Kangaroo AWD site near Bayeux, France

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I was in Normandy during the third week of August, but did not get to do a lot of research on-site ('t was a family holiday after all )

I did get in touch briefly with Jean-Pierre Benamou of the "D-Day Academy" (www.ddaca.com), a Frenchman who does battlefield tours. He told me AWD Kangaroo was located in St. Sylvain, SW of Caen, just East of the Caen-Falaise road. I do not have my references at hand, but I would have thought the Allies had not advanced that far by early August? Plus it contradicts Mark's research and reasoning. Mr. Benamou told me his location is documented and he has pictures. Maybe he refers to the picture I posted of the field of wrecks?

Anyway, more later,
regards,
Hanno

[Bill Miller]

I think Monsieur Benamou is mistaken Hanno, or perhaps he is confusing the the AWD with the startline for Totalize? or where 3Div was located after totalize?

Anyway, I believe Mark's assessment of the location of the AWD is correct and corroborated by veteran accounts and some period docs. Though an exact MR is not available.

One letter I have hear from the mid-90's was from a Sgt Avery, attached from #2 TTWS, states they were "were pulled back to a safer location near Bayeaux." I am positive one of the Field Regiment WD's state they turned their Priests in at a location near Ryes. The conversions were done near where the Priests were parked.

If I wasn't already neck deep in Kangaroo stuff, prepping for the Guidon ceremony in 14 days, I'd dig into my files.

I'd be interested to see Benamou's photos??

Bill.

[kevinT]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Mark, see the blow-up below: clearly a village.
Note the Priest Kangaroo marked as "SHE.M7"!
I reckon this picture was taken quite a while after the fighting (possibly even after the war?), as during the first few months in Normandy I can't believe there would be time to properly categorise and mark each vehicle.

Hi Hanno,

The Sherman Vc T211935 in your image, front left, is actually "ADAPTABLE VIII" C Sqn 1st RTR ( check "Sherman Firefly" - M. Hayward, pg 58 ).

Cheers
Kevin

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by kevinT

The Sherman Vc T211935 in your image, front left, is actually "ADAPTABLE VIII" C Sqn 1st RTR ( check "Sherman Firefly" - M. Hayward, pg 58 ).

Kevin,

Thanks! Knowing the regiment of ADAPTABLE VIII, one might be able to find the location it was knocked out and therefore get an idea of where this salvage area was.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bill Miller

If I wasn't already neck deep in Kangaroo stuff, prepping for the Guidon ceremony in 14 days, I'd dig into my files.

We'll get to that later, Bill. I will send Mr. Benamou and other people or organisations some of the findings here and ask them for their input. I have bought a detailed map of the area and will plot the possible locations on it. I noted there are only a limited number of orchards there, so hopefully we should be able to pinpoint the location with a high degree of probability.

More later,
Hanno

[Tony Viste]

In the August War Diary for 14 Cdn Fd Regt there is a document entitled "Re-Organization Instruction No. 1" dated 29 Jul 44. It contains an overlay map showing the locations of the Re-Organization Centre. This map shows an 'Old Eqpt Park', and to quote from the instruction:

"No SP eqpts will enter the RE-ORGANIZATION CENTRE.

All SP equipments will be diverted at roundabout 844839 along new by-pass (RED route) to an RV 843836 where guides, provided by HQ RE-ORGANIZATION CENTRE, will meet and conduct eqpts along RED route as far as rd junc 840832, thence along GREEN routes to old eqpt park.

All personnel with SP eqpts should be self-contained for one night."

I added this map over Google Maps and the trapezoid shaped 'Old Eqpt Park' coincides very nicely to a trapezoid shaped field that I circled in red.

If the thought is that AWD Kangaroo went to the M7's, then it was possibly located in or near this field.

Thanks.
Tony Viste.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Bill Miller and I just spent the past 2 hours trying to map out the grid references quoted by Tony plus the overlay.

At first it did not seem to line up, but then, suddenly....

So Alex, are you ready to go hunting for this field in France next month?!?

Hanno

[Bill Miller]

Map trace overlayed with GSGS 4347 Sheet 37/18 SW (1:25000).

[maple_leaf_eh]

Great work fellas!

[Mark W. Tonner]

So was I initially correct Hanno, the AWD was in the Ryes vicinity . . .

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks go to Mark and Tony who did all the legwork, gradually narrowing down the area where to look. When Bill and I dove into yesterday night, initially the coordinates in the diary did not seem to line up. Bill bought an electronic copy of the 1944 invasion map via the internet, and we started mapping the known info both electronically and on paper. Thus we confirmed the info which was there.
Next month I will be visiting Normandy and will do the necessary ground work and try to locate locals who might be able to provide eyewitness accounts.

To be continued!

Hanno

[Alex van de Wetering]

So Alex, are you ready to go hunting for this field in France next month?!?

Hanno....you bring the Ford...I'll grab the camera and some pictures of Priests and Kangaroos

[Alex van de Wetering]

I realised I have been very close to "Kangaroo field" a few years ago, when I was trying to find traces of "B8 Sommervieu", one of the many Advanced Landing grounds. The site (Sommervieu) can still be recognized from the Arromanches to Bayeux road as a large flat area.

I am surprised the airfield isn't shown on the "trace" Tony posted, as it is right in the middle of the routes drawn on the trace (it is shown on the pic Mark posted in post 12 of this thread). Sommervieu was active from 22 June, and allthough I am not sure when it was abandoned, I presume it was still active when the Priests were converted in a field nearby.

Attached is a pic of Sommervieu (Kangaroo field marked in orange)
Picture source: http://www.forgottenairfields.com/fr...b-8-s1111.html

Alex

[Alex van de Wetering]

I tried to find aerial photographs of the area.

Attached is a picture from the NCAP site. The pictures they have of the surrundings of Bayeux are all taken in April and May 1944), so no vehicles or airfields, but it does show what the "old equipment park" and "new equipment park" looked like just before D-day.

source: ncap.org.uk/

[Alex van de Wetering]

The french IGN website has a bunch of aerial photographs taken just after the war. The earliest picture they have of the fields in question, were taken in 1947.

Sommervieu airfield, although abandoned and returned to the former owners, can still be recognized (lower part of first and second picture)
"old equipment park" and "new equipment park" have been cleaned of any remaining kit so it seems...and basically both fields look like they did in May 1944.

source: http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil

[Alex van de Wetering]

The best detail pictures on the IGN website are taken in 1959. They give a good idea of what is presumably Kangaroo field.

As quoted on page on of this thread "in two fields near Bayeux with the camp sited in the protection of a neighbouring orchard".....

What is described as "old equipment park" could easily be called, "two fields" with the hedgerows in the middle. The Orchard is also obvious......apple trees I presume for making "Calvados".



The most interesting pics would obviously be those taken in August 1944 as they will probably show vehicles and stores everywhere. I hope the "Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies" in Ontario might have these, but even though they have thousands of pictures available online...I can't seem to find a search option(?). I will try to contact them tomorrow, to ask if they could at least tell me which "boxes" I should investigate. Does anyone have experience with searching for photograps in the LMH archive?

http://lmharchive.ca/france/calvados/

Alex

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Today we located the two fields where AWD Kangaroo converted the Priests into Kangaroos. I was there with Alex & friends in my F15A and James & friends in his C15TA in 1CACR markings.

More info and pics after Normandy!

Hanno

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Today we located the two fields where AWD Kangaroo converted the Priests into Kangaroos. I was there with Alex & friends in my F15A and James & friends in his C15TA in 1CACR markings.

More info and pics after Normandy!

Hanno

Good job folks.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Tonight, 74 years ago, the first Priest Kangaroos went into action.

Read more about them here: https://milart.blog/2014/08/28/the-p...eptember-1944/

With thanks to Mark Tonner for reminding us!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Tony Viste

In the August War Diary for 14 Cdn Fd Regt there is a document entitled "Re-Organization Instruction No. 1" dated 29 Jul 44. It contains an overlay map showing the locations of the Re-Organization Centre. This map shows an 'Old Eqpt Park', and to quote from the instruction:

I added this map over Google Maps and the trapezoid shaped 'Old Eqpt Park' coincides very nicely to a trapezoid shaped field that I circled in red.

If the thought is that AWD Kangaroo went to the M7's, then it was possibly located in or near this field.

The Re-organization Centre even made it into a cartoon of the 13th Artillery Regiment where Gunners are seen handing in their Priests at the "Ordnance Re-equipment Park" and being issued with towed 25-pdr guns - something they were not happy with!

When the three Field Regiments of Canadian Artillery (the 12tth, 13th and 14th Regiments) of 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was re-equipped with towed 25 pounder guns in late July, their self-propelled tracked vehicles were stripped of their 105mm guns and converted to Kangaroos. This change of equipment was not very well regarded by the gunners, who considered replacing the 105mm American self-propelled howitzer by the 25-pound towed gun a setback, as we can see in this cartoon drawn by the lieutenant Clay, in the book that tells the story of the 13th Artillery Regiment.

Source: http://panzerserra.blogspot.com/2019/10/