lach470

The guns are about 200 yards from the beach on a cliff. At the edge of the cliff is the art. observation post that relayed info to the guns via telephone.

It is a massive building!

[attachmentid=52708]

I climbed inside one of the gun casemates and found this massive artillery hit behind one of the guns in the room where the ammo was kept. OUCH!

[attachmentid=52706]

cool!

R.

[attachmentid=52705]

[attachmentid=52704]

Here are some of the guns that are still in great shape:

[attachmentid=52703]

That last pic showed the destroyed emplacement, a little further on, in the grass I found the remains of the gun...

[attachmentid=52702]

Ask and you shall receive!

Here is the longues battery...it covered Gold, Juno and Omaha beaches. The guns were 150mm Czech made puppies.

These weren't captured until June 7 but they were silenced on June 6 but the HMS Ajax. It was neat to see! Once was completely destroyed and the others still had their guns intact but with damage over head to the bunkers. If you look closely at the shield on one of the guns...it looks like it took a blast from behind.

Cheers....Sorry: I don't have any period pics of these guns....but if anyone does, I'd LOVE to see 'em.

Rob

[attachmentid=52701]

Now....that's it for the comparison pics (then and now) but I do have some more pics of the Longues battery taken by the Brits on June 7. Let me know if you'd like to see these pics!

Cheers!

Rob

[attachmentid=52699]

Here's a pic taken last week of the same house. You'd have no idea today just what happened here. It's so EERIE. I loved standing there, trying to imagine what happened there 62 years ago.

We continued driving down the road into Chambois and Trun where the gap was finally closed. When all was said and done, about 10 000 Germans died here......you'd have no idea today of the death and destruction that was so prevelant not too long ago.

I really enjoyed the trip! It's something I encourage you to all try to accomplish!

Hope you liked the pics!

Cheers...

Rob

[attachmentid=52698]

This is a picture taken before the surrender, actually during the battle. One soldier hunkers down behind a jeep while another props up his Bren on another vehicle and fires down the road.

[attachmentid=52697]

Here's my last one.....This is off the beaches towards Falaise. It is Saint-Lambert sur Dives where Major Dave Currie won the Victoria Cross. Just down the road was the last bridge the Germans could use to cross the Dives river when retreating from the Falaise pocket. This was in Chambois just down the road from where these pics were taken.

The Germans fought hard to keep this open and only surrendered after taking heavy casualties!

The Falaise gap was closed soon after this.

You can see David Currie speaking to a member of the French resistance as the Germans are coming up to surrender.

[attachmentid=52696]

Today.....

[attachmentid=52695]

The train station, which became a rally point to bring in German POW's......

[attachmentid=52693]

Here it is today....obviously fixed up but still the same house! It's great of them to have affixed a Canadian flag to their home!

[attachmentid=52690]

[attachmentid=52692]

In this pic you can see just how imposing this house is....well seen from out at sea!

[attachmentid=52689]

Check the house in the back: it was the first house to be liberated by the Canadians. It also proved a great reference for naval artillerie! It took quite a few hits!

[attachmentid=52688]

[attachmentid=52687]

Here is a bunker at courseuilles-sur-mer. (the bunker on the right is the one that I'm standing on)

[attachmentid=52685]

HI! Glad you like the pics.....I think the book you are talking about is "The Way We Were" from Ken Bell, a great pictorial, the size of a coffee table book.

I have a few more pics....let me dig 'em out!

Cheers...

Rob

That is absolute mint! I've yet to ever come across one of these TR buckles in original wrapping!

Very cool....What kind of metal construction is it? Aluminium?

CHeers...

Rob

Hey Don....sweet buckle in excellent condition. Thanks for showing!

Cheers...

Rob

....and the same bunker today. Have a close look: you'll see the anti-tank gun is still there today (minus the breech block of course).

Cheers...

Rob

[attachmentid=52651]

Another bunker at Saint-Aubin sur mer:

[attachmentid=52650]