The Defence of St Valery-en-Caux 1940: The 51st (Highland) Division from The Saar to Normandy

By Jerry Murland

Supported by eleven maps and over 150 photographs, this is the story of Scottish Troops fighting for survival in Normandy.

The story of the 51st (Highland) Division during 1939 and 1940 is a short and largely tragic one and although it firmly burnt itself into the minds of Scotsmen it has never been granted the recognition it deserves. Even in Scotland it is often forgotten that the men, and attached troops, of the 51st Division, were fighting for survival in Normandy for some ten days after the evacuation from Dunkerque had been completed. Most present-day accounts of the Second World War in 1939/40 deal with the ‘Phoney War’ and the evacuation from Dunkerque but few mention the rearguard action at St Valery-en-Caux, other than a giving it a passing mention. Nevertheless, the action of the 51st Division against the might of German forces won the admiration of General Erwin Rommel and Charles De Gaulle, who fought against and alongside them.

One of the enduring beliefs is that Churchill deliberately sacrificed the 51st Division in an attempt to keep France in the war; this, apart from being palpably incorrect, fails miserably to address the intricacy of the circumstances that overtook the 51st Division after they returned from the Saar. In a situation where units were repeatedly changing affiliation, communication between the French Supreme Command and British forces suffered language difficulties and the inclination to blame each other for the debacle that inevitably ensued. Nevertheless, for all the criticism that is thrown at the French Army, it is clear that a number of French units fought hard and with great courage, the main fault with the French command lying with poor leadership and lack of tactical planning.

As far as the Highlanders were concerned it was bad luck that their term of duty on the Saar coincided with the beginning of Fall Rot. The speed and extent of the German advance from Abbeville took their own High Command and the French by surprise and it was with little wonder that Allied military thinking failed to keep up with actions on the battlefield. The theory that Churchill sacrificed the division to keep the French in the war owes a great deal to the Scottish need to attribute all the misery of the world to one scoundrel, a trait that exists to this day!

Supported by eleven maps and over 150 photographs, the book traces the history of the 51st Division from its inception until its final surrender at St Valery-en-Caux and deals with the fighting on the Saar and the often ragged skirmishing though Normandy. The book also touches on the actions of the 1st armored Division and the Battle of Abbeville. There are three walks and a car tour included in this volume which allows the battlefield visitor to base themselves firstly in Abbeville and, secondly, further into Normandy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: Jun 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9781473852280

Book preview

Chapter 1

The German Order of Battle

The principal formations and units that fought against the 51st (Highland) Division

57th Infantry Division

Created from Bavarian reserve personnel in 1939, it was activated in August 1939. It distinguished itself in southern Poland and during operations on the lower Somme. It was this division that came up against Général de Gaulle during French operations to take the Abbeville bridgehead, in which the French 4th Armoured Division was smashed, along with another French mechanized division. After the fighting in France the 57th Division was stationed in Normandy until April 1941, when it returned to Poland. The Division’s commander in 1940 was Lieutenant General Oskar Bluemm, who gave way to General Anton Dostler in September 1941. The Division moved over the River Bresle and Béthune to Dieppe in support of the 11/Motorised Brigade and the 31st Infantry divisions. The Division surrendered to the Russians in May