[cite]Posted By: Charlton Dan[/cite]They dont make 'em like that anymore Clivey.
Please extend my best wishes and gratitude to your Dad.
Hear hear!
I sometimes wonder what our generation would have done were we asked to fight for King and Country like your Dad and his comrades Clivey?
My Dad was in the RAF and saw action in the far east just as the war finished. I have enormous respect for our parents generation. We must never forget what they did for us.
[cite]Posted By: Charlton Dan[/cite]The 88mm Panzerschreck (Bazooka) and their 88mm anti-tank guns that did pretty much 50% of the damage to Allied armour during the breakout.
Parts of Normandy are known as the Bocage. (which I believe literally means beach hedge). These were high banked hedgerows consequently it was extremely dangerous to advancing troops especially with the defending enemy having those weapons you mentioned Dan.
Of course one of the main advantages that the Allies had was air superiority and their ability to call on close air support for the advancing tanks and infantry. By this time the Luftwaffe was struggling as much of its strength had been moved to the Eastern Front. The aircraft left to defend the Westen Front had to contend with a strong array of Allied fighters. That gave the dive bombers such as Typhoons, Tempests and their American equivalents a pretty free run at the enemy lines. (This tactic, of course had been learned from the German blitzkrieg attacks which brought them so much success in the early years of the war).
My dad was part of a five man team that designed the re-enforced steel configurations for the concrete and steel Mullberry Harbours.....he was transferred (under the official secrets act for many a year) to Portsmouth from Holborn to carry out this work.
He later became a chief designer draughtsman in the Air Ministry designing steel structure work inside many a RAF and civil control tower....including Heathrow; I think it's been demolished now but I'm sure many of you remember it.
I went to Normandy some years back and some of those structures can still be seen off shore, I honestly hadn't expected to see them.........made me feel a wee bit proud.
Not one of the combat 'heroes' of D-Day of course but he was never-the-less very proud of his contribution.
He actually hated war....a really quiet gentle unasuming individual.
Best wishes to your Dad, Clivey. We owe a massive debt to all involved, as life would be very different for us if they hadn't.
My dad was in the KOSB and the order was to capture Caen from the Germans in 2 days. One month later Caen fell, by which time it was flattened. They pushed on and fought through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and onto the Rhine. He won't talk about the horrors and doesn't want to go back. Quite how anybody who went through the combat, death, relief of concentration camps and sheer terror could keep sane is beyond me.
[cite]Posted By: SoundAsa£[/cite]My dad was part of a five man team that designed the re-enforced steel configurations for the concrete and steel Mullberry Harbours.....he was transferred (under the official secrets act for many a year) to Portsmouth from Holborn to carry out this work.
He later became a chief designer draughtsman in the Air Ministry designing steel structure work inside many a RAF and civil control tower....including Heathrow; I think it's been demolished now but I'm sure many of you remember it.
I went to Normandy some years back and some of those structures can still be seen off shore, I honestly hadn't expected to see them.........made me feel a wee bit proud.
Not one of the combat 'heroes' of D-Day of course but he was never-the-less very proud of his contribution.
He actually hated war....a really quiet gentle unasuming individual.
No less a hero fella, you should be rightly proud.
Thanks for everyones best wishes , Dad is a bit delirious at the moment , but this morning in Hospital he made us laugh as he was mumbling about the war and said there was one German who he will never ever forget as long as he lives , I asked him what was his name ? and he mumbled back " I can't remember and then gave a little grin....
he was also talking about their officer a second lieutenant called Peter Carter , and said that all he ever said to his men throughout the war was " Come Back " which made us really laugh as well
Comments
Please extend my best wishes and gratitude to your Dad.
Hear hear!
I sometimes wonder what our generation would have done were we asked to fight for King and Country like your Dad and his comrades Clivey?
My Dad was in the RAF and saw action in the far east just as the war finished. I have enormous respect for our parents generation. We must never forget what they did for us.
Parts of Normandy are known as the Bocage. (which I believe literally means beach hedge). These were high banked hedgerows consequently it was extremely dangerous to advancing troops especially with the defending enemy having those weapons you mentioned Dan.
Of course one of the main advantages that the Allies had was air superiority and their ability to call on close air support for the advancing tanks and infantry. By this time the Luftwaffe was struggling as much of its strength had been moved to the Eastern Front. The aircraft left to defend the Westen Front had to contend with a strong array of Allied fighters. That gave the dive bombers such as Typhoons, Tempests and their American equivalents a pretty free run at the enemy lines. (This tactic, of course had been learned from the German blitzkrieg attacks which brought them so much success in the early years of the war).
Please extend my best wishes and gratitude to your Dad.[/quote]
I will Dan, thanks and cheers Bing
I must have missed this thread yesterday, apology's Clivey and please send my thanks and best wishes to your Dad.
He later became a chief designer draughtsman in the Air Ministry designing steel structure work inside many a RAF and civil control tower....including Heathrow; I think it's been demolished now but I'm sure many of you remember it.
I went to Normandy some years back and some of those structures can still be seen off shore, I honestly hadn't expected to see them.........made me feel a wee bit proud.
Not one of the combat 'heroes' of D-Day of course but he was never-the-less very proud of his contribution.
He actually hated war....a really quiet gentle unasuming individual.
My dad was in the KOSB and the order was to capture Caen from the Germans in 2 days. One month later Caen fell, by which time it was flattened. They pushed on and fought through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and onto the Rhine. He won't talk about the horrors and doesn't want to go back. Quite how anybody who went through the combat, death, relief of concentration camps and sheer terror could keep sane is beyond me.
No less a hero fella, you should be rightly proud.
he was also talking about their officer a second lieutenant called Peter Carter , and said that all he ever said to his men throughout the war was " Come Back " which made us really laugh as well
Bless you dad