Stanley Whitehouse's book on Black Watch

[Crewman]

Hi Mark!

As always thank you for your declaration to help.

Of course I would be interested in the threads - if they exist in this book - of the contacts between Black Watch and the Poles in Normandy. The Polish veterans mention that several times they fought almost together with Black Watches.

But there is also an incident in common history when on August 8th, 1944 the Polish regiments broke the orders of Operation Totalize and turned eastwards from Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil instead of to attack southwards according to 1st Army order. And then the Poles passed throughout the rear and lines of the elements of the 51st Highland Division. The Black Watch Battalion was one of the unit the Poles passed then before next passing through the lines of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment. It was small inter-Allied scandal Maj.-Gen. George Kitching commented it as follows:

Originally written by Maj.-Gen. George Kitching

I don't know what went wrong with the Poles on those two days, 8 and 9 August, but they certainly were no help to us. They hardly moved an inch on the eight, so much so that General Rennie of the 51st Highland Division complained to General Simonds about their inactivity and the fact that they continued to pour vehicles and men into his area without making any moves forward to ease the congestion.

Source:
George Kitching
Mud and Green Fields
Vanwell Publishing Ltd., St. Catharines 1993
ISBN 0-920277-73-X
Page 196

I am loking for various memoirs of the 51st Division veterans who describe their contacts with the Poles then and maybe they write general opinions about the Poles as well as about an incident of August 8th. In fact the Poles ought to be in other place than 51st lines but this is other story.


Thank you Mark and best regards

C.