ALG A6 - Beuzeville au Plain (La Londe)

Hi List,

This thread is being opened to bring together old and new information, photographs and footage now known to have been taken at the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A6 constructed between Sainte-Mère-Église and Beuzeville au Plain.

Wikipedia has this article on the ALG A6.

Regular readers will recall that we had amassed quite a bit of inter-locked footage and photographs taken at this ALG, due primarily to this piece of 'anchor' footage on Critical Past showing the 'A6' marking on the ground. Here are the pertinent stills from the last scene:

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OK, the scene is set. Next, we need to name some tree clusters seen on the northern side of the ALG behind the C-47 as 'M' takes off in a westerly direction.

Any hope of an identification for 'M' Patrick?

More soon.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Patrick,

The second digit of the number is perhaps '3' but beyond that I cannot tell

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Do you have any aircraft which would fit?

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Hans,

There is no point in giving the easy ones to Patrick; he just broods like Sherlock Holmes unless he is challenged

Regards,

Pat

 

This might be a good test to see if the High resolution jpeg 1382x960 (300 dpi printing at 3" x 4") is worth the $25 fee Critical Past charge :idea:

I'll sign up with them tonight.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi All,

Well, I might as well have gone down to the local bridge and thrown my €4 into the river :-/

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Now to give Don his annual laugh; the tree naming convention at La Londe A6:

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Same tree line but a different clip this time - two spitfires are shown in addition to the same(?) C-47. This clip is located here on the Critical Past site. Below is a frame showing the first of the two Spitfires - ZD-?:

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...and the second, on a clearer frame showing marking ZD-K:

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These two aircraft belong to No. 222 Squadron RAF. I wonder is ZD-K seen here the same aircraft flown with such success by Otto Smik, the famous Czechoslovakian ace, in 1943?

Can anyone add to our knowledge base in relation to No. 222 Squadron RAF during the Normandy campaign and more especially who might have been flying ZD-K when this footage was shot?

Thanks,

Pat

PS Thanks Patrick for saving me $15

 

Hi Hans & Patrick,

Thanks guys; I think perhaps the problem is the motion of the aircraft. If it was standing still we might have had a better chance of reading the digits.

Just one of these things you have to accept in this game. At least it wasn't a NCAP photograph

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi All,

I have discovered new La Londe A6 footage on the British Pathe site here. The footage shows another RAF visitor; this time an Avro Anson if my aircraft type identification is correct

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How do we know the location is La Londe A6?...well the white marking is there on the ground but it is very indistinct. However, the unmistakeable tie is the group of three stepped trees behind the near side wing tip - which are also present in the much clearer still below at the near side wing tip of the American C-47. Note in this still the white identifier 'A6' marking is pin sharp:

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Below is a nice shot of the under wing squadron marking 'NK 3':

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So, who is this 'NK 3' visitor?

I had a look at this Wiki page which lists the RAF squadron code letters and came up with three possibilities:

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The problem is not quite as big as I first thought.

No. 118 Squadron RAF appears to have been stationed at RAF Skeabrae in the Orkney Islands from March to July 1944.

No. 163 Squadron RAF seems to have been disbanded between June 1943 and January 1945.

The best option, in my view, is that 'NK 3' belongs to No. 31 General Reconnaissance School which was based at RCAF/RAF Station Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The Wiki article refers to the School as being equipped with Avro Ansons, however it appears to have been disbanded in February 1944. So our new found visitor is likely to be a 'former' No. 31 GRS aircraft now in use as a ferry plane by some other squadron.

Can anyone put some flesh on the bones :huh:

Comments and corrections welcomed and appreciated.

Regards,

Pat

 

Thanks for the links François,

This extract from your second link to the Wiki page of No. 1312 Flight RAF does indeed seem to fit well with what we see in the new footage:

Can you confirm if the NKxxx number is the serial number of the aircraft or a Squadron/Flight identifier?

The invasion stripes may well be hiding additional digits as you suggest John.

While searching last night in order to add to this new find, I came across these three great photographs on my hard disk - I cannot recall if I had found them myself on the web or if someone here had sent them to me:

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They had no captions as to location but were very probably, in my view, taken on the re-supply mission to La Londe A-6 on the 12th June to replenish mortar and other ammunition as per this extract from Shawn Younger's World War II Archives site:

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The location ties 'G' (large bulldozed gap) and 'J' (hedgerow junction) marked on two of the three photographs are shown below on this extract from NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_8010 flown on the same date; 12th June:

Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk​

Great photographs, especially the first one - I wonder why they never surfaced on the web before?

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi François,

I am a bit confused now...would RAF aircraft serial numbers be placed on the underside of wings and in such big lettering? I though they only marked the number in small lettering on the side of the rear fuselage?

Regards,

Pat