denshaw 2,878 Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 I saw the 4 planes, they were a grey colour. Only markings on them were a black star on the underside of the wings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,245 Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Bloody hell denshaw,black star ? must have been Ruskies, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 A local regiment the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry played a very prominent part in D-Day and afterwards in the battle for Normandy. There was a program on BBC2 last night all about the battle for Normandy itself after the landings and they were featured quite a lot. They lost 3 colonels in the first 5 days of fighting, the first one on D-Day as they landed in DD tanks and remember there is only one colonel in the regiment at any one time, question 'who wants promotion'. To give an idea of how fierce the fighting was they were part of a brigade of three tank regiments each regiment equipped with 50 tanks, during the battle for Normandy that brigade required 1073 (I think) replacements to keep 150 tanks in the line. Guys would have a tank shot from under them, the survivors' would form new crews, who would jump in the replacement tanks and go do it all again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
benjamin1945 16,245 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 On the news this morning,Bernard Jordan 90 yrs old told by his 'care home' in Hove,we cant get you on the trip for the 'D' - day celebrations.So he went AWOL AND GOT THERE BY HIMSELF, Absolutely brilliant ,what spirit! Sadly Died yesterday..........God bless him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carni 10,094 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 He cheered our hearts last year when he got his wish to attend the D Day Celebrations. Such a shame, he had to make his own way there, with no help from anyone. It was the likes of his determination that won the war for us. I wonder what thoughts he must have had, I'm sure he must have felt let down, but he probably wouldn't let his feelings be known He wouldn't complain, he just got on with it. Very Sad Story. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 RIP Bernard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 I took my dad back to Arromanche in 1994, it was a wonderful moment, myself, my son aged 9 and this lovely old boy, finding the spot he'd gone up the beach, walked us through every single minute he'd experienced, luckily I have every second recorded on video, he had every building recalled, we ended up in the field where he'd been subjected to a bombartment of German 88mm airburst shells. My only comment, he was really pissed off that the Germans had not been invited to the 50th anniversary , there was a big do at the big Bayeux cemetary, he walked through the middle of the Royal Family ceremony to check that the German dead had been appreciated, someone had done that. As he always said, the Nazis were bastards, the Werhmacht were good blokes. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Having worked with ex-German POWs who decided to stay, I agree with what your Dad said Pete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Pete: My dad had exactly the same view. In his mind the average German soldier didn't want to be there any more than he or his comrades did. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 My old man was with XXX Corps as senior NCO with Field Headquarters, Medium Battery, Royal Artillery. I have all his regimental details, diaries, everything, it makes impressive reading, This weekend will be the 10th anniversary of his tragic death, Bilbraborn will vouch for what a fantastic character he was. A good story, when the British Army captured Hamburg, they were astonished to find the Naval Barracks completely intact from the bombing that had virtually obliterated the city. This place was turned into a POW camp for senior Wehrmacht officers. My old man found himself virtually in charge of the place as the British Officers were off on a Jolly most of the time. He said the bar was astonishing and still served by Kreigsmarine personnel with whom they formed good friendships, one of the bar staff had served on board the U-Boat that had sunk the battleship Royal Oak in 1939 under the command of Capitan Priem, he presented my dad with his bronze wounded badge he'd received during the U-Boat war, I still have it. One day a Wehrmacht Colonel approached the old man at the wire, he was a Count who'd been fighting on the Eastern Front and had lost an eye and an arm. Typical dad, 'He was a smashing bloke, he'd not been in contact with his wife for years but had heard she was working as a nurse in Hamburg. The old man commandeered a jeep, shot off to the hospital, found the blokes wife, then went back to the camp, set up a room and let them be together for an hour in private before the officers found out. He said they were in tears, ' Why not, the war was finished, I reckon he would have done it for me'. What do you say. HRT, bless him, facing up to the dreaded Hun at Mablethorpe, 1940. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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