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Norman D. Landing


bilko1
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Hey Lewis, I know there is a time dfference, didn`t realise it was three weeks!!!!!!!!

 

 

Oh Dear boy, it's been a long day just been working a fourteen hour day on my kitchen-dinning room ceiling

trying to get as much done as I could before I have to drive to Cherbourg tomorrow to pick my daughter up.

 

So it will possibly be 20 February before new posts

 

The old adage comes to mind ' more speed less haste '.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 12 2009.

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Whether it's January 20 or February 20, take good care, drive safely and have a pleasant time with your daughter.

Looking forward to new posts from Normandy.

 

Erwin

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Whether it's January 20 or February 20, take good care, drive safely and have a pleasant time with your daughter.

Looking forward to new posts from Normandy.

 

Erwin

 

Hi Erwin, thanks for your kind thoughts for me spending time with my daughter. ;)

 

You make one small mistake and that 517th is down on you like a pack of hamsters. w00t.gif

 

It was a simple mistake not trusting the computer I looked at the date on the milk carton pinch.gif ( Joke )

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 13 2009

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Hi Forum Readers, just to keep in touch as promised I would on the 20th February, a little piece on Utah Beach which I photographed two days ago.

 

Shown is the museum at Utah Beach, back in the 1970's the front was very different, it was the original concrete wall of a medium size German bunker, this wall is still there but now concealed inside the new facade, and after paying the entrance fee you enter into the bunker.

 

Ninety-nine percent of people who visit the museum each year take the path to the left of the museum as the eye is taken by the tank, artillery piece and the other monuments, but there is very little to see once you reach the beach, just an amazing length of open flat beach.

 

However very few people ever take the path to the right of the museum and consequently never see the small cannon in an open bunker that looks out to sea. This cannon sometimes is more visible at times than at other times due to the drifting sands being blown by the winds. Last time I visited the weapons pit was completely empty of sand and the entire cannon visible.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 20 2009

 

Please note that generally each year all the museums join together and sell you a discounted ticket, that reduces the price of each subsequent museum you visit in the area, keep a look out for this offer. thumbsup.gif

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Hi Forum Readers, Two days ago whilst on Utah beach taking the photos of the museum for the prior post above, myself and a friend walked along the sands and he turned up the Garand round shown on this post above, it is dated 43, but we cannot identify the manufacturer.

 

It has been badly damaged and squashed by something else which has put a smooth gouge into it, but also that the pressure on the one side has split open the opposite side in a clean line. It was found concealed inside a cluster of hardened sand.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 20 2009

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Hi Forum Readers, well what a day yesterday the 21st February. I was out of bed at 6am, and showered breakfasted and left to drive around a hundred miles in medium to dense fog. I meet up with a friend and we spent the day metal detecting around the Falaise area known as the ' corridor of death '. :unsure:

 

We found several hand size pieces of shattered armored plate, from what vehicle we have no idea, they were not large enough to help identify, and not worthwhile showing here. crying.gif That was it, a small French repast of a couple of cups of coffee some cheese cut from a block and some bread torn from a loaf.

 

Another three hour return journey in fog and arrive home twelve hours after I left, cold tired and hungry, too tired to bother with a full meal so a little soup and bread :blink: and off to bed.

 

Compare that with my neighbours day, he rises from bed just before lunch and saunters up the lane a 100 yards to another neighbours house who is having a wall built in his garden. My neighbour has a kick and a poke around and turns up the pieces shown in the attached photos, a metal plate from a paratroop hand cart :rolleyes: , small, hand size sections of camo parachute and two lengths of white parachute over-sewn edging :rolleyes: . Along with a bunch of other items some turn of the century glass bottles, one very nicely decorated in relief of art nouveau.

 

Then he saunters the 100 yards back down the lane to sit in front of a warm log fire and admire his good fortune of finding the plate from a hand cart. Today when he showed it to me the smile could not have been greater even if he had won the lottery thumbsup.gif , ten minutes later the farmer from the other side of my property turns up and hands my neighbour a wartime Jerrycan and a U.S. stainless steel mess tin bottom, however the handle was badly rusted and the date was obliterated. Another smile like a lottery win thumbsup.gif .

 

I drive over a hundred miles each way in fog and find Jack Schitt, my neighbour walks a hundred yards from my house and finds ' Gold '. :lol:

 

Norman D. landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 22 2009

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Nice finds Ken....

 

You know my Hand Cart Obsession, so if your neighbour has no use for it, please let me know...

 

Johan

 

Hi Johan, we go back in the morning and look for the hand cart. pinch.gif ?????? There's still fifty yards of soil to dig through.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 22 2009

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I am new to this forum and just found this post. I started with page 1 and just reached to the end. This is a great post. Thanks so much for sharing all of your great finds. I will definitely keep checking this post. Thanks again...Kat

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pathfinder505
Hi Johan, we go back in the morning and look for the hand cart. pinch.gif ?????? There's still fifty yards of soil to dig through.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 22 2009

 

Just a suggestion, YOU stay home, let your friend go look for the hand cart!

:rolleyes:

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OK, I need two tires and the cover.... :rolleyes:

 

Hi Johan, well we went back this morning and sorry to say that we didn't find anymore of the handcart, all we managed to dig out today was some shredded pieces of camouflage parachute.

 

Hope to take some shots of them in daylight tomorrow and will post tomorrow evening.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 23 2009

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I am new to this forum and just found this post. I started with page 1 and just reached to the end. This is a great post. Thanks so much for sharing all of your great finds. I will definitely keep checking this post. Thanks again...Kat

 

Hi Kat, thanks for taking the time to say how much you have enjoyed the pages of thread on this ' Reports from Normandy' posts, it's not really structured it's just the day to day lifestyle here.

 

Regards

 

Normand D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 23 2009.

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Hi Pathfinder and Gunbarrel, thanks for reading and adding to the post, well my neighbour intends to go digging again tomorrow, but for me it's a day of housework and preperation for a lady visitor on Thursday lunchtime.

 

Interesting lady, very knowledable about the SOE operations in France during WWII, hopefully we can inpart some information on the area and wartime operations to each other.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 23 2009

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I'M BACK!!! I got a new provider hooked up for my Internet finally. As I told you my old one snuck out of town in the middle of the night. Just caught up on your posts. I did make a find on my trip down to visit my son before he deploys to Iraq. Hope I can make it one more time. We did get to go antiqueing one day. Found a mint Officers Overcoat in Doeskin . You show it on page 134 in your book. My son being EOD found a 3.5 inch practice round. LIVE. Needless to say Law Enforcement and an Ordinance Disposel Unit out of Ft Riley Kansas showed up also. I was very happy to find the coat as I believe their rare. Now I need to find a 1st pattern HBT pants and my WWII clothing qwest will end. I'll never catch you and your collection but working on it. Robert.

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General Apathy
I'M BACK!!! I got a new provider hooked up for my Internet finally. As I told you my old one snuck out of town in the middle of the night. Just caught up on your posts. I did make a find on my trip down to visit my son before he deploys to Iraq. Hope I can make it one more time. We did get to go antiquing one day. Found a mint Officers Overcoat in Doeskin . I was very happy to find the coat as I believe their rare. Robert.

 

Hi Robert, welcome back, pleased to hear two things, one you got to spend time with your son before deployment, and two an officers doeskin, perhaps in the future you will always associate finding the coat with a trip to see your son.

 

Regards Ken

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 24 2009

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General Apathy

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Hi Readers, you will have read in a couple of posts above this one of my neighbours good fortune finding the identification plate off a two wheel hand cart. Yesterday we went digging again in the same wall trench and found several pieces of camouflage parachute, there were other metal objects but mainly unidentifiable.

 

These are photos of when first found spread out to photograph, maybe in a couple of days when they have been gently washed and dried I will show them again, it may then be possible to see the pattern easier.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 24 2009.

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General Apathy

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Hi Forum Readers, in post #381 above I mentioned that I spent the day in the Falaise area looking around the area recorded as the ' corridor of death '. This is where the American army were surrounding the Germans on one side and the rest of the encirclement was bordered by the English, Canadian, and Polish armies attempting to complete the encirclement.

 

Before the circle was closed many Germans escaped through the gap during daylight and mainly at night because of the allied air cover. The English RAF being the lead element in so much of the destruction from the air.

 

We centered on a little track which crosses a river ford at Moissy all we managed to discover there were a few hand size pieces of shattered German armor.

 

However afterwards myself and a friend Nigel, who I had met up with to share the day's discoveries sat at the ford and shared a lunch of bread and cheese and coffee. It was unbelievable the serenity and peace of the scene in front of us as we sat there and ate, compared to all the photographic evidence that we have seen from that time in 1944.

 

The attached photographs show the ford as it is today, a green peaceful scene and the low sound of babbling water passing through the ford and weir. The other photo showing a portion of the lane leading from the weir taken after the battle in 1944. Hundreds of German vehicles were abandoned or destroyed in the area which were eventually gathered together and centered in a large scrapyard at Trun, word of advice, don't bother racing there now the scrapyard having been cleared some years ago, but a site to see during the 1970's.

 

If you visit the area then take the time to visit the hill top museum at Mount Ormel, the view is worth seeing of the wide valley below in which the German army were trapped and mainly destroyed.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, Feb 24 2009

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I visited the area back in 1994 and it really is hard to comprehend the destruction and carnage that took place there.

Somewhere I read that low-flying aircraft had to close their cockpit because of the stench.

 

Now, it is a very beautiful area and worth a visit.

The Polish Forces did a tremendous job there too, they were like "cork on a bottle".

All around were fleeing Germans, behind them German Forces trying to widen the "bottleneck".

I also read that when they - the Polish troops - came back from that area, not a single man was not wounded.

 

On the other side, I read reports from German units as well.

They speak of the total confusion, leaving behind (shot-up) vehicles, even wounded, trying very hard to escape the encirclement, bumping into Allied patrols all the time and above them the everlasting danger of Allied planes strafing them.

 

Erwin

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it's really a contrast seeing those "then and now" pix of that Falaise site. The change from a scene of so much carnage to one so picturesque is amazing. That picnic table must provide a very thought-provoking spot to reflect on the history of the site. As always, thanks for the fantastic report!

Terry

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As of two weeks ago, there's a (really expensive) M3A4 Ammo Cart for sale on the northern shoulder of the Bulge, Ken, right in the 82nd area of operations... and it happens to be missing its data plate....!

 

Came with some sort of write-up from the 82nd veteran who used it in Normandy, Holland and then the Bulge, saying something about the Cart saving his life in Normandy when a piece of shrapnel that would have otherwise have hit him hit the cart instead, shearing off the date plate... coincidence, or what?

 

Cheers,

Glen.

 

 

[Okay, so the 2nd paragraph is complete b*llocks, but it was worthwhile spending a few mins writing it to see how many people would read it and believe it... hahahaha]

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So have you sneaked back over to "?" and brought that hand cart then sir ?......;-)

 

Regards

 

Lloyd

 

Hahaha - at the price he was asking??!? Could only afford that if I sold some of mine 100%-gee-enuine WWII 506th-used rigger-modified paratrooper liners to some unknowing people for an absolute fortune....

 

Cheers,

Glen.

 

PS Ken - do you know which 82nd sub-unit liberated Carquebut?

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