Hi All, I presume that German prisoners captured by the 101st Airborne Division would have been marched to Utah Beach along the same route, joining the D70 north of Hiesville. If such be the case, then it should be possible to find the locations in Mark Bando's PoW photos. Still cannot locate that footage of the column being marched through Sainte Marie du Mont; there is a match with a number of German officers at the head of the column with one of Mark's photos. Regards, Pat
Pat, If you want to see the footage quickly, I posted the video of the Germans being marched through Ste Marie du Mont on my Troop Carrier Facebook page a few weeks ago. I'll have to try and find the You Tube link tonight.
So if they travelled from Ste Marie du Mont to Hébert and onto Utah beach, would they have gone down causeway No.1? At the time, the area was flooded where I believe only the causeways were the method to and from the beach. I think they would have walked from Ste Marie du Mont on the D913, turning right on the crossroads onto the D115 and left onto the D329 (Causeway No.1).
Thanks Neil, IIRC, there is enough of the town square in view in the footage to establish which roads are being used to enter and exit Sainte Marie du Mont. Regards, Pat
The photograph which I've got clearly shows them marching into Ste Marie du Mont on the D70 as does the footage. The footage however doesn't pan enough to show them marching out of Ste Marie du Mont but they're heading in the direction of the D913 which makes sense.
I admit that I have not checked for the exact location, but am sure it has been mentioned and shown somewhere on this forum, and Niels might know the location. I think that they passed the Sherman tank that is in the ditch on the causeway to the beach. Got two pics of it by a 435th GP.
there's actually a couple of them. Here's one: (A Co. 70th TB) Without checking my notes, this one is on Causeway #3. It was not knocked out. HyperWar: UTAH Beach to Cherbourg (6 June--27 June 1944) [Chapter 3] I'll look up the one from the moving footage, which IIRC shows B Co. on Causeway #2 (There they did face antitank fire) What may be crucial for the route of the POWs is the traffic plan for these causeways. They quickly became one way roads.
Niels, I found this one on youtube while viewing photosnormandie... Easy to find if you search for f000233 on youtube. It has the below image at 4:04 with German prisoners marching just moments later in the film. I was actually looking for a better quality image of this tank.
I figured that was the one you meant. I think Pat posted a better quality still from Combatreels a few years ago..
It was on the right side of the road, coming from the Beach. Actually need to check how to post the photo.
As you write a reply, there is a link to upload a file, right next to post reply. Just upload the photo and select thumbnail, or full size, and post your reply... This new system is very friendly and easy to use.
Looks like this is going to work. Looks to me like the end of a column heading towards the beach. don't know which 'exit' this is.
Here's the column at rest somewhere along the route. This photograph was amongst the 2nd Lt Elwood Brindle, 75th TCS Glider Pilot grouping.
Using Hans's photo, could this be the 70th TB wreck?... Just across the road from the Danish Seamens' Memorial on the D913 (Exit 2). What do you guys think? Regards, Pat
Correct area. I seem to recal we already discussed this incident (and the Danish flag). Maybe on the old Battle Bus forum. Its indeed Causeway #2. (Simply put: A Co. used Causeways #3, B. Co. used #2 and elements of C Co. pushed to #1) Hans' photo is B-16, the vehicle of Company commander Capt. Songer. "Songer crossed a little culvert that was mined and blown. His tank got hung up for a little bit." Apparently that little bit, was a bit of an understatement. The other tank is B-2, that of Sgt. Rambo. Songer ordered him to move forward but "My engine had started missing so we could barely move in low gear. Songer radioed me to bring my tank in, but I told him if I'll do tjat I'll choke the area because I didn't have any power and would get hung up." "I and the crew jerked the engine compartment open. We couldn't spot the trouble and tried turning the engine over, but there was nothing we could do. So there I was on this narrow exit and here came the whole damned army right behind me. My tank was nearly in the water and they were going around the other side. Some engineers came by and said to get that tank out of there, but I said it won;t move. He said he would move it and called in a bulldozer." "This was the thing to do at that point. Well, that took me out of action. We just sat there waiting in case a mechanic could help, but that was hopeless. We cutt the DD screen off just in case and threw the two air bottles outside. Coming by were infantrymen who thought the air bottles were bombs, we we would kick them and say, 'See, they won't hurt you'. We had a lot of fun with that, but that is all the fun we had."
So if we're saying the Glider Pilots passed Sherman B16 on Causeway #2 (D913), how did they pass by the hamlet of Hébert from Ste Marie du Mont?
Another photograph from the F/O Edward Short collection. I think this was taken just before departure from La Couture farm. Whilst this is the Glider Pilots and German PWs entering Ste Marie du Mont on the D70.
Here is the tie up between one of the two photographs on page 79 of Mark Bando's '101st Airborne - The Screaming Eagles at Normandy' and the footage of the column marching through Sainte Marie du Mont: First two screen shots from the fooatge located on the HDArchives YouTube Channel here: The same six officers can be seen in the top photo of this pair from Mark's book: ....and a third photo from the book showing the column exiting the town on the D913: The obvious question though - was there only one column which was escorted by glider pilots? Regards, Pat
It depends on what you call 'passing by'. The information doesn't literally say that they turned right, past Hébert and then used Causeways #1. If you use a large scale map to explain your route, places close but not exactly on your route are easy enough to use as a reference. A rather common and frustrating problem when trying to interpret statements and reports.