| D Day 81 yrs ago! 09:20 - Jun 6 with 1779 views | bluejacko |
This time all those years ago my grandad had just gone ashore in the second wave on Sword beach!
Just take a moment and reflect on what we owe those men and women! [Post edited 6 Jun 10:25]
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| D Day 81 yrs ago! on 09:08 - Jun 8 with 140 views | DJR |
| D Day 81 yrs ago! on 11:12 - Jun 7 by bluejacko |
Hobart’s creations were indeed the fore runner for todays Armoured Engineers,they were in the 79th Armoured division,you have to remember though there were various forms of AVRE based on the Churchill tank not just a gun tank!
https://www.facebook.com/tankmuseum/posts/the-badge-of-the-british-79th-armoured
This badge is still used today by 32 Engineer Regt (one of my old Regts 👍) [Post edited 7 Jun 11:15]
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Yes, this was is my uncle's citation for the Military Cross, indicating that at that time he was in an AVRE used for laying fascines.
"On 28 February 1945, Capt XXXX was commanding a Troop of AVsRE under command 11 Armd Div. He was ordered to make a fascine crossing over a stream North of Kervehheim. This involved Capt XXXX and some of his men working outside their AVsRE under heavy mortar fire, which caused casualties to the Infantry in the vicinity. The crossing was successfully completed. Later on the crossing was reported to be failing and Capt XXXX was ordered to take up another fascine. Owing to the difficulty of the approach, he lay on top of the fascine bundle and guided the driver. During this he was wounded in the leg by Spandau fire. He then crawled forward under cover of smoke and despite heavy mortar fire and Spandau fire, he carried out a recce of the crossing. He found that the crossing was intact, but to ensure its future use he personally laid tracing tapes down to the crossing, still under fire. Capt XXXX’s complete disregard for personal danger, and his high standard of leadership and devotion to duty, ensured the continued use of this important crossing."
And this is from a newspaper article about him in connection with the surrender of Boulogne suggesting he had rather more firepower then.
"Story of Boulogne Surrender
When the bitter fighting for Boulogne, in which Canadian infantry was supported by tanks of a British assault squadron of the Royal Engineers, came to an end the German commander of Boulogne surrendered to a young R.E lieutenant.
During the parley which proceeded the final surrender the German colonel decided he could not surrender to a lieutenant and asked for an interview with a British colonel. As it was a Canadian infantry attack, the surrender was finally made to a Canadian colonel.
The lieutenant, whose squadron reduced the gates of the citadel and opened the way for the attack which brought about its final collapse, is Lieutenant XXXX of XXX.
Lieutenant XXXX, describing the fall of the citadel, said-
“I was in charge of a troop, and under covering fire from an assault team of Royal Engineers, I moved forward to the main gate of the citadel. This gateway was a huge arch over the road into the citadel, the name “citadel” meaning the old town of Boulogne, which is surrounded by a high wall and four gateways.
The gate we were to attack was blocked with eight horizontal steel rails each about seven feet high. We shot the steel rails away and a number of land mines behind the gate, and then moved forward, when my tank slid into a shell hole and stuck. I climbed out of my tank and ordered another tank to tow us out when I noticed a number of white flags being waved from the top of the walls of the citadel.
I then turned my guns on to the Germans and ordered them to advance to where I was standing. Some thirty Germans and two Canadians who had been prisoners for five days came forward with a German officer who spoke English. He then looked at my two pips rather doubtfully and asked if he could surrender to an officer of equivalent rank to his commander.
Eventually, a Canadian colonel of equal rank came along with some of his men and the surrender was then agreed upon by the garrison commander, who felt that his honour had been saved."
My uncle was given the binoculars of the German officer who surrendered, and my dad (just too young for the war) was especially proud of him.
[Post edited 8 Jun 10:42]
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| D Day 81 yrs ago! on 09:42 - Jun 8 with 96 views | Churchman |
| D Day 81 yrs ago! on 09:08 - Jun 8 by DJR |
Yes, this was is my uncle's citation for the Military Cross, indicating that at that time he was in an AVRE used for laying fascines.
"On 28 February 1945, Capt XXXX was commanding a Troop of AVsRE under command 11 Armd Div. He was ordered to make a fascine crossing over a stream North of Kervehheim. This involved Capt XXXX and some of his men working outside their AVsRE under heavy mortar fire, which caused casualties to the Infantry in the vicinity. The crossing was successfully completed. Later on the crossing was reported to be failing and Capt XXXX was ordered to take up another fascine. Owing to the difficulty of the approach, he lay on top of the fascine bundle and guided the driver. During this he was wounded in the leg by Spandau fire. He then crawled forward under cover of smoke and despite heavy mortar fire and Spandau fire, he carried out a recce of the crossing. He found that the crossing was intact, but to ensure its future use he personally laid tracing tapes down to the crossing, still under fire. Capt XXXX’s complete disregard for personal danger, and his high standard of leadership and devotion to duty, ensured the continued use of this important crossing."
And this is from a newspaper article about him in connection with the surrender of Boulogne suggesting he had rather more firepower then.
"Story of Boulogne Surrender
When the bitter fighting for Boulogne, in which Canadian infantry was supported by tanks of a British assault squadron of the Royal Engineers, came to an end the German commander of Boulogne surrendered to a young R.E lieutenant.
During the parley which proceeded the final surrender the German colonel decided he could not surrender to a lieutenant and asked for an interview with a British colonel. As it was a Canadian infantry attack, the surrender was finally made to a Canadian colonel.
The lieutenant, whose squadron reduced the gates of the citadel and opened the way for the attack which brought about its final collapse, is Lieutenant XXXX of XXX.
Lieutenant XXXX, describing the fall of the citadel, said-
“I was in charge of a troop, and under covering fire from an assault team of Royal Engineers, I moved forward to the main gate of the citadel. This gateway was a huge arch over the road into the citadel, the name “citadel” meaning the old town of Boulogne, which is surrounded by a high wall and four gateways.
The gate we were to attack was blocked with eight horizontal steel rails each about seven feet high. We shot the steel rails away and a number of land mines behind the gate, and then moved forward, when my tank slid into a shell hole and stuck. I climbed out of my tank and ordered another tank to tow us out when I noticed a number of white flags being waved from the top of the walls of the citadel.
I then turned my guns on to the Germans and ordered them to advance to where I was standing. Some thirty Germans and two Canadians who had been prisoners for five days came forward with a German officer who spoke English. He then looked at my two pips rather doubtfully and asked if he could surrender to an officer of equivalent rank to his commander.
Eventually, a Canadian colonel of equal rank came along with some of his men and the surrender was then agreed upon by the garrison commander, who felt that his honour had been saved."
My uncle was given the binoculars of the German officer who surrendered, and my dad (just too young for the war) was especially proud of him.
[Post edited 8 Jun 10:42]
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For those who are interested and unsure what a fascine tank is, see attached.
https://www.dday-overlord.com/material/tank/churchill-fascine
The ‘funnies’ were in quite short supply, so would be used in conjunction with standard tanks, infantry, artillery and where possible air support. Naturally, looking as they did and having to bridge or whatever first, they attracted a lot of unwelcome interest from the enemy.
One of the nastiest developments was the German Panzerfaust. A true handheld weapon that anyone could use. It was a single use throw away device that fired a hollow charge that’d go through most armour. Your tank could be ‘brewed up’ without you knowing who your assailant was and you had seconds to get out if you hadn’t already been killed or wounded by ‘scabs’ from the inside of the tank flying round or the thing just blowing up.
Tank crews? None braver in those days. A highly recommended read is James Holland’s Brothers in Arms. It’s about one particular tank regiment’s war from DDay to the end of it. |  | | |
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