| 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: November 1944 | (Erase heading not required). | Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. T. Hart Dyke |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | The bn now proceeded with the clearance of the woods East of ROOTH. It was thought that the woods were unoccupied, but they were known to be heavily mined. The plan adopted was as follows:- Two secs and a pl comd of "B" and "C" Coys were put into Kangaroos. These were then to go up the track on the North side of the woods to 865094, where they would turn right and enter the woods. The sections were to be dropped off as standing pats in the East end of the woods and the Kangaroos were then to drive down the tracks Westwards, thus clearing Schu Mines. The pl comds would then take their Coys up the tracks thus made, laying along the tank tracks tape to show the safe way. Unfortunately this plan could not be carried out as the Carrier sec had erred in reporting the brs intact. In fact it was blown and the Kangaroos could not get into the woods. The secs got into posn however, and the pl comds walked back to collect their Coys. "B" and "C" Coys got into posn at 863093 and 864086 - the latter with OPs at the South end of the woods, without serious difficulty. The Pioneers constructed a br at 853091. "A" Coy now moved fwd down this route to 858085. Four heavily mined craters had been found along the main rd, one of which was astride the "A" Coy route. Diversion had been cleared round the Southern edge from West to East, but not, however, from North to South. "A" Coy were held up by these mines which caused casualties, and were able to advance by prodding at the rate of some 20 yds only in the space of an hour. Having passed the crater, they encountered another dense minefield, finding 60 mines ("R" and Schu) on the track in the first 100 yds. By now it was dark, and "A" Coy were withdrawn to ROOTH. The Carrier Pl was established on the br at 869094. During the night, a patrol was sent out consisting of Lieut. Brown, Lieut. Delori (attached Belgian Liaison Offr) with "A" Coy and Pioneer personnel to find a suitable OP from which BLERICK could be observed. A good OP was found at 877088 and a party consisting of two Intelligence Section, 2 Snipers and FOO, and party under Lieut. Jones. RA, was sent there. A line was laid. A dog barked when the OP party arrived and thus attracted enemy attention. The OP consequently moved back to another house some 300 yds West of the original location. As dawn broke the OP was considerably startled to see a party of 12 Germans walk through the back garden of their house and settle down in the house they themselves had originally gone to occupy. This party was stonked and 6 of them eventually moved off. |
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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