Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Jakko Westerbeke]

It may take a few days, as I’m a bit under the weather — I’ve been having a mild case of COVID for the last few days, and though it feels like I’m getting better, for all I know right now, I’ll feel worse again tomorrow …

For the moment, BTW, here are two more photos I got from Walther du Burck, that I realise I hadn’t posted yet but which I had at hand:

Dandy Dinmont (via Walther du Burck).jpg

This is his father and, I assume, his sisters on/in Dandy Dinmont, by the looks of it when it was parked alongside the houses ca. 1947–48 rather than when it was still in the Zuidstraat.

Minotaur (via Walther du Burck).jpg

And his mother with Minotaur.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Feeling a bit better, but not quite well yet, I took pictures of the photos. I think I’ve seen some of these elsewhere, but I didn’t feel like looking them up to make sure

First T148656, from the booklet Westkapelle: De ramp van 3 October 1944, de worsteling met het water (“Westkapelle: The disaster of 3 October 1944, the struggle with the water”, published by the Comité „Westkapelle Herrijst”, no date):

3D0EF71C-852C-4B1D-A714-A35F70B1FFCA.jpeg

And Red Tod, from a volume in the series Zeeland in bewogen dagen (“Zeeland in turbulent times”, Middelburg: Altorffer, no date):

0EACB04B-8113-406E-86FD-0F2BA073181B.jpeg

These other photos are also from that series, DUKWs in Middelburg:

F6EB82D9-AE6F-4B69-8F91-A5AFC34F305C.jpeg

12FE050E-491B-42BB-A49D-1F70B32C5C16.jpeg

DB1B8CFE-F17E-481C-885A-41C755F3CC3B.jpeg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Two more, also from Zeeland in bewogen dagen:

8D4D77D7-A95E-4E7C-B663-A1341A4FDABE.jpeg

This Terrapin is actually captioned as such in the book, so it seems the distinction between it and the DUKW was well-known at the time and only lost in later years.

“Liberators”, which I’m including mainly because of the trucks behind the men:

14412D5D-E4F6-4541-9BD5-E7102DAD7263.jpeg

I’m not up to speed enough on British softskins to identify the one on the left, and I’m also wondering which unit the 282 AoS marking indicates, for very similar reasons

[MicS]

Nice photos Jakko! All are new to me except the last two, online on Beeldbank Zeeuwse, now Beeldbank Zeeland, part of digitaal.dezb (these otherwise great websites keep changing their sturcture every year so...):

FO066453:
Terrapin Middelburg P5518653 - FO066453.jpg

FO066462:
Bedford truck AoS 282d - Middelburg - FO066462.jpg

I don't know which unit had the AoS 282d, only that it's a RA unit (Anti-Aircraft) and that it also appears in the film "BROKEN DIKES (ACTE 2) (1945)" which used to be online on beeldengeluid.nl:
WOT6 L5282540 AoS282d RA 21AG Q5D - BROKEN DIKES (ACTE 2) (1945) - 02.18.jpg

Michel

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by MicS

All are new to me except the last two

Those were the main ones I was wondering about, yes. I also think I’ve seen the Red Tod photo elsewhere, but I don’t remember where.

Originally Posted by MicS

online on Beeldbank Zeeuwse, now Beeldbank Zeeland, part of digitaal.dezb (these otherwise great websites keep changing their sturcture every year so...):

Yes, it’s annoying. The best way to link to those pages is to click on the “chain” icon on the left and copy the permalink — though this doesn’t help for including the photos on web sites and forums, of course.

(BTW, quick lesson in Dutch: “Zeeuwse” is the adjective form of “Zeeland” What you call Beeldbank Zeeuwse was actually called Beeldbank Zeeuwse Bibliotheek, “Image Bank [of the] Zeelandic Library”.)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Great photos, gentlemen.

Here’s another one, not of vehicles but an aerial photo of Westkapelle, taken in January 1946. The devastation can be clearly seen, as can the new dyke which is situated much further inland. It bulges inwards where it used to bulge out to sea.

59B7FC0A-5051-4BB2-9DA7-A1274C0280B1.jpeg

Westkapelle 1946 01 19

Op deze luchtfoto, gemaakt in 1946, kort na de sluiting van het dijkgat, is goed te zien hoe de kreek zich door de inundatie en de dijkherstelwerkzaamheden heeft gevormd.
De noordoever van de kreek, later een gewilde bouwlocatie aan de De Casembrootstraat, is nog een woeste zandvlakte.
Het dorp zelf ligt nog in puin.
Het vooroorlogse stratenpatroon is nog duidelijk zichtbaar.

Fotograaf:
Collectie: SCW
Tekst: Jan Kaland
http://westkapelle-beeldbank.nl/

[Jakko Westerbeke]

For a really good comparison, try the Topotijdreis site (the name means “Topo(graphical) time travel”). That link will take you to a map of Westkapelle before the war; now click on any year after the war in the vertical blue bar on the left.