[John McGillivray]

During the counter attack against the Winnipeg Rifles at Putot-en-Bessin, how deeply involved were the troops from Panzer Lehr? In Hubert Meyer”s book he states on page 49

“…,that the Panzer-Lehr Division was to assemble in the same area as Panzergrenadierregiment 26 of the ‘HJ’ Division.”

Also he quotes on page 50, the commander of 6th company II/26 Obersturmführer Schmolke as followers:

“An infantry platoon of the Panzer-Lehr-Division attacked together with us and put itself under my command. I also met a Hauptmann (capt.), a battery commander, who supported the attack with his fire”


In Mark Zuehlhe’s book “Holding Juno” There are some references to actions by Panzer Lehr at la Bergerie Ferme, which is located North-East of Putot-en-Bessin.

Page 157
“To address the snipers pestering the 'D' Company platoon [Canadian Scottish] at la Bergerie Ferme, Cabeldu arranged some heavy support. The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa sent No. 5 Platoon with its Vickers machine guns and No. 13 Platoon with its heavy mortars, while the 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery provided 'E' Battery [Troop?] and the 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery contributed a troop from the 94th Battery. When Captain Harold Gonder of No. 5 Platoon reported to Canadian Scottish commander Cabeldu for instructions, he was told to "build up as strong a redoubt there as you can. Make it impregnable and ready for any attacks during the night or the morning.""

“Born in China to missionary parents, Gonder had lived overseas until his parents returned to Ontario when he was sixteen. He had entered the army during the Depression and worked his way up from the ranks. Prior to the invasion, he completed a stint as Major General Rod Keller's aide-de-camp. Normally, following such a posting an officer was appointed to headquarters staff, but Gonder had asked instead to return to the Camerons because he felt more at home in the ranks of a combat unit. The machine-gunner set to the task of fortifying the farm in close coordination with Lieutenant Gerry Blanchard of the 62nd's 'E' Battery [Troop?], whose 17-pounders provided the greatest weight of firepower. Gonder found Blanchard to be "a very easy going, friendly, debonair, Errol Flynn type of fellow. We managed to emplace our guns, so we were well concealed but had an unobstructed field of fire and view ahead of us." Digging their antitank guns and the Vickers machine guns into firing positions on the edge of a wood immediately west of the farm, the two men agreed that "if enemy tanks should appear [Blanchard] should give first order to fire. This was only logical because machine guns couldn't do much damage to tanks, whereas an antitank crew—properly trained and with the advantages we enjoyed—could create a great deal of havoc." The guns were positioned so that they had a clear field of fire along an arc swinging from the west to the south in order to cover all potential routes of approach likely to be used by the enemy.”

Page 162-165
“Unbeknown to Siebken, his flank was not threatened as feared, for a strong force of Panzer Lehr Division Panther tanks was already well north of his position grinding along a ridge paralleling the woods at la Bergerie Ferme. Captain Harold Gonder and Lieutenant Gerry Blanchard apprehensively watched this line of nine tanks cross the railroad west of Putot-en-Bessin and rattle towards their position. The 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment battery commander had only two 17-pound antitank guns and two 6-pounders from the 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment's 94th Battery capable of bringing sights to bear on the approaching Panthers.

“Gonder could hardly believe the cavalier manner of the German tank commanders. They were all sitting tall in their open turrets, looking straight ahead as if on a training manoeuvre. Glancing over at the antitank gunners quietly tracking the tanks with their guns, he thought it should be like shooting ducks in a row for them. The range was dosing fast, down to about 1,200 yards, with the tanks approaching the farm in a tightly regimented single line. Everything was developing into a perfect ambush until one of his sergeants suddenly shouted in a panicky voice, "Fire!" Before Gonder could countermand the order, every Vickers machine gun in the line ripped off a long burst of fire. "Oh, boy, here we go," Gonder thought, as "immediately down came the turrets and the German tanks got into action... fast."

“The jig up, the four antitank guns cracked out an opening salvo that left four Panthers wrecked, and hastened to reload. Even as they did so, the remaining five Panthers swung towards them with long-barrelled 75-millimetre guns barking out rapid fusillades. Gonder watched in helpless horror as the crew of one antitank gun or Vickers machine gun after another was "literally slaughtered" by shells "fused to burst on impact. The uncanny skill of those tankers in finding us and getting the range was ghastly."

“In seconds, both 17-pounders were out of action, with many gunners dead or wounded. Blanchard rushed to the rear to bring up another 17-pounder and 6-pounder that had been covering the farm's northern flank, while Gonder shifted his machine guns to new positions not yet zeroed in by the tankers, who were now being supported by German mortar fire that was hammering the wood. "Fearing that the tanks were accompanied by infantry, [Gonder] exhorted his men to keep the guns in action," wrote the Camerons' regimental historian. "Sergeant Stanley and Private A.W. Bond picked up a gun whose crew had been disabled, and moving to an exposed bit of ground continued to fire at and around the tanks until the situation had been restored." The two men were subsequently awarded Military Medals and Gonder the Military Cross for their behaviour in this action.

“The company's casualties, however, were heavy. Although all his Vickers remained operational, Gonder lacked soldiers to man most of them. Having had their mortars wrecked by the opening salvo of German mortar fire, the surviving members of the Camerons' No. 13 Platoon jumped in, but were still too few to bring all the guns back on line. Fortunately, a number of the Canadian Scottish troops were "old 2nd Battalion men." This prewar battalion of the Canadian Scottish Regiment had been briefly reorganized in 1936 into a machine-gun battalion similar to the Camerons. Harkening back to their long unused training, the soldiers reacquainted themselves with the powerful, little-modified, -3O3-calibre workhorse that had served Commonwealth forces since before the Boer War.

“Smothered by artillery and mortar fire and raked from a distance by the Panthers, casualties among 'E' Troop grew to the point where Blanchard ended up "laying and firing one of the guns himself." The rapid fire the British and Canadian antitank gunners kept throwing at the Panthers served to keep them at their distance, so the two sides engaged in a standoff from mid-morning to about 1630 hours. Then the tanks, undoubtedly low on ammunition, turned about and waddled home. The battle for la Bergerie Ferme was over. 'E' Troop's casualties were four dead, seven wounded, and two missing. Blanchard's cool bravery under fire earned a Military Cross.

“When Canadian Scottish Major G.T. "Tony" MacEwan visited his 'D' Company platoon positioned in the wood, he was "surprised to find no casualties... although they were all shaken up. The mortars [No. 13 Platoon] were in a bad way [with] their transport—about four trucks—in all... hit and brewing. The MGS had many casualties." MacEwan's visit was in the mid-afternoon, and he thought the worst of the fight at the farm finished for the moment. The major reported the attack against la Bergerie as part of the offensive by 12th SS (Hitlerjugend) Panzer Division, not realizing that his men had faced down a probe by Panzer Lehr Division—just beginning to establish a presence on the battlefield. He was little worried about the situation at the farm, but greatly concerned by the ever increasing intensity of fire coming from Putot-en-Bessin. It seemed that the main focus of German attention was shifting inexorably to focus directly on that village."”