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2.

13. Gale sent message to Crocker about 6 - 8 p.m. June 6th to say
"All objectives captured." Gale reminds us that he was the only British
general in the field that day.

14. Gale on Pegasus Bridge that evening when Gerry dropped a thousand-
pound bomb. Fortunately it didn't go off.

15. Crocker says that from Corps point of view everything went more
or less to plan that day. There were no disasters, no failures. Thing
at back of his mind was not the danger of getting ashore, but of problem
of repelling attack should it come within first twelve hours. Whatever
your plan, the resources you have to fight with during those first hours
are of necessity slender: you have no real communications established, no
real armour tied in, etc. But by about 7.30 that evening I was confident
of a foothold, but not fully confident until the next morning that we could
hold foothold. AFTER THAT THERE WAS NOT A SHADOW OF DOUBT THAT WE SHOULD
BE VICTORIOUS. It wasn't until D plus three or four that I got worried.
I heard that there was to be a strong armoued counter-attack. But by 7.0 a.m.
on June 7th I was perfectly satisfied that we were there to stay.

Crockers says "Its a hard thing to say, but really it was all routine.
Once the plan had been put into effect there was no more we could do. Rennie,
c/o 3rd Div., changed the plan in the afternoon because he felt his right flank
was threatened.. but he had absolute command in the field and I couldn't
interfere. "It was like a machine: once you pushedthe button and started it
running, you couldn't stop it." "Mind you, before D-Day we had a conference
and every possible contingency was thought of. What would Gale do if the
bridges had already been blown? what would he do if he didn't capture the
Merville Battery? Who would take over if I were drowned or wounded?" Fortunately
there was never any need to introduce alternative plans.

SUGGEST we see 3rd Div. Bttn. Commander Major Gen. Goodwin, T.A.

LT. Col. Young, Col. on Canadian beaches has interesting medical story.

Harry Foster, Canadian, 7th Infantry Brigade, got through to Bretteville first
day.

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