| 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 |
| Unit: The Hallamshire Bn. The York & Lancaster Regiment | ||
| Month and Year: October 1944 | (Erase heading not required). | Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. T. Hart Dyke |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | "A" Sqn Recce Regt reported a road block at 124195 and the Brigadier gave orders for 1/4 KOYLI on the right and The Hallamshires on the left to attack up the axis of the main road and capture POPPEL. Bn HQ and the Command Post were established at the Chateau 114134. The attack was launched at 1300 hrs. "A" Coy supported by one Troop 27 C.A.R moved forward on the left flank to capture the road block. Little opposition was met, the enemy on the road block having withdrawn into the village when the attack started. "A" Coy proceeded to clear through the village. Further on the left, the Carrier Pl, who had moved through the woods at 115197, with the intention of getting behind the village to cut off the enemy retreat, were held up by small arms fire and mortaring. "C" Coy moved through the village behind "A" Coy and both these Coys were able to establish themselves on the far side of the village according to plan. The tanks supporting them pushed well ahead. 1/4 KOYLI on the right made good progress and succeeded in pushing up to the wood 1321. On the left, however, matters were not going well. The Carrier Pl had been held up by fire of all types in the woods at 015196 and were quite unable to get forward and achieve their object of surrounding the village. "B" Coy was therefore ordered to move up to assist them and eventually to carry out the original plan. As "B" Coy approached the area held by the Carriers they were met by a hail of spandau fire. The country was very open and flat and very difficult for infantry to operate in. A troop of tanks were then put in support of "B" Coy. As they had pushed on ahead there was some delay in getting to the spot. Three enemy strongpoints were located, one in the buildings at 116206, about 800 yards distant over open flat country, one in the building about 200 yds West of these, and one in the area of the village and buildings at PONT DE BEDAF about 600 yds to the left. Under very heavy covering fire from a section of Mortars, tp of tanks, Carrier sec and the rest of Coy., Lieut. Gallagher brought his platoon round the Eastern flank of the first set of buildings which were captured and cleared. Many enemy were destroyed in the process. The tanks closed in on the buildings in the final stages, doing good work among the enemy who endeavoured to escape to the West along the deep ditch. By this time it was getting dark and the platoon and section of Carriers withdrew for the night and took up defensive positions in the area held by the Carriers at 115196. | O.O. at Appx. "C" |
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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