44GPW Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Now back from a fantastic week in Normandy. 800 miles covered in the Jeep and Bedford and have stiff joints to prove it!! Spent most of yesterday power washing the remains of Utah and Omaha beach off the vehicles. Met some new people and chatted to Veterans most places we visited. The turn out of WW2 Military vehicles was overwelming!! Highlight for me was running into an Armoured Convoy coming in the opposite direction on a small side road leading from Utah beach. 3 Shermans, 1 Chaffee? plus at least 3 Half Tracks and 3 M8's, lead by 2 WLA's. An amazing site (and sound) indeed!! Hope all who attended got back ok. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snort Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Yes, I got back this morning and I did manage to see you although I was going the other way, awesome trip made special by the old Soldiers. One to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoot65 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'm looking forward to seeing the pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Had a great time these. We camped at Pegasus bridge. Did all the beaches and a few museums. And even managed to find my way onto the 10pm ITN news lol. Great week and great people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Just heard from a friend who was there that two Jeeps got caught out on the beach at Arromanches. They got stuck in soft sand and nearly became submerged when the tide came in. Just rescued in time by a DUKW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Hard to believe but back in 2004 at Arromanches one evening a guy was driving a jeep in and out of the sea at quite high speed. Eventually the inevitable happened and the engine died in the water with an incoming tide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 French polotics reared thier ugly heads. One of our guys wanted to take a Jeep onto the beach and was stopped by the Gendarmes. The local population saw what was happening and fetched the Mayor. He tore the Gendarme of a strip telling him the beach was part of the villiage and therefore HIS beach and no upstart shipped up from the south was going to tell people who could and couldn't go on the beach. At this point Gendarme did sensible thing and shoved it up his chain of command, so up turns Gendarme officer. Mayor and Officer have a high speed conversation, with locals chuking in thier Euros worth. Jeep driver mean time is just wanting to be somnewhere else. Problem certain drivers of an unmetioned nationalatiy have been indulging in thier national sport of winding up Gendamierie. The result was Jeep was allowed onto beach with strict instructions to drive carfully and be aware of pedestrians (!):angel: All round the villiage was heard comments such as 'Upstarts coming in from Marsailles. They should keep thier city ways to themselves'. We also had trouble with some of the local itenerants trying to breack into vehicles. One got a hell of shock when he opned Katy's door and found me half awake in the back , waving a folding entrenching tool. The local Police attitude? If they are stupid enough to try it on a bunch of guys armed with various tools, just try not to disturb the neighbourhood when you deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Arrived back home around 1.30am last night after ferry was delayed in both Ouistreham, coming into Portsmouth and then it took us an hour to get off the ferry and through Border Control! Anyway less of that, we had a fantastic trip. Met up with some old friends and made some new ones along the way. Great to see so many veterans in attendance for their rightful moment. Just hope that the traditions can still carry on despite the Normandy Veterans Association soon disbanding. The Gendarme on the whole were pretty helpful, and despite some major concerns before travelling about the passes for the windscreens on 6th June - we didn't once get stopped or be asked to show it! In fact from where we were camping, just inside the control zone, you could have easily got to the beach using the back roads. Overall certainly a trip to remember, in order to thank those who made it possible 70 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Yeah! Maybe there should be a special plaque. We survied Brittanay Ferries? Apparently the enginners on one baot went on strike, that screwed up all the sailings. 3/4 of an hour to get out of Portsmouth. :-X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 And as you cross the channel your ro-ro ferries, it is worth remembering that they are the descendents of the LSTs that went ashore at Normandy. trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44GPW Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 My two on Omaha Beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44GPW Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Just a few visitors to the Tank museum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44GPW Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 The only open route we found to Utah on the 6th....a 2 mile farm track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44GPW Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Armoured convoy we stumbled across en-route to St Marie De Mont....fantastic sight!!! Photos don't do it justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 great pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgins kpt. Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 very nice! congratulation, mainly like this Bedford MW, Tom Higgins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 In 2009 while we were at the MVT camp at Etreham, someone came up with a photo showing the fuel pipelines from Port en Bessin harbour passing a farm in the village. I took the opportunity of a photo of my QL at the same point and the original photo seen here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Re: Pluto Mine on the beach for the first time in 70 years I know of. Due to French time being an hour ahead of UK this picture wa staken just after 22:00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy66 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 In 2009 while we were at the MVT camp at Etreham, someone came up with a photo showing the fuel pipelines from Port en Bessin harbour passing a farm in the village. I took the opportunity of a photo of my QL at the same point and the original photo seen here. Yes Richard we know about the pipeline close to Etreham and by coincident have a picture on the same spot. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pearson Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Great pictures, wish I could have been there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nz2 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Are there any figures available as to the number of vehicles that traveled over to France for the events? Any from other European Countries? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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