Hawthorn Ridge Mine, Battle of the Somme During a visit to Flanders Fields last weekend we passed by Hawthorn Ridge. The detonation of the Hawthorn Ridge Mine on 1st July 1916, captured on film by Geoffrey Malins, is one of the iconic moments of the First World War. The explosion also symbolises the disaster of the 1st day of the Battle of the Somme. The mine was exploded at 7.20am, 10 minutes before the attack at [...]
Bomb Demolition Number 1 The ‘Bomb, Demolition Number 1’ was fired from the Churchill AVRE’s 290mm Petard mortar and it pretty much destroyed any masonry in its path. . It’s 630mm (25in) tall and weighs 18kg (40lb). The AVRE was a specialist engineer vehicle used to overcome obstacles on the battlefield. Find out more in David Fletcher's latest Tank Chat on The Tank Museum's Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/fwCgEn48Bn8
Thinking of a D-Day tour in 2019? Book your ferry crossing now! If you're thinking of visiting the landing beaches of the Normandy Invasion or finding out more about Operation Overlord and the Normandy Campaign, Brittany Ferries' 2019 sailings went on sale on 24 July 2018. Brittany Ferries offers a range of sailings from Britain to France, including: Portsmouth to St Malo, Portsmouth to Caen, Portsmouth to Le Havre, Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Poole to Cherbourg, [...]
Frank Bourlet RIP. Last Veteran of the Pegasus Bridge. Another veteran leaves us. It is being reported that Frank Bourlet, from Glider No. 1, the last veteran of the Coup de Main group that spearheaded the assault on Pegasus Bridge, has passed away. May he rest in peace.
Kind words from New York's finest tour guide Alison and I had the pleasure of meeting Sheldon and Debby Lapidus from Best New York Tours in March 2018. At the time we didn't know that Sheldon was a professional tour guide as he only told us just before they left. We were all the more pleased to get such a fine endorsement from such a distinguished professional. Thanks Sheldon and Debby. It was a great [...]
New Ernie Pyle Documentary by Professor Stephen Krankhe On 18th July this year, I was privileged to spend an enthralling day with Professor Stephen Krankhe of Indiana State University. Prof. Krankhe is planning to make a documentary film about the American War Correspondent Ernie Pyle and I was honored to be chosen by him to guide him to some of the locations and sites from which Ernie Pyle's sent his famous dispatches rogress through Normandy [...]
General George S Patton. Lucky Forward, Nehou, Normandy General George Patton arrived in Normandy on 6th July 1944, a month after the D-Day landings of 6th June. Until then he had played a crucial role in the allied deception plan Operation Fortitude, convincing the Germans that he would lead a landing in the Pas de Calais. Patton's presence in Normandy was still a secret. His U.S. 3rd Army did not become active untill 1st [...]
An unusual photograph of JUNO Beach is of a P-47 Thunderbolt (42-76279) from 365th Fighter Bomber Group 386th Fighter Squadron U.S. Army Air Force beached close to the sea wall on JUNO Beach. How did it get there? The aircraft was flown by 2nd Lieutentant John Alfred Weese who crash landed into the sea off St Aubin sur Mer on 10th June 1944. Sadly Weese was killed in the attempt. Weese's body was recovered [...]
Ardenne Abbey Massacre. June 1944 On 7th, 8th and 17th June 1944, in the immediate aftermath of D-Day, twenty Canadian soldiers were executed by the Germans at the Abbaye d'Ardenne, a massive collection of medieval buildings including an early gothic church, a chateau and farm buildings at Villons les Buissons which today is a suburb of the modern city of Caen. The Abbaye d'Ardenne had been taken over as the headquarters of 25th Panzer [...]
