The Normandy tour

[Stewart Ashton]

Carols father was in 4 commando which had several companies of French commandos.

http://www.combinedops.com/no_4_commando.htm

The film the longest day stated that the French commandos attacked Ouistriham. Not quite correct.

For anyone interested there is a fabulous book still in print called;

Swiftly they struck by Murdoch C. McDougall whch is the story ot 4 Commando and a very good read it is.

Carols dad is mentioned in it as well.

Regards Stewart

[Sven Strobbe]

Stewart

I hope to see you at the Armortek open day so you we can have a chat about the Topic...

Regards

Sven

[Stewart Ashton]

Hi Sven and everyone else who has an interest in this battlefield tour of Normandy. We had a great time and it was a very busy schedule. Took dozens of pictures ( I hope that most have turned out )

Hill 112 has a lovely cromwell sighted at the crossroads (Adrian )

I will trawl through them all over the next few days

Regards Stewart

[Adrian Harris]

Welcome back Stewart.

Glad you enjoyed it and can't wait for the photos

Adrian.

[Stewart Ashton]

Ok a breief start to the tour. ( only got out of bed at 1300 16 hours + in a coach is not my idea of fun)

Having left Blackpool in the early hours we arrived at this, erm hotel?



Looks great from the outside but inside it was............. lets say in need of major refurb!




Enough said about that (strong letter of complaint in the post)

The tour itself was very good appart from the guide who thought he was young Winston smoking his cigar

Up at 7am and set off at 0830 to visit Pegasus bridge and the museum.











First view of the bridge, which is the newer one, the original we will see later.



The control tower is not the original.



Just a few metres short of the road are memorial stones depicting where the first three Horsa gliders landed. One described as the most precise landing of an aircraft ever. Seeing it you cant argue with that at all.



Next a view over the canal to that famous cafe Gondre.




A defence weapon described as a 40mm (looked more like a 37mm to me but what do I know)




Another view but the sun was in the wrong place

A fine view showing the nearest glider.





On to the nearby museum later.

Regards Stewart

[Stewart Ashton]

Now at the museum



The first piece



A very nice halftrack



And a Dave D special alongside it



A smart Bofors gun







Now onto the original bridge







The original floor was wooden decking



Some years ago the bridge was lengthened by 5 metres and the deck was then made of steel



Look closely at the balast boxes and you can see the bullet holes



Regards Stewart

[Adrian Harris]

Great photos Stewart

And I see you have the same luck as us in getting holiday snaps with not a sole in sight

They've put a cover on that half-track since D-Day. Or they might just have removed it for the ceremony, which was occurring whilst we were there.

Adrian.

[Stewart Ashton]

Sometimes one is lucky and other times yer aint

[Stewart Ashton]

Here are several pictures of a reconstructed Horsa glider within the grounds....





It really is a large aeroplane



A lonely sole................



Looking to the rear



Tail section



Behind glass. A section of a real one.





Two views from the original bridge





25 pounder on a stand





More artillery





A nice bronze statue



Thats the museum done

And the red arrows have just arrived for tomorrows air show

Regards Stewart

[Stewart Ashton]

The next stop was Ranville Commonwealth Cemetry.





Just a few pictures



These cemetries are beautifully maintained and its always a moving experience to visit one.









Next visit is Ouistreham where Carols father fought as part of 4 Commando. There was a small contingent of French Commandos from 10th Allied special forces present which fought with 4 Commando (approximately 100 French soldiers) Nothing like the film The Longest day portrays. Also the Casino was a defensive position on the main promenade and not on a hill.

More tomorrow.........

[Sven Strobbe]

Stewart

Nice to see the tour you made in pictures...
Brings back memories of the days i've spent there...


Regards

Sven

[Stewart Ashton]

Hi Sven I was lucky with the weather up to this stage...............

[Stewart Ashton]

Three pictures of Ouistreham which is on the east side of Sword beach. The canal and river both lead to Caen. This left flank of the invasion was under the control of the 6th Airborne Division.







I asked the guide if we could drive past the huge bunker complex and have a quick look at the small Allied cemetry. "Sorry not enough time". And yet we hung abouut for an hour having "lunch". He was a waste of time!

Regards Stewart

[Stewart Ashton]

The Merville Battery



This was a coastal gun emplacement and as the casemates were so large they were believed to house guns of at least 150mm and considered a huge threat to the invasion beaches.

I was suprised to see a C47 Dakota on display so heres a few pictures of it.











Back to the battery





All German gun emplacements had four guns and it was later found that these were 100mm Skoda field guns.









650 men from the 9th parachute battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Terrance Otway were tasked with destroying the battery which was manned by 160 German soldiers.

After many accidents and poor navigation the total force gathered to attack the target was only 150 men.

The attack was successful but only 80 men survived.

A plan of the battery





Regards Stewart

[Stewart Ashton]

Sword beach. British second army. 3rd infantry division.



Beautiful silky sand no sign of there ever having been a war appart from the odd bunker and casement.



To the east



and the west



Not a lot to see here.

Regards Stewart