This article includes photographs of fatal casualties
At the time of the Normandy invasion, 346.ID was positioned in the area around le Havre. Once the Allied landings commenced, the division moved westwards towards the Allies' left flank, remaining in this area until withdrawing with the rest of the German forces in August.
There's some interesting footage of elements of 346.ID included in the
German newsreel (Die Deutsche Wochenschau) of 21st June 1944 (#720)*. The footage is mixed in with a load of other bits of film featuring Panzer Lehr and
12.SS-Panzer-Division personnel (taken around the same time but about 25km
further west), some stock training footage and other bits taken goodness knows
where. This is typical for the Wochenschau and most newsreels of the time. Along
with the film are some good photos (now held by the Bundesarchiv) taken by a
Propaganda Kompanie photographer by the name of Scheck. Together they provide
some good representation of the German forces fighting British 6th Airborne
Division and 51st Highland Division shortly after D-Day. What follows is an attempt to tie the images with units and places to give them extra context. I first put this together some years ago after a conversation with my friend Niels Henkemans and posted it on Twitter but since the descent of that site I no longer have an account there so here it is. I naturally welcome further information that might confirm or contradict my thoughts. Please feel free to add any comments, corrections, criticism (constructive) and anything else which would improve our understanding of the events of 1944.
The images by Scheck and the film by the unknown PK film cameraman were probably taken on the 11th June 1944 in two locations. First, just east of Bréville (now Bréville-les-Monts) in the area circled in red.
This little cluster of houses is known as le Bas de Bréville. The map is from
1943 and the original was 1:100 000, with every square being 1000 x 1000
metres. Further images were taken in Bréville itself, circled in blue. This small village (population 248 in 1936), sits atop the northern end of the ridge which overlooks
the river Orne and Caen Canal to the west and the low-lying plain of the River
Dives to the east. In the following images, Scheck's photos have the associated Bundesarchiv number while still from the film footage only have the small watermark in the top left corner.
The footage starts with a heavily camouflaged Ford Maultier half-tracked lorry mounting a 2cm Flak38 maneouvring into position behind a low hedge. The vehicle has had its cab cut down.
This vehicle belonged to 3.Kompanie, Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 346, the division’s anti-tank battalion. As was "standard"**, 1.Kompanie had Marder III self-propelled guns, 2.Kompanie StuG III assault guns and 3.Kompanie anti-aircraft guns, in this case including several of which were self-propelled.
The organisational chart*** for the unit for 1st June 1944 confirms the presence of fourteen Maultiers ‘in place of missing prime movers’. The chart also notes twelve Flak38 (as mounted on the Maultier) and three Flak30. Incidentally the same chart indicates the ten StuG III that 2.Komp. should have had were still not on strength at this point although at least some of these had arrived by the time of the action in question.
Back to the film... the cameraman pans left to focus on a group of infantrymen, either non-mounted personnel from 3./PzJägAbt.346 or from Grenadier-Regiment 858**** which also fought in this area. This group includes a radio team (the large packs on the back of the soldiers third and fifth from left contain the radio and the battery/accessory sets).
This same group were photographed by Scheck, with the Maultier in the background. It would seem that Scheck is in fact the NCO (with the white strip around his collar) furthest to the left of the group above. Scheck’s image (below) helps confirm the location.
The large house beyond the Maultier can be seen in the centre of this aerial photo from 1944, along with a small barn (since demolished) just to the right. The low hedge behind which the soldiers and vehicle are hiding is that which surrounds the orchard to the right of the image.
This IGN***** image below shows the same location today and in 1947. The barn (with a missing roof in 1947) has gone and a new garage built closer to the house. As the area is well within the commuter belt for Caen, housing naturally has increased:
Another of Scheck’s photos shows the barn and the tree beside it. The chimney of the main house is just visible between the two soldiers standing on the platform of the lorry:
Scheck also took a couple of close-ups of the Maultier Flak crew:
The film jumps about a bit in the newsreel but again features close-up footage of the Maultier crew followed by a veiw across the field into which they're firing:
Their target appears to be a crashed Horsa glider. The footage includes a close up of a burning example:
Further film footage includes movement of a 2cm Flak30 and by now the cameraman is in Bréville itself. Again, this could be one of those on the strength of 3./PzJägAbt.346 (as per chart above) or from GrenRgt.858:
Bréville was heavily damaged in 1944 and has changed significantly. The wall in the background is now gone.
As the Flak30 crew moved along the road, they were filmed and also photographed as they passed a fallen Captain from 6th Airborne Division.
Infantry in the same section of road with the unfortunate Captain in the foreground:
(In the footage the film cameraman focuses on the dead man for a couple of seconds)
I had previously thought this and the following images to be taken in le Bas de Bréville but couldn't get certain elements to fit. In particular, a short film sequence where the camera pans across a field. A road cuts in diagonally from the left and there's a row of trees roughly at right angles to the road. The only place in the area I can think of where this might fit is in Bréville itself.
There appear to be casualties laying in the field, possibly from 5/Black Watch which would date the footage as 11th or maybe 12th June. The road on the left runs past Château St Côme and on through to le Mesnil. The hayfeeders don't help with the modern comparison but it looks about right.
German patrols are filmed moving through the fields:
A close up of the fallen Captain shows the "sunken" nature of the road back then. The Flak30 can be seen parked up in the background.
The village of Bréville is today much, much larger than it was in 1944 and the right hand bank has gone. Photo taken today (09/02/2026) so apologies for the low winter sun casting dark shadows.
In the background of Scheck's photos above, soldiers are resting in the shelter of the banks on either side of the road. Some mattresses have been acquired, presumably from the houses in Bréville. The footage and images of personnel resting giving a good idea of the appearance of the Germans in this area. In the foreground, a Zeltbahn-clad soldier. Probably one of the men shown lugging the Flak30 above. He wears jackboots as opposed to the more common ankle boots, as do at least three of the Flak30 crew. A 2cm Flak ammunition tin sits nearby with a machine gun beyond it, both of which are visible in the still photo above.
Next to him, a grubby looking Gefreiter, certainly from PzJägAbt.346 (as indicated by the armoured vehicle crew tunic) enjoying a tin of something or other (some sort of meat conserve?). He sports an adhesive dressing on his forehead.
PK Scheck was also on hand here to capture the scene:
He took the next two shots just seconds apart, capturing the gesture of the smoking chap (also wearing the armoured vehicle crew uniform):
This other still from the movie footage seems to show the same group but on the other side of the road, their weapons facing south. They have similar attire and appear similarly (relatively) relaxed.
Other photos by Scheck taken around the same time show casualty evacuation and treatment, the examination of British casualties and the escorting of British PoWs alonside a stables (this area has many horse farms):
Assuming the date of 11th June is correct, PK Scheck either remained with or returned to the division as he later photographed the well-known knocked out M10 17-pdr (commonly known as an Achilles) lost on 18th June just over 4km from Bréville-les-Monts, near Escoville.
*A very good resolution copy of this and other Wochenschau films are viewable on the Bundesarchiv site. Here's a link to this one. The relevant footage starts at 15:44.
** In theory rather than practice
***BAMA RH10/242
****As a bodenständige (or static) division, 346.ID had two regiments of infantry, numbered 857 and 858
*****www.remonterletemps.ign.fr
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