Operation Martlet - Martlet - 25 June 1944

25 June 1944

At 0415 hours on the morning of 25 June, Operation Martlet commenced with a heavy artillery bombardment just ahead of the start line of the 49th Division. At 0500 this bombardment lifted and started to creep forward and the men began to follow it. By now, a thick ground mist had developed, severely hindering the visibility of the advancing troops. The battalions became lost. The Hallamshire Battalion of 146th Infantry Brigade found itself on the Fontenay-Tessel Bretteville road, from where it came under fire from elements of the Panzer-Lehr-Division. It eventually found its way back to Fontenay. Meanwhile, the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers of 147th Infantry Brigade eventually pushed forward through the mist and began attacking Fontenay-le-Pesnel. The village was strongly defended by the 3rd/26th SS Regiment and heavy inconclusive fighting raged throughout the morning. The British were eventually forced to withdraw to the northern outskirts of the village and await reinforcements. Confused fighting raged along the Rauray spur.

By the afternoon, the position was beginning to coagulate. The 146th Brigade had successfully reached its objective line at the woods near Vendes but when the 1st/4th Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry attempted to push beyond to the Tessel-Bretteville wood, they came under withering machine gun fire and were forced to dig in. On the right, it was almost nightfall before reinforcements came to the 11th Royal Scots in Fontenay, in the shape of 7th Duke of Wellington's Regiment. This battalion managed to clear most of the village by midnight

As fighting drew to a close at 0000 hours, 26 June, the 49th Division established a line roughly south of Fontenay-le-Pesnel. Rauray and around half of the spur remained in enemy hands. Despite not securing the flank of VIII Corps in time for Epsom, the division prepared to continue its offensive on the following day.