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D-Day 60th Anniversary

Reflections of an Artillery Officer

6th June 1944

On 2nd June, 1944, over 60 years ago, the officers and men of the 76th (Highland) Field Regiment RA loaded their guns at Portsmouth onto Landing Craft Tanks (LCTs). The guns were American 105 mm mounted on Sherman tank chassis. They fired shells that weighed 33 lbs. Two of the guns were at the front of the craft on a well deck and two were at the rear of the well deck with two Sherman tanks between each pair. The LCTs were manned by the Royal Navy who would be responsible for taking us to wherever we were to go.

The destination at that time remained top secret. We had trained for the landings with the same naval personnel for some time, so we knew them well. This training latterly had taken place in the Moray Firth, loading at Rosemarkie and landing on the sands at Burghead Bay.

All available remaining space on the LCTs in June 1944 was taken up with ammunition to fire on the way to the shore and to fire once we were ashore.

Once loaded we were taken out to the middle of Portsmouth basin. As I remember, it was breezy with white clouds travelling fast across a blue sky. It felt good to be alive. We did not know when we were to sail, but were informed later that the departure was to be delayed for 24 hours. I felt quite pleased as at least that gave us another day to live!

It was encouraging to think that in all our time in the bivouac camps in the south of England and whilst the invasion fleet was assembling, we had not been bombed once. However, on Monday, June 5, orders came through that we would sail that afternoon and we were permitted to open 'secret' packets, which told us our destination and time of arrival.

As we sailed out of Portsmouth basin, we passed a building on the right hand (starboard) side where I saw a lone WREN (Women's Royal Naval Service) walking the ramparts and I wondered 'shall I ever see Britain and her like again?'

After a night of superb navigation and convoy work by the Royal Navy, during which they gave me a magnificent cup of creamy coffee and I consumed, for breakfast, a tin of self-heating soup at dawn, France came into sight at about 05.30 hours. After a couple of ranging rounds, the 72 guns of the Divisional Artillery started firing at 06.50 hours and continued for the next 35 minutes.

Concentration was paramount; the sailors had to keep the LCTs pointing in the right direction and we had to keep shortening the range every minute as the craft approached the shore. In all, the Divisional Artillery fired over 110 tons of high explosive in that time.

The firing was stopped as the assaulting battalions of infantry with their supporting services approached the beach. Whilst they went ashore, the LCTs with their guns wheeled out to sea again, returning to land an hour later. That was a crucial hour as our two assaulting infantry battalions suffered grievous casualties and with them my Troop Commander, Captain Ian Bell, and his Forward Observation party, who were killed on the beach.

When we did land we had been instructed to send one person off the LCT to walk ashore to ensure that no large bomb or shell craters were under the water into which our precious guns would disappear. The 'volunteer' took off his clothes so that his uniform would not get wet (!) but all was well and we drove off the LCT through inches of water rather than feet. All our guns and tanks were thoroughly waterproofed to drive through about six feet depth of water.

The situation on the beach was pretty chaotic with damaged craft in and on the water, and the occasional bursts of machine gun and artillery fire, but my guns were lucky. We spent about five hours firing from the beach, which was becoming narrower as the tide came in, but we were the only guns that could support the British 6th Airborne Division at Pegasus Bridge at that time.

We did eventually leave the beach in the afternoon when sufficient paths had been cleared through the minefields. That night we were bombed briefly for the first time, but suffered only one fatal casualty. It was difficult at first to realise that those killed were gone forever.

My worst personal moment came some days later when I had left the guns and was with the infantry. I was talking to my battery commander in a field behind the chateau we were holding, when we were caught in a 'stonk'. This was a barrage of mortar and artillery fire. All we could do was to lie as flat as possible on the earth. To have moved would have been fatal. The noise and heat of the explosions and the red colour, which penetrated tightly closed eyes, were more than frightening. I remember fervently praying, alternating with the most vicious blasphemy. We both got up when it had finished, so perhaps God heard my prayers and will forgive the blasphemy!

There is now a monument at La Breche, Hermanville, where we landed, to the Royal Artillery regiments who landed on D-Day. The inscription on it reads:

This stone commemorates the Headquarters and the five regiments of the Royal Artillery in the 3rd British Infantry Division, which after firing their guns from the sea, landed on 6th June 1944 and continued firing from the beaches and the fields around Hermanville.

7th Field Regiment (SP) RA
33rd Field Regiment (SP) RA
76th (Highland) Field Regiment (SP) RA
20th Anti-Tank Regiment RA
92nd LAA Regiment RA

Cette plaque commemore les cinq regiments d'artillerie de la 3eme D.I.Britannique qui debarquerent sur cette plage le 6 juin 1944.

Tony Turnbull (Captain, 76th Highland Field Regiment, RA, British 3rd Division)
Ramsay Street, Edzell, Angus, Scotland.

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