Commonwealth War Graves Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer churchyard contains 3 Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 war. Their names are:

- Private R. Lehniger who served under the name of R. Leonard.
- Major G.H. March-Phillips.
- Sergeant A.M. Williams.

They were all part of a commando unit and were killed in action on 12 and 13 September 1942.

Operation Aquatint was a British Commando raid carried out during the night of 12–13 September 1942 by No. 62 Commando, also known as the Small Scale Raiding Force, under the leadership of Major Gus March-Phillipps. The objective was to land near Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes on the Normandy coast, gather intelligence, and capture a German guard. Due to poor visibility, the commandos mistakenly landed at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, where they were quickly detected and engaged by German forces. Their Motor Torpedo Boat was damaged and forced to withdraw, leaving the raiding party stranded. Of the eleven men who landed, three were killed, four were captured, and four initially escaped. One of the escapees, Captain Graham Hayes, was later betrayed in Spain, handed over to the Germans, and executed in Paris under Hitler’s Commando Order. The operation was a failure, but the Small Scale Raiding Force continued its missions and was eventually absorbed into the 2nd Special Air Service Regiment. The raid underscored the growing strength of German coastal defenses and the risks inherent in small-scale amphibious operations.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar & Jimmy Hilgen
• Photos: Jimmy Hilgen