Battlefield Sites
Bréville & the Château St. Côme
Bréville
;)
The village of Bréville stands on a high ridge that overlooked much of the 6th Airborne's landing areas, making it a key position for the division. After achieving their initial objectives on June 6th, the 3rd Parachute Brigade was given the task of holding this area and denying its use to the Germans for a potential counter-attack on the Orne valley below. The picture here is taken from the crossroads in Bréville, looking west towards Pegasus Bridge. Ranville and the main landing zones are in the plains below.;)
The village of Bréville itself was at first not occupied by British troops, since it was a German strongpoint and there simply were not enough men in the division to take it. On June 11th, however, an attack was made by a battalion of the Black Watch from the 51st Highland Division. Against the strong German garrison the attack failed and the Scots suffered high casualties. A second attack was then made at sunset by airborne units. The 12th Parachute Battalion, a company from the 12th Devons of the Airlanding Brigade, along with a squadron of supporting tanks and guns of the Royal Artillery attacked the village at sunset. Shown in this picture is the memorial in Bréville dedicated to the 6th Airborne Division.;)
After another heavy action the village was taken by this combined force of airborne troops, and was never relinquished. As a memorial to this action and the liberation of the village the crossroads was renamed Carrefour 6th Airborne Division. The memorial marker is show in the picture to the right.St. Côme
;)
On June 7th the 9th Parachute Battalion moved from d'Amfreville (south of the Merville Battery) east to the woods south of Bréville. Their positions were near the Château St. Côme. The 8th Parachute Battalion took up positions to their south in the woods known as the Bois de Bavent. To their south at Le Mesnil was the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. Shown in this picture is the Château St. Côme as seen from the road between Bréville and Le Mesnil.Lt-Col Otway, commanding officer of the 9th Parachute Battalion, arrived at St. Côme with fewer than 100 men, roughly 20% full strength. The men dug defensive positions around the chateau, although they did not yet have enough men to occupy it. The battalion's main position was on the road leading past the chateau. Across the road from the chateau was a farm known as the Bois du Monts. Otway established the battalion HQ here, along with the aid station. The battalion skirmished aggressively in order to mask their small numbers and keep any German offensives off balance. A memorial to the 9th Battalion can be found on the side of the road at the entrance to the Château St. Côme. Shown below to the left is the memorial, to the right is the text of the inscription.
;)
;)
;)
Quite soon though the Germans began to push the battalion hard, subjecting them to heavy artillery and mortar fire along with constant probing attacks. On June 9th a strong assault was mounted by the Germans. The paras held their fire until the last moment, and then opened a devastating combined-arms fire on the enemy who were soon routed. Still, the Germans pressed their attacks, and on the next day occupied the chateau and put a great deal of pressure on the under strength 9th Battalion. The defense of the positions became so desperate that all available means were used in the struggle, from supporting fire from the 6-inch guns of the Royal Navy down to the frequent use of the bayonet and fighting knife in hand-to-hand fighting. Shown here is the lane which was the main position for the battalion, and down which German attacks were focused.;)
On June 10th a company from the Black Watch and supporting tanks occupied the chateau as support. On the 12th the Germans sent in their strongest attack to date, which threatened to overwhelm the Scots and the paras. Help from the brigade level was sent in the form of a reserve company from the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion at Le Mesnil. The Canadians helped to stabilize the front, and no positions were lost to the enemy. Shown in this picture is the Bois du Monts, which served as the aid station and HQ for 9 Para.;)
After the attack was over, on the night of June 12th, Lt-Col Otway was wounded by shell fire while inspecting the battalion's positions. The command of the battalion was taken by Lt-Col Napier Crookenden, who commanded the battalion until the end of the war. Otway received the DSO for his leadership during this critical period in the Normandy fighting. The lane where Otway was walking when wounded is shown in this picture.Touring the battlefield sites gives the student of history a much richer understanding of the events of the past. Walking through the locations where history happened is both a rewarding and moving experience. Be sure to bring a tour guide, maps, and histories of the actions as reference. Give yourself plenty of time to stop and read about the sites you are visiting.