The British XXX Corps intended its offensive, titled Smash III, to relieve the U.S. VII Corps at the bottom of the pocket created by the Germans in December, not far from the Meuse River. The American troops could then fight the decisive battle towards Houffalize, to the north-east. XXX Corps planned to seize the villages of Bure and Wavreille, and then exploit in the direction of Grupont and Forrières on the river Lomme. In order to do this, they would first need to seize the heights above Bure, known as Chapel Hill, with the tanks of 2nd Fife and Forfarshire Yeomanry and the infantry of 8th/Rifle Brigade.

Chapel Hill was a delightful and breezy elevation commanding an excellent view of the surrounding country and, what was more important, an uninterrupted view of the village of Bure. Of course, the Germans had emplaced themselves atop Chapel Hill. When the chapel itself, guarded on three sides by thick woods, was attacked there was a clash with German self-propelled guns (probably StuGIIIG from PzJg Abteilung 38) that ended up with several tanks of the 2nd Fife & Forfar Yeomanry disabled. Corporal Dave Findlay knocked out a German self-propelled gun, but was in turn wounded. The Fifes repelled a German counter-attack, hitting enemy vehicles at a range of about 2 miles. Quite a number of the Fife tanks were knocked out by enemy self-propelled guns before the hill was finally reported to be in British hands.

“The night of the 3rd was very cold and rather dangerous,” Major A.A. McLoughlin wrote after the war. “The arrival of F Coy/8th Rifle Brigade near the top of the hill, late in the afternoon was both unheralded and unsung. If it sounds a frigid welcome, we were content to let it be so. . . . our mood was not particularly receptive to the picturesque charms of our surroundings, and . . . it was later to become frankly abusive after a few hours’ trench-digging. The 6th Airborne Division had a difficult task in Bure. This they finally accomplished with the tanks from the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. Our own role meanwhile, and for the day to follow, with of course the support of the big boys, was to deny the enemy the use of the high ground and also prevent him exploiting any possible counter-attack. It is satisfactory to recall that the duty was effectively performed.”