197 Sqn, D-Day - target reference?

[wwrsimon]

Thanks Bruce, much appreciated.

As I mentioned, I've e-mailed the Museum in Bayeux, so will let you know if/when they reply.

Regards

Simon

[RSwank]

Another idea on this, consider it a "WAG".

On this link there is an Order of Battle for the German artillery units.
http://www.dday-overlord.com/eng/german_artillery.htm

It mentions Artillerie-Kommandeur 474 (PC : Le Parc de la Mare)

Just searching on Google puts one of the Le Parc de La Mare's in:
"Le Parc de la Mare, Lingèvres, France"

This is SE of Bayeux.

Also found this link: http://www.robomod.net/pipermail/soc...er/017100.html



If you search for "le Parc de la Mare" on that page, there is this statement:

"Also, the coast artillery batteries of H.K.A.A.
1260 were under control of ARKO 474 at Le Parc de la Mare (Monts-en-
Bessin, 20 kilometers southwest of Caen)."

Now Monts-en-Bessin is a little further south of Lingevres, but in the same area.

What strikes me is the statement that the ARKO 474 is the command unit for some of the coastal artillery batteries.
That would seem a worthwhile target. Perhaps "Chateau le Parc" is a miss-statement of "Le Parc de La Mare."


The other thing odd about all of this is that I cannot find any references from the German point of view of these two Typhoon attacks on the morning of June 6. That makes me wonder if the attacks actually hit the "right" targets.

[wwrsimon]

Interesting! I've found a reference to Parc de la Mare in the book 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry 1939-1945, which mentions it being about a mile to the south-east of Lingevres.

They took the Lingevres-Tilly road for 3/4 mile, then south along a minor road to Parc del Mare. There they encountered a pary of germans, who took cover in a large house known as the Chateau du Cordillon.

Regards

Simon

[timothy]

James Kyle seems to have had a ball!!

{Target near Bayeux}

Tim

Did I ever mention that, in his book - Typhoon Tale - he had a cross over my head in the squadron photograph. So I invited him to lunch. In the second edition of the book the cross was replaced with a tick!!

[wwrsimon]

Hello Tim

A little off-topic, but what dates were you with 197 Squadron?

Regards

Simon

[RSwank]

Simon,

I have done a little digging to try and make sense out the 2nd attack, supposedly on the Gen Marcks headquarters. I think I have found where the bombing actually took place and it was not his headquarters. It was a chateau used by the Germans, located at La Meauffe, called variously Chateau St Gilles or Viel. You can copy/paste these into Google Maps and in satellite view zoom right into the location.
49.174621, -1.114393

General Marcks headquarters (or at least where he lived) was in a townhouse just in or outside of St Lo at this location. The headquarters were actually in a bunker, which may have been on the property.

49.120298, -1.094143

You can put the above into Google Maps and if you switch to street view by moving the little yellow man to that exact location you can see the gate exactly is it is shown in this 1944 photo. You may need to move a little in street view to get the right view. In particular, try to get on the west side of the street and look east toward the gate. The Gate is to the east. Compare the Gate from 1944 to today. A few changes (the top "balls" have been removed) but clearly the same gate with the 3 "plaque" decorations on the right side and house roof in the background.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/photos...ie/9631605212/

The description on the photo is of a GI just outside of Gen Marcks headquarters in St Lo. You can click the photo to enlarge.

This all makes sense as when you look at the "diary" of the headquarters for D-day, there does not seem to be a mention of any fighter-bomber attack. Also the fact that many people visit the headquarters "in" St Lo during the 6th seems to place the headquarters nowhere near La Meauffe. It certainly was not a "smoking ruin" on the 6th.


I think maybe? La Meauffe may be where Rommel stayed during one of his May inspections. The Resistance would have reported that visit to the Allies. There has to be some reason it was hit.

[timothy]

The reason I'm alive, Simon, is that I was only with 197 from February to September 1943.

Tim

[Chris Thomas]

I have searched what documentation I have to hand and can find no other reference to the target other than "GHQ SE Bayeux".

I have a 1:25000 map of the area which reveals quite a number of chateaux, non named "le Parc". However, there is a group of buildings, arranged in a rectangle and at the end of a drive, at the western edge of Le Mesnil-Patry, about 15 km SE of the centre of Bayeux and labelled "le Parc". Looks good to me.
CT

[Stephen M. Fochuk]

"8 Typhoons. 197 Squadron. Dive-bombed chateau in France (076752) 15 x 500 M.C. from 200 ft. 2 hits."

Reference 076752 should help pin-point the location.

Stephen

[RSwank]

Stephen that seems like a legitimate reference but when I run it through the likely grid squares, (probably on French Lambert Zone 1, or even Nord de Guerre) see
http://www.echodelta.net/mbs/eng-overview.php

I cannot get any square to give a "good" location SE of Bayeux. Perhaps others will have better luck. Where did you find the reference?