[Crewman]

Originally posted by John McGillivray
We are getting away from the original topic of this thread which was about the battles on the 7th of June.

Perhaps not all of you know Maj.-Gen. Harry W. Foster's memoirs and reflections related to June 7th. He was then Brigadier and GOC of the Canadian 7th Infantry Brigade. I like Foster very much because he was very honest and artless man and these are uncommon attributes in the case of generals. Let's look at John's story from the command level.

Originally written by Maj.-Gen. Harry W. Foster

We were now holding a very thin line with a number of gaps. If the Germans organized a counterattack during the night we'd have been in serious trouble. The men were bushed. Some hadn't slept in three days. They were stuffed with wake-up pills and just about dead on their feet. Div. HQ said that aerial reconnaissance had spotted the 12th SS moving up and for us to expect counterattacks during the early morning… I called an O Group for regimental commanders for 0130 hours to lay out the next day's drill.

The problem with wars is that they operate on 24-hour basis and those intending to make the decision necessary for fighting them either learn to adapt or are swiftly replaced. Too many lives are at stake for it to be otherwise. It is not his opponent but mental fatigue and muzzy-mindedness that will always be a commanding officer's greatest enemies in battle.

I was proud of them. The easy part was over. So far we still held the advantage because the Germans had fumbled the ball. Now it become a matter of hanging on to what we'd captured while both sides brought in their reserves. Ours were still coming ashore as fast as ships could bring them from England; theirs were racing to reach the cost. But even matching the Germans division for division, man for man, they still held an enormous advantage: experienced front-line leaders.

Our superiority lay in ships, aircraft, weapons and supplies. But in war that's not enough because in the end it all comes down to a few men at the front who do the actual fighting and the even fewer who lead them. Our front-line leaders -- myself included -- from sergeants through to divisional generals were greenhorns. Our battle experiences for the most part consisted of war games played along the English coast or on the moors and downs. Our instructors were professionals who'd seen action in the First War or learned their trade in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. We could listen and try following their advice. Yet battle conditions are never quite what one expects. A senior officer might get top marks on exercises leading his troops at the divisional, brigade or regimental level yet wind up as a disaster when it came to the real thing. During those first days in Normandy our troops fought superbly but their leaders left a hell of a lot to be desired.

Just beyond Buron we ran into a heavy mortar barrage. Our tanks deployed and started firing at Authie while the men on foot spread out and worked their way forward trying to keep low and under cover. The German tanks were dug into a "V" formation directly in front of us along either side of the road with only their gun turrets sticking out. Behind them, on higher ground, were their anti-tank gunners. We had walked into a beautifully laid trap. Within minutes most of our tanks had been knocked out. Everything happened so fast that the crews never had a chance. The Shermans went up like torches… explosions, fire, smoke and screaming men. The bulk of A and C Companies were either wiped out or captured.


Source:
Tony Foster
Meeting of Generals
Authors Choice Press, Lincoln 1986
ISBN 0-595-13750-4
pages 309-311