Operation Epsom

26th to the 30th of June 1944.

Operation Epsom, showing the British attacks (including those planned for I Corps) and

German counterattacks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Epsom

Operation Epsom, or the battle of the Odon, was the first major British offensive to be

launched after the D-Day landings, and the objective of this operation was to attempt to force

the Germans to concentrate their armoured units against the British and Canadians, at the

eastern end of the Normandy beachhead. The attack was to be carried out by General

O'Connor's VIII Corps (11th Armoured, 15th (Scottish) and 43rd (Wessex) Divisions), which

were part of the follow-up force that landing in Normandy in the weeks after D-Day.

O'Connor had some 60,000 under his command, but most of them were inexperienced troops,

for whom Epsom would be their first experience of battle.

Charles Hanaway a Fusilier with the 6th

Royal Scots Fusiliers was one of those that

were to experience battle for the first time. In this article he writes about his experience in

these “Three days in June” .The photographs included in this article were taken by the 5th

Army Film and Photographic Unit Commanded by Major Stewart.

What is also very unusual is that Charles Hanaway who was a Bren gunner was

captured in one of these photographs firing his weapon from a sunken lane.

Charles Hanaway

November 2009

Three days in June

It was the 25th

of June 1944 and I was standing in al large field in Normandy, some

six miles inland from the coast of France. My reason for this is that I was a soldier, an

infantryman in a Scottish Regiment, the 6th

Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, who were

part of the 44th

Brigade of the 15th

Scottish Division. Around me in the field on that balmy

June evening were the rest of the Battalion, about 700 young men, in groups, talking, sitting,

standing, others laying sprawled out on the grass.

Men of the Royal Scots Fusiliers charge with fixed bayonets through 'artillery fire' at a

battle school in Scotland, 20 December 1943.

We had landed in Normandy 13 days earlier. Since landing we had been gradually

moving up to the front line and now we were close to the enemy. The division had completed

its gruelling training on the Yorkshire Moors several months in the bitter winter months,

which was the prelude as to why we were all congregated in the field. That evening, we were

to learn why we had trained so long, it was to break out from the static bridgehead the British

Army had established, since landing in Normandy. I was a Bren gunner, a light machine gun

which I could strip and reassemble in minutes to clean and oil for any action.

Suddenly, activity, men were moving to the top of the field and we were now being

told that we were to be addressed by the Commanding Officer. He was standing on the

bonnet, surrounded by other officers of the Battalion. We stood in silence and the CO started

his address:” Men we are on the eve of what we have been training for these part years,

tomorrow starting at 7.30am we are going into action. We will be facing the ‘cream ‘of the

German Army the 12th

SS ‘Hitler Jugend’ Division, full of 17 year old fanatical Adolph

Hitler worshippers. Not to worry though, for you are the pick of the British Army and soon

now we will be in a very interesting party, now off you go and get some rest”. As he finished

his little speech pandemonium broke out, and to me Sassenach, and English man amongst the

Scots, I could not believe what I was witnessing, bagpipes were being played, men were

singing and dancing in groups all over the field, just hours to go and their celebrating and all

are sober.

As it became darker we silently moved forward, keeping as quit as possible to reach

the starts line which was another field outside the village of Norrey-En-Bessin. There in the

drizzling rain we stood around close to the enemy, in groups, each with our thoughts, and I

guess some praying, whispering to each other, smoking in cupped hands passing away the

interminable hours. A never to be forgotten night, for many of us knew our lives would never

be the same again. At precisely 7.30am all hell broke out. Dante infernos as 800 guns of

various calibres were sending their shells over our heads, landing hundreds of yards ahead.

Battleships offshore were firing their 16 inch shells, the RAF were also due to add to this

inferno, but due to the poor weather conditions their contributions was cancelled.

Men of 12 Platoon, 'B'

Company, 6th Royal Scots

Fusiliers, 15th (Scottish)

Division, wait for the order to

advance during Operation

'Epsom', 26 June 1944

We moved out of the field immediately the shelling commenced and in file we walked

through the little village, passing a church where a piper was playing bagpipes, standing on

the raised steps. Due to the tremendous deafening noise, we could not hear what he was

playing, the symbol was enough, and we just raised a hand in acknowledgement. We were

next in a cornfield, the corn was waist high, and in a line left and right, we started to move

across the field to meet the ‘Cream’.

Our shelling is exploding juts a hundred yards ahead of us, we are to advance a

hundred yards every three minutes. Of course this brilliant plan failed as shells where falling

short and we sustained our first casualties. Holding our weapons over our heads we walked to

meet the enemy. They were everywhere popping up behind us and we were in one heel none

of us could have possibly imagined. The fanatical young German SS men were certainly

proving to be a force to reckon with force. Nevertheless, due to tremendous barrage of

gunfire pouring on them, we made progress to reach our target the village of St-Mauvieu.

Fusilier Charles Hanaway

(Bren gunner) and other

6th Royal Scots Fusiliers,

15th (Scottish) Division,

fire from their positions in

a sunken lane during

Operation 'Epsom', 26

June 1944.

Infantry of 6th Royal Scots

Fusiliers, 15th (Scottish

Division), advance through

waist-high corn behind a

Churchill tank of 9th Royal

Tank Regiment at the start

of Operation 'Epsom', 26

June 1944.

We are then inside the village at about 11.00am and house- to- house fighting starts,

this continues until about 4.00pm. Now, due to our casualties, we are glad to be relieved by

another Regiment of our Brigade, the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, because we are now a

spent force. I was standing with a few of our men around the village church which was badly

damaged, when Major Agnew, a young 25 year old handsome Officer approached me. In a

raised voice he asked me “Have you seen Major Korts” who was his brother-in-law.

Someone in the group said in reply “Sir he was killed this morning.” Where”? Was the next

request and my comrade pointed up the road. Immediately Major Agnew started to move

quickly in that direction. We shouted to him to stop saying the SS were just 500 yards ahead.

He ignored the warning and walked to his death.

This means that we lost two Company commanders out of five in as many hours. Today the

brave Major lies buried in a British cemetery in the same village, alongside the 70 other

Royal Scot Fusiliers.

Men of 12 Platoon, 'B'

Company, 6th Royal Scots

Fusiliers take cover in St

Mauvieu during Operation

'Epsom', 26 June 1944.

Infantry of 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers,

15th (Scottish) Division in the village

of St Mauvieu-Norrey during

Operation 'Epsom', 26 June 1944.

The enemy was counter- attacking to retake the village. Finally we are moved back

into the comparative safety. We collect our dead, in a large truck, who number 30.We are

have also lost 120 others wounded, so our ‘party’ with the ‘Cream’ has cost us dearly. We

have lots 25% of our strength of the Battalion. The dead are buried in shallow graves with

their rifles stuck in the ground over them, with helmet placed on the rifle top. It is about

9.00pm we have our first cold meal and snatch a few hours noisy sleep lying down in the

village street. At daylight with re-enforcements, we move up to commence battle again. We

attack and then are counter attacked all day, but we are advancing against a very stubborn,

brave enemy. Night arrives and we have advanced three miles, to be surrounded by the

Germans on three sides. I dig with another comrade a small shallow slit trench that we can sit

in and grab forty winks with the racket still going on around us.

1Men of 12 Platoon,

'B' Company, 6th

Royal Scots Fusiliers

advance into St

Mauvieu during

Operation 'Epsom',

26 June 1944.

Day breaks and we are attacking again and our Division is taking a pounding, yet we

are still advancing. This day and night is a repetition of the first day in activity. We have now

advanced eight bloody miles into the guts of the enemy.

IWM B5963.Men of the 6ht Royal Scots Fusiliers during street fighting in

St Mauvieu 26th of June.

Hitler now issues his orders to his Army.” No retreat, throw the British back into the

sea.” We are now fighting four German Divisions at the tip of the wedge and on both sides.

We halt repeated counter attacks, it is the 29th

of June, and we have been fighting no-stop for

three days. This battle is now know as the battle of the ‘Scottish Corridor ‘and streets in that

area are named after us. At 6.00pm I think my number is coming up, we are in a gulley in a

hedgerow, we are being counter attacked again, we are disorganized, and men are running

back in retreat. A brave unknown officer is behind us, revolver in hand shouting” No one

retreats”: the words are ominous, if anyone attempts to do so they will finish up with a bullet

in the head.

The situation is grim, 25pounder guns are brought up alongside us, firing point blank

into the enemy in the field in front of us. With this help the day is saved and we are finally

relieved by a fresh Division, to rest and are reinforced. We have had our baptism of fire. The

Division continues the battle and finally it is relieved, it has lost 800 killed and 2300

wounded in the battle of the ‘Scottish Corridor’. The 12th

SS Division took a terrible mauling;

they had to be the toughest Division in the German Army. Today the 15th

Scottish Division’s

dead lie buried in cemeteries all over Northern Europe. I was lucky to survive, to fight on for

another nine months, to go into my last battle, the assault across the River Rhine., finally my

number came up. I was in the first wave of the assault to cross the river. Once ashore I

stepped on a small mine and have part of my left removed, my army days are ended. Five

weeks later the war is over, cost for my battalion over 1000 casualties, cost to the Division

over 11,000.

Major Agnew’s Grave in St

Mauvieu War Cemetery

Cheux.with a 65th

commemoration plaque

dedicated by Charles Hanaway

to Major Agnew and other 6th

Royal Scots Fusiliers buried

alongside him. This plaque was

placed on the grave on the 6th

of June 2009.

References:

5th

A.F.P.U Photos of the 6th

Royal Scots Fusiliers.

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryImages.php

Operation Epsom Map

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Epsom