Bruneval, anything to see today?

If someone's got Issue 13 of After The Battle (The Raid onBruneval) , there may be a Then & Now of Bruneval.

EDIT: *%^$* VP - posted exactly same time.

 

The last time I looked,Bruneval was not in the Michelin 1/200 000e Atlas Routier but is easy to locate.It is adjacent to the petroleum port of Havre-Antifer.There is a belverdere overlooking the Plage de Bruneval where the post raid pick up took place.

I can't imagine the chateau survived the war.

 

i can't imagine the chateau revived the war.

It didn't. It was pulled down in 1943. However the steps which Frost rushed up are still there (well, they were in 1986 when I was last there anyway!).

I've got the magazine out, Owen and I'll scan the relevent pages (6 or 7 of them) later this evening.

Dave

 

Cheers Dave.
You are a star.

Don't I just know it!:p

Email sent with all 8 pages attached.

Dave.

 

I think I read that most of the men who were on that raid didn't survive the war.
As they were 2PARA I imagine most were lost at Arnhem.
Has anyone looked into who was on that raid and what happened to them later?

I've read somewhere that Lt Col John Frost was at Bruneval and he definitely survived the war.

 

I also met a vet at Arnhem a few years ago who was in both operations; not sure of his name off-hand, however.

 

Bruneval - another of my late father's "days out with Coastal Forces" - he was a signals operator ( Morse set) on one of the gunboats which took the raiding force from the beach.

When you consider it a lot of folks just don't give our own lot credit for doing the most amazingly cheeky things , to be honest they didn't show the Germans much "respect" did they ? :p

Stealing their radar equipment and the operators.
Bad show chaps !

 

I was there a few years ago....not a great deal to see i.e no museums but remains of the German defences, a memorial on top of one of the original pillboxes and some remains of the original chateau......

 

I never realised that Frost was on that raid!
You can learn something new every day on this site. Super thread to read.

Tom

 

Back in 2007 myself and a few mates went to Bruneval to have a look at the site of the famous raid by Major Frost and "C" Company of the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment. There is very little left at the site and only the foundations of the Villa remain. The first two pics are taken from the internet. Firstly there is an overview of the whole area and second is a close up of what the Villa looked like in 1942.

 

Paul,
I was there myself in August 2007.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-battlefields-today/11036-bruneval-anything-see-today.html

Hello mate,
We went in May and combined it with a look around Dieppe to see the site of the Canadian landings there. I couldn't believe how steep the hills were at Bruneval. We had trouble climbing them in civvy clothes let alone battle dress as the old boys obviously did!! We spoke to a local who lives nearby and he said he was surprised that not too many people actually visit the area. Perhaps it's a bit off the beaten track.