Missing gliders of Operation Tonga D-Day

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by brithm, Jun 13, 2014.

  1. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Ludo,

    I only have the French versions of Mold's and Troutt's accounts. In Troutt's two accounts the course of events differ. In his letter he and his pal Jock Trail encounter the glider in a high place (un endroit plus en hauteur) and then afterwards meets Mold and Jamieson. In his longer version (recit) he correctly remembers meeting up with the two medics before the glider's arrival and mentions crossing a field when it descends and lands very close by, so close they drop to the ground for fear of being struck. He learns later that it contained engineers which might suggest he was putting it all together the best he could post war.

    In what appears to be a letter written by Ernie Mold he says the following:

    "Nous avons rencontré l’équipage d’un autre planeur qui était tombé près de Grangues"

    I believe there is a longer version by Mold where he describes the actual landing of the glider which seems to align with what we see in the photo. So yes it does strike me as being CN84, but I guess we should be prepared to change our mind if contrary evidence turns up later.

    Regards ...
     
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  2. Ludo68000

    Ludo68000 6th Airborne D-Day

    look at this nice view of CN84:
    La Cour Bellevue with CN84.JPG the damaged port wing is visible

    and also the nice view of CN77 at St Evroult:
    St Evroult and CN77.JPG the glider is intact
     
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  3. Brian Garcia

    Brian Garcia New Member

    Can I just post an update on CN 77 (LH494), about which little is known (and can I say how impressed I am by poster's work and expertise here).

    The First Pilot ws S/Sgt D Rushton and my wife's father w/sgt P G Phillips. They took off from Harwell at 0130 hours 6th June. On board were seven soldiers, a jeep, trailer, motorcycle and two radio sets. Phillips was injured and taken prisoner. we have his Stalag Luft XIIA PoW card. Although he never spoke about it, he was on one of those death marches back from Poland to Germany as the Soviets advanced in 1945.
     
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  4. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Brian and welcome,

    Thank you for the information on your father-in-law W/Sgt P G Phillips. We have been seeking a clearer picture of the Cour Bellevue glider which shows the serial on the detached tail section. Recently I came across the photo on the Beeldbank site here which has a zoom-in function. My first impression was LH 484, but it could also be interpreted as LH 494.

    La Cour Bellevue Glider Serial.JPG

    I have been reluctant to post as it could be argued it is not absolutely clear. The evidence up to this point has been in favour of the Horsa being CN 84 based on the account of Wally Troutt who claims there were Engineers on board. So as you can see it throws a bit of a spanner in the works if indeed CN 77's serial was LH 494?

    Regards ...
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2018
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  5. Ludo68000

    Ludo68000 6th Airborne D-Day

    Dear Chuck, Dear Brian, Dear all,
    I can confirm LH494 as CN77.
    The following document can be found in WO361/503:
    upload_2018-8-5_16-39-19.png
    This proves we have to be careful with accounts.
    This probably means CN84 is the Saint Evroult glider and the Bellevue glider in CN77.
    The only problem I see is the damaged wing. I can't see a damaged wing on the St Evroult glider...
    Very interesting...all of this is interesting and fascinating.....
    Regards,
    Ludo
     
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  6. Brian Garcia

    Brian Garcia New Member

    Fascinating and informative, thank you Ludo and Cee.
    It's odd that the suspected LH494 seems to be the Bellevue one, as it seems to be fairly intact. The record seems to show that all the LH494 occupants survived, supporting this thesis, but perhaps odd because Sgt Phillips told his family the glider came down heavily and he was injured - a deep 18 inch laceration across the lower back apparently, which was roughly sewn up with string on the spot, leaving an unsightly scar.
    The hunt continues, and I plan to visit the chateau at some point.
     
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  7. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Brian,

    You have probably noticed there are quite a few photos of the glider taken over time as it slowly deteriorates. It looks like it struck an anti-glider pole. In Ludo's aerial post #42 you can see the sliced off wing to the front. The following photo at first glance looks like one already posted. However, it must have been taken early on as the ramp is still up and the cockpit is in a fairly good state. Notice that the electrical tower that should be seen in the background has been removed.

    a-british-transport-glider-in-normandy-1944-DYYPAC.jpg

    In another thread Ludo posted a pic of its upper ruder which is on display at the Pegasus Museum in Benouville.

    Cour Bellevue Rudder at Pegasus Memorial.jpg

    Regards ...
     
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  8. Ludo68000

    Ludo68000 6th Airborne D-Day

    Dear Brian, Dear Cee,
    the rudder story of CN77 was told to me by Ben14. his grandfather took it to his garage where it stayed many years before giving it to Pegasus Memorial.
    the colour picture of CN77 is a German picture. You can see it in the book Red Devils by Georges Bernage
    the second picture is from a local history book: Gonneville Sur Mer 1939-1944 by Marthe Rambaud and Jean-Claude Bosquain
    Regards,

    Ludo
     

    Attached Files:

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  9. Ben14

    Ben14 Active Member

    Hello,

    i found a picture of CN100 Glider landed at Belle Epine ferme "Bourgeauville"

    [​IMG]

    RAF@
     
  10. Ludo68000

    Ludo68000 6th Airborne D-Day

    Yes Bern, this is CN100...picture from NCAP Archives
     
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  11. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

    Good evening all
    I’ve have become friends with an of French gent on my visits .He told me that his father helped unload a glider of its cargo including a jeep and he showed me a letter he wrote to the war department after the war enquire about the pilot with a view to contact him , didn’t get much of a response. The nurse he gave me was 513 and it landed nearly on the Longuenarl crossroads near Breville any ideas who the pilot was so I could tell him . He would be delighted with any information thank you regards Brian
     
  12. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

    Number (not nurse)
     
  13. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Brian,

    Would the French gent by any chance be Jacques Courcy? If so there is an account by him on the Dives River Association site under Breville:

    Bréville

    Regards ...
     
  14. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

    Good evening Cee
    That him, every time we are there he come up on his vesper scooter and scrambles over the fields to see us ,do you think that’s enough info to find anything. I always take him a bottled the hard stuff and he gave me some home made Calvaire going to open it on mission complete. Regards Brian
     
  15. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

  16. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Brian,

    First off I don't know the answer to the question you pose but I did look into the gliders in the Breville area earlier this year with Ludo. There are actually two gliders that pertain to this case. One of them I'm unsure about at the moment.

    The glider at the Longuemare Crossroads was very likely CN 261 piloted by Lt. Chris Dodwell and Sgt B.Osborne. They were an advanced party with the 3rd Para Brigade on Op Tonga and carried a jeep, trailer, motorbike and 3 Signalmen. As it turns out they couldn't remove the tail to unload the jeep so left the glider and headed south. There is a quite long account by Lt. Dodwell in the book "Operation Tonga'. It can be seen in this aerial from the Pegasus Archive which I'm sure is familiar to you.

    Pic_Rep1SSBde3_high.jpg Horsa Longuemare Xroads.jpg

    There was also another glider in the same field but further south near Breville-les-Monts. It could be the one that Jacques claims was part of Op Mallard and arrived on the evening of June 6th quite a bit off course from LZ W. According to him it was situated only 100 metres from the "garde" or keep where his family was staying at the time with other families from the Bas de Breville. I think the garde was a building located here, north of the Chateau St. Come. Here's a translation from that part of the account.

    "A glider, bearing the number 523, which had no doubt missed its objective (it should have landed in Saint-Aubin d´Arquenay) landed with a great crash in a hedge a hundred meters from the keep. The passengers slipped away, leaving one of the pilots in very poor condition: he had a leg almost severed and a dislocated collarbone. My father helped by his friends Henri Dumoulin, (says kiki les bérouettes) and Louis Lepaulmier hid him in the hedge and installed him in a parachute. He spent the night there and part of the day. My Mother, as well as Simone Dumoulin and Denise Desrues fed him, and healed his wounds as best they could, with the limited means they had. During the night, his comrades came to get him. A few years later, despite a request with the British Ministry of War, we have no news of him."

    The glider I am thinking of is actually over 300 metres away. I believe they moved the severely injured pilot closer to the garde with a wheel barrow. The glider can be seen in an aerial I pinched from a collection put together by Ludo. At this time I don't know the identity of the pilot or the chalk number of his glider which carried a jeep and gun.

    Unknown Glider - Ludo.jpg

    Jacques also tells how his father led a group of 9th Parachute Battalion men to the two gliders on June 8th and how they were able to unload the jeeps etc in a great rush while being fired on by the Germans. There is also an account of same incident in the book "The Day The Devils Dropped In" but it differs in detail.

    Regards ...
     
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  17. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

    HiCee
    Thank you very much for going to so much effort with your reply’s. The picture of the cross roads marks the glider clearly and the second one is just along the road . I will spend the weekend translating the pages off the Breville site . Thanks again this part of Normandy is of extreme interest to me , may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year best regards Brian
     
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  18. Airborne44

    Airborne44 Junior Member

    Hello Cee and Brian,
    Read with interest this discussion on the two gliders near Breville. Jacques asked me the question about this glider pilot many years ago, and frustratingly I couldn't answer it either. With further information seemingly becoming available all the time, hopefully this can be solved one day.
    I can certainly confirm that 'La Garde' was indeed where the families stayed as he pointed it out to me on a map (although I don't remember him giving it a name). Just for information, here's an aerial showing both gliders and La Garde.
    A happy New Year to you both.
    Regards,
    Neil.
     

    Attached Files:

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  19. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Neil,

    Thank you for confirming La Garde's location. That's a very good aerial which shows the thick hedgerows in the area quite well. During the period from the 6th to19th June one Officer and four ORs from the GPR were treated and evacuated from the 224 PFA MDS at Le Mesnil. I wondered if his serious leg injury resulted in an amputation. There is some general info on amputations performed by 224 PFA doctors but no names are given unfortunately.

    Reports 6 AB - 224 PFA - Page 71.JPG

    Regards ...
     
  20. BrianHall1963

    BrianHall1963 Well-Known Member

    Good evening Neil and Cee
    Thank to both of you for your time on this glider I’m in contact with Jacques and will let him know that he’s got the Normandy experts think about his glider again , hope you both have a Happy New Year best regards Brian
     
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