D Day, Operation Overlord
Each of the three Infantry Divisions involved in the first assault on the British and Canadian front - Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach - included two Assault Squadrons from 5 Assault Regiment and 6 Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers.
The objective of each pair of Assault Squadrons was to clear lanes across the beaches and to establish up to eight exits from the beaches onto the first inland road, suitable for tracked vehicles. Which involved removing beach obstacles which were exposed at low tide so that they were not a hazard as the tide rose. Disarming and removing mines and other explosive charges from these obstacles. Breaching the sea wall, where one existed, and creating and maintaining ramps and firm access routes through the soft sand above the high water line. Removing knocked-out vehicles which were obstructing these exits.
All this had to be done under fire from buildings on the seafront, and under mortar and artillery fire from further inland.
Each Assault Squadron was equipped with a number of Armoured Vehicles Royal Engineers (AVREs) - which were Churchill tanks, modified in various ways to suit the needs of Assault Engineers. In addition, the assault teams included a number of Sherman 'Crabs' from 30th Armoured Brigade, these were Sherman tanks, with a full-width, heavy duty, rotary chain flail mounted in front which destroyed any mines in its path, thus clearing the lanes up the beach.
The AVREs then turned their attention to the first line of land defences, using their spigot mortars, and with self-propelled guns providing artillery support. More Sappers landed to continue the clearance of the beaches. All the time, infantry were moving through into the growing bridgehead.
Several exits were open within an hour of first landings, allowing the Armoured Brigades to start moving inland.
The Assault Regiments suffered their share of casualties. In some sectors, up to 50% of the flail tanks, AVREs and armoured bulldozers had been knocked out, with high casualties among the crews. But many of the objectives for D-Day had been achieved which may not have been the case without 1st Assault Brigade R.E..
After Normandy the Brigade was used in Operation Blackcock, Operation Infatuate and Operation Plunder.
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—Francis Bacon (1560–1626)