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Old 10-03-05, 20:05
Mark W. Tonner's Avatar
Mark W. Tonner Mark W. Tonner is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: London, Ontario, Canada.
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Post Re: Regina Rifles - 6 June 1944

Hi Kevin;

Some other information regarding shipping:

From AHQ Report No 54:

210. The rifle companies of the battalions of 7 and 8 Cdn Inf Bdes were embarked in 15 L.S.I., each with its complement of L.C.A. at the davits. Two companies of reserve battalions found themselves quartered in Canadian ships: “A” Company of R. de Chaud in H.M.C.S. Prince Henry, both L.S.I. (M.). For this reason the latter sub-unit was accounted by the rest of its battalion as “the luckiest of the serials” (W.D., R. de Chaud and 1 C. Scot R., 2 Jun 44). Headquarters of the four assaulting battalions were
established in L.C.H. (3 Cdn Inf Div O.O. No. 1.) The rifle companies of the reserve brigade were, on the other hand, boarded on ten L.C.I. (L) of the 262nd Flotilla, R.C.N. ((HS) 122.013(D1): R.C.N’s Part in the Invasion. Narrative by R.C.N. Historical Section.) These later craft would in time beach themselves, since they were not to participate in the assault phase. Formation and unit priority vehicles, i.e., those essential to the conduct of the battle ashore, were loaded in L.C.T. The first of these were to disembark at H plus 80 minutes (3 Cdn Inf Div O.O. No. 1).

211. Throughout the force certain larger vessels were specially fitted out as headquarters, both naval and military. Chief among these was H.M.S. Hilary, the flag ship of the Commodore commanding Force “J”. She carried also H.Q. 3 Cdn Inf Div (reduced) and the Commander, 1 Brit Corps and his staff. It will be recalled that Hilary had served as headquarters ship to 1 Cdn Inf Div in the Sicilian operation (C.M.H.Q. Report No. 126). Each brigade commander and his naval equivalent, the Senior Officer Assault Group (S.O.A.G.), were accommodated in an Assault Group Headquarters Ship -

- the frigate H.M.S. Lawford for 7 Cdn Inf Bde (J.1), and H.M.S. Waveney for 8 Cdn Inf Bde (J.2). H.Q. 9 Cdn Inf Bde (J.3) was set up in L.S.I. (H), H.M.S. Royal Ulsterman, Alternate headquarters ships (stand-by ships) were named as a precautionary measure. In the event of Hilary being put out of action, for example, command was to be exercised from Royal Ulsterman (3 Cdn Inf Div O.O. No.1).

212. The two assault regiments of 2 Cdn Armd Bde - 6 and 10 Cdn Armd Regts - were borne mostly in L.C.T. 27 Cdn Armd Regt was carried in L.C.T. and L.S.T. Brigade Headquarters was split for the passage, each portion travelling on L.S.T. (2 Cdn Armd Bde Report on Operation “OVERLORD”, op cit).

213. A word here as to loading and assembling generally may help to clarify the movements of the invasion fleets. All along the Southern English coast, in the order corresponding to their objectives across the Channel, the assault forces were preparing to sail. From West to East, these loading points were:

Force “U” Torquay, Brixham, Bartmouth, Plymouth East
Force “O” Portland and Weymouth
Force “G” Southampton
Force “J” Southampton and Portsmouth
Force “S” Portsmouth, Newhaven, Shoreham.

The follow-up forces were embarked on the flanks of this huge area - those of force “B” at Falmouth and Plymouth West, and those of Force “L” at Tilbury and Felixstowe. The first build-up forces were to be loaded and assembled in the Bristol Channel and the Thames. “MULBERRY” concrete units were collected in anchorages clear of the other forces on the South coast. Most of the heavy units of the bombarding forces were assembled at ports on the west coast (Source quoted in C.M.H.Q. Report No. 147 as Operation “NEPTUNE”, Naval Operation Orders, Part 4.) Routes to be followed by all outward-bound groups, convoys and other units from D minus 1 to D plus 3 are clearly illustrated by the series of “Mickey Mouse Diagrams” in Naval Orders (Ibid, Part 20).
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From CFHQ Report No. 005:

ASSAULT GROUPS J-1 AND J-2 IN THE INVASION OF NORMANDY

Together, J-1 (HMCS PRINCE HENRY Senior Officer Landing Ships Infantry) and J-2 made up Force "J", which was one of five approximately equal assault forces on 6 June 1944. The sectors of the Normandy coast to be attacked were named, from west to east: UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, SWORD; Force "J's" target was "Juno" sector, a stretch of beach about five miles long with the village of Courseulles in the middle. Three definite beach areas were established within "Juno" sector: from the west called LOVE, MIKE and NAN. Some of these were further divided into Green, White and Red zones (to right, centre and left viewed from seaward).

Senior Officer of Assault Group J-1 was in HMS LAWFORD, a frigate which became the first British warship lost in Operation "Neptune" when it was bombed on 8 June. This group's order of sailing on 5 June was:

HMS STEVENSTONE (destroyer) Senior Officer Escort
HMS LAWFORD S.O. J-1 Captain A.F. Pugsley, RN
PRINCE HENRY S.O. Landing Ships Infantry J-1 Captain V.S. Godfrey, RCN
HMS INVECTA
SS ISLE OF THANET
SS MECKLENBERG
SS DUKE OF ARGYLL
Fighting French Ship LA COMBATTANTE (destroyer, escort)
HMS QUEEN EMMA
HMS ULSTER MONARCH
SS CANTERBURY
SS LAIRD'S ISLE
SS LLANDOVERY CASTLE
HMS VENUS (destroyer, escort)

Three Motor Gun Boats (#'s 312, 316 and 324) and one "Coast Guard cutter"
completed Group J-1.

Group J-2 was of similar composition, but had eight Landing Ships
Infantry instead of ten. Its order of sailing to the assault was:

HMS BLEASDALE (destroyer) Senior Officer Escort
HMS WAVENEY ("River" Class Frigate) Senior Officer Assault Group J-2 Captain R.J.O. Otway-Ruthven, RN
HMS BRIGADIER (Landing Ship Infantry Small) Senior Officer Landing Ships
Infantry Group J-2 Commander H.J.R. Paramore, RN
SS CLAN LAMONT
HMS ST. HELIER
SS LADY OF MANN
HMS GLAISDALE (destroyer, escort)
HMS DUKE OF WELLINGTON
SS MONOWAI
SS ISLE OF GUERNSEY
PRINCE DAVID
HMS KEMPENFELT (destroyer, escort)

Also in company were three motor launches and two United States Coast Guard rescue craft.

Group J-1 was to assault over Mike Green and Red and Nan Green beaches (schedule H-hour 0735); J-2 over Nan White and Nan Red (0745). These H-hours were postponed ten minutes because of navigational errors made in the crossing. the assault in PRINCE DAVID's sector was the latest one of D-day, occurring 1-1/4 hours after the first attacks in the American sectors (OMAHA and UTAH) 15-30 miles to the westward. Both Assault Groups carried mainly Canadian troops to Normandy. J-1 had the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier H.W. Foster, CBE, DSO, Canadian Army (Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Regina Rifle Regiment and the Canadian Scottish Regiment); J-2 brought over the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Brigadier R.G. Blackadar, CBE, DSO, MC, Canadian Army (Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, North Shore New Brunswick Regiment, and le Régiment de la Chaudière). From each brigade, the Canadian Landing Ships carried chiefly units of the last named battalions, which were not involved in the initial assaults, but landed in reserve 45 minutes later. (Reference: RCN List, July 1944; RN List, June 1944; Battle Summary No. 39; HMCS PRINCE DAVID and PRINCE HENRY, Reports of Proceedings; NHS, Narrative B, Master copy, v. I, p. 87; Stacey, The Canadian Army, pp. 176-80; Godfrey, "Neptune" (CS 155-5-3); The War at Sea (preliminary narrative), v. V, para. 2070; Jane's Fighting Ships 1943-4 and 1944-5.)

Cheers
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Mark
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