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BR JUNO-GOLD

CONVERSATIONS WITH GENERAL CROCKER, C.O. 30th Corps and GEN. GALE, 6th Airborne

1. Find Captain Roseveare (Airborne Association).. He took jeep five
miles into enemy territory, blew up bridge at Troarn, lost one man who
was shot and fell off back of jeep, with guns forward , rushed his way
through enemy occupied village..

2. Canadian Parachute drop..... badly scattered drop.. should have
been around Le Mesnil..lead by Bradbrooke.. Took good time to collect..
had to blow bridges at Varaville and [crossed out] (?) [end crossed out] [inserted] Robehomme [end inserted] They- dropped into Dives area
and canal... They did their job, nothing to stop them.

3. Tetrarchs arrived afternoon of D-Day.. not used untilnext day.
They were to be used outside perimeter... to interfere with communications
between Troarn and Caen.. meant to be a nuisance. But they never broke
out of bridgehead.. Used as machine gun pillboxes in woods of Boid de Bavent.

4. That night a number of 171b. guns were dropped for Gale.

5. Panzer recce into Airborne territory... probably a battalion of
Grenadiers, some 800 men. and sp. guns.

6. There were rumours that German tanks were seen and destroyed that
day. Not so, says Gale: they were Sp. guns.

7. However, Canadian Brigade on inner flank ran into spearhead of 21st
Panzer and knocked out about 7 or 8 of them.

8. All german armour on D-Day committed on West side of river and canal.

9. Regarding statements that advanced units got into Caen that night,
Gale says we substanially did not get beyond Lebisey Wood. It would
be easy to mistake little village for outskirts of Caen.... Several
weeks later when we finally got into Caen there was still the wreckage
of bren guns which had got to perimeters, only.

10. The story of the flail tanks.... Some nine months before D-Day,
Eisenhower and a number of his generals came to British Army to see
demonstration of Flail tanks.. Elsnhower was impressed... would have liked
to tie in with development of our own coastal assault, but Americans
obse ssed with Far-Eastern experience of "saturating" a position with
naval and air bombardment, then walking in. They were not concerned
with armoured support.

Our, the British major problem and one which tried us all, was to
provide adequate fire support in first hours, almost minutes, of landing.

The naval bombardment was discounted by most people, Crocker including.
It was chiefly a matter of morale, did troops good to see this weight
of fire against enemy, demoralised the enemy... But Gerry still left after
stupendous bombardment.. Very difficult for naval fire to be accurate..
witness Troarn and Merville.

11. Merville battery... a navy business really. The guns were only
75's , but they might have been heavier..

12. Ask Bobbie Bray, C/O 56th London Div. about pigeon message to
say Merville cleared. He was Gale's GL. It was almost certain tobe code name.