Elwood
Second Lieutenant
Posts: 355
|
Post by Elwood on Jun 6, 2024 14:25:22 GMT
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Jun 6, 2024 18:47:58 GMT
Very true Elwood.
Funny enough I read a story today about a little village less than 30 minutes’ drive from Widnes, it’s called Lower Peover, more of which later.
I wonder if Patton actually travelled through Widnes as thousands of US troops landed at Liverpool and got the train to their destinations in the south. Patton’s troops where located in Cheshire around little Peover, so they could have boarded a train in Liverpool and travelled through Ditton Sidings (Where the Roman coins where discovered) and across the river Mersey via the “Queen Ethelfleda“ railway bridge to Crewe, then onto various camps in North Cheshire. Who Knows maybe Patton was on board one of these trains.
Anyway back to Little Peover and when Patton met Eisenhower for a beer, Meal and Chat link
Ona side note, my 88 year old Brother in Law used to hang about the train sidings because there is a sharp bend in the tracks which caused the train to slow down, there he use to shout to the American’s on the train “any gum chum” which they would throw candy out to him.
Ian
|
|
Elwood
Second Lieutenant
Posts: 355
|
Post by Elwood on Jun 7, 2024 2:17:01 GMT
Plans for the invasion made at an English pub. Makes perfect sense. Over a few beers, hopefully.
|
|
Elwood
Second Lieutenant
Posts: 355
|
Post by Elwood on Jun 7, 2024 2:31:15 GMT
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Jun 7, 2024 3:23:31 GMT
He landed on Utah with the 4th "Ivy" Infantry Division. He was a great friend of Tubby Barton (DC), and Teddy Roosevelt Jr. (ADC).
|
|
Elwood
Second Lieutenant
Posts: 355
|
Post by Elwood on Jun 7, 2024 20:41:10 GMT
Well as I said, I was unaware of his presence there at D-Day. Find it fascinating.
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Jun 8, 2024 16:25:34 GMT
There are more untold or nearly untold stories about D Day than you can imagine. Same goes for the Bulge. If you saw the D Day episode of Band of Brothers, for instance, what you did not learn from watching is that assault on the gun position that was so central to the film, served and still serves as a model of how to assault a fortified position as taught at the Infantry School at Fort Moore. Dick Winters was an expert at small unit tactics, and a more humble man you will never find. A poster boy for the Spirit of the Cincinnati.
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Jun 8, 2024 20:06:42 GMT
You don’t hear much from the German side on D Day, like the two Sd.Kfz 232 armoured cars under command of Hans Krapf and Heinz Dahmann, both commanders, from the 12SS Pz Division travelling some 50 miles to see the situation on the coast. They ended up of the cliffs near the town of Tracy and saw the Canadians land on Juno, they were lucky to have made it that far and even luckier to make it back to report. Their story is like a advanced patrol from Gen. Terry watching the demise of Custer.
Ian
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Jun 9, 2024 3:19:11 GMT
That sure is a new one on me Ian. Never heard it before. Somewhere I have a book on the SS Panzers in Normandy. I will see if their story is contained there.
As far as I am concerned the Canadians and the Poles were the unsung of the allied forces in the west.
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Jun 9, 2024 13:55:31 GMT
Its a great little story Chuck, in his account Heinz Dahmann said that they suddenly came under heavy gun fire which drove them to ground, little did he know that the British had detected his radio messages and ranged in on him. He mentions about strange tanks on the beach (British Funnies) and troops landing in battalion strength.
You must have read about Franz Gockel and his story on defending WN62 on Omaha Beach, he was the one who raked the beach with fire and was responsible for the high casualties. They dubbed him the “beast of Omaha”. WN62 was located junction of Easy Red and Fox Green and it coved E1 draw off the beach. Ironically he was armed with a CKM Wz.30 captured Polish Medium Machine Gun which was a Browing designed weapon link
Yes the Canadians took a pounding on Juno, my dad told me about the bodies on the beach. The tide was further out than expected and they had to run over a long stretch of sand under fire.
The 1st Polish Armoured Division landed in France around the end of July, and were attached to the 1st Canadian army, unfortunately they got bombed by their own side not once but twice.
Are you still doing the modelling?
Ian
|
|
|
Post by quincannon on Jun 9, 2024 17:34:06 GMT
Modeling? Oh yes indeed. Two Brits are due in tomorrow's mail, a Comet and a Mark III Centurion. Centurion is my all time favorite British tank. The end of this coming week should find an M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo reading my mail box as well.
The Poles were not the only ones. I suppose the lesson is that you don't do close air support with B17's What a stupid idea. You can understand fighter bombers misidentifying troops they are supposed to be supporting as in CAS the margins are very tight.
Back in the day I trained with Canadians on two occasions. They are as tough was woodpecker lips and the regimental bands are all first rate. I just wish the Vandoos spoke English. They did much better than I spoke French, but that is because Mrs. Hertzler from high school was such a witch, or at least I thought so at the time.
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Jun 9, 2024 18:47:38 GMT
Good show I retire in seven weeks, so I will have a lot of time on my hands. With this in mind I started to collect kits around six months ago, got nearly 30 now and a lot of them have multiply builds in the same box like PSC for example.
Ian
|
|
mac
Brigadier General
Posts: 1,796
|
Post by mac on Jun 12, 2024 7:00:23 GMT
Retirement Ian...congratulations..Enjoy!!
Cheers
|
|
|
Post by yanmacca on Jun 12, 2024 16:12:23 GMT
Thanks Mac, we are in gran canaria at the moment mate, catching some rays.
Ian
|
|
Elwood
Second Lieutenant
Posts: 355
|
Post by Elwood on Jun 12, 2024 18:16:36 GMT
Retirement Ian...congratulations..Enjoy!!
Cheers
Yes, what he said!
|
|