H. John Butler: 7th Battalion (Light Infantry), the Parachute regiment, "C" Company
The following is John Butlers memories of D-Day, June 6th, 1944. All pictures on this page contributed by Mr. Butler.
I was 19 years and five days old. C Company was dedicated as the assault company to reach the coup-de-main party on the bridges as soon as possible and to attempt an assault crossing if the canal and river bridges had been blown.
My Platoon jumped from a Stirling 4 engined bomber. Being the last man in the stick I landed at the extreme southern end of the stick and was able to recognize Ranville church so I knew exactly where I was in relation to the RV., and the Rendezvous to which I hurried. On arrival I found about 40 people there and a Company Commander, not sure which one. He called for a Sten gunner and spotted me and told me to go about 30 yards ahead as a scout, and run to the bridges.
When I arrive at the river bridge the first thing I saw was a very young and very dead German soldier with both legs blown off from the knee, obviously the result of a grenade. Being the first dead person I had ever seen this momentarily pulled me up, then others rushed past me and I quickly joined them. On the far (west) side of the canal it seemed fairly quiet except for exploding ammunition from a burning armoured half track near the Mairie. Here I joined others of my platoon and we were sent on a forward patrol.
The Benouville Mairie (Town Hall). Click for larger version.
At dawn we ran into a patrol of Jerries about twice the size of ours, after a bit of a fire fight, with one man wounded, we were forced back to out perimeter where we joined the other defenders. On the way back to our main line at one point we were able to see Para’s lying on a bank near the village of Le Port in an obvious ambush position, but with their backs towards us and also to the Jerry patrol that was coming towards us. The Jerries were passing a farm and an orchard at that time but once past they would be able to see the Para’s with their backs towards them. The platoon Serjeant then ordered a rifleman named Mortimer to run out and warn the Para’s, this Mortimer did but after running about half way to them we was hit by fire from the Jerry patrol, he lay still for a bit and then began to painfully crawl on, he was still being fired at by Jerry and may have been hit again but he kept on crawling until he was about 200 yards from the Para’s when he reared up on his knees and shouted and warned them and in so doing was finally shot and killed by the Jerries. Mortimer gave his life to warn those men, that is what the Victoria Cross is all about but Mortimer received no decoration or recognition, there was no Officer there to make a recommendation.
|
|
 |
After a relatively quiet time on the perimeter I dropped back towards the canal to a quiet spot where I could drop my pants and bandage a flesh wound on my thigh, after having done this I felt very much in need of a drink having had nothing since emplaning the night before, and also feeling a little nauseous after bandaging my thigh, so I went to some buildings by the bridge to find something to drink. Just as I arrived at the bridge a barge came into view from the direction of Caen. It appeared to be armed with a 20 mm gun and a machine gun (MG 39). An officer there ordered about six of us to deal with it, and just as we were about to sally down the canal bank there was a load bang from the opposite bank and pieces flew off the superstructure of the barge, which beat a hasty retreat. I thought perhaps a six pounder gun had been brought to the bridge by the glider troops but found out many year later that it was a German 37mm. anti tank gun mounted by the east side of the bridge and members of the coup-de-main party had got it into use.
On the west bank there was the now famous Pegasus Café, as I was going to it I saw a White scout car and a Bren gun carrier pull up opposite. They contained a Serjeant and a section of Royal Engineers, who were the first troops from the sea to get through to us, (about noon). The serjeant told me they had kept clear of the road and followed the tramway rail running parallel to the canal without incident. Their job was to survey the area for a Bailey Bridge, expecting our bridge to have been knocked out.
From there I went across to the café which I found was being used as an RAP. I asked the medic inside if he had anything to drink and he told me to knock on the inner door and ask the occupants which I did. The inner door was opened by a little man, M. Gondree, badly in need of a shave who kissed me on both cheeks and in my best school boy French I asked if he had some water to drink. In perfect English he said, "Don’t drink water, I have a real drink." He then went inside and a few moments later appeared with an armful of dirty muddy bottles - champagne that he had buried in the floor of his cellar so that Jerry could not get them. He poured out two glasses and we toasted one another. He was going to pour out some more then he grinned and said, "You don’t want a glass do you?" and gave me the bottle. Just then one of the medics said he could hear the pipes so I went out side with several bottles of champagne and the first thing I saw was two amphibious Sherman tanks at the T-junction by the Mairie, then as the pipes grew louder round the corner came Brigadier the Lord Lovatt with a piper on one side and I presume his bodyguard on the other. He looked neither left or right as he marched down the street as though he was strolling through his Scottish estate. He carried no weapon but instead carried his swagger cane. He started to march across the bridge when the clang of a snipers bullet in the superstructure made him realize discretion was the better part of valour and his little party hurried off. I do not know if he spoke to Major Howard, commander of the coup-de-main group, but if he did it was out of my sight.
Heavy sniping and mortaring commenced as the remaining Commando’s dashed across in batches covered by smoke from smoke grenades. I now made my way back up to the Mairie where I and several others were told to go to the south of Benouville to reinforce A company. This we did joining the defense where we had a fairly busy time until about 2100 hours when the sky filled with tugs and gliders and they came down first to our rear and then to our front. This broke up a heavy attack that was forming up and after the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who landed in front of us cleared the LZ., things eased up a bit until the sea borne infantry, the Warwickshire Regiment, arrived and took over and I made my way back to the bridge and joined up again with members of my platoon and we were then able to cross to the east side of the bridges for a well earned rest, and after 21 hours of non-stop battling, nothing was more welcome.
Aerial View of Pegasus Bridge, 1960's. Click for larger version.
