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Introduction:
From Wednesday 6 to Monday 11
June 2019 Battle Detectives Tom, Ivo
and Kees visited Normandy.
This time, with the commemoration of
D-Day 75 years ago, it was a very
special event .
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Active duty
American soldiers gather around a
mannequin in a D-Day era SS uniform
in the
Dead Man's Corner Museum in Sainte-Côme-du-Mont |
Lock-down on D-Day
On that sixth of June, the
Normandy coastal area was largely on
lock-down for the arrival of the
heads of state of the countries that
had taken part in the invasion;
including US President Donald Trump
and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
We had left early in the morning and
were just in time to witness the
commemorations at the memorial to
Brigadier General Don F. Pratt in
Hiesville. This deputy commander of
the 101st Airborne Division was
killed on D-Day when his glider
crashed. The American active duty
soldiers of the 101st Airborne,
present at the ceremony in their
camouflage uniforms, proudly wore
their "Screaming Eagle" shoulder
patches in color. That first day we
saw fully equipped field hospitals
at the Chateau de Colombìeres and in
Holdy, complete with operating rooms
and injured patients; re-enacted and
with theater make-up of course.
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Pratt Memorial
Ceremony
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Field hospitals
and operating theaters |
D+1 and D+2
The next two days we met with
American friends Mark Durivage from
Ohio and John Klein from California
separately; friendships created
during the "Remember September" in
Holland in 2004. John brought with
him veteran Bill Galbraight (95) of
the 506th Regiment. At the La
Barquette locks, Bill explained how
he had joined the soldiers of
Colonel Johnson of the 501st
Regiment to defend the locks in the
Douve River. By closing these locks,
the German occupiers had managed to
flood large parts of the drop zones,
but Bill could tell us that he had
landed on dry ground at the time. He
was determined to come back to
Holland next September. In Carentan
I met by chance the current
commander of the 101st Airborne,
Lieutenant General Brian Winski. In
a short conversation, he said that a
delegation of soldiers in active
service will probably participate in
the upcoming "Remember September"
events. |
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1) Mark Durivage
2) John Klein
3) Bill Galbraight
4) Bill Galbraight telling
about his actions at La Barquette
5) Major-General Brian Winski
of the 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault) |
D+3
On June 9th we attended the
ceremony held on the Place Moulin in
Brévands in honor of the "Filthy
Thirteen"; the demolition team of
"HQ" Company of the 506th Parachute
Infantry Regiment tasked with
destroying two wooden bridges
across the Douve river. These
bridges had been constructed by the
Germans to facilitate reinforcements
to the coast in the event of an
invasion. The ceremony started with
an eagle feather ritual by a
delegation of Native Americans.
After the ceremony there was an
informal get-together in the small
village.
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1) Again, active duty
soldiers in their OCP camouflage
uniforms with unit patches in full
color
2) American Chinook
helicopters fly over the village of
Brévads prior to the ceremony
3) Good vantage point on
a bocage mount
4) & 5)
Wreath laying ceremonies by
various organizations
6) COL Joseph Escandon;
commanding officer of the today's
American 502nd Infantry Regiment
7) Posing with
First Sergeant Cole of the 326th
Engineer Battalion
8) Native Americans,
reenactors and active duty soldiers
of the 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault) pose for a photographer
after the ceremony |
Jacket on a 1984 photo
What was a highlight for Tom was
coming face to face with the M42
parachutist jacket worn by veteran
Frank Hoffman of the 502nd Regiment
at the Dead Man’s Corner Museum in
Saint-Côme-du-Mont.
He can be seen standing next to him,
in that jacket, on a photograph that
was made at the Drop Zone in Son in
1984. Until recently we didn’t know
who that surly-looking veteran was
in the background. Only recently we
had discovered the identity of that
veteran and what turned out to be?
All his uniforms and souvenirs from
World War Two are in that museum!
It was also wonderful to see an
entire room with dining World War II
veterans when we brought Bill
Galbraight to Carentan. They are
still there and they are back! |
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EXHIBITIONS:
We also found time to
visit the location where German tank
ace Michael Wittmann was killed in
action near Cintheaux early August
1944 as well as up close around
Bridges No.'s 2, 3 and 4 on Purple
Heart Lane in Carentan. Keep
monitoring our
Latest News page for new
articles featuring these locations. |
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1) Looking in the direction of
the British "A" Squadron, 1st
Northamptonshire Yeomanry Regiment
2) Pinpointing the location
where Wittmann's fieldgrave was
found in 1984
3) Ghost-photo of the actual
location where Wittmann's Tiger tank
exploded
4) Looking in the direction
of the Canadian "A" Squadron,
Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment
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5) & 6) Bridge No. 2.
across the Douve river
7 & 8) Bridge No. 3.
across La Groult river
9) Bridge No. 4. across La
Madeleine river |
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