9 Para at the Bois du Mont 8th June 1944

The Bréville Gap 1944

The Airborne troops who landed by parachute and glider in Normandy on D-Day troops, under Major-General Richard ‘Windy’ Gale, seized key bridges and villages in the area between the Orne and Dives Rivers.  The British 6th Airborne Division had been detailed to secure the eastern flank of the invasion beaches, in the hope that this would forestall any German counterattacks on that flank.  

In the days that followed 6th Airborne Division held precariously to the bridgehead they had seized to the east of the Orne River.  The Germans counterattacked fiercely at points all across the bridgehead, but one area that swiftly became a key focal point was the area of the village of Bréville, strategically situated atop the Bavent ridge.  

Facing the German build up in Bréville was the under strength 9th Parachute Battalion, fresh from their successful and heroic attack on the Merville Battery.   With a strength of only 70 men they occupied  the woods of the Bois de Mont on the night of7th June, and then came under increasing pressure from the Germans in Bréville from 8 June onwards.   The Germans from 346. and 711. Infanteriedivisionen, attempted to force a gap through the Allied perimeter, a gap that would give them access to the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal, captured during the hard fought battles on D-Day.   

The 9th Battalion column arrived at the chateau area at 0130 hours on June 8th.  Lt. Colonel Otway decided to defend a wooded area south of the chateau called the Bois des Mont. The woods offered better cover and the chateau was a likely target for German bombardments. The Paras sent regular patrols through the chateau grounds to prevent the Germans from occupying the buildings. 

At dawn the military significance of the position became obvious. From the southwest corner of the woods, the Paras had an unobstructed view all the way to the Orne River bridges. If the Germans occupied the woods they would be able to direct artillery towards the bridges and use the woods as cover to launch a counter attack towards the bridges and into the left flank of the invasion beaches. 

Otway placed “A” Company on the north side of the woods facing the chateau grounds, “B” Company on the west side of the woods facing Bréville, and “C” Company on the south side of the woods forming the battalion’s reserve. 

9 Para's defensive box was in the centre of the Bréville gap, unsupported on both flanks, but in a position that needed to be held if the bridges to the west were to be protected. 

The Campaign

German attacks came at the Paras from Bréville itself as well as from behind the Château St. Come and it's stables.  They have six possible start points, that could be used to randomly generate attack lines in a solo game.

Setting up the Defence

Before dawn on the 8th Lieutenant Slade conducted a recce patrol of the Château to confirm the presence of the enemy.  As the patrol departed, the other paratroopers ‘brewed up’ ‘monkey block,’ - tea, made from powdered tea leaves, milk and sugar consolidated into a single cube, boiled in mess tins over a solid fuel tablet. 

Slade 's patrol followed the yellow gravel driveway to the château , lined with manicured trees and a grass verge on either side with a ditch cut into it.  Beyond the château itself were large stone stable blocks and more woods, ideal positions for the Germans to launch attacks.  A local civilian told Slade that there were two British gliders in the fields to the rear of the house.  Knowing these were a possible source of vital supplies Slade sent half his men to search, whilst he himself searched the château .  Finding no Germans but with the intelligence of the gliders presence confirmed Slade made a hasty return to the Bois du Mont.

Fortifying The Bois Du Mont

The wooded edges of the woods offered concealment and the reverse slope position provided a degree of protection from German artillery firing from the other side of the ridgeline. More importantly, the nature of the surrounding bocage would funnel the advance of oncoming enemy towards the villa.  From the moment of their arrival, and with little respite, the Paras began digging defensive slit trenches.

German forces attempting to attack from the château would have to traverse the open ground of the fenced paddocks on the other side of the road immediately in front of the Bois du Mont.  If they attacked up the road from Bréville they could be brought under fire from the sunken lane on the left flank of the position.  

A Company extended their position across the road, digging into a ditch along the edge of the thick line of trees that ran towards the southern end of the château.  The Company was deployed in an L shape and this arm of the salient would be named Bomb Alley by the paras.  It allowed enfilade fire to the front but was vulnerable to German infiltration through the woods behind, which would take any enemy attempting to cross it in their flanks. 

To cover A Company's front as well as support B Company Sergeant McGeever’s single Vickers MMG was dug into an old dried-out pond on the north-east corner of the defensive box, between both Companies.  This turned the open area in front of the château into a lethal killing zone. 

9 Para had little in the way of anti tank capability but Sergeant Knight and his Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank weapons dug in at the top of the sunken lane near the MMG, covering both company's fronts. With a range of only 100 metres, the PIATs were at best a close quarter weapon. 

The sunken lane B Company dug into was a natural defensive feature. Its wooded banks were topped by a mass of dense undergrowth and it became steeper as the submerged track sloped down to its western end. B Company had only enough men to cover a frontage of 100 metres, but were reinforced by two captured Wehrmacht MG 34 machine guns, mounted to fire over the thick mass of brambles. 

Building the Chateau St. Come.

One of the buildings I will need for these games is the Chateau.  I decided that a basic representation would do me, and proceeded to cut and stick until I had a shape that was approximately right.  Once I finish it with render ivy and scatter, not forgetting the mortar damage from 1944 it will look the part.  

The Germans

As 9 PARA enhanced their defences around the Bois du Mont, Lieutenant General Erich Diestel's 346th  Infantry Division began to arrive in the area in strength.  The 857th Regiment of three battalions of infantry had made the journey to Bréville on bicycles.  It was a formidable division . Its order of battle fielded another two German infantry regiments, the 858th and 744th, and an Ost regiment of Russians. The division also had its own artillery regiment and armoured support in the form of Panzer Mark IVs and StuG IV self-propelled guns. 

The decision not to hold the château gave the Germans an advantage, as they could use the cover of the house and its stable blocks to mask their approach from the low ground to the south and east side of Bréville.  

Thursday 8th June 1944 

Scenario One: The probe.

The first attack came from a fighting patrol of platoon size  designed to probe 9 PARA’s strength and defensive layout. It came in across the fields along the road from Bréville onto the flank covered by B Company. German infantry advanced over the small lip of higher ground immediately to the front.  The two captured MG34 machine guns were at each end of the Paras line.  Sergeant Len Daniels was at the top of the lane manning one of the MG 34s.  It would seem that the order to ‘Open fire!’ was only given as the Germans came within 50 metres and had to face this "overwhelming firepower." 

Scenario Two:  The attack from the Château. 

The second attack on 8th June came just over an hour after the earlier probe, this time across the paddocks in front of the château. Like the first attack it was made without artillery or mortar support and, although it came from a different direction, the Germans’ tactic of a direct frontal assault was unchanged.  Against this A Company and Sergeant McGeever’s supporting Vickers machine gun were a thin red line.

Scenario Three: Bomb Alley

After the initial assault had faded, Sgt Jenkins, commanding the weak "platoon" in the salient saw a section of Germans crawling through the bushes only two metres away. They were attempting to infiltrate through the thick undergrowth to the villa on the other side of the bank.   A stiff grenade and SMG fight followed.  

Scenario Four, The Vickers Box

During the afternoon a pair of jeeps arrived from Division with additional supplies for 9 Para.  Two medium mortars and two more Vickers MMG were delivered and assigned to hastily trained riflemen.  Sergeant McGeever's Support platoon now had five MMGs including the two captured MG 34s.  When the next attack came it was another probing attack across the open ground in front of A Company.  McGeever and Corporal McGuinness rushed one of their guns to a forward position opposite the drive and began engaging the enemy.  The Germans were facing enfilade fire from three machine guns, as well as A Company's Stens and rifles.  This was the last significant attack of the day against 9 PARA’s position around the villa. 

My second round of games looking at 9 Para and the Bois du Monts will focus on June 9th, as the situation becomes more desperate.

My games will use fictitious names for both sides, mainly because I feel it's more respectful to refrain from using any historical names in a game setting. 

9 Para

Lt Colonel "Aleister" Sim

Maj Eric Sykes

Captain Pete Sellars

Captain William Hay

Lt Terence Thomas

2nd Lt. Kenneth Horne

2nd Lt. Leslie Philips

RSM Windsor Tudor Davies

CSM Georgie Formby

Sgt Charles Drake

Sgt Leslie Dawson

Sgt Kenny Williams

Sgt Roy Kinnear

Sgt Bobby Holdness. 

Sgt Harry Corbett

Sgt Ronnie Corbett

Cpl Sid James

Cpl Bobby Monkhouse

Cpl Bernie Manning

Cpl Cribbins

Cpl Ernest Wise

Cpl Edward Rogers

L/Cpl Dickie Emery 

L/Cpl Terrance Milligan

L/Cpl Davy Allen

L/Cpl Artie Askey

L/Cpl Teddy Ray

Pte Terrence Scott

Pte Norman Wisdom

Pte Harold Secombe

Pte Ronald Barker

Pte Stanley Unwin

Pte Francis Howerd

Pte Martin Feldman

Pte Kenny Connor

Pte Bernie Breslaw

Pte Benny Hill

Pte Eric Morcambe

Pte Richard Briars

Pte Charlie Hawtrey