Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[MicS]

Great news indeed! This is the opportunity to restore the original markings of the tank, instead of the variety of fanciful markings it has endured ever since it became a memorial. Accurate information about its commander as well as period photos could also be added to the memorial.

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

That is typical for these kind of projects. I am sure the museum, municipality and local sponsors can work something out.

Well, yes. I just mentioned it because it’s not like the whole restoration is already sorted.

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The museum has been given two Sherman tanks (and possibly other artifacts).

You mean the two HVSS Shermans that stand in the museum grounds?

Originally Posted by MicS

This is the opportunity to restore the original markings of the tank, instead of the variety of fanciful markings it has endured ever since it became a memorial.

In the phonecall I mentioned, I was also told that the fellow in charge of the restoration asked the Polderhuis museum (very close to the tank, for those who might not know) for help regarding those markings. Apparently, they told him they knew someone to help with that (that is, yours truly) and I affirmed that if he has any questions, he can contact me.

TBH, I had been thinking about this before already, and it’s actually not that straightforward because all the Crab gear has been removed. I think putting the AoS and 79AD markings on the upper corners of the glacis plate would be the best choice, given that other 1 Lothians Crabs had them there as well, even if this particular one did not.

Originally Posted by MicS

Accurate information about its commander as well as period photos could also be added to the memorial.

Good you mention that: who was the commander? Sgt. Stead?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Excellent news!

This is the opportunity to restore the original markings of the tank, instead of the variety of fanciful markings it has endured ever since it became a memorial.

Exactly my thought! Jakko's book will certainly help with that.
I also hope they will replace those front fenders for some originals, or something that looks close to the original.....even a fender with the correct shape, but without the stiffening rib will look much better that the current flat fender.

I am sure the museum, municipality and local sponsors can work something out.

I agree; the media exposure lately could have a positive effect on that, and I am sure those involved know this all to well.

Alex

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Another one that may be of interest here:

D6A S55 in 1944 (John Fernhout).jpg

This is a still from the 1945 British Ministry of Information film Broken Dykes by John Fernhout (credited as John Ferno in the film itself). The first half of it is available at the Beeld en Geluid archive (so is the second half but it contains nothing of interest to this thread). In the black bar across the middle of the page, click the “play” symbol (the square with the triangle in it); the bulldozer can be seen at about 00:43:47:00, but only for a few seconds, and the film doesn’t show anything the still above doesn't.

Anyway, this is the dozer I labelled S55, most likely in late 1944, and it shows markings and other details I had never seen of it, because I’m not aware of any pictures of it taken as close-up as this one.

I’m informed elsewhere that the 344 with a diagonal bar behind it is the AoS marking of 1st Canadian Army engineers, which is slightly confusing to me, unless the bulldozers shipped to Westkapelle were on loan from that? Or perhaps it’s just that I don’t understand how all these units fit together (my interest is much more the vehicles than the units).

[MicS]

Excellent find, which gives us the unit of one of the Westkapelle dozer wrecks!

AoS 344c is 1st Mechanical Equipment Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. See http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4524

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

Excellent find, which gives us the unit of one of the Westkapelle dozer wrecks!

Two wrecks The one of which there is a picture when it’s bulldozing in early November 1944, also has this AoS marking on the left rear, just aft of the Allied star. My conclusion is that this is the same bulldozer that ended the war on top of the dyke.

Originally Posted by MicS

AoS 344c is 1st Mechanical Equipment Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. See http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4524

Thanks!

Also, with a bit of luck I may have soon a bit more information on (what is probably) another of the bulldozers at Westkapelle, when I actually get to see some photos from a private collection.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

As promised:

AVRE (Martin Reijnhoudt en moeder).jpg

D6A (Martin Reijnhoudt).jpg

The top one is AVRE T69114/B, the identity of the D6A dozer I’m still not sure about, because I’m having a little trouble placing it. It looks like it’s on the middle of the beach, with the remains of the dyke near the village in the background.

Interestingly, the dozer has a name, The RAM and part of its WD census number is readable. The second digit is gone but must have been a 4, the fourth digit looks like a 9 to me, and the last one perhaps a 1 or maybe a 7? I’ve not really tried tinkering with the colours, contrast etc. on the much higher-resolution scan I have to see if I can make out more, though.

The little boy in both is Martin Reijnhoudt, who I got these photos from; the woman in the top picture is his mother. She and his father ran a bakery, which the AVRE was parked just in front of. Apparently, they moved back in in January 1945, and when British soldiers were using bulldozers around the village (reason unknown), his father paid one of them with a bottle of wine to tow the AVRE away from in front of his shop. The dozer driver hooked a thick steel cable to the tank, started pulling, and only succeeded in removing bricks from the paving of the street before the cable started to fray and broke


Edit, a few hours later: The WD-numbers seems to be E2?39?7:

E2?39?7.jpg

So most likely E2439?7 with one digit I can’t make out. There is some stuff visible where the fifth digit should be, but I can’t see a number in those squiggles.

Also, I think I figured out which bulldozer this is: the one I’ve got down as E22 (see my PDF), on the south side of the Gap, a bulldozer I only knew from the Rijkswaterstaat map I posted earlier and very long-distance photos, and of which I had not seen any close-ups at all.

The land in the right background does appear to be the old dyke near the village, with tank wrecks becoming more visible if I play with the colours and contrast in the scan. This fits with sight lines along bulldozer E22, from the south side of the Gap to the northwestern end.