 The landings began at 04 : 30 on 5 May , with 5 Commando landing at <unk> Bay and the three infantry brigades and ' B ' Squadron landing at <unk> Bay . The objective of the infantry brigades and their armoured support was to take control of <unk> and a nearby town , but although the infantry landed successfully , ' B ' Squadron had more trouble ; the area of beach designated for its landing craft was blocked for several hours after a <unk> came loose from a landing craft and became stuck in the sand . The infantry brigades advanced toward <unk> without the squadron , but eventually two <unk> and a single <unk> were dispatched in support , catching up with the lead elements of the infantry near the town of <unk> . Here the invasion force encountered the first French defences , consisting of camouflaged trenches and <unk> dug in along a ridge . The tanks attempted to breach them , but the rocky ground made <unk> difficult and they could not close with the <unk> and trenches ; they engaged a number of targets with 2 pounder and machine @-@ gun fire , but the line had to be cleared by an infantry assault later in the day . The tanks were ordered to outflank the defences and advance further into the island , and they were soon joined by two other <unk> dispatched from the beaches ; the small force continued to advance until it encountered the <unk> French main line of defence . This had been built prior to the First World War and included camouflaged <unk> , machine @-@ gun nests and dug @-@ in 75 mm artillery pieces ; the latter , although not specifically designed for an anti @-@ tank role , could penetrate the armour of both the <unk> and the <unk> . The two <unk> advanced first but were knocked out by artillery fire , and two <unk> that were moving behind them suffered the same fate ; the third <unk> retreated in order to report on the French resistance , machine <unk> a motorcycle combination and a truck it encountered on the way back . 
