Operation Perch

[Tony B]

The power of the Forum! More brains the better. :-D The books are filled with the BIG PICTURE. The soldier's view of earth shattering events may well be through a hole in hedge.

 

Panzer Lehr stated a counter attack on the 9th June going basically North. The histories say they were stopped at Hill 103 then retreated to Tilly. So Dfeilder's Grandfarther must have been one of those who held the best the German Army had !

Edited March 17, 2011 by Tony B

[Degsy]

This is what I enjoy best about the forum, the family history bits somehow makes me feel more in touch with the people that were there and gave their lives for us. I find it quite emotional.

[Degsy]

Tony, I know it's a bit late now but I have just bought a book which details the battles for Point 103. The book is D-Day to Arnhem With Hertfordshire's Gunners ISBN 0 948555 33 5. Really good read, got it from Paul Meekins when I was at Malvern £8 reduced from£18.

[Tony B]

Thanks Degsey. Never to late. Hopefully I'll be back round the area at some stage of 2012.:-D

[Tony B]

Now ordered from Amazon.

[Tony B]

Thanks Degsey! The book has arrived and I've started reading it! It's fantastic so far. Can't wait now to get back to Ver Sur Mer and walk through it.

[Degsy]

Thought you would enjoy it, I have just started to read it for a second time and enjoying it just as much as I did initially.

I much prefer the 'I was there' book compared to the ones written more as a history of a division or corps.

[Tony B]

I didn't know about the Blue and Blue incident at Jerusalem Cross roads. The cemetery there is the smallest in Normandy. Unusually it has two WW2 Known unto God markers. That would be explained by a massive explosion. As you say the eye witness books have little pices that are important to the person but would be thought not much intrest in the 'Big Picture. The farm in the background .

[Degsy]

Nice pic,I haven't been there although, obviously, have been aware of it's history.

[private mw]

great place to visit and one day i will return , :-)

[private mw]

jerusalem cemetry where young soldier jack banks is buried killed at the age of 16 while trying to capture a machine gun nest. his parents was not aware of him been in action in normandy and he enlisted into the army at the age of 15 a very brave young man . r.i.p

[Tony B]

I must say there are worse places to spend eternity. When the CWWG came to consolidate burialas at Bayeux, the local population of Jerusalem kicked off. They made the point that they would not allow thier soldiers to be disturbed. They had come to the villiage and given their lives for the villiage. The villiage had cared for them and laid them to rest. They belonged to the villiage and villiage would care for and honour them! Must have been some row.

[B series]

On 2/28/2011 at 9:35 PM, Tony B said:

Hi Nigel, I know the museum. Stefan the curator is known to me. We did a thing there on the 65th anniversary. This time its inland from the beaches to Tilly at Stephan's invitation.

Tilley's rebuilding was nessacary as only one building remained standing following the battle for the crossroads. The villiage lost 623 civillian casualties. The place even got shelled by HMS Rodney (The only Britsh warship to shell part of the UK as well!) Did you vist Jersualem Farm? In addition to the cemetery, they also make the Best Calvados in the world! :dancinggirls::beer:

I know I am replying to a 10 years old post, but....

My father served on HMS Rodney and was off the coast of Normandy on D Day.  He operated the then Top Secret Predictor machine which was located in a armoured control room about half way up a mast. The predictor machine was a early mechanical computor full of gear wheels, switches and settings. It was his job to input the ships position, the target co ordernates, shell type, and calculate the aiming information for the 9 16" guns located in A B or C turrets. He always had it in his mind that he had sent shells into Caen town and killed so many civilians. But in the 1990's he watched a tv program which described what he had been aiming at. Many German Tiger tanks and he was pleased after 50 odd years to find out that his shells had been on target. They spent a many days shelling targets of the Normandy coast. He did not talk about the war much, but he would talk about life on ship if pressed.  He did travel on the Rodney aka The Rodbox, to Boston USA for a refit, to Murmansk on russian convoy protection, Norway area,  the Normandy invasion which he said was amazing for the number of ships and aircraft and the unforgetable noise.  The Malta blockade and being bombed, and off the North African coast.  When war ended he was sent to Australia to help set up a new base for a British Pacific fleet, but after about 10 weeks he was sent back to the UK were he was demobbed.

[Great War truck]

A local chap to me was on Rodney at the same time as your Father. He said that after the Normandy bombardment he went out on to deck to find that the blast from all of the shells that they had fired had ripped up the deck. He said that he did not enjoy his time on Rodney but preferred his previous ship. I cant remember his name and i think he is dead now. But there we go.  An interesting chap to talk to.