After landing in Normandy he wrote, on 12 June, "The last two or three days have been v. sticky as the Boche has had time to deploy his initial Panzer Divisions. Bobby GOC 7th Armoured Division and his chaps are getting going again and made splendid progress. The whole thing is to keep this battle fluid and not allow it to crystallise. My guns were in action this pm firing their first shots in anger. The Boche are fighting well but with little support from guns and their air is simply non-existent. The country here is frightfully enclosed − typically English country with thick hedges and ditches and their infantry are taking every advantage of it. They are lobbing grenades into the tank turrets and putting sticky bombs on, which Bobbfound most disconcerting... Altogether things have gone really splendidly and everyone is in great heart." Two days later he wrote, "Had breakfast with Andrew Dunlop [CO 146th Brigade and hatched future plots. The Boche have dug in in front of him and are going to be difficult to move. They lie doggo in the ditches and then appear in the rear shooting everyone up. Bobby finished up last night having retained nearly all the ground he made during the pm."