Mem003

Background

The overall Objective of "Operation Overlord" for those troops landing on Juno beach was
to form a link between Juno and the adjacent beaches of Sword and Gold; cut the Caen to
Bayeux road, and seize Caen-Carpiquet airport (west of Caen).

The detailed Objective for 48 Commando (the latest and last Commando to be formed)
was to land at Saint Aubin-sur-Mer before swinging east to attack and capture the
strongpoint at Langrune-sur-Mer; while 41 Commando who were to land at Lion-sur-Mer
on Sword beach and had a similar strongpoint to capture, would proceed west. After
completion of their appointed tasks the two Commando units were to meet, and the gap
between Juno and Sword beaches would be closed.

"Juno" beach was the codename given to the 10 kilometre (6 mile) stretch of Normandy
invasion coastline on which 48 Commando were to land. The beach was divided into two
designated assault sectors by Allied command -"Mike" between Graye-sur-Mer and
Courseulles to the west, and "Nan" between Courseulles and Saint Aubin in the east. The
landing beach at Saint Aubin was designated "Nan Red".

The Operation

A fortnight before D-Day, 48 Commando were stationed at a sealed camp in Swaythling,
near Southampton. At 17:00 on the afternoon of 5th June 1944 Dennis Smith and his
fellow Commandos departed Warsash on the River Hamble. Overnight they crossed the
Channel, arriving off Juno beach at Saint Aubin the following morning. The crossing had
been quite rough, with a heavy swell, and many of the Commandos experienced
seasickness. H-Hour was set for 07:45 but strong currents, reefs and submerged
German obstacles delayed the landing until approximately 08:10. As the Marines neared
the coast, naval ships bombarded the shore defences in a deafening barrage of shell fire.

Viewing the Normandy coast from their Landing Craft, the Commandos' plan was to land
on the beach just to the right of the church spire in Saint Aubin (towards Bernieres). The
tide was rising and on approaching the beach some Landing Craft became caught in
German sea defences, constructed of spiked metal stakes with mines attached -
approximately 30% of the Landing Craft were damaged or destroyed. Some Commandos
decided to wade ashore from their stricken landing craft but, weighed down with 100lb
packs, they were tragically swept away and drowned under the weight of their equipment.

It was planned that the Canadian 8th Infantry Brigade, the North Shore Regiment would
land first, secure the beach-head and be followed ashore by 48 Commando. The forces
had been briefed that there would be two exits from the beach but discovered that in
reality there was only one. Canadian tanks of the 10th Armoured Regiment (better known
as the Fort Gary Horse -formerly a Cavalry unit) experienced great difficulty manoeuvring
on the soft sand. In the confusion and melee, as the tanks advanced up the beach with
turret lids down they even ran over Commandos and other troops lying injured on the
beach. Wanting to protect the casualties, a senior Commando Officer who was clearly
angered by what he was witnessing, pulled the pin from an anti-tank grenade and hurled it
at a Canadian tank.

Extreme resistance was encountered from the soldiers of the German 716th Infantry
Division who were afforded excellent observation and firing positions from the seafront
houses they had commandeered. With little cover from the D-D floating tanks (many of
which had sunk before coming ashore), 48 Commando had to "rush" the sea wall, but the
Marines were under fire all the way up the beach. In securing the Beach Head, the first
wave of Canadian Troops and the Commandos suffered very high casualties.

The battle to advance to Objective was also to prove incredibly fierce. Leaving the beach
behind them, the Commandos dumped surplus kit in the garden of a house directly off the
beach. In close quarter, house-to-house fighting, they moved through the centre of the
village, encountering streets blocked with thick meshes of barbed wire. As the
Commandos advanced garden by garden, Dennis Smith recalled seeing two young girls
looking at him in bewilderment from the window of their house, before being pulled away
by their mother. Saint Aubin was finally overcome and occupied by the Allies after three
hours of fierce fighting.

On the outskirts of the village, on the Route de Langrune at a point near the roundabout,
and new fountain and garden, Dennis Smith encountered his first civilian casualty of the
operation. A French youth of approximately 16 years of age lay dead, next to his bicycle,
on the road.

The objective was for 48 Commando to move east and attack Langrune-sur-Mer, while 41
Commando who had landed at Lion-sur-Mer on Sword beach and had a similar
strongpoint to capture, would proceed west. The two Commando units were to meet after
completion of their respective tasks, and the gap between Juno and Sword beaches
would be closed. If German tanks had exploited that gap, both Juno and Sword beach-
heads could have been wiped out.

Naval ships off the coast were requested by the Commandos to cease their support after
one salvo of shells fell among one of the Commando Sections, killing the Officer and one
Marine and wounding several others. Safe from friendly fire, the Commandos were then
able to proceed onwards towards Langrune.

On 8th June, having secured Langrune, 48 Commando moved onto Douvres-
la-Deliverande. Three days later on 11th June, orders were received for them
to proceed to Pegasus Bridge (which spans the Caen Canal near
Ouistreham) where they were to assist the Paratroop Regiment in efforts to
hold this strategic point.

D-Day, the 6th June 1944, was probably the most significant day in World
War II, and an crucially important contribution had been made to the success
of the operation by 48 Commando Royal Marines (with the support of the
Canadian Infantry Division). The strongpoint of Langrune had been secured
and a continuous link established between the beaches of Sword, Juno and
Gold. Securing Juno Beach allowed 22,000 troops and their equipment to
come ashore on D-Day, albeit at a cost of 340 dead and 574 wounded.

(Click here to view a collection of D-Day photographs provided kindly by the
Royal Marines Museum, Southsea.)

All members present were extremely moved by Dennis Smith's highly
personal account of his D-Day landing on the beach at Saint Aubin-sur-Mer;
a contribution which has added significantly to the Association's
understanding of the history of the village we know so well. In appreciation,
Dennis Smith has been made a Life-member of the Saint Aubin - Emsworth
Twinning Association.

As daylight dwindled, the attack on the strongpoint was suspended, and the
Commandos were called back to the inland boundaries of Langrune to prepare for
an expected German counter-attack. A roll-call late that evening revealed the tragic
statistic that of the 440 Marines from 48 Commando who had left England, their
strength, having successfully taken Saint Aubin, had now been reduced to 223.

During the night, Dennis Smith escorted Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Smedley to
the home of the Mayor of Langrune. He maintained guard outside the house while
important discussions were held indoors.

The following morning (7th June), as the anticipated counter-attack during the night
had not occurred, the attack on the Langrune strongpoint resumed. German
defences protected the centre of the town. Reinforced concrete barriers (6 feet
high and 5 feet deep) had been erected at the end of each access road. The
occupying German troops had also constructed a network of trenches, tunnels and
"manholes" behind the seafront, in which they could hide. (This place in Langrune
is now known as "Place de 6 Juin").

After further hard fighting, the operation to take the Langrune strongpoint was
brought to a conclusion by early/mid-afternoon. In capturing Langrune and securing
the strongpoint, 48 Commando took prisoner 35 German troops who had been
holding the coastal town, and several others were killed.

Later that same day, as the Commandos prepared to move on, Saint Aubin-sur-
Mer was handed back to French control. Those who had bravely lost their lives in
action were buried by their comrades in the garden of the house that had been
used on D-Day morning to dump surplus equipment. (To identify the particular
house, Dennis Smith has since walked around this area of Saint Aubin on a
number of occasions, but to no avail).