I am looking for combat photos of the small villages around Cassel.

Discussion in '1940' started by Augustin194024, Nov 18, 2022.

  1. Good evening to all,

    I am desperately looking for photographs of St Sylvestre Cappel / Hazewinde / Eecke during the confrontations for the battle of Cassel 1940. You are my last hopes.

    Any help welcome!

    Thank you.
     
  2. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I have nothing named in my files. Unfortunately, the Germans were imprecise with captions. Do you know which British units were there ?
     
  3. I can name the 140 (5th London) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, 226 Bty. 57 (1/5th Bn. The East Surrey Regt.) Anti-Tank Regt., 57 (1/5th Bn. The East Surrey Regt.) Anti-Tank Regt., Royal Artilery, Royal Tank Regiment, RAC, and also K Battery which was later moved to St. Sylvester Cappel

    Note: "the 8th Panzer unit leading an attack on the Eecke supply depot".

    Thank you !
     
  4. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    The "8th Panzer unit" mentioned was a unit of the 8th Panzer Division.
    A81.jpg
    There are pictures from this period in the book "Die 8.Panzerdivision im 2. Weltkrieg" by Werner Haupt.
    In fact, there is even one at Sylvestre Capelle after the battles:
    A82.jpg
    Whether there are more of them, I don't know
    source: Die 8.Panzer Division im 2. Weltkrieg Werner Haupt aus Nachlass

    Also a find from the net, also Pionier Battalion 59 "at Hazebrouck":
    A83.jpg
    source: https://shop.k-k-r.de/Negative-Nega...anzer-Division-Pz-Pi-Btl-59-Schutzraum-1.html
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2022
    Stuart Avery likes this.
  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I'll have a look and see if I have anything that might show abandoned vehicles from those units.
     
  6. Heartfelt thanks.
     
  7. Let's hope to find some pictures of Eecke too
     
  8. The 6th panzer division was also present in this area
     
  9. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    Add 53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Anti tank regiment.
     
  10. Good evening,

    Is there a map of the defence of Eecke in 1940 as for Hondeghem for example. Thank you.
     
  11. Kiwi REd One

    Kiwi REd One Junior Member

    These links any use to you Augustin?

    Site about 140th (5th London) Field Regiment at the Battle of Cassel in late May 1940 and its outlying villages, though other units are mentioned....plenty of "then and now" photos, at least of Cassel itself The Battle at Cassel May 1940 – 140th (5th London) Army Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

    Site with K Battery war diary for April - September 1940 - includes maps of Hondeghem and St Sylvestre actions (but not Eecke sorry) War Diary of K Battery Hondeghem, Royal Horse Artillery 1940

    Thread on this site about K battery at Hondeghem which includes still available download of the German point of view of the action and the articles about Hondeghem and St Sylvestre actions taken from (I think) the RA Rememberance Book. The maps are of better quality than the scans posted in the above link, but it does not appear that the action at Eecke was mapped out separately. The Defence of Hondeghem by K Bty 5 RHA

    I also looked up my copy of Farndale's History of the Royal Regt of Artillery covering 1940 but that does not mention Eecke seperately from the Hondegem and St Sylvestre actions.
     
  12. Thank you,

    even if the role of the defence of the village of Eecke in 1940 remains very secret !
     
  13. The soldiers buried in the communal cemetery of Eecke are certainly those who were present for the defence of the village.
    Maybe there is a reference in a book, a map or a photograph...
     
  14. Quarterfinal

    Quarterfinal Well-Known Member

    1st East Riding Yeomanry also took part - assume you are probably already aware. I have asked a couple of descendants - but nil return, sorry.
     
  15. Kiwi REd One

    Kiwi REd One Junior Member

    Seek and you will find.....if you know where to look! - well at least maps/details from the German point of view of their attack on Eecke.

    Original maps and report from the war diary of the 4th Schtuzen (Rifle) Regiment which was part of the 6th Panzer Division showing the attack on Eecke by the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Rifle Regiment around 10:00am on 28 May 1940....looks like Eecke is right on the line dividing 6th and 8th Panzer Divisions.


    Eecke Map 1.png
    Position of the German force at the beginning of the attack.


    Eecke Map 2.png
    Position of the German force at the end of the attack.

    Eecke Commentry 1.png

    Report on the attack - Only one I could find dated 28 May and my Gernan relies mainly on Google Translate - "Today the combat group of Von Ravenstein reached the Belgian border in a planned attack from Sylvestre. Enemies suffered the least own losses. Defenses breached, 36 bunkers taken, 2 tanks destroyed, 6 tanks routed and 760 prisoners taken. This great success is a new page of glory in the victorious battles of the 6 Panzer Division. It was achieved in exemplary cooperation between riflemen (III/SR 4), armor (Pz Abt 65) artillery (II/AR 75 and Art Abt 605) tank chasers (3/41) and engineers (1/57)."

    Found on this site: Russisch-deutsches Projekt zur Digitalisierung deutscher Dokumente in den Archiven der Russischen Föderation | Bestand 500 which came about as a joint German/Russian project some years ago to digitise at least some of the German Army historical records captured by the Soviets at the end of WW2.
     
    Stuart Avery and ltdan like this.
  16. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    Very nice find at "Germandocs"! The translation is completely correct, there is nothing more to add.
    I then read through the documents of the 8th Panzer Division.

    It seems that their units did not come out significantly over the HAZEBROUCK - STRAZEELE area until May 29th.
    Unfortunately, the preserved entries are otherwise almost completely illegible.
    On 30 May, however, the units have already moved further west in the direction of RUMILLY - ROLLEZ 70km away

    I can only interpret from the many fragments:
    The bulk of von Ravenstein's Kampfgruppe (6. Panzerdivision) and also the advance party bypassed HONDEGHEM and proceeded according to orders to the day's objective POPERINGHE.
    One infantry company (3./SR 4) probably bore the brunt of the battle for HONDEGHEM and lost a disproportionate number of leading personnel.
    source: The Defence of Hondeghem by K Bty 5 RHA post #41

    Units of the 8th Panzer Division apparently engaged only artillery in the fighting in the area
    EECKE, at least that is how I read it, was apparently not directly involved in the fighting. In any case, the place is not mentioned.
     
  17. Thank you very much very interesting to see the German point of view of the attack
     
  18. I remain ambitious to find a map of the British defence of the village.
     
  19. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    This image of an abandoned Matilda 1 and (I think) a Scammell Pioneer tractor is annotated "bei Steenvoorde". Perhaps a little too far from your target area ?

    Matilda 1 RMY 948.jpg

    Matilda 1 RMY 948 Steenvorde.jpg
     
  20. indeed it is a neighbouring village of Eecke, but well done, thanks
     

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