Stand where they fought tour: Normandy 2007

[Jürg]

Colleville sur Mer / Big red One museum

Another interesting helmet found here. It belonged to a member of the 5th Engineer Sepc. Brigade. It was found 1998 2 Km von Colleville sur Mer

[Jürg]

Colleville sur Mer / Big red One museum

This is chaplain Capt. Fred Elwyn Andrews - combat catholic chaplain. He was assainged to 2nd Bat / 26th Inf Rgt / 1st Infantry and was on Omaha Beach on D-day.

[Jürg]

Colleville sur Mer / Big red One museum

This outfit belonged to Pvt Malonney - a combat medic assigend to A comp. / 1st medic Btl attached to 16th Infantry and landed with the first wave on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944

[PZIV]

Juerg,

That is a great trip you had. To me it's very sad to see where so many people lost their lives fighting bravely on both sides. I hope to visit their soon.

[DaveNZ]

After that we went to Omaha beach, Easy Red sector just where the german stronpoint WN62 was placed. The infamous german machine gunner Hein Serverloh was there on D-Day to release hell with his machine gun.

great pictures and all very well researched


What did Serverloh do that made him infamous?

[PZIV]

great pictures and all very well researched


What did Serverloh do that made him infamous?

Machine gunner who hit hundreds of American troops as they landed.

[Don D.]

Great thread guys. Thanks for bringing history to life for us.

[DaveNZ]

Machine gunner who hit hundreds of American troops as they landed.

Thanks

Did he survive the war?

[ChrisM.]

Jurg, thanks for all of the hard work you put into sharing your trip with us. I absolutely love this kind of stuff!!!!!!

[Jürg]

Severloh

Thanks

Did he survive the war?

Yes he did survive the war and wrote a book in 2002 or so about his D-Day memories. I spoke to hime several times and he died Jan. 14, 2006

The other Machine Gunner, Franz Gockel died November 2005.

I will poste some more pics of Hill 192 near St Lo

Jürg

[Jürg]

Hill 192 - Cloville

The small fields and numerous tracks benefited German antitank guns against US armor. Artillery and mortar fire from St Lo fell on the Americans lines. Roadblocks, minefileds and the liberal use of barbed wire further frustated the Americans. July 11, 1944 dawned cloudy with haze. US Air support for the day was canceled. At 6. A.M 2 battailons of the 38th and the 23rd Rgt advanced having to fight for the ground voluntarily vacated few hours before. Within an hour the first wave of 6 American tanks had been knocked out or had to withdraw. The rolling artillery barrage placed 45 tons of explosive on hill 192's slope between the east-west road and the pinnacle.

[Jürg]

Hill 192 - Cloville

The hamlet of Cloville 2.5 Km west of Ste. Georges-d'Elle on the east-west road was in the line of advance for Easy Comp. of the 38th Rgt. A draw runs north 400 meters from Cloville to a ridge, a German strongpoint, manned by half a company that had survived the bombardment. This place became nicknamed "THE KRAUT CORNER". The defenders with clear lines of fire and pre-registered mortar impeded the US advance. Under strong small arms covering fire a 10-man platoon broke through the defenses from the east. Resistance stopped after a fierce fire fight. Only 15 German prisoners were taken. Three die hard defenders would not give up. A tank dozer buried themn alive under dirt scraped from their own defense berms.

The pic shows the Kraut corner, view to Cloville.

[Jürg]

Hill 192 - Ste. Georges d'Elle

June 16, 1944 the 2nd Inf Div attacked with its 3 regiments (9th, 23rd and 38th) on 8 Km front. The hedgrow fighting was slow and costly. By midnight the road running west from Ste. georges d'Elle crossroads to St. Andre-de L'Epine for 2 Km had become no man's land.

Pics shows the corssroad in Ste. Georges d'Elle

[Jürg]

Hill 192 - Ste. Georges d'Elle

The tenacious defenders, 3rd Battailon, Fallschirmjaeger Rgt 9 and the 1st Battailon, Fallschirmjaeger Rgt 3 held teir line throught June 1944.

The 2nd US Inf Div took 1'200 casualties and gained little. Ste. Georges d'Elle changed hands several times before the 23rg Rgt. consolidated its position in the buildings on the village's south side.

The northes slope o f Hill 192 descending to the Ste. Georges d'Elle - Ste. Andre-de-l'Epine road was dotted with German resistance nests that defended each other with crisscrossed lines of fire.

[Duane E]

Jurg, great photos and information you have shared with us. Thanks, Duane