大象传媒

As a newly fledged young soldier I was posted, in December 1943, to a Scottish artillery regiment which was part of the Assault Group preparing for D-Day. The regiment was equipped with heavily-armoured 鈥淧riests鈥� 鈥� basically an American 105mm gun mounted on a tank chassis 鈥� and they were training to provide artillery support for the infantry storming the beaches. This involved 鈥渃ombined ops鈥� with the Royal Navy who provided, and manned, the LCTs (Landing Craft Tanks) being used. All through that winter the training continued, from loading the LCTs 鈥� in reverse 鈥� up the ramp, to running in with guns blazing on the Moray Firth coastline and disembarking in anything up to 6ft of water at the beach.

As summer 1944 approached, the entire Division was moved south, and we found ourselves encamped in the woodlands of Hampshire, along with hundreds of thousands of others, to await embarkation at nearby Portsmouth. Ironically, the month of May produced some glorious weather that year 鈥� unlike June 鈥� and the few weeks鈥� wait were a marvellous interlude after months of harsh weather and tough training in Scotland.

We duly embarked on 5th June, in worsening weather, and joined the huge, slow moving flotilla assembling off Portsmouth. Dawn revealed the full extent of the operation, with vessels of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. Our training stood us in good stead as we ran in on the beaches with all guns firing to provide the protective barrage for the infantry regiment ahead of us. We were due to beach at H+1 hours 鈥� one hour after the initial assault 鈥� and precisely on schedule the wonderfully efficient Navy grounded the LCT without mishap. Down went the huge ramp in a few feet of water and our moment had arrived. All 4 guns and numerous other vehicles were driven off to add to an already cluttered beach.

For reasons I have never fully understood, we were unable to get away from the beach for several hours and it soon became clear that it was an unhealthy place to be. Not only were we open to the occasional attack from the air, but the few enemy guns still firing were targeted at the beach. As it was, our guns were soon called into action where they stood, in a few feet of water, as we were by that time in direct support of the 6th Airborne Division which had started the whole operation in the early hours. It was late afternoon before we were finally able to get away from the beach and head inland.

The peace and tranquillity of the corner of rural France where we established our first gun-position was almost sublime after the tear and hassle of the beach. We were left to organise ourselves for the straightforward support role normal for field artillery, and to ponder on the day鈥檚 events. A feeling of pride to have been privileged to play a part in the huge undertaking, mingled with sadness for the many lives sacrificed. Thanks to our tank-like Priests my Battery had not suffered any casualties at all on that first day, but we were well aware that the real heroes 鈥� the Infantry 鈥� had paid a heavy price. Above all, we gave thanks to the RAF pilots who had thrown a protective cordon around the beaches, thereby limiting the Luftwaffe鈥檚 activities to the occasional sneak attack only, and saving us from the carnage that might otherwise have happened on that crowded beach.

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