Vimoutiers June 1944

The small town of Vimoutiers in Calvados was bombed and virtually by 36 bombers on 14th June 1944.

Does anybody know why, or were I could find out the reasons for the bombing

Thanks

Steve

 

It was bombed accidently by the Americans (so it is claimed after the war).

List of victims:

VIMOUTIERS Heart of the Pays d'Auge in NORMANDY

The oficial communique for that date claims that it was a hit on traffic centres:

Communique Number 18 14 June 1944

The armoured [armored] battle continued in the TILLY-CAEN area.

The enemy has counter-attacked constantly in a furious attempt to stem our advance. We are holding firm and vigorously searching out weak points in his attack.

In the CHERBOURG PENINSULA the enemy is fighting fiercely.

His heavy counter-attacks in the north have forced us to give some ground in the vicinity of MONTEBOURG.

Further south we have made some gains. An enemy counter- thrust [counterthrust] on CARENTAN has been repulsed.

In one of their most active mornings, Allied air forces today operated almost unopposed from the BREST PENINSULA to< BELGIUM and HOLLAND and penetrated deep into eastern France. The effort of heavy day bombers exceeded even yesterday's figures.

Targets included airfields at LEBOURGET [LE BOURGET], CREIL, ORLEANS-BRICY and ETAMPES-MONDESIR, in FRANCE at BRUSSELS- MELSBROEK, in BELGIUM, and EINDHOVEN in HOLLAND.

After escorting the bombers, our fighters hit numerous road, rail and military targets in FRANCE. Two enemy aircraft were destroyed. Fifteen bombers and eight fighters are missing from these widespread operations.

Before dawn medium and light bombers hit communications targets near CAEN, in close support of our ground forces.

Attacks were made on a marshalling yard at MEZIDON and against bridges and traffic centers at AUNAY-SUR-ODON, FALAISE, VIRE, VIMOUTIRES [VIMOUTIERS], and FLERS.

Other formations struck far into the interior, bombing<BR>traffic points and moving targets in the CHARTRES region, south- west [southwest] of PARIS, rail tracks west of LAVAL and railway guns south<BR>of the battle area. No enemy fighters were encountered in these operations, but anti-aircraft fire was heavy. One medium bomber is missing.

Fighters, fighter bombers, and rocket-firing fighters, some of them operating from bases in NORMANDY, gave close support to troops in the CHERBOURG PENINSULA, cutting railroads and attack ing [attacking] large enemy convoys. Other fighters scored rocket hits on barges and batteries. Coastal aircraft harassed E-boats near LE TOUQUET.

From: June 06, 1944, No. 01

 

Hi Steve,

This shows some of the percentages killed however the last contributor seems to have preferred the germans.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_French_women_and_children_were_killed_as_'collateral_damage'_in_the_invasion_of_Normandy

The bombing seems to have been co-ordinated on these towns at the same time.

By this site: A bombardment ordered by mistake.

Vimoutiers

 

I'm not sure stating that:

"For every German who lost his life resisting the American invasion of Europe, the lives of four Frenchmen were taken. Whereas German troops had wandered at will during their occupation of France, the British and the Americans were repeatedly confined to barracks or had their movements restricted because of the French resistance to their presence on French soil."



can be equated with preferring the Germans. It is certainly the case that Allied soldiers were vilified and often abused in Caen and other areas because of the bombardment and the high death rate amongst French civilians. But in most cases this was directly after liberation, when the civilians were in shock. The idealised view of flag-waving French people welcoming the Allies didn't always happen.

 

I'm not sure stating that:



can be equated with preferring the Germans. It is certainly the case that Allied soldiers were vilified and often abused in Caen and other areas because of the bombardment and the high death rate amongst French civilians. But in most cases this was directly after liberation, when the civilians were in shock. The idealised view of flag-waving French people welcoming the Allies didn't always happen.

The German occupation!

The price of being liberated was too high!

 

The German occupation!

The price of being liberated was too high!

Yes, to some French people who had lost family killed, farms destroyed or ransacked by Allied soldiers, their cows lying dead in the fields, during D-Day and the immediate aftermarth, it was sometimes seen as too high. Don't forget that this part of France had not been directly touched by the war in any serious way - not even in 1940.

The further north the Allies went, attitudes did change. Or in bigger cities where the limitations put on the French were more restrictive. In the Normandy area, the farmers were left, for most of the time, to their own devices - they traded with the Germans as readily as they had with others before. And in return the Germans had been very careful in their own behaviour.

It was realpolitik

 

Thanks chaps,

I had seen the list of casualties on the Vimoutiers link, TBH that is where I first saw about the bombings, I also saw some pictures in one of the bars when I was last over at Easter. Some good comments on how the locals treated the Liberators, something I had never thought of or considered.

Steve

 

Thanks Owen.............that's great, I too thought there was only one Vimoutiers, so it confuses me as well!

Steve

 

The distance wouldn't be a problem though would it?

500 miles or 800km from the landing area to Vimoutiers.

 

HB827 belonged to 19 Squadron, but it seems to have been detached to 112 Squadron (as Owen stated), who had moved to Rosignano (20 miles SW of Pisa) to cover Operation Dragoon.

It maybe that it was damaged, and rather than risking a flight back across the sea, it tried a cross country run.

 

The above pilot was killed:

CONNOR, DESMOND WILLIAM
Nationality: United Kingdom
Flying Officer (Pilot)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
19 Sqdn
Age: 24
Date of Death: 18/08/1944
Service No: 132894
Additional information: Son of Samuel Edgar and Florence Jane Connor, of Belfast, Northern Ireland
Grave/Memorial Reference: V. D. 5.
Cemetery: ST. DESIR WAR CEMETERY

Thanks to TOCH for assisting in finding the pilot info.

 

It turns out that another 19 / 112 squadron aircraft (FZ112) crashed in Vimoutiers on the same date - the pilot survived.

 

Thanks for the additional info' Kyt, St. Desir War Cemetery is on my places to visit. I shall visit Desmond's grave and pay my respects

Steve