Northern Sold 1:08 Sun Jul 22
Normandy Tours....
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....leger travel.... 5 of us out here.... Just done the British and Canadian sectors....mind blowing stuff.... even though you know its on a massive scale every book film tv doc does not do it justice...humbling brilliant experience....and hats off to leger for their first class service and expertise.... american sector tomorrow....
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Hammer and Pickle
9:19 Tue Jul 24
Re: Normandy Tours....
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If he was your grandfather, that makes your mental age about 9.
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Gavros
9:09 Tue Jul 24
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Brexitidiocy is found everywhere
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ludo21
8:45 Tue Jul 24
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GBHammer63 8:17 Tue Jul 24
Quite right... much as I equally admire the German soldiers who fought very valiantly and against the odds in Normandy our forefathers didn't sacrifice so much so that we would end up being dictated to by Berlin 75 years later.
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GBHammer63
8:17 Tue Jul 24
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My grandads WW1 medals were the main reason I finally voted for brexit. In an overly PC world where both sides were giving shit reasons for and against, couldn’t vote remain even if it would have my life easier.
We helped much of Europe only to be dropped like a hot potato and treated like a leper. Shame on them, they should remember what our country fought for.
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tricky trev
5:01 Tue Jul 24
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Northern have read the Bedford Boys, powerful book a number are buried in the cemetery the remainder were returned back to the States. Is a fact for you the German cemetery at la Cambe as two notable graves Michael Wittman (Battle of Villers-Bocage) and Adolf Diekmann (Oradour-sur-Glane ) who was the senior office at Oradour. I was shocked to see this there and wouldn't have been surprised to see it vandalised but it wasn't. Did you go to Dead Man's corner as this has Winter's D-Day uniform etc
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Northern Sold
2:27 Tue Jul 24
Re: Normandy Tours....
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The thing about the whole tour that blew me away was the scale of it.... those beaches from tip to toe is 80km's.... imagine putting together a plan of that scale.... it's mind boggling.... I read a book a few years back called the Bedford Boys ... all young lads from the same village in West Virginia who joined up in the same regiment (115th / 29th Army??)... this was at a time the US army were still using the notion we had in WW1 of Pals battalions... anyway they was on the first wave at Omaha on Charlie Beach (which is where our guide took us to) and to a man the whole man folk of that small village in Virginia was cut down within a couple of mins.... and when you looked from the view they would hva ehad at that time you can see why and how it happened... how any Yank survived that day on Omaha is beyond belief... the cemetrys are something to behold... Omaha for the yanks and Bayeux and Ranville (mainly Airborne) for the Brits and commonwealth... we also visited the German one at La Cambe.... where basically nigh on 10,000 were buried in a mass grave... very sureal there... no regiments allowed on any German stones incase for any reprisal vandalism if any showed as a member of the SS....
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Northern Sold
2:14 Tue Jul 24
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Lots of stuff covered on the tour for band of Brothers fans... we visited the new Dick Winters memorial that is set on the site of Easy Companies taking of the guns at Brecourt Manor on 6th June ... also plenty of stuff in the Utah Beach museum...
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ludo21
1:44 Tue Jul 24
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If you are in to the American Airbourne and Band of Brothers then it is possible to visit the now disused and overgrown airfield at Uppottery in Devon (near Honiton) that they flew from as shown in the tv series (though they obviously didn't film it there). No museum or anything but the runway and a few buildings are still there.
Very beautiful part of the world and I believe that the US Airbourne were based down there in the build up to D Day.
Again the local pub has a few photos.
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ludo21
1:37 Tue Jul 24
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BTW Warsash is only about 20 mins from Portsmouth so easy to pay a visit before heading to Portsmouth.
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tricky trev
1:36 Tue Jul 24
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I always go via Calais on the Euro Tunnel
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ludo21
1:35 Tue Jul 24
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epsom 8:48 Tue Jul 24
Embarkation points were all along the south coast from the solent westwards into Dorset. Generally speaking I think that the Brits and Canadians went from Hampshire and Americans from Dorset.
The British commandos left from the river Hamble and there is a plaque at Warsash and some photos (there were anyway) in the local pub, the Rising Sun. The youtube footage shows them setting off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qryz83l5ySw
In the build up to D Day troops were spread all over the South, up to 10 miles+ inshore but if you were going to Warsash you would go past Sarisbury Green where you would see the village green that was an embarkation camp just down the road from Warsash so it is safe to assume that the commandos camped there before setting off. There isn't much to see now although little has changed apart from the volume of traffic.
I had a great Uncle who was with the R Marines on D Day and his holding camp was in, what is now, the Hamble River Country Park further up the river. Again not much has changed but I'm not sure that there are any remnants to see.
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tanman
1:26 Tue Jul 24
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My content was WW1 as opposed to WW2.
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tanman
1:24 Tue Jul 24
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Did the tour when at school as part of my History GCSE. I agree it was thoroughly enjoyable. Menin Gate, Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Tyne Cot & thiepval. This was back in 1992 but I still remember the whole trip clearly. The weather was stunning for the whole trip which took place in September I think. The trip also involved having Nirvana played non stop for the duration of any coach journey, so much so that any Nirvana song I hear even now has me mentally transported back to a coach seat looking out on sunny French fields.
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Westside
1:03 Tue Jul 24
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would you agree though there would be nothing to visit on this side?
If it can be slotted into your itinerary, the D Day museum at Portsmouth, is superb. Just had a £5 million makeover. It was brilliant before that, haven't been since.
There is also a submarine museum, worth a visit in Portsmouth (Gosport to be precise), if you want to make a day of it.
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tricky trev
1:01 Tue Jul 24
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Westside will look that up tks
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Westside
1:00 Tue Jul 24
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would you agree though there would be nothing to visit on this side?
If it can be slotted into your itinerary, the D Day museum at Portsmouth, is superb. Just had a £5 million makeover. It was brilliant before that, haven't been since.
There is also a submarine museum, worth a visit in Portsmouth (Gosport to be precise), if you want to make a day of it.
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tricky trev
12:40 Tue Jul 24
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Looking to go back next year for two days staying in Bayeux
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tricky trev
12:32 Tue Jul 24
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NS yes gathered that. As regards to the question from Epsom would you agree though there would be nothing to visit on this side. Out of interest what American sites did you go. Have been to Omaha, Utah, Dead Man's corner, Brecourt, Ste Mere Eglise, Cemetary, Pointe De Hoc, the fere bridge and the Maisy Batteries.
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Gavros
12:20 Tue Jul 24
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How far are the beaches apart?
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Northern Sold
12:15 Tue Jul 24
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epsom.... saw plenty of maps over there detailing the marshalling points of the various armies and regiments... some featured here...
http://theddaystory.com/Search/Theme/assemble
http://www.skylighters.org/sausage/
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Northern Sold
12:03 Tue Jul 24
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trev... it's the way the kid with no mates sits in the corner trying to get attention... ignore
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