Johan Willaert Posted August 24, 2016 Share #9451 Posted August 24, 2016 The picture with the girl standing in front of the bunker was taken at Batz-sur-Mer in Brittany, France. Batz is a small seaside town just to the West of St Nazaire... The bunker still stands and is now a museum... See also: http://www.grand-blockhaus.com/ After visiting Ken in Normandy last week I continued to St Nazaire and visited the bunker while there... Pictures taken last week: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted August 24, 2016 Share #9452 Posted August 24, 2016 Street view of the bunker entrance and parking lot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9453 Posted August 25, 2016 Carentan Tank museum closure . . . . . . . . Whilst visiting a flea market outside the Carentan tank museum on Sunday morning I took the opportunity to go inside and buy one of the museums patches, sadly come September this will be a patch commemorating that there once was a Carentan tank museum . . . . . My commiserations to owner Patrick Narrant and his family for their efforts in trying to bring a quality museum and collection to Normandy. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 15 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9454 Posted August 25, 2016 Carentan Tank museum closure . . . . . . . . Whilst visiting a flea market outside the Carentan tank museum on Sunday morning I took the opportunity to go inside and buy one of the museums patches, sadly come September this will be a patch commemorating that there once was a Carentan tank museum . . . . . My commiserations to owner Patrick Narrant and his family for their efforts in trying to bring a quality museum and collection to Normandy. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 15 2016. . Sad about the museum, even if I most likely would never get to see it anyway. But that is a really good looking patch. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9455 Posted August 25, 2016 Find at the Carentan Tank museum flea market . . . . . . . As I arrived on Sunday morning for the flea market Dave a friend was heading back to his car with a really nice 1939 dated German jerrycan and one of the tall German barbed wire stakes, he loaded them into his car and we headed back into the throng of stands approximately 400 of them. This was a general flea market not all militaria, I soon spotted this unusual round can out the front of a stand a few feet away were two American cans. I jumped straight in on the round one and looked under the bottom to find ' BPL, WD, 1943 ' ( the WD stands for British War Department ), when I caught up to Dave and showed it to him and pointed to the stand I purchased it from, he said it was the same place he got his German can, and had not paid any attention to the round can. This was the only military piece I bought, the other five pieces were items I could make good use of. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9456 Posted August 25, 2016 Street view of the bunker entrance and parking lot... Johan, interesting coincidence that you were at that same bunker just a week ago! It doesn't look like that lady is still hanging around there. Thanks for showing the photos of it. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9457 Posted August 25, 2016 Sad about the museum, even if I most likely would never get to see it anyway. But that is a really good looking patch. Mikie Hi Mikie, I think it will just be a display cabinet piece for me, just a fond memory of a decent museum , gone. Norman D. Landing Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9458 Posted August 25, 2016 Find at the Carentan Tank museum flea market . . . . . . . . Ken, Very interesting. Do you ever clean the rust off these and repaint? ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9459 Posted August 25, 2016 Johan, interesting coincidence that you were at that same bunker just a week ago! It doesn't look like that lady is still hanging around there. Thanks for showing the photos of it. Mikie Hi Johan, yes thanks for saving me a five hour drive over to Brittany to take a comparison photo, sadly the bunker may have survived the seventy or so years, but the woman obviously won't have, maybe some stories she would have had. Just twenty minutes ago I was being told about a bunker here on the Utah coast by a lady that lived close to the bunker as a child around D-Day, she said that she stood and watched as the American engineers bull-dozed soil over a bunker without clearing bodies or contents. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9460 Posted August 25, 2016 Ken, Very interesting. Do you ever clean the rust off these and repaint? ...Kat Hi Kat, no I never re-paint stuff, the most is to wash, dry and matt varnish spray, it holds what is left of the original paintwork, it stabilises the rust patches and retains the authenticity of the piece. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9461 Posted August 25, 2016 Hi Kat, no I never re-paint stuff, the most is to wash, dry and matt varnish spray, it holds what is left of the original paintwork, it stabilises the rust patches and retains the authenticity of the piece. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Very interesting. I was just wondering what you do with them. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9462 Posted August 25, 2016 Very interesting. I was just wondering what you do with them. ...Kat Hi Kat, here's a photo from another part of the forum, apologies I can't recall who posted this photo, he was showing two Mermite cans that he owns, one on the left original WWII paint and patina that cannot easily be replicated . . . . . love the color on the left it has a duality of shades in the make-up of the paint.. Normand D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9463 Posted August 25, 2016 Hi Kat, here's a photo from another part of the forum, apologies I can't recall who posted this photo, he was showing two Mermite cans that he owns, one on the left original WWII paint and patina that cannot easily be replicated . . . . . love the color on the left it has a duality of shades in the make-up of the paint.. Normand D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Ken, I understand and agree about the patina. The one on the left is very nice. Since the other was so rusty, that is the only reason why I asked. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9464 Posted August 25, 2016 Another find at the Tank museum flea market . . . . . . Since finishing the BBQ shack over a year ago I have wanted a cast iron plaque to stand behind the actual fire of the BBQ. So far I have never really enjoyed any of the images I have seen cast into these fire-plaques until I spotted this one last Sunday. I like the composition of the image, it almost has an American civil war appearance to it, not that I would be lucky enough to find an American example here, so time to enjoy what I found. Norman D Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9465 Posted August 25, 2016 Ken, I understand and agree about the patina. The one on the left is very nice. Since the other was so rusty, that is the only reason why I asked. ...Kat Kat, I wanted to mess with the petrol can I bought as little as possible, these round ones are hard to find, they were used by British parachute forces during WWII, four of these fuel cans fit inside the parachute drop-container. These were either dropped in with the parachutists as they landed or used in re-supply drops to parachute troops on the ground, they were also dropped in to French FFI forces fighting behind the German lines. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #9466 Posted August 25, 2016 Another find at the Tank museum flea market . . . . . . Since finishing the BBQ shack over a year ago I have wanted a cast iron plaque to stand behind the actual fire of the BBQ. So far I have never really enjoyed any of the images I have seen cast into these fire-plaques until I spotted this one last Sunday. I like the composition of the image, it almost has an American civil war appearance to it, not that I would be lucky enough to find an American example here, so time to enjoy what I found. Norman D Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016 . Great find for the BBQ! It does have an American Civil War appearance. That was my first thought as well. Be sure to post a picture when you get it placed in your BBQ! ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCDUFF Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9467 Posted August 26, 2016 Find at the Carentan Tank museum flea market . . . . . . . As I arrived on Sunday morning for the flea market Dave a friend was heading back to his car with a really nice 1939 dated German jerrycan and one of the tall German barbed wire stakes, he loaded them into his car and we headed back into the throng of stands approximately 400 of them. This was a general flea market not all militaria, I soon spotted this unusual round can out the front of a stand a few feet away were two American cans. I jumped straight in on the round one and looked under the bottom to find ' BPL, WD, 1943 ' ( the WD stands for British War Department ), when I caught up to Dave and showed it to him and pointed to the stand I purchased it from, he said it was the same place he got his German can, and had not paid any attention to the round can. This was the only military piece I bought, the other five pieces were items I could make good use of. Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016. . Hi Ken, that is a great can, and very rare I am sure! Good hunting! Cheers, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9468 Posted August 26, 2016 Another find at the Tank museum flea market . . . . . . Since finishing the BBQ shack over a year ago I have wanted a cast iron plaque to stand behind the actual fire of the BBQ. So far I have never really enjoyed any of the images I have seen cast into these fire-plaques until I spotted this one last Sunday. I like the composition of the image, it almost has an American civil war appearance to it, not that I would be lucky enough to find an American example here, so time to enjoy what I found. Norman D Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016 . looks like a great addition. Hopefully I'll be able to get around good enough to enjoy mine before winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9469 Posted August 26, 2016 Great find for the BBQ! It does have an American Civil War appearance. That was my first thought as well. Be sure to post a picture when you get it placed in your BBQ! ...Kat I agree with Kat. I am looking forward to seeing this mounted into the BBQ shack. A very nice find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikie Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9470 Posted August 26, 2016 Another find at the Tank museum flea market . . . . . . Since finishing the BBQ shack over a year ago I have wanted a cast iron plaque to stand behind the actual fire of the BBQ. So far I have never really enjoyed any of the images I have seen cast into these fire-plaques until I spotted this one last Sunday. I like the composition of the image, it almost has an American civil war appearance to it, not that I would be lucky enough to find an American example here, so time to enjoy what I found. Norman D Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 25 2016 . Neat item. At first glance, I thought it was General McClellan. American uniform designs before the Civil War were heavily influenced by the French Army. The kepi was adopted sometime in the 1850s, for example. My guess is that it is in fact French. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Apathy Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9471 Posted August 26, 2016 . . . . Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, August 26 2016 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutiger83 Posted August 26, 2016 Share #9472 Posted August 26, 2016 Before you know it, we will be at 1,000,000 views! This is a testament to your wonderful posts! This is by far my favorite thread on the forum. ...Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted August 27, 2016 Share #9473 Posted August 27, 2016 Good work on the museum Jeep, it will be a fine addition for visitors to see. Thanks Ken, applied the original style blue drab hood (bonnet) numbers this morning... U.S.A. 20150051 is the original number for this GPW As from next week I will be applying Canadian Army markings over the US ones... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LtRGFRANK Posted August 27, 2016 Share #9474 Posted August 27, 2016 Thanks Ken, applied the original style blue drab hood (bonnet) numbers this morning... U.S.A. 20150051 is the original number for this GPW As from next week I will be applying Canadian Army markings over the US ones... looking good Johan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Meatcan Posted August 27, 2016 Share #9475 Posted August 27, 2016 Johan, that's some really nice work you've been doing on the jeeps. Looking forward to seeing further pix of your progress. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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