During planning for Operation Overlord - the Allied invasion of Normandy - it became obvious that following the D-Day landings, Allied troops would need a reliable fuel supply to prevent their advance from stalling. Any loss of momentum would give the German forces a chance to regroup and counterattack. Although the logistics infrastructure for the invasion included two temporary Mulberry artificial harbours, where fuel in jerry cans would initially be landed, a more reliable solution was needed.
Since conventional oil tankers were vulnerable to air attacks and bad weather, an innovative idea was conceived whereby fuel from storage tanks in the south of England would be pumped through pipelines under the English Channel to ports on the coast of France. The plan for Operation PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean) called for two such pipelines: "Bambi" would link Sandown, on the Isle of Wight, to Cherbourg, while "Dumbo" would run from Dungeness, Kent, to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
However, until such a time when Cherbourg and Boulogne-sur-Mer had been captured, an interim solution would be needed. "Tombola" was a system of short pipelines to transfer fuel from tankers moored offshore. One set was to be installed at Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes, while a second would supply the small fishing harbour of Port-en-Bessin. The rapid capture of Port-en-Bessin, located between Omaha and Gold beaches, was seen as crucial, as it was destined to become the main port for fuel deliveries to Normandy until Cherbourg had been liberated.
No. 47 (Royal Marine) Commando
Lessons learned from the disastrous Dieppe Raid in August 1942 meant a frontal assault on Port-en-Bessin was ruled out. Instead, No. 47 (Royal Marine) Commando was to land at Gold Beach on the morning of D-Day, assemble at La Rosière, and move cross-country to Mont Cavalier, a ridge south of Port-en-Bessin. From here, a landward assault, supported by naval gunfire, would be launched to capture the town.
No. 47 (RM) Commando had been formed in Dorchester on 1st August 1943 from the 10th Battalion, Royal Marines. Under the command of Acting Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Farndale Phillips, the unit was reorganised and brought up to Commando standard. Approximately half of the original personnel were washed out based on physical fitness or their disciplinary record, while replacements were absorbed. After attending the demanding Commando course at Achnacarry, in the Scottish Highlands, the men earned the right to wear the coveted green beret.
In late 1943, all the army and Royal Marine Commandos were fairly evenly grouped into four new Special Service Brigades, intended to spearhead future Allied landing operations. No. 47 Commando was assigned to the all-Royal Marine 4th Special Service Brigade, alongside No. 41, No. 46 and No. 48 (RM) Commandos. By this point, the organisation of a Commando unit had been standardised into a small headquarters group, five fighting troops, a heavy weapons troop equipped with 3-inch mortars and Vickers machine guns, and a signals platoon. No. 47 Commando consisted of around 420 officers and men, most of whom had seen no action by the time they embarked at Southampton for Normandy on 3rd June 1944.
Port-en-Bessin
The small fishing harbour of Port-en-Bessin, in Calvados, is located some ten kilometres northwest of Bayeux. Lying between two chalk cliffs - Castel to the east and Huppain to the west - this natural harbour was further protected by two artificial moles. In June 1944, the German garrison consisted of the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 726th Grenadier Regiment. Although the 726th Grenadier Regiment was part of the 716th (Static) Infantry Division, its 1st Battalion had been placed under the command of the 352nd Infantry Division. The unit had seen no action before 6th June, and though reasonably equipped, it was far from being properly prepared for front-line infantry combat. An additional 50 personnel from the Kriegsmarine were also based in the town.
The defences of Port-en-Bessin consisted of four main strong points. One was located in the town itself, another to the south, on the road to Bayeux. There was also one strong point on each of the cliffs overlooking the port. Designated as the Western and Eastern Features, these rose to around 60 metres, making an assault on these positions, defended by trenches, bunkers, minefields, and barbed wire, even more difficult.
Unbeknownst to the Allied planners, despite earlier German proposals to evacuate the townspeople, the local inhabitants were still in residence when 24 Consolidated B-24 Liberators from the 785th Bombardment Squadron, 466th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces were dispatched from RAF Attlebridge to bomb Port-en-Bessin on the morning of D-Day, although the bombs missed their mark. A naval bombardment, however, caused damage and casualties, including five killed.
The Landings
No. 47 Commando left the Solent on 5th June aboard the Landing Ship Infantry HMS Princess Josephine Charlotte and the SS Victoria. At 5 am the following morning, at a point some 13 kilometres off the Normandy coast, the men were loaded into 14 Landing Craft Assault (LCA), each carrying 30 Commandos. At 8 am, right on schedule, they started their run-in towards Gold Beach.
The plan called for an unopposed dry landing at 8.30 am, behind the assault battalions of the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division. However, as the LCAs approached the shore, they came under heavy fire from coastal artillery. One LCA was sunk in this way, while four more were lost to mines attached to beach obstacles. 28 Commandos were killed or drowned, 21 were wounded, and another 27 were missing, including their commanding officer, Lt. Col. Phillips. Many of the Commandos who had ended up in the water had been forced to abandon their kit to make it ashore. Three of their four wireless sets were gone, as was most of the ammunition and all the sights for the 3-inch mortars.
Advance to La Rosière
Weapons, ammunition, and equipment were scrounged from friendly and enemy dead on the beach, while another unit lent the Commando an extra wireless set. Following a briefing by Major Patrick Donnell - the second-in-command - No. 47 Commando was ready to move off by around 10.30 am. As the men advanced along the Meauvaines-Buhot road, they came under mortar fire, while one marine was shot dead by a sniper. Yet the Commando enjoyed some good luck when Lieutenant Colonel Phillips, who had been forced to swim ashore, rejoined his unit, as did a party of four Bren Gun Carriers from the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment.
As they continued their advance towards La Rosière, the Commandos were involved in a series of skirmishes with German troops. No Commandos were lost, although several Germans were killed or captured. More serious opposition was encountered at La Rosière, where one Commando was killed and 11 were wounded. 20 Germans were taken prisoner and, by 5.30 pm - some six hours behind schedule - the Commando was in all-round defence at La Rosière. Following an Orders Group by the commanding officer, the Commandos set off cross-country towards Mont Cavalier, which had been designated Point 72. More resistance was encountered along the way, but this was soon overcome or bypassed, with occasional prisoners being taken and no further losses to the Commandos.
Point 72
By sunset, they had reached their objective, which was found to be unoccupied, save for an aid post with two German medical officers and a couple of wounded, who were swiftly captured. By now, it was too late to launch an attack, so it was decided to dig in for the night and begin the assault the following morning. The Commandos prepared a meal from ration packs and established the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) in the captured German dugout, before settling down for a couple of hours of sleep.
By morning, the Commandos had still not been detected, even after a small party of Germans turned up for sick parade at their former aid post, where they were promptly taken prisoner. Yet the attack had to be delayed, as due to the inadequate communications equipment, the Commandos were unable to contact the Americans, whose artillery support figured so largely in the plan to capture the port. The morning was spent checking over equipment and reconnoitring the enemy positions. Two local youths soon turned up to offer useful information about the German defences and offered to act as guides.
At about 11 am, communications were established with 231st Infantry Brigade Headquarters, enabling the FOB (Forward Observer Bombardment) to call for naval gunfire support. Lieutenant Colonel Phillips gave his orders. The attack was to be launched at 4 pm. X Troop was to attack the enemy strongpoint leading into the town, whilst A and B Troops pushed on to assault the Western and Eastern Features respectively. Q and Y Troops, which had been particularly impacted during the landings, would remain in reserve with headquarters at Point 72. The Heavy Weapons Troop would provide what support it could with the limited weapons at its disposal. Apart from the naval bombardment, the assault would also be preceded by an air attack by rocket-firing Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers. A battery from the 147th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, would provide smoke cover.
Launching the Attack
The naval bombardment began at 2 pm, with two Landing Craft, Gun (Large) targeting the waterfront. At 3 pm, they were joined by the six-inch guns of the light cruiser HMS Emerald. This continued until 4 pm as planned. In the meantime, at 3.50 pm - right on schedule - the first squadron of Typhoons rolled in, followed soon after by two more squadrons, attacking with rockets and 20 mm autocannon. Finally, at 4 pm, the field battery started to smoke the port and the high ground on either side.
Whilst all this was happening, the assaulting troops had begun moving forward towards the line of departure. On their way there, they came under fire from the direction of La Fosse Soucy to the south. Fire was exchanged, resulting in casualties on both sides, but the troops continued into the planned assault. As soon as the last air strike was over, X Troop, led by Captain Dennis Walton, advanced towards the enemy strongpoint guarding the road into the town. With their bayonets fixed, the men quickly overran the position, taking an officer and 18 men prisoner, even as A and B Troops pushed on into the town itself.
As A Troop reached the edge of the town, it came under mortar fire which left one man killed and another wounded. Nonetheless, the troop managed to reach the church in the centre of the town, led by Henri Gouget, a local gendarme who had volunteered his services. Gouget would later be awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palme for his efforts. A Troop turned left towards a track that led up towards the Western Feature.
B Troop had also reached the town centre, progressing as far as the inner basin under the cover of smoke. The men spotted a small party of Germans, who were convinced to surrender by the German-speaking Sergeant Eugene Fuller. Fuller’s real name was Eugen Kagerer-Stein. The Austrian national was attached from No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. In the meantime, X Troop had moved up behind A Troop, while Q Troop was dispatched to follow B Troop on the other side of town.
Setbacks
A Troop, led by 22-year-old Captain Terence Cousins, had no sooner started advancing up the hill when it came under heavy rifle and machine gun fire from the trenches above. The biggest threat, however, came from two German flak ships moored in the harbour. These flat-bottomed vessels were armed with 88 mm guns and heavy automatic weapons, which inflicted heavy casualties on the Commandos. Within minutes, 12 men had been killed and another 17 injured. This accounted for more than half the troop. Sensibly, Cousins ordered his men to withdraw, although Corporal George Amos, stunned by a grenade explosion, was inadvertently left behind. Captured by the Germans, he was taken into one of the bunkers to be questioned.
Back in town, while B Troop was searching and questioning Sergeant Fuller’s prisoners near the inner basin, two machine guns opened up on them. One Commando was killed and another 11 were wounded. The rest of the troop scattered and took cover in nearby buildings.
More trouble was brewing at the rear headquarters at Point 72. At around 4.30 pm, the position had started to come under machine gun and mortar fire, and by 8 pm, an attack from the direction of Le Pont Fâtu appeared to be developing. By this point, the last available reserve - Y Troop - had been called forward by Lieutenant Colonel Phillips, which meant that the position was only defended by around 20 Commandos, including several wounded.
Although two German probing attacks were repulsed, a more determined assault by 30 to 40 men overran the position. Most of the Commandos managed to get away after having detuned their radios and destroyed their maps, but some were captured. A number of the wounded were carried piggyback into town, where the Medical Officer, Captain John Forfar, established a new RAP. Meanwhile, the flak ships were still a threat, ammunition was starting to run low, and casualties were rising: By this point, the Commando's strength had shrunk to 280 men, many of them wounded.
Silencing the Flak Ships
While events had been unfolding in the town, the destroyers HMS Ursa and ORP Krakowiak had been patrolling just outside Port-en-Bessin’s breakwater, unable to provide supporting fire because of the danger of hitting their own troops. At around 9 pm, they came under fire from the bridge of one of the flak ships moored in the harbour, and both returned fire, though with unknown results. The captains of the two ships decided to send naval parties to board and secure the enemy vessels.
At around 10.30 pm, two armed motorboats, one from each destroyer, entered the harbour and moved towards the flak ships, firing with rifles and machine guns. No return fire came from the two vessels, and the reason was discovered soon afterwards. Their crews had abandoned ship, leaving behind three dead Germans and a dog, which was rescued and adopted by the crew of HMS Ursa.
The Final Assault
In the meantime, a reconnaissance party from B Troop had been sent to try to find a way up the Eastern Feature. This patrol was badly mortared, suffering nine casualties. Yet, A Troop’s Captain Cousins, carrying out his own reconnaissance with the survivors of his depleted troop, discovered a zigzag path on the southern side of the Eastern Feature which led to the clifftop and appeared to be clear of mines and enemy machine gun posts. As they approached the top, the men came under heavy fire, forcing them to withdraw, but upon reaching the town, Cousins informed Lieutenant Colonel Phillips that if he was given 25 men, he was confident that the position could be taken.
Phillips decided to use Q Troop and what was left of A Troop for the attack and spent the next hour arranging for fire support. This was to be provided by the Heavy Weapons Troop’s solitary Vickers machine gun and some Bren Gun Carriers, while 2-inch mortar smoke would offer some cover as the men advanced. The attack began at around 10 pm. As the men crested the hill, Cousins fired a red Very light, signalling for A Troop to wheel left and Q Troop to go right.
Captain Jaffrey Vincent’s Q Troop moved forward, firing from the hip, until they reached an enemy position, where they took seven prisoners, including an English-speaking officer. A Troop was making good progress when it suddenly came under very heavy fire. Cousins ordered most of his men to remain in cover under Lieutenant Gordon Wilson, whilst he advanced with four men to silence the position. When the firing died down, Wilson ordered the rest of the men forward, only to discover that Cousins had been killed by a grenade in the assault. Yet, as a result of his actions, the surviving German troops quickly surrendered.
In the meantime, Captain Vincent had received more surrenders with the help of the English-speaking German officer. His group reunited with Lieutenant Wilson’s party and found themselves confronting a group of around 40 German soldiers in a strong defensive position. Once again, the captured German officer was instrumental in convincing his compatriots to surrender, following a heated argument which lasted around ten minutes. One enemy position after another was captured, and by midnight, the whole of the Eastern Feature had been cleared of enemy troops.
Aftermath
Following the collapse of the Eastern Feature, the defenders of the Western Feature also lost heart. At about 4 am on the morning of 8th June, Corporal Amos was woken by his captors, who asked him to lead their party of 23 Germans down from the clifftop with white flags. B Troop took charge of them at around 5 am. Throughout the morning, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips was preoccupied with evacuating the wounded and retaking Point 72. As it happened, the latter position had already been abandoned, while La Fosse Soucy was captured that evening by the 2nd Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment.
That same evening, No. 47 Commando received orders to march to the area around Douvres-la-Délivrande, and eventually to a position east of the Orne River to reinforce the British 6th Airborne Division. The Commando’s losses for Operation Aubery included 46 men killed, 68 wounded, six captured, and 28 missing - an overall loss rate of around 35 per cent. No. 47 Commando did not return to the UK at once, but undertook defensive and patrolling actions around Sallenelles until the end of July, incurring further casualties.
U.S. troops reached Port-en-Bessin on 9th June, thus linking up the American and British beachheads. By 15th June, pumping operations for the Tombola petrol supply system could begin. Port-en-Bessin would become the main port for fuel deliveries to Normandy until the liberation of Cherbourg on 30th June.
Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks, commander of the British XXX Corps in Normandy, later said "it is doubtful whether in their long, distinguished history, the Marines have ever achieved anything finer", while, more recently, the military historian Major General Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade in the 1982 Falklands War, stated that in his opinion, "the operation by No. 47 (RM) Commando at Port-en-Bessin was one of the great feats of arms of any unit, Royal Marines, Army, Navy or Air Force of any nation in the Second World War. "
References
Mcintyre, J., Liedtke, G., Mills, W., Friedman, B., Heck, T., & Pessina, J. (2020). On Contested Shores: The evolving role of amphibious operations in the history of Warfare. https://doi.org/10.56686/9781732003149
47 Royal Marine Commando. (n.d.). https://www.47commando.org.uk/pages/Port-en-Bessin.htm
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