordshire Regiment.

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Source: 11th Armoured Division.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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