WO 171/691 - 159 Infantry Brigade - June 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: HQ 159 Infantry Brigade
Month and Year: June 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Brigadier J.G. Sandle

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
	15		At 0730 hrs vehs were being loaded on to the landing craft. This continued all day. Owing to our ship unloading at the most easterly beach we were under shell fire. A smoke screen was put up to protect us. On arrival on the land at LUC sur MER, vehs were intended to go to the transit area, then to concentration area, but owing to our not being expected, quite a few complications arose, few MPs, very little route marking etc. By 2000 hrs most of the Bde were in the concentration area, in the area of CULLY. The COs of Bns plus certain officers and all riflemen of Bns had arrived the previous day, having travelled the more direct route from NEWHAVEN. Owing to the fact that on D Day enemy snipers (incl French women protecting their German boy-friends) were reported. Every shot in our area was reported as being a sniper. These early French jitters soon calmed down. During all the hrs of daylight, the Air Forces gave complete air cover. Two to three sqns of Spitfires, Typhoons, Thunderbolts were continually in the air. Landing strips made by our troops in the brhead were in use. German aircraft in small numbers ventured out after dark and were greeted with enormous concentrations of AA fire from land based guns to all the shipping off the coast.

Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Hans Houterman.

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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