Summary: Elements of the 31st Armoured and 44th Infantry Brigades participate in an operation designed to secure the 'Scottish Corridor's' western flank.
Description: At La Gaule, Lieutenant-Colonels Delacombe and Gaisford (officers commanding 8th Battalion Royal Scots and 7th Royal Tank Regiment respectively) hold an 'O' group with Major Taylor, a 131st Field Regiment Royal Artillery battery commander, on a Churchill 6-pounder gun tank during the afternoon of 28th June 1944. Nearby, the Royal Scots march along the Caen - Fontenay-le-Pesnel road to their startlines past an RTR 'HQ' Squadron Humber scout car; visible along the roadside are Loyd Carriers from the Royal Scots' anti-tank platoon. The 7th RTR and the Royal Scots advance south-eastwards towards the Château de Grainville across undulating wheatfields and then through meadows, copses and hedgerows masking their objective. (2) 25-pounder gun detachments ('E' troop, 531 Battery, 181st Field Regiment RA) are seen in action at Le Mesnil-Patry in support of the 7th Seaforth Highlanders. Crates containing high explosive rounds are unloaded from an Austin K5 lorry and stacked nearby. A gun crew has lunch and goes into action. (3) A 'B' Squadron Churchill breaks through a hedgerow, followed by three cautious riflemen. Infantrymen advance warily towards their objective through waist-high wheat.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Harris, L W J (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Delacombe, R (person)
Gaisford, George (person)
Taylor (Major) (person)
British Army, Bde, Tank, 31 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde, Infantry, 44 (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Tank Regiment, 7th Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Scots, 8th Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Artillery, Field Regiment 131 (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Artillery, Field Regiment 181, Bty 531 (regiment/service)
British Army, Seaforth Highlanders, 7th Battalion (regiment/service)
Keywords: armour, British - tank: Churchill Mark III (object name)
armour, British - armoured car: Humber scout car (object name)
armour, British - carrier: Loyd (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 25-pounder gun (object name)
transport, British military - truck: Austin K5 truck (object name)
intelligence, military, British - briefing: 'O' group (object name)
operations, British military - movement: march (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name)
society, British military - sustenance (object name)
supplies, British, movement [FA] - munitions: high explosive rounds (object name)
buildings, French - historic: Château de Grainville (object name)
01/5(4-16).232 [ Operation Epsom] (event)
La Gaule, France (geography)
Le Mesnil-Patry, Calvados, France (geography)
Grainville-sur-Odon, Calvados, France (geography)