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DOZULE
Calvados
- 24 km east of Caen
Night assault for the British Commandos
The
British troops progressed with difficulty mid-August 1944, east of
Troarn. In the area of Goustranville, German artillery pinned down
the parachutists of the 5th Brigade, blocking the way to the bridges
on the river Dives causeway. On 18 August, the 7th, 12th and 13th
Para Battalions attacked under cover of darkness. The maps were imprecise,
the area was flooded and infested with mosquitoes. Yet a bridge was
taken intact. On 19 August, at dawn, the paras of the 12th Battalion
captured the town of Putot. The next objective of the British was
hill 134, where the Germans had installed the headquarter of the 346th
Infantry Division. General Gale assigned this mission to N°48
Commando of the 4th Special Service Brigade. In the night and using
compass, the Commandos outflanked German defenses through the marshy
plain. In the morning hours of 20 August, they captured their objective;
at the end of the day, N°46, N°47 and N°48 Commandos launched
a combined attack on Dozulé. The Germans withdrew, after setting
fire to the hamlet; the British entered Dozulé at dawn on 21
August.
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4th Special Service Brigade monument
