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Norman D. Landing


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On 5/26/2020 at 4:26 AM, Johan Willaert said:

Aboard the O'Brien back in 2009... Alcatraz in the background...

2009_0811Calif0027.jpg

Nice pic. The Bay is  beautiful. 

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Johan Willaert
On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2020 at 6:20 AM, mikie said:

In case you have not heard, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien had a close call the other day.  Thank you San Francisco firefighters for saving her from some serious trouble.

 

https://www.mail.com/news/us/9931218-fire-destroys-warehouse-san-franciscos-fishermans.html#.23140-stage-hero1-3

 

Mikie

 

The O'Brien was temporarily moved to Pier 35 while the Port and other agencies clear debris and complete inspections of Pier 45’s infrastructure...

obrien-at-35.jpg

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3 hours ago, Johan Willaert said:

 

The O'Brien was temporarily moved to Pier 35 while the Port and other agencies clear debris and complete inspections of Pier 45’s infrastructure...

obrien-at-35.jpg

Thanks for the updates, Johan. I'm only 60 miles away from her, but you are more on top of the situation than I am. I don't get to SF very often,  and have yet to get on board.

 

Oh by the way, Ken, my automatic spelling demon just changed the word " situation" to "Siddhartha". Sure glad I caught that.  

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Johan Willaert

If not for Covid-19, today we would have been on our way to Nomandy for the 76th Anniversary of the Allied Landings....

Will be strange not dropping by Ken's place in June....

 

Enjoy Ken, guess it will be rather quiet over there this year...

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1 hour ago, Johan Willaert said:

If not for Covid-19, today we would have been on our way to Nomandy for the 76th Anniversary of the Allied Landings....

Will be strange not dropping by Ken's place in June....

 

Enjoy Ken, guess it will be rather quiet over there this year...

The invasion has been postponed.  

 

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47 minutes ago, kammo-man said:

Mike
Do you can pineapples ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry I missed your question first time. No I don't can them.  I've never tried canning food.  Is it something you know about?  

 

Mikie 

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Johan Willaert
5 hours ago, mikie said:

The invasion has been postponed.  

 

 

For those that like Normandy, please refer to these pages for reports on previous Normandy trips...

http://www.theliberator.be/specialevents2.htm

http://www.theliberator.be/specialevents1.htm

http://www.theliberator.be/specialevents.htm

 

I just realized that it's been a year since the 2019 edition and I haven't made a page about the 75th...

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General Apathy
22 hours ago, Johan Willaert said:

If not for Covid-19, today we would have been on our way to Nomandy for the 76th Anniversary of the Allied Landings....

Will be strange not dropping by Ken's place in June....

 

Enjoy Ken, guess it will be rather quiet over there this year...

.

Hi Johan,  well there may not be visitors from the UK or the USA, but this morning in the supermarket carpark there were Belgian and Spanish and many other plates evident, it appears that the whole-world and his dog are heading to Normandy much to the concerns of the Mayor of Ste Mere Eglise who has put out a statement that only groups of ten will be allowed at any commemorations taking place. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 04  2020. ( following similar events of 76 years ago its Raining today )

 

.

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General Apathy

.

More Normandy finds . . . . . . . . . 

 

This time they were mine B)

 

As we have had a drought situation for the last two months I have erected and plumbed into the guttering four 1.000 litre rainwater containers for Janes vegetable plots. 

 

It was while looking through one of Janes barns for a hose-pipe clip that I came back out with a rusty American bayonet made by ' Union Fork & Hoe Co. US. 1943 ', it wasn't unknown to Jane it was amongst the tools left by the wartime owner of the property when he died. It has been heavily used as evidenced by the ground blade and the smooth handle where there would have been ribbing. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 04  2020

 

.fullsizeoutput_5250.jpeg.ee10673f41c100e9f160a003b2365f5a.jpeg

 

.FullSizeRender.jpg.bcf65ce7933e99abe1f2b22accb29497.jpg

 

 

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General Apathy

.

More Normandy finds . . . . . . . . . 

 

This time they were mine . . . . . . ^_^

 

It was while looking through one of Janes barns for a hose-pipe clip that I came back out with a rusty American bayonet made by ' Union Fork & Hoe Co. US. 1943 '.  Fifteen minutes later in another barn I came out with this trip of German MG34 bullets, I took them outside to photograph and brush off, then I returned them to the place I found them and took another shot.

 

Over the dozen years that Jane has lived at this farm she has had to call out the Gendarmes several times for grenades and ordnance found in the soil. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 04  2020

 

FullSizeRender.jpg.d120402e9c8f350e365347744cbf2d0d.jpg

 

.IMG_5182.JPG.3259b946203a3b6ce193044436f96097.JPG

 

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5 hours ago, General Apathy said:

.

More Normandy finds . . . . . . . . . 

 

This time they were mine . . . . . . ^_^

 

It was while looking through one of Janes barns for a hose-pipe clip that I came back out with a rusty American bayonet made by ' Union Fork & Hoe Co. US. 1943 '.  Fifteen minutes later in another barn I came out with this trip of German MG34 bullets, I took them outside to photograph and brush off, then I returned them to the place I found them and took another shot.

 

Over the dozen years that Jane has lived at this farm she has had to call out the Gendarmes several times for grenades and ordnance found in the soil. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 04  2020

 

FullSizeRender.jpg.d120402e9c8f350e365347744cbf2d0d.jpg

 

.IMG_5182.JPG.3259b946203a3b6ce193044436f96097.JPG

 

Taking another shot...…….??? who or what did you shoot?……………..sorry, couldn't resist, hahaha 

 

Rene

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Simon Lerenfort

l like the bayonet relic Ken, even in such careworn condition. I suspect the German belt could as easily be from an MG42 or MG34. Do I see traces of some of them being tracer rounds?

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Big crowds or not, best wishes to everyone who will be in Normandy for the anniversary, in spirit if not in person.

Mikie   

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3 hours ago, mikie said:

Big crowds or not, best wishes to everyone who will be in Normandy for the anniversary, in spirit if not in person.

Mikie   

+1

1493878718_CSC_3685(2)a.jpg.e25ee8803b35329d55c000c4a79f1050.jpg

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Glidertrooper

How to do a 'socially distanced' 76th D-Day anniversary...

 

So I have family who don't live too far from WWII US Airborne country here in the UK and I have been meaning to check the area out for quite some time. With proper D-Day commemorations cancelled, today seemed like a good day to make the pilgrimage to these sites. Unfortunately I don't have any 'then' shots to show against the now.

 

First up was a little 'incursion' to check out what is left of the main runway at the former RAF Membury, from where 436th Troop Carrier Group C-47 launched to carry paratroopers or tow gliders for the airborne element of the invasion. The view is looking North up the main North-South runway.

 

Membury_1.JPG.76d5e610532bdc9d1eb90099cd8b8152.JPG

 

 

Then after a car-picnic at Chilton Foliat due the intermittent rain, we ventured over to the former RAF Ramsbury, from where the 437th TCG launched for their invasion endeavours. Very little of RAF Ramsbury still exists, so the picture below shows what would have been the very end of the East-West main runway looking East. Behind me was the most amazing vista, as the airfield obviously sat atop a hill or plateau and must have been fantastic to fly into with it rising up above the rest of the countryside.

 

Ramsbury_1.jpg.3fbd010e721230b848fa68f105c92011.jpg

 

Off to the right in the picture above, one of the taxi ways / perimeter roads of the airfield still remains and it was pleasing to find an info plaque there, so there is at least some acknowledgement of the airfields existence remaining.

 

Ramsbury_2.JPG.45c933b117320638da64af923bef5d96.JPG

 

And now that I know the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was at Littlecote House (see picture below) that will be a destination for a future adventure, along with Basildon House where the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion were based and is just down the road at Reading.

 

Ramsbury_3.JPG.4640122d526414993aa6e4bab8f07b5b.JPG

 

 

Finally the sun came out as we paid our respects at the RAF Membury war memorial before heading home (can't remember with group's wreath it was, but we won't claim credit for it).

 

Membury_2.jpg.9fb4c811f320cc339cbd3fcf3404de21.jpg 

 

Lest we forget

 

 

Cheers......John

 

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General Apathy
10 hours ago, Glidertrooper said:

How to do a 'socially distanced' 76th D-Day anniversary...

 

So I have family who don't live too far from WWII US Airborne country here in the UK and I have been meaning to check the area out for quite some time. With proper D-Day commemorations cancelled, today seemed like a good day to make the pilgrimage to these sites. Unfortunately I don't have any 'then' shots to show against the now.

 

 

Finally the sun came out as we paid our respects at the RAF Membury war memorial before heading home (can't remember with group's wreath it was, but we won't claim credit for it).

 

Membury_2.jpg.9fb4c811f320cc339cbd3fcf3404de21.jpg 

 

Lest we forget

 

 

Cheers......John

 

.

Hi John,  Thanks for a D-day report and photographs, as it was a very subdued D-Day here in Normandy. . . . . . . . . . 

.

 

D-Day report 2020, the loneliest D-Day commemorations due to present pandemic virus . . . . . . . . 

 

For D-Day yesterday I took Jane out in the Jeep and everywhere was deserted, when we arrived at Ste Marie du Mont around 11h30 we were the only military vehicle there. We parked on the grass around the church as is normally allowed each year, there were very few civilian cars around, about eight re-enactors in uniforms and no police presence, we were told that the police were monitoring the small ceremonies that Mayors had arranged limiting numbers of participants to ten.

As we drove back along deserted roads and lanes from Ste Marie du Mont my mind took me back to being twenty again and the empty roads and lack of cars I remember at that time, today just myself Jane and the Jeep. The weather was dry but overcast skies and a strong wind beginning to build up, back home I cleared the gutters of leaves and debris in readiness for what might possibly be a stormy night, this morning it had rained overnight but not the storm that had appeared to be building. 

All of the local arrangements for parades and gatherings have been cancelled by the authorities, for D-Day evening the Victory museum at Carentan thought they had found a way of gathering people while social distancing they arranged a large outdoor screening of Saving Private Ryan with everyone sat in their cars.  Sadly this was not allowed due to toilet facilities, it was proposed by the sanitary authorities that the toilets would have to be cleaned and sterilised after each and every use or visit. 

D-Day plus one 08h30, very cold total grey cloud cover no real incentive to go out none of the usual parades or gatherings or commemorations to see or join in, none of the International friends around as French borders still closed for cross border travel.

The highlight of Yesterday was travelling home and being low level buzzed by what I believe were four US F-15’s which streaked upwards and away after passing this lonely Jeep on a Normandy country road . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 07  2020. . . . . . . .  ( attached photo taken in Ste Marie du Mont )

 

.fullsizeoutput_54bf.jpeg.ed5a927faf74402c3e8b5e7f059f654b.jpeg


 

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General Apathy

.

Interesting numbering during D-Day 2020.

 

I aways enjoy watching the number of hits that this thread takes and during D-Day we hit Palindrome, forgetting the million hits the numbers afterwards read the same forwards and backwards (1)184.481, I love these coincidences. Thanks to everyone for tuning in and reading this thread, and many thanks for the contributors that add posts . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 

Another coincidence for me yesterday was that during D-Day 1976 myself and three friends parked our Jeeps in front of this very same house in Ste Marie du Mont which now has a painted Jeep grille added to the front. It's also the very same house which shows paratroops passing in 1944.  During WWII it had a store front which was removed post-war and converted back to a house, the store on the left is still there and sells seafood. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 07  2020.

 

.2106234421_ste-marie-du-mont-arrive-paras-82eme-par-la-plage.jpg.b0fe8ea16b24d15aafea1383a9db5c34.jpg

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jonesy1275
13 hours ago, Glidertrooper said:

How to do a 'socially distanced' 76th D-Day anniversary...

 

So I have family who don't live too far from WWII US Airborne country here in the UK and I have been meaning to check the area out for quite some time. With proper D-Day commemorations cancelled, today seemed like a good day to make the pilgrimage to these sites. Unfortunately I don't have any 'then' shots to show against the now.

 

First up was a little 'incursion' to check out what is left of the main runway at the former RAF Membury, from where 436th Troop Carrier Group C-47 launched to carry paratroopers or tow gliders for the airborne element of the invasion. The view is looking North up the main North-South runway.

 

Membury_1.JPG.76d5e610532bdc9d1eb90099cd8b8152.JPG

 

 

Then after a car-picnic at Chilton Foliat due the intermittent rain, we ventured over to the former RAF Ramsbury, from where the 437th TCG launched for their invasion endeavours. Very little of RAF Ramsbury still exists, so the picture below shows what would have been the very end of the East-West main runway looking East. Behind me was the most amazing vista, as the airfield obviously sat atop a hill or plateau and must have been fantastic to fly into with it rising up above the rest of the countryside.

 

Ramsbury_1.jpg.3fbd010e721230b848fa68f105c92011.jpg

 

Off to the right in the picture above, one of the taxi ways / perimeter roads of the airfield still remains and it was pleasing to find an info plaque there, so there is at least some acknowledgement of the airfields existence remaining.

 

Ramsbury_2.JPG.45c933b117320638da64af923bef5d96.JPG

 

And now that I know the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was at Littlecote House (see picture below) that will be a destination for a future adventure, along with Basildon House where the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion were based and is just down the road at Reading.

 

Ramsbury_3.JPG.4640122d526414993aa6e4bab8f07b5b.JPG

 

 

Finally the sun came out as we paid our respects at the RAF Membury war memorial before heading home (can't remember with group's wreath it was, but we won't claim credit for it).

 

Membury_2.jpg.9fb4c811f320cc339cbd3fcf3404de21.jpg 

 

Lest we forget

 

 

Cheers......John

 

 

John,

 

How did you get access to the Membury runway?

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Thanks John for the pics (and what a cute kid you've got there).  The runway reminds me of the beginning of that Gregory Peck movie, the title of which escapes me. It's an age thing.

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On 6/6/2020 at 2:01 PM, Glidertrooper said:

How to do a 'socially distanced' 76th D-Day anniversary...

 

So I have family who don't live too far from WWII US Airborne country here in the UK and I have been meaning to check the area out for quite some time. With proper D-Day commemorations cancelled, today seemed like a good day to make the pilgrimage to these sites. Unfortunately I don't have any 'then' shots to show against the now.

 

First up was a little 'incursion' to check out what is left of the main runway at the former RAF Membury, from where 436th Troop Carrier Group C-47 launched to carry paratroopers or tow gliders for the airborne element of the invasion. The view is looking North up the main North-South runway.

 

Membury_1.JPG.76d5e610532bdc9d1eb90099cd8b8152.JPG

 

 

Then after a car-picnic at Chilton Foliat due the intermittent rain, we ventured over to the former RAF Ramsbury, from where the 437th TCG launched for their invasion endeavours. Very little of RAF Ramsbury still exists, so the picture below shows what would have been the very end of the East-West main runway looking East. Behind me was the most amazing vista, as the airfield obviously sat atop a hill or plateau and must have been fantastic to fly into with it rising up above the rest of the countryside.

 

Ramsbury_1.jpg.3fbd010e721230b848fa68f105c92011.jpg

 

Off to the right in the picture above, one of the taxi ways / perimeter roads of the airfield still remains and it was pleasing to find an info plaque there, so there is at least some acknowledgement of the airfields existence remaining.

 

Ramsbury_2.JPG.45c933b117320638da64af923bef5d96.JPG

 

And now that I know the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was at Littlecote House (see picture below) that will be a destination for a future adventure, along with Basildon House where the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion were based and is just down the road at Reading.

 

Ramsbury_3.JPG.4640122d526414993aa6e4bab8f07b5b.JPG

 

 

Finally the sun came out as we paid our respects at the RAF Membury war memorial before heading home (can't remember with group's wreath it was, but we won't claim credit for it).

 

Membury_2.jpg.9fb4c811f320cc339cbd3fcf3404de21.jpg 

 

Lest we forget

 

 

Cheers......John

 

Thank you for the nice remembrance post.  Its especially nice to see one of the next generation of Norman D. Landing followers.

 

Mikie

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On 6/7/2020 at 12:45 AM, General Apathy said:

.

Hi John,  Thanks for a D-day report and photographs, as it was a very subdued D-Day here in Normandy. . . . . . . . . . 

.

 

D-Day report 2020, the loneliest D-Day commemorations due to present pandemic virus . . . . . . . . 

 

For D-Day yesterday I took Jane out in the Jeep and everywhere was deserted, when we arrived at Ste Marie du Mont around 11h30 we were the only military vehicle there. We parked on the grass around the church as is normally allowed each year, there were very few civilian cars around, about eight re-enactors in uniforms and no police presence, we were told that the police were monitoring the small ceremonies that Mayors had arranged limiting numbers of participants to ten.

As we drove back along deserted roads and lanes from Ste Marie du Mont my mind took me back to being twenty again and the empty roads and lack of cars I remember at that time, today just myself Jane and the Jeep. The weather was dry but overcast skies and a strong wind beginning to build up, back home I cleared the gutters of leaves and debris in readiness for what might possibly be a stormy night, this morning it had rained overnight but not the storm that had appeared to be building. 

All of the local arrangements for parades and gatherings have been cancelled by the authorities, for D-Day evening the Victory museum at Carentan thought they had found a way of gathering people while social distancing they arranged a large outdoor screening of Saving Private Ryan with everyone sat in their cars.  Sadly this was not allowed due to toilet facilities, it was proposed by the sanitary authorities that the toilets would have to be cleaned and sterilised after each and every use or visit. 

D-Day plus one 08h30, very cold total grey cloud cover no real incentive to go out none of the usual parades or gatherings or commemorations to see or join in, none of the International friends around as French borders still closed for cross border travel.

The highlight of Yesterday was travelling home and being low level buzzed by what I believe were four US F-15’s which streaked upwards and away after passing this lonely Jeep on a Normandy country road . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, June 07  2020. . . . . . . .  ( attached photo taken in Ste Marie du Mont )

 

.fullsizeoutput_54bf.jpeg.ed5a927faf74402c3e8b5e7f059f654b.jpeg


 

Sad to hear it was such a quiet "celebration"  this year. Bottle up the usual enthusiasm and have double the fun next year!  

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Since Owen opened up a can of worms by asking about canning, thought I'd share a bit of my local history.  This bank building is on The Alameda in San Jose, CA, about 2 miles from home.  I occasionally pass it on my neighborhood walks.  It was once the home of Dr. James Dawson and his wife Eloise.  Dr Dawson's inventions gave birth to the modern canning industry in the back yard of his house.  These links explain the story much better than I possibly could.  

From this humble home, such companies as Del Monte, Dole, and even  Food Machinery Corporation, FMC, makers of US tracked military vehicles since 1941, trace their origins. I posted about the site of the old FMC plant a while ago.  It's now the home arena for the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team. 

https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/the_canning_industry_in_san_jose/

 

http://onlineexhibits.historysanjose.org/cannerylife/through-the-years/1872-1916/san-jose-fruit-packing-co.html

 

Enjoy!

Dawson House  Today bank.jpg

Dawson House 1915 firys canning backyard 1871.jpg

LVT-1_3.jpg

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