[1] In May the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) had issued an order for the SAS Brigade to carry out operations in France once the Normandy beachheads had been established.

1st SAS Regiment commanded by Paddy Mayne would conduct operations Haggard and Kipling; the objectives being to reconnoitre and destroy as much of the Germans forces west of the Rhine and then link up with the advancing allied armies.

[3] Haggard under Major Eric Lepine composed of B Squadron SAS; they were dropped West of the Loire and established a base between the towns of Bourges and Nevers.

[4] An advance party of Kipling consisting of five men under Captain Derrick Harrison was dropped on the night of 13 August, at Les Placeaux in the Foret de Merry-Vaux.

[6] On 23 August, Lieutenant Stewart Richardson in his Jeep accompanied by two troopers were looking to repair their Vickers K gun mounts at a Maquis base at Aillant.

[7] A woman suddenly appeared around the corner of a road on a bicycle shouting that there were Germans attacking the village, and was looking to get the Maquis to help.

[5] The two raced into the town, and on seeing the Germans vehicles parked up Richardson proceeded to shoot up, them setting a number on fire.

[9] Not long after, Paddy Mayne visited the camp and ordered that C squadron be more aggressive now that the Germans were withdrawing - this meant no prisoners were to be taken.

[11] This was soon put into action - Sergeant James McDiarmid who having been hit hard by the death of Hall, ambushed a German convoy with his Jeep and executed a number of POWs.

In another incident McDiarmid stopped a car carrying two German officers dressed in civilian clothes; they too were also shot.

The trucks were destroyed, as was an armoured car, and heavy casualties inflicted on the troops inside - this garnered Sergeant Bob Lowson a Military Medal.

The last part of the operation took place the next day - Lieutenant Mike Mycock was on a patrol which ended up joining with units of the French First Army, which was advancing from the south.