Norman D. Landing

[doyler]

Pat..

 

Recently saw a series of war time pictures for the cemetery. This was a sign for Henri-Chapelle 

 

 

[Burning Hazard]

Ron,

 

It's not the US cemetery but the infamous Henri Chapelle execution site a meters where members of Operation Grief were executed. The wall is still there and has become  a place where many historians flock to; it has really floored me how popular this has become.

 

The most famous execution is the 3 Germans caught wearing GI uniforms, you can still see the bullet holes where some of them got hit. Ad far as I know, the wall still stands there until this day. 

 

Pat

[Burning Hazard]

According to google maps, you can still find the same wall.

 

Source: https://ww2gravestone.com/people/pernass-manfred/

 

 

[Burning Hazard]

WWII Footage:

 

https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/video/soldiers-leading-manfred-pernass-gunther-billing-and-news-footage/504862513

[General Apathy]

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one of the most amazing documentary film clips to come out of WWII.

 

This half hour film shows the UK factory that made US ' American-cans ' ( Jerrycans )during WWII, a complete factory of US machinery was set up in the UK to receive flat steel and parts to stamp, fold, weld and paint to finish American petrol cans, every part of the process is shown in detail.

 

If only every other manufacturing process had been filmed like this it would have been an unparalleled documentation of WWII manufacturing, Oh how I would love to have seen the production of Jeeps filmed like this . . . . . . . . . .

 

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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[General Apathy]

11 hours ago, Burning Hazard said:

Hi Lewis and Simon,

 

Have any of you visited Henri-Chapelle in Belgium? There is one interesting WWII location there that quite surprised me.

 

Pat

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Hi Pat,

 

Sorry to say that I haven't visited the Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium, and really I should have.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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[General Apathy]

10 hours ago, Brian Dentino said:

Mine is "Ramble On" but so many amazing Zep tunes and to think that one of ours here was there when these amazing pieces of music were made, but when they were actually written!  Holy Moley, combining my 2 favorite things.....music and history.  Now this is what makes this forum and the people on here AMAZING!

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Hi Brian,

 

Thank you,  I take no musical capability credit, I just happened by circumstance to have lived around the corner from Bob Plant and became friends prior to the formation of Zeppelin, in the right place at the right time as many people historically have happened to be.

 

Many happy memories and anecdotes locked in my mind. Below my signed 21st birthday gift off the boys, along with a tape deck, tapes and two bottles of Southern Comfort. At the top is Jimmy Pages pass for the 1970 Hollywood Music Festival.

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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[General Apathy]

10 hours ago, doyler said:

Pat..

 

Recently saw a series of war time pictures for the cemetery. This was a sign for Henri-Chapelle 

 

 

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Hi Ron.

 

many thanks for the images from the Henri Chapelle Cemetery, a worthy addition to the thread.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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[General Apathy]

7 hours ago, Burning Hazard said:

Ron,

 

It's not the US cemetery but the infamous Henri Chapelle execution site a meters where members of Operation Grief were executed. The wall is still there and has become  a place where many historians flock to; it has really floored me how popular this has become.

 

The most famous execution is the 3 Germans caught wearing GI uniforms, you can still see the bullet holes where some of them got hit. Ad far as I know, the wall still stands there until this day. 

 

Pat

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Hi Pat,

 

many thanks for adding several images of such an iconic event during WWII. 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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[Johan Willaert]

I was at the Henri Chapelle ABMC cemetery last 11th November…

 

 

[mikie]

4 hours ago, Johan Willaert said:

I was at the Henri Chapelle ABMC cemetery last 11th November…

 

 

God bless them one and all.  

[mikie]

On 1/9/2022 at 10:21 AM, General Apathy said:

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Hi Rene,

 

Here's a cheese feature for Mikie, who knows it might really be Mikie in the video . . . . . . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 09  2022.

 

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Gouda day everyone. I LOVE Wallace and Gromit! And I LOVE cheese!  And I HATE it when I forget the crackers! Sorry to say that he is not me.   But we aren't all that far off from each other.  Wallace may be a little more good looking.  

Mikie 

[mikie]

10 hours ago, General Apathy said:

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Hi Brian,

 

Thank you,  I take no musical capability credit, I just happened by circumstance to have lived around the corner from Bob Plant and became friends prior to the formation of Zeppelin, in the right place at the right time as many people historically have happened to be.

 

Many happy memories and anecdotes locked in my mind. Below my signed 21st birthday gift off the boys, along with a tape deck, tapes and two bottles of Southern Comfort. At the top is Jimmy Pages pass for the 1970 Hollywood Music Festival.

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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Wow!   

[mikie]

About 50 miles north of me is the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, CA.  It's been a few years since I've been there. A quick check didn't turn up the photos I took there, so here are a few shots off the internet.  The most well known interred there are WWII Admirals Nimitz, Spruance, Turner and Lockwood.  There are also close to 50 Medal of Honor winners there as well.  It's a beautiful and somber place.  In photo #2 you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. 

[BryanJ]

When the 506th PIR was in Germany immediately after the war, the unit put together a pictorial scrapbook called “Currahee”.  The scrapbook details the unit’s history from its activation in July 1942 until the war ended.  It’s a remarkable book, containing photos of the officers featured in BOB long before their movie fame.  The original owner of this scrapbook was a radio operator in H Company.  I’ve posted a couple of photos, but the one I think is most interesting, is the photo taken during a decoration ceremony in Carentan, apparently as the battle was still ongoing in the surrounding area.  I don’t remember seeing this particular photo in the many books I’ve read about the Normandy campaign.  Any before and after shots of this area?

[Johan Willaert]

Jim Bigley has been researching the Carentan Medal ceremony(ies) for many years.
A lot has been written about it and the ceremony is commemorated/re-enacted just about every year (non-covid years).
See also: https://www.battledetective.com/Carentan_2006.html

There are now plans for a new statue honoring the different Regiments and their commanders in the Carentan square:
https://les4colonelsdecarentan.com/en/

[BryanJ]

Johan.  A remarkable response, thanks!

[mikie]

1 hour ago, Johan Willaert said:

Jim Bigley has been researching the Carentan Medal ceremony(ies) for many years.
A lot has been written about it and the ceremony is commemorated/re-enacted just about every year (non-covid years).
See also: https://www.battledetective.com/Carentan_2006.html

There are now plans for a new statue honoring the different Regiments and their commanders in the Carentan square:
https://les4colonelsdecarentan.com/en/

So sad to read about that little girl.   

[Johan Willaert]

33 minutes ago, mikie said:

So sad to read about that little girl.   

Indeed… One tends to forget or overlook the freedom brought through the invasion did not stop the suffering of the local population from day 1

[General Apathy]

22 hours ago, BryanJ said:

When the 506th PIR was in Germany immediately after the war, the unit put together a pictorial scrapbook called “Currahee”.  The scrapbook details the unit’s history from its activation in July 1942 until the war ended.  It’s a remarkable book, containing photos of the officers featured in BOB long before their movie fame.  The original owner of this scrapbook was a radio operator in H Company.  I’ve posted a couple of photos, but the one I think is most interesting, is the photo taken during a decoration ceremony in Carentan, apparently as the battle was still ongoing in the surrounding area.  I don’t remember seeing this particular photo in the many books I’ve read about the Normandy campaign.  Any before and after shots of this area?

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Thanks for the post on the Currahee book, I have a copy, very difficult to find back in the day.  Here's a few more shots of the square and the young girl flower girl.

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 11  2022.

 

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[cutiger83]

41 minutes ago, General Apathy said:

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Thanks for the post on the Currahee book, I have a copy, very difficult to find back in the day.  Here's a few more shots of the square and the young girl flower girl.

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 11  2022.

 

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Ken,

 

I don't believe this is the young girl who was killed. The website above says the girl killed was 3 years old. The young girl in this picture is much older.

 

...Kat

[BryanJ]

The story of those little girls, dressed for the ceremony, and the rest, really struck home with me.  She’s about the age of my granddaughter.  I hope the lessons of WWII, appeasement, loss, etc., are not forgotten, ever.

[General Apathy]

1 hour ago, cutiger83 said:

Ken,

 

I don't believe this is the young girl who was killed. The website above says the girl killed was 3 years old. The young girl in this picture is much older.

 

...Kat

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Hi Kat,

 

Sorry I should have made it more clear this was one of the flower girls in the square, here's another shot of more of the young girls, and a couple more images from the square.  Note in the final photo the direction plaque on the wall was paid for by the Citroen car company their double chevron logo can be seen under the arrow, and Citroen at the very bottom of the plaque.

 

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Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 11  2022.

 

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[manayunkman]

I found a couple of Jeep pictures for everyone’s enjoyment.

 

The custom Jeep is from the 547th AAA.

 

The Jeep pulling on the carousel is somewhere in Detroit after WW2.

[doyler]

On 1/10/2022 at 4:47 AM, General Apathy said:

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Hi Ron.

 

many thanks for the images from the Henri Chapelle Cemetery, a worthy addition to the thread.

 

Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, January 10  2022.

 

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Ken.

 

Happy to add something of interest. There are other pictures in the series and show a side to the war not often seen. These men did a difficult job to say the least and had to have had memories that never faded. Was speaking with a very good friend the other day and he shared a stroy or two of his father who was a WW2 combat engineer who was at the Bulge. Were were talking about the cold here and I mentioned I dont see how the soldiers were able to survive in such conditions and much like the homeless we have here that cannot find shelters. He said his father didnt mind the snow as it covered the dead and you wouldnt have to see then in the morning.