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#1
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Hanno.
Was Radar Station W 154 repurposed to another use after the war or demolished? The large structure in the photo looks to have sustained some shell damage, but I have seen worse turned into other things post war. David |
#2
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Together with with other bunkers along the sea dyke, it must have been demolished. Most of them were heavily damaged by the Allied bombardments anyway. After the dyke was breached in 1944, a lot of work was put in rebuilding and strengthening them. This was vital for the population to be able to reclaim the land and start farming again. Anything on the dykes was demolished to ensure their integrity. The demolished bunkers were repurposed, e.g. the path which runs from Oranjezon in Oostkapelle up to Westkapelle through the dunes has been paved with their rubble. Bunkers more inland were most often left undisturbed, here is an example. Check that site for more traces of war on Walcheren, there is still plenty left to be seen today. A number of caissons from the Normandy Mulberry harbours were brought in to close the breach. The picture below show the breach just after it was closed, in the foreground remains of a Bofors gun and LVT 4 can still be seen. Once the gap was closed, the dyke was built up further. Hanno 94cc5594-2438-f1ae-a745-f9b5b940a65e.jpg
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#3
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Gun/LVT
The remains of a gun are not a Bofors (40 mm), but a Polsten (20 mm) gun mounted on the LVT, a quite common modification to give LVsT more firepower.
Michel |
#4
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Of course, that’s a 20-mm Polsten like on the attached picture. Should have looked better. Do you have access to the 1 LBY war diaries? Thanks, Hanno 3933B4F3-910E-4D49-A239-AFB356CE0F4B.jpeg
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#5
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74 years ago
On this day, 74 years ago, Today, Allied troops landed on the heavily defended Walcheren island in the Netherlands. The island was attacked on two flanks. Infatuate II was the operation from the west targetting Westkapelle. According to the commandos involved the operation was "so tough, that by comparison the Normandy landing was like a tea party". Despite heavy losses, both military and civilian, the battle for the Scheldt opened up the route to the port of Antwerp.
At Westkapelle the Commandos were supported by the Royal Navy and armoured vehicles from the 79th Armoured Division: 10 Sherman Crabs, 2 Sherman gun tanks, 8 Churchill AVREs and 4 Armoured Bulldozers. The losses in armour, plus 15 Buffaloes due to mines, shelling and bogging down would be high, but the few surviving vehicles proved decisive in driving the enemy from their positions. The video “Commandos Strike at Walcheren” shows some of these AFVs in action, notably the two Sherman gun tanks and two Churchill AVREs. This rare footage is a testament to the braveness of Allied soldiers and the capabilities of their humble tanks. Commandos Strike at Walcheren 2683481D-94EC-4B23-9D85-F146606AFF2F.jpeg
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#6
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Worthless Weasels
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The crawler tractor which is used to drag out the Weasel is most likely each-military as well. NL-HaNA_2.24.10.02_0_120-1155_1.jpg.jpg Weasel Westakapelle.jpg Source: http://proxy.handle.net/10648/af2323...8-003048976d84 Studying another picture of the gap pictured shortly after the battle show an overturned Weasel trapped under the steel beach defences: NL-HaNA_2.24.01.03_0_900-2004.jpg Weasel Westkapelle shoreline.jpg Source: http://proxy.handle.net/10648/ac053c...8-003048976d84
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#7
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Misrepresenting history
In November 1944, the British disembarked three D7 Armoured Bulldozers. Two of the four Armoured Dozers fell victim to mines ashore, the fourth did not disembark (LCT Damson and its load were too damaged to land at Westkapelle, and diverted to Ostend, Belgium).
2019-10-05-rdMAG1-Landing_bij_Westkapelle_op_-3-FC_web.jpg Only after the war ended in May 1945, enough resources could be freed up to reconstruct the dyke. This was done by combining the techniques of traditional Dutch dyke building and heavy earth moving equipment brought in by the Allies. The dyke at Westkapelle was closed on 12 October. 1492.jpg Two of those bulldozers were buried under an emergency dyke. When the final dyke was completed, the two dozers were excavated one year later by the contracting company "Nieuwenhuyse and De Braal". They were kept working till 1965. This photo shows the excavation of a bulldozer in 1946: 1529.jpg In 2016 Henk Meijer donated a Caterpillar D4 to the Liberation Museum in Nieuwdorp. This is presented as possibly one of the dozers which was buried in the dyke. Obviously, this dozer is not one of those which landed in November 1944. 16-12-06-bulldozer2.jpg Source: http://westkapelle-beeldbank.nl/, https://www.bevrijdingsmuseumzeeland...caterpillar-d4 and others
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
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D6A armored dozer
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Wim de Braal, which recovered in 1946 the two D6A armored dozers was my grandfather. We bought this week with my brother a D6A with serial nr. 1T3038 Requested information, regarding serial nr. to CAT visitors center in the US. And waiting. Wondering if you could give us more info? Best regards, Willem de Braal |
#9
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I believe Jack Olding & co in the UK built the dozers under licence, and also did the (British) armoured conversion, but hopefully Caterpillar will be able to help you with more info.
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#10
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Jack Olding only did the armoured conversion. The tractors themselves were licence built in the USA but I don't know who by. I was told about 15 years ago that Caterpillar at that time denied the existence of the 1T series as 'nothing to do with us' but that might just have been one particular employee's ignorance. The tractors were shipped to the UK as complete standard tractors and the conversion is very much a matter of adding a big armoured box so of course it was equally easy to remove it, replace the missing sheet metal parts and you have a standard tractor again. The Dozer kit was supplied by LaPlant Chote who were major manufacturers of hydraulic dozer conversion kits in the US at that time, when tractor manufacturers only built bare tractors. Jack Olding also did many upgrades to Ram tanks and other armoured vehicles but never built complete vehicles from scratch. David |
#11
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Do you have any photo or information on your grandfather's recovered pair of D6As? Serial numbers or else? I have nothing on 1T3038, only a photo of its immediate predecessor 1T3037 here: Armoured Bulldozers on D Day Michel |
#12
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Hi Michel and all of you,
Thanks for the congrats! Where very pleased with the dozer ofcourse. As we're very sure it's a "brother" or even one of the 4 (?). Landed at Westkapelle. Found it on Tuesday, and arrived yesterday evening. We are intending to restore it back to original shape, including armore We"ll keep you updated, also with the answer of Caterpillar BR, Willem Last edited by Willem de Braal; 10-07-20 at 23:39. |
#13
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Quote:
http://www.bouwmachinesvantoen-archi...de%20Braal.htm so everyone can see exactly what you mean by “recovered” I strongly suspect the one shown being dug up there is the one I posted a picture of earlier, standing in fairly deep water, and the second to be the one whose armoured cab was removed and left behind on the beach. (Also note the wagon with the Sherman wheels.) Last edited by Jakko Westerbeke; 10-07-20 at 11:08. |
#14
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Quote:
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#15
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Your photo would explain where this weasel came from. This photo is from a collection of photos circulated years ago showing the remains of a weasel being extracted from the sand. Cheers John W. Buried weasel.JPG |
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Armoured CAT
Hi Hanno,
The armoured Cat in the photo you posted is a D6, not a D7 (the exhaust arrangement is a clue to part them). Cheers, Patrice. |
#17
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Quote:
The picture I attached was taken during the landing on the north end of White Beach. Note it is named "LILIAN". Of the four Armoured Dozers which embarked, only three disembarked of which two fell victim to mines ashore. Only one Armoured Dozer which reached the town. The second picture shows one "at work clearing road trough what was apparently once a town". Note this is a different one than "LILIAN". Other pictures show more than two derelict Armoured Dozers. Would they have brought in more Armoured Dozers after the initial landing on 1 November? Thanks, Hanno 39752.jpg 40022.jpg Sources: dezb.nl, 39752 / IWM BU1270, Sgt Crocker 1-3.11.44
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#18
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Quote:
Quote:
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#19
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Armoured Dozers
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Additionally, 509th Field Company, RE embarked with one (1) Dozer each on LCT nrs. 8, 22, 25, 26 (from 510 FC Coy?) and 27, totaling nine (9) D7 Armoured Dozers. History of the Royal Engineers, Vol IX, 1938–1948 states six (6) disembarked, of which all but one (1) got stuck in the soft mud: Quote:
I have labelled them "A", "B", "C", and "D" which have no other meaning than to discern them on photos. Two dozers "A" and "B" and "C" on the north side of the breach, where all the AFVs got hopelessly stuck: 14670_annotated_Dozer_A-B.jpg 39848_annotated_Dozer_B-C.jpg Dozer "D" on the south side of the breach. It seems to have a name on the top edge of the rear armour. As with other vehicles found in the village after the war, the census numbers seem to have been painted out (possibly because they had been struck off charge). b5500_annotated_Dozer_D.jpg
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#20
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Hanno
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#21
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Caterpillar D7
Hi Hanno,
Unfortunatly there is quasi nothing about the Armoured Cats. Some very minimal infos in these books : B9tz1BW.jpg pj6pWPy.jpg Hope it helps, Cheers, Patrice. Last edited by Hanno Spoelstra; 01-12-19 at 14:05. Reason: attached pictures |
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Attached is a post-war picture of two Armoured Dozers which got stuck on Red beach at Westkapelle: 14670_2_annotated.jpg
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#23
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LVT (2).jpg Also a number of LVTs in the distance at the left of the photo, near Erika: LVTs.jpg These latter ones also appear in another photo taken across the Gap, with what I think is another armoured bulldozer: Buffalo's en D7A bij Erika (Nationaal Archief 2.24.01.03 900-2001).jpg Zoomed in: LVTs and bulldozer.jpg |
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