Normandy

[MikeyB17]

Just got back from my visit to the Normandy D-day beaches. Had a great time, although I was on a coach tour and as we were trying to fit in as much as possible, we didn't get as long as I would have liked in some places. Went to Pegasus Bridge and the Cafe Gondree (first house liberated in France), did all the beaches (didn't realise how huge they are-miles and miles long), saw the remains of the Mulberry Harbour and the museum at Arromanches, the museums at Bayeux and St.Mere Eglise (said hello to the chap still hanging from the Church Tower!). Was astounded at the U.S. cemetary at Omaha Beach-immaculately kept, enormous and incredible to think that only 40% of U.S. casualties are there-the rest were taken home. Also amazed by Point du Hoc, taken by the Rangers on D-day-total devastation with huge shell holes everywhere. Only scratched the surface really. A pretty humbling experience. Had three veterans on our bus-two paras , both dropped on Pegasus Bridge-one was an incredibly sprightly 82, went all the way to Berlin after being dropped on D-day, and after demob he stayed a civvie for 2 years then signed up for another 25 and fought in Korea! Still teaching mountaineering! A privelige.

 

[MDFrench]

The Normandy beaches are a humbling experience. I visited them twice when I lived in Europe. On the first trip, there were no schedule limits and I was able to crawl around the bunkers at my leisure.

Very inspiring and very emotional at the same time.

 

[PADDY]

Mikey, glad you enjoyed France...

Hiya Mikey! was it Tony Lea you had as a guide for the battlefields? he's pretty well into it over there. It took me a wee while to warm to him, but he's a good guy and once into his patter he really brings the place alive with stories.

Wish I'd been on that trip, as having veterans along really adds to the whole thing. Only thing is, I'm not great on buses, but it's a great way to find out the places to go to, so that you can return under your own steam at a later date and take it more leisurely!

So what jackets did you bowl them all over with?

Oh, and did you stay in the Hotel Clarine? not a bad little place.

 

[MikeyB17]

Yo Paddy,
Our guide was called Richard Bass, an extremely nice chap who has apparently written books on the subject-our drivers, who have done loads of these, said he'd taken them to places they'd never seen before. It's a hell of a long time on a coach, especially all the way from Cornwall-we left Caen at 8.15 and got home at about 2 in the morning! Jacket-wise I stuck with the A-2, although the B-3 would've been handy on the beaches as there was a really chilly wind. Saw a very good selection of jackets in the museums, several A-2s, couple of B-3s, a D-1, a B-15 and a 60's G-1 with a 9thAF patch on it, on a dummy masquerading as a WWII pilot-big Scovill zipper in full view! I was tempted to point this out, but felt my protests would have fallen on deaf ears, thats if I could make myself understood in my lousy French! Not sure if we stayed at the Clarine or not! This may sound daft but the signs all said 'Kyriad', I think that was the name of the chain rather than the Hotel-there were signs in the car park referring to something that was something like Clarine. It was a Travelodge-like place right on the outskirts of Caen, opposite a McDonalds! Anyway it was very nice. They wouldn't let me in the Cafe Gondree with my A-2 on-they said the last bloke they had in here wearing one of those was this awful Irish fellow who kept ranting on about flying jackets, overseas caps and R.M.Williams boots!
Would've liked to have got into the militaria shops in St.Mere Eglise, but they were all closed! I rushed round the excellent airborne museum in order to get time to go down there too, forgetting it was Sunday! Probably just as well, I doubt I'd have got out without spending a fortune-I could see a Crusher cap through the window of one of them, if that'd have fitted I would've found it hard to resist. Anyway Paddy, thanks for the tip, Leger did a fine job for us. Next time I'm taking the car!

 

[anj4de]

Hi Mikey

Yes, I found the way over! It's Uwe...
Speaking of those Militaria shops in St Mere Eglise, you havn's missed much in them. They have a lot of stuff but for tourist's prices. The worst one is called "The Static Line" and is run by Michel DeTrez, known author of many books on the US Airborne forces. I was in that shop two years ago, prices are at least double as what you would pay on a normal fair or in E-bay. The taget customer there is someone with a big wallet who was into the museums around the corner and has been "infected" with the virus...nothing for a serious collector.
Speaking of jackets, I am waiting to get the original D-1, size large, that I bought on E-bay about a month back. Also thinking about getting either a B-3 or a B-6, not sure witch one to take yet. Since I already have an AN-J-4 and a Irvin from ELC I think a B-6 would fit into the collection a bit better...but B-3s look better...

cheers
Uwe

 

[PADDY]

Welcome on board Uwe!

Good to have you here my friend! sounds like the tailor did a fine job on your Buzz Rickson B15 nylon jacket! I'm having to part with mine Uwe as it's not getting the wear and I could do with the cash right now (sadly!).

But glad you can bring your enthusiasm and knowledge on board here to share with other WW2 enthusiasts!

OH Mikey! I noticed that 1960s G-1 with the 9th AAF patch too! mmmmm!! very dodgey I thought, considering the rest of the museum (by the Mulberry harbour) was great. Maybe someone could donate a proper G-1 or M422a to them!

Glad you enjoyed the trip, I thought you might, but the travelling is a killer!

 

[anj4de]

B-15B

Hi Paddy

Yes, the lady did a real good job on it. I had her have a look at the "Suit Up" and at other pictures of the period and she understood what I wanted. The whole operation was 24EUR! 14 to shorten the arms and 10 for the tapering.
Yesterday I got a B-5 Mae West in E-bay, bought it of a guy in Alaska...that makes my "The Hunters" impression almost complete. All I miss now is the bl...y helmet, very expensive when in a good shape. I have the pants, A-11C, the parachute, that seat pack for the rubber boat and even an ejection seat out of an F-80/T-33...my girl friend has long since given up...I'm just a big kid I guess

cheers
Uwe

 

[MikeyB17]

Hey Uwe,
Good to have you on board. That makes me feel better about the shops in St.Mere Eglise, if they'd been open I bet I'd have succombed to something. There's something about seeing a thing in a shop, if I saw it on Ebay or somewhere online I wouldn't dream of buying it, but when it's there in front of me I find it hard to resist! Good job it was Sunday!
Personally the B-6 don't do it for me-I don't like the back. Looks good from the front but the way the back fits close to the body is not for me, although I imagine for practical purposes it's probably warmer. I prefer the 'boxy' shape of the B-3 and D-1. Personally I think the B-3 is the best-looking of the shearling jackets, but that's just my humble opinion. I love my Aero B-3, but if I was doing it again and I had a few more quid I'd probably be looking at Eastman's redskin B-3, although Aero's redskin looks good too.
Yeah, Paddy, I really liked the Arromanche museum apart from that G-1. Did you see the flight jackets in the Bayeaux museum? I didn't realise they were there until it was nearly time to go, and didn't get to study them as I'd've liked. Did see one lovely russet one which looked like a 1401 Roughwear to me. There was a tiny A-2 with nose art that looked suspiciously repro to me. Loved the P-47 nose art. Did you see the nurse's Dubow in the St.Mere eglise museum? (sounds of yawns from non-jacket obsessed members-sorry!)

 

[MikeyB17]

Here's a pic of me looking like a sack of crap in front of a Comet tank next to Pegasus Bridge.

 

[MikeyB17]

Here's slightly bigger pic of me looking like a sack of crap next to a Sherman at the Bayeaux D-day museum, Normandy (lots of U.S. tanks still in Normandy!)

 

[PADDY]

Yep, I was caught in the tank trap pics too!

Sadly Mike, I did all the tank pics too! haha. And yes, the nurses A-2 in St-Mere-Eglise did it for me too a cute little number if ever I saw one!

 

[Swede]

I went over there with a bunch of my reenactment buddies this past June for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. Some of them actually jumped from C-47s onto St. Mere Eglise, quite a sight. The beaches ARE humbling. The geography of the beaches as portrayed in Saving Private Ryan are a condensed version of reality. The soldiers actually had to run across over 2 football fields worth of open beach before hitting the shingle. It was a jaw dropping moment when you stand there and realize they had to do this with 80lbs of gear on their backs, soaking wet, seasick and under constant fire. They were just cut from a different cloth than the rest of us. Visiting the cemetary was another moment that will stay with me forever. Realizing that most of the graves held the remains of 19 and 20 years olds is very sobering. The entire area is beautiful. It's hard to imagine the carnage that took place there. A trip of a lifetime.

 

[MikeyB17]

Hi Swede,
It's true, the thing that films like Saving Private Ryan don't prepare you for is the sheer size of the Normandy beaches-they literally go on for miles. It's easy to see why the US troops had such a terrible time on Omaha, with the way the land rises at the top of the beach. the German gunners would have had a field day, shooting from their elevated fortifications as the Americans crossed the beach with next to no cover or armour support. I won't forget my trip in a hurry.