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d-day landings

33bus

33bus

master brummie
Ifound this item on a millitary site of which Im a member I hope they are clear to view cheers Tom
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https://blogs.denverpost.com/captur...anniversary-of-d-day-on-the-normandy-beaches/
 
Great photo,s, I have been 3 times to most of these locations and found it a very rewarding experience, my dad landed at Juno beach on D Day plus 5 with the 7th armoured brigade.
 
33 bus, A great site, i was working a machine when news of D Day landings came on the factory speakers, i was 15yrs young at the time, all the workers cheered some had tears in their eyes, a great day in time, RIP to the fallen and hope the wounded recovered to full health. Len.
 
I have just returned from a very humbling tour of the beeches of Normandy, France.
I am quite shocked that there are not many posts on this site to this historic event, that has certainly shaped all our lives since in this country was freed from evil forces of Nazism.
I visited Pegasus Bridge, Mervllie Batteries, Point Du hoc, the USA and British cemerteries and all the 5 beaches.
I for one am very thankfull for all the personel that put their lives on the line to give me my free lifestyle.
 
think I have mentioned before, that the Birmingham Accident Hospital (the Acci) previously the Queens hospital in Bath row took some of the first casualties of the normandy landings - set up in 42' specifically for this purpose.
 
Sadly another important historical event that the education system fails to inform the youth of today about.

Today
I sat upon that beach in France and watched the children play.
Amongst the gun emplacements, reminders of that day.
They know not what their fathers did upon that bloody shore,
on that day, the Sixth of June in Nineteen Forty Four.

WT1998
 
I saw today that an Englishman called Peter Lake, who had helped train the French Resistance in terror tactics, was told by de Gaulle (personally, I think) shortly after D-Day that his presence in France was no longer required and that he must leave immediately.

Vive la France...not.

Big Gee
 
Big G,
Perhaps De gaule had the hump,because the allies didn't tell him about the D day landings.It was thought if the French were told,the Germans would know our plans within hours.
With friends like these...who needs enemies?.
 
We have to be tolerant and forgiving as it is not De Gaulle's fault that he was born French.:D
 
My Grandad Joe Holtham (Kerwyks Lane Sparkbrook) was a Medic with the RAMC on D-day, landed at Hermanville Sword Beach... bless him I miss him very much and will never forget him nor all his fellow servicemen :)
Cheers Simon.
 
Just found this interesting site. I have visited Normandy twice to visit the D-Day beaches. The second time I was stood on one of the British beaches and next to me was an elderly gentleman that had been on the same tour. We both stood in silence taking in the view and atmosphere and I said to him " have you been here before?" meaning as a visit. He said "Yes, the last time there was a large British warship just off this beach firing at the German defences". Gobsmacked wasn't the right expression I felt - humbled was closer. I have just read (twice) an amazing book about the first american spearhead on Omaha - called the Bedford Boys. This is about a small town in Virginia where the local boys joined the National Guard (described in the book as something similar to youth club) and ended up in the first wave similar the the situation of the Pals Battalions. Many lost the lives at the D1 draw at Omaha and I attach a pic of the German gun emplacement that raked the beach there. I also have pics of Pegasus bridge if anyone interested.DSCF0014.jpg
 
sheldontony said:
Just found this interesting site. I have visited Normandy twice to visit the D-Day beaches. The second time I was stood on one of the British beaches and next to me was an elderly gentleman that had been on the same tour. We both stood in silence taking in the view and atmosphere and I said to him " have you been here before?" meaning as a visit. He said "Yes, the last time there was a large British warship just off this beach firing at the German defences". Gobsmacked wasn't the right expression I felt - humbled was closer. I have just read (twice) an amazing book about the first american spearhead on Omaha - called the Bedford Boys. This is about a small town in Virginia where the local boys joined the National Guard (described in the book as something similar to youth club) and ended up in the first wave similar the the situation of the Pals Battalions. Many lost the lives at the D1 draw at Omaha and I attach a pic of the German gun emplacement that raked the beach there. I also have pics of Pegasus bridge if anyone interested.View attachment 82927
Click to expand...


Yes please, I would love to see those
 
thanks.DSCF0019.jpg

this is looking along Omaha beach showing the bluffs that had German machine guns and artillery. Although it shows people sat on the beach I was informed that people enjoying the beach is rarely seen. The next pic shows the expanse of beach that had to be crossed at low tide

DSCF0020.jpg
 
The gearboxes used on the landing jetties of the Mulberry Harbours were, I believe, made by the MOSS GEAR Co of Chester Rd, Erdington. My Dad, who worked at the Moss during and after the War told me this.
 
Birmingham played its part in the D Day landing in many ways Hundreds of "Brummies" took part in the landings, Much of the equipment used was built by "Brummies". What is less known is that, prior to the landing the streets of Sparkbrook - Anderton Road; Cartland Road; Grace Road; White Road; were used by troops practicing for "street to street" fighting. As a schoolboy I watched them and was fascinated as the soldiers dived into entries, behind walls, and in some houses, used the windows for exercises. The roads were full of military vehicles. I tried to see if my father was one of them but he was not. We thought that the exercise was some sort of practice for a future battle, but we had no idea that D Day was just a short time away.
 
I was a youngster at the time and Mom and dad had many brothers in the army and were worried, we listened all the time to the 'wireless' for news, but we all seemed glad. Later in the war my nan had a large map of Europe on her lounge wall and on it she pinned red flags showing progress from the east and union flags and stars and stripes moving from the west. We followed news of Monty and Ike and Joe Stalin who were our heroes at that time. There was an american army base near where I lived and I met my first 'yanks' as we called them, and also met and spoke to german PoWs who were temporarily held nearby. The picture below although not Brum, somehow reminds me of those times - they were parked and waiting - the kids played skipping ....
Waiting .jpg
 
I remember that Swanshurst Park held prisoners of war. I cannot remember if they were Germans or Italians. I do remember that they would lean over the fencing on Yardley Wood Road, and try to talk to passing folk. Also remember the first detached house on Wake Green Road, by the corner of Yardley Wood Road, near to Mackenzie Road, housed American officers.
 
norfolk brummie said:
I remember that Swanshurst Park held prisoners of war. I cannot remember if they were Germans or Italians. I do remember that they would lean over the fencing on Yardley Wood Road, and try to talk to passing folk. Also remember the first detached house on Wake Green Road, by the corner of Yardley Wood Road, near to Mackenzie Road, housed American officers.
Click to expand...

As a paper kid in the 50s I used to deliver to the huge prefab estate which is now Druids Heath.
I remember seeing, scratched into the road surface "POW 1945", the "W" was the Germanic two "V"s merged.
I don't know where they were from, or their nationality but my mother often talks about the POWs working around our bomb-damaged estate in Highters Heath. I wonder if they came from Swanshurst Park. Apparently one of them gave me a doll he had carved, (I wish I still had it).
 
Only a small number of Germans were POW's in England before D Day, mainly aircrew. After the D Day landings hundreds were shipped back to England, and they worked on farms, roads etc. The security always appeared to be quite relaxed, and once they realised that they had lost the war, they probably thought they were in the best place. Not much point in trying to escape.
 
This is my local newspaper The Denver Post. Just think IF this had happened a day later it would have been on MY B/D! Great photos. Any BRUM members there? John Crump OldBrit. Parker near Denver.Colorado USA
 
Interesting thread about the Normandy landing. I have been several times now and would suggest it is well worth a visit. Each time I go there is another site that has been excavated or another museum with excellent display and description of the fighting around that area.

On one visit I found the below. It was starting to get dark when I visited UTAH beach and there wasn't any time left to travel to another site so I decided to walk along the beach. Sticking out of the sand was a fired 50 calibre bullet. It is shown displayed with two inert 50 Calibre rounds to show what it would have looked like before being used. I have decided not to clean it as it shows its history better that way. I just cleaned the bottom to see the date which is 1943.

005.JPG006.JPG

The fighting for this beach was very short and the troops moved off the beach without much delay. It was almost certainly fired on D Day and has been washed back and forth from the sea to the beach. It may even have been fired at see and eventually washed up on the beach, we will never know.

Steve R
 
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