Major David Currie, VC

The 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (South Alberta Regiment or SAR) led by LCol Wotherspoon, DSO, arrived in France with the rest of 4th Canadian Armoured Division. The role of the SAR’s was that of divisional reconnaissance but were equipped the same as an armoured regiment, having a reconnaissance squadron of Stuart tanks, and ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ squadrons using Sherman tanks.

‘C’ Squadron of the SAR’s was led by Major David Currie, who gained fame for their stand at St. Lambert-sur-Dives in August to close the Falaise Gap. For their first combat action, ‘C’ Squadron was tasked with supporting the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada’s (A&SHofC) attack on the town of Tilly-la-Campagne, which had resisted capture by Canadian units several times.

During the attack on Tilly overnight on 4th/5th August, Currie “found it necessary to dismount and lead his tanks into position while mortar bombs were landing all round his area.” The attack on Tilly failed but Currie had demonstrated his ability to lead while under fire.

In August 1944, the First Canadian Army turned its attention to breaking out of the Normandy bridgehead. The attack would come from positions south of Caen after the success of Operation Cobra, launched on 25th July, to the west in the American sector of Normandy. As a result, a plan was created to trap the remaining German forces in Normandy in an encirclement. The task to close the gap on the eastern side was given to the II Canadian Corps codenamed Operation Totalize.

Totalize began in the early hours of the 8th of August 1944, with a heavy aerial and artillery bombardment. Columns of massed tanks and infantry in converted gun carriers advanced nose to tail against the Germans. The bombardment created a haze over the battlefield along with the dust the vehicles kicked up and while units became lost, but the overall advance was successful.

For the SAR, Operation Totalize was their first major engagement of the war along with the rest of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. The regiment moved toward the frontlines in the early hours of 8th August 1944 in the darkness. ‘C’ Squadron moved into the assembly area and took their place behind the Argyll’s column.

At 0600 hours, ‘C’ Squadron’s advance began and they slowly moved up the Caen-Falaise road. The attack on Cintheaux began at 1600 hours and was taken by 1830 hours with Hautemesnil captured later that night. On the morning of the 9th, a quarry, south of Cintheaux was mopped up and followed by clearing enemy resistance in Bretteville-Le-Rabet in conjunction with the Argylls in the afternoon. At 0500 hours on 10th August, ‘C’ Squadron was moved into regimental reserve at Langannerie where they remained for several days. Totalize ended on the 11th when it had become clear that the advance was stalled.

Operation Tractable began on 14th August and continued the advance that Totalize had started. The plan was to take Falaise and finally close the gap in the pocket that had formed south of the city.

‘C’ Squadron occupied the centre of the SAR advance for Tractable. Before the attack began, the SAR suffered friendly fire near Soignolles from strafing Allied aircraft, but carried on. ‘C’ Squadron reached their objective of Rouvres, succeeding in clearing snipers out of the town. By 1930 hours they had crossed Le Laizon River and pushed on to the high ground beyond where the advance stopped for the night.

On the 15th and 16th of August, ‘C’ Squadron engaged infantry along their line of advance between Olendon and Perrieres and to the south of Perrieres. On the 17th, ‘C’ Squadron cleared out snipers in Damblainville and the town was cleared by 1000 hours. South of Damblainville, ‘C’ Squadron fired on a wood where enemy vehicles had gathered and were supported by an artillery strike directed by Currie, destroying many vehicles. The regiment settled down for the night in the area.

With Operation Tractable under way, the American Twelfth Army Group was now poised to strike east and envelop the entirety of the German Forces in Normandy. Leading the way was General Patton’s Third Army which took Argentan on the 13th of August and cut off the last escape route south for the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army.

From the northwest General Dempsey’s British Second Army was pressuring the German positions. In just three days the British advance 25kms driving the entrapped Germans east to an ever-shrinking corridor.

With the trap set it is up to General Simond’s II Canadian Corps to seal off the Germans only remaining escape route. To get there, the Germans had to cross the Dives River which strings together the towns of Chambois, St Lambert-sur-Dives, and Trun. These three towns formed the last crossing points of two German armies consisting of seven infantry divisions, a parachute division and nine panzer divisions. By the 17th of August units of 4th Armoured Division had taken Trun before ordering a token force to take St Lambert-sur-Dives and move on to Chambois.

Due to Ultra decrypts that warned of an attempted German armoured break out from the Falaise Pocket in the area near Trun, 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade was held in reserve to the northeast of the town. Optimistic reports from the SAR and increasing Allied air cover gave the illusion that the gap had been sealed. Because of this information, the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade was preparing to lead the drive to Vimoutiers northeast of St. Lambert instead of reinforcing the Trun and St Lambert-sur-Dives area.

At first light on 18th August Currie and ‘C’ Squadron were positioned over the Dives Valley. Currie recalled that “we were witnessing…the remnants of the German Forces in France trying to escape the pocket.”

In the afternoon Currie was given the task of closing the gap at St. Lambert-sur-Dives. Currie was aware of the gravity of the assignment thinking to himself "Well, Dave this has been a pretty good war, but this is it!" St. Lambert had two bridges over the Dives thus it offered the retreating the Germans their best chance at escape. ‘B’ Company of the Argylls, with about 55 all ranks, was placed under Currie’s command for the attack.

Currie’s force left Trun around 1800 hours. The lead tank took fire upon entering St. Lambert forcing the crew to abandon their vehicle. Soon after Allied Spitfires strafed Currie’s tank setting off a small fire that was quickly contained. The wounded from both incidents were quickly evacuated. Currie scouted the village on foot by himself while under mortar fire and then ordered the tanks be pulled back from St. Lambert and wait for daylight to attack the village.

Over the next two days, the fighting in St. Lambert devolved into a back and forth brawl between German troops desperate to escape the tightening Falaise Pocket and the Canadians determined to stem their retreat.

At dawn on 19th August, Currie’s force attacked St. Lambert without artillery support. The village was about 1000 yards long from north to south along the road D13 with houses lining its sides. The village comprised several clusters of buildings. One was at the north end where Currie placed his headquarters. The main intersection near the town hall saw heavy fighting. The church and other buildings near the two bridges over the Dives was where the Germans concentrated.

The initial advance into St. Lambert was met with fire and the lead tank was hit causing the crew to bail out. Shortly after, the crew of Currie’s tank took out a German Panzer Mk IV tank while Currie was scouting the town on foot. Infantry from the Argyll’s moved down D13 clearing the houses along the road. After six hours the force fought halfway through the village and the attack stalled. The force dug in to prepare for German counterattacks.

Some point in the afternoon a message was sent from the SAR saying “Tired and must have relief in form of inf[antry], slight enemy resistance. P[O]W still surrendering. Unless relief comes, Germans will move back in.” No relief was forthcoming, and the fighting continued. Infantry attacks continued through the rest of the day and night. Currie later recalled that at “one point late in the afternoon, the tanks were running around in circles firing at one another, to keep the Germans from climbing on top of them.” It was estimated that hundreds, possibly thousands, of Germans moved into the village during the afternoon.

Around 1800 hours, ‘C’ Company of the Argyll’s and a composite company of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment reinforced Currie’s force in St. Lambert. Arthur Bridge of the Argyll’s described the devastation in the Falaise Pocket, “Such a mess cannot be described: smashed cars, trucks, guns, tanks, wagons, horses, men in every road and field.” Currie personally led forty men of ‘C’ Company of the Argyll’s to their positions. An artillery officer was also sent to St. Lambert to direct fire on the Germans. Despite Canadian artillery rounds falling within mere yards of his own tank, Currie ordered the firing to continue due to its effectiveness on the enemy.

Currie recalled that the “Pressure from the Germans mounted again near dark, and as we were pretty well spread out, I was afraid that we might be chopped up piecemeal. I decided to draw the force in tighter for the night, so we gave up a part of the village.” Positions were taken up near the bridge, the main intersection, and by Currie’s headquarters in the north end of the village. Overnight, German troops continued to infiltrate the Canadian positions and more fighting took place. With little infantry support, the tank crews were effectively blind and fired into the darkness at any noise they heard.

The 20th saw more confused fighting. Waves of Germans attacked during the morning between 0800 and 0830. This attack was a reconnaissance in force to find holes for units to escape. Much German armour was destroyed in the attempt. A few enemy snipers took positions near Currie’s headquarters and he fired at them using a rifle from the turret of his tank.

Through the day the Germans pushed Currie’s force back from the bridges. Casualties were amounting and all other officers with Currie were either killed or wounded by this morning. All the while more POWs were sent back as ‘C’ Squadron took 500 prisoners.

By the afternoon the situation was dire for Currie’s force. They were down to five tanks and 120 infantrymen. Currie kept in contact with all elements as he visited the infantry positions and his tank crews. Reinforcements did arrive in the form of the 103rd Battery, 6th Anti-Tank Regiment with seventeen pounder guns between 1400 and 1500 hours providing much needed support in destroying German armour. The south of St. Lambert was increasingly clogged with dead men and horses and destroyed vehicles. By later afternoon the fighting died down.

In the early evening, the Germans were preparing one last major attack on St. Lambert. German armour was moving into position for the attack when the SAR tanks opened fire on them, destroying a tank and a piece of artillery. They also fired into buildings where German infantry were massing, preventing the attack from forming. Currie was able to give a report in person at the regimental headquarters as the night of the 20th/21st passed relatively quietly.

By the early hours of the 21st, Currie believed the end of the fighting in the gap was in sight. At 0730 hours another German tank was knocked out and more POWs were taken. It was reported “that the enemy in their area were ready to surrender.” By 1200 hours ‘C’ Squadron sent back 150 wounded enemies and 700 more prisoners.

On the morning of the 21st, The North Nova Scotia Highlanders of the 3rd Canadian Division gradually moved into St. Lambert and officially relieved Currie’s force in the afternoon. Currie only had one hour of sleep during the 36 hours of battle at St. Lambert. After being properly relieved, Currie, “fell asleep on his feet and collapsed.” The SAR remained as support overnight into the morning of the 22nd when Currie and ‘C’ Squadron left St. Lambert.

It is estimated 80,000 troops were encircled in the Falaise Pocket, with 20,000 able to escape through the allied lines. 40,000 German soldiers would be captured, and another 10,000 reported to have been killed.

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General Eisenhower wrote that “The battlefield at Falaise was unquestionably one of the greatest "killing fields" of any of the war areas. Forty-eight hours after the closing of the gap I was conducted through it on foot, to encounter scenes that could be described only by Dante. It was literally possible to walk for hundreds of yards at a time, stepping on nothing but dead and decaying flesh.”

After the battle an analysis was done of the destruction wrought on the fleeing German Armies. Included in the destruction was some 344 tanks, armoured cars and self-propelled guns 2447 lorries, and 252 guns (artillery) destroyed or abandoned. The SAR’s themselves claimed nine tanks, twelve guns, and forty vehicles destroyed, as well as 300 enemy killed, 500 wounded and the capture of some 2100 prisoners of war.

Listen to a radio interview of Major David Currie discussing his Victoria Cross-winning action at St Lambert-Sur-Dives:

Currie was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the battle at St. Lambert-sur-Dives. Famed Canadian historian C.P. Stacey wrote that the famous photograph taken on the afternoon of the 19th was “as close as we are ever likely to come to a photograph of a man winning the Victoria Cross.” Currie later served as the Sergeant at Arms in the Canadian House of Commons from 1960 to 1978.

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This story map was written by Brad St. Croix and the Project ’44 team. The story map was sponsored by the South Alberta Light Horse Association.