Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

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,

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

[MicS]

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

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by MicS

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,

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

[Hanno Spoelstra]

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

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

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 an LVT4 with Polsten gun can still be seen. Once the gap was closed, the dyke was built up further.

During the closure of the gap, an M29C Weasel was dragged out. Many Weasels sank while trying to cross the gap, they were worthless in the fast flowing seawater.

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

[Hanno Spoelstra]

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

[Willem de Braal]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

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).

Attachment 110350

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.

Attachment 110348

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:
Attachment 110347

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.

Attachment 110349

Source: http://westkapelle-beeldbank.nl/, https://www.bevrijdingsmuseumzeeland...caterpillar-d4 and others

Dear Hanno,

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

[Alex van de Wetering]

We bought this week with my brother a D6A with serial nr. 1T3038

That's exciting Willem! Does the dozer still have the armour?

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.

[David Herbert]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

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.

Alex,
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

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by David Herbert

Jack Olding only did the armoured conversion. The tractors themselves were licence built in the USA but I don't know who by.

Does this help?

IMG-20200819-WA0004.jpg

I got this from Christiaan de Braal yesterday (posted here with his permission), but I have no idea what document it’s actually from.

[MicS]

Originally Posted by Willem de Braal

Dear Hanno,

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

Congratulations on your acquisition Willem ! I hope you will post an exhaustive photo walkaround soon!

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

[Willem de Braal]

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

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Willem de Braal

As we're very sure it's a "brother" or even one of the 4 (?). Landed at Westkapelle.

There were at least three D6As and two D7As there, plus a few more that I’ve never seen photographs of that were taken from up close enough to identify them.

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Willem de Braal

Wim de Braal, which recovered in 1946 the two D6A armored dozers was my grandfather.

Let me add this here:

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.)

[Alex van de Wetering]

Jack Olding only did the armoured conversion. The tractors themselves were licence built in the USA but I don't know who by.

David, thanks for the correction and additional info.

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

That's pretty much the same reply I got at Chubbs in Wolverhampton, when I asked them about the Conger carrier conversion years ago! The hard part with these large firms usually is to reach someone that is actually willing to go to th archive and/or is interested in the history.

Let me add this here:

http://www.bouwmachinesvantoen-archi...de%20Braal.htm

Judging from the pictures in Jakko's link, the armoured dozers did get a custom tank to clear the armoured body.

[David Herbert]

Alex,
Quite right about the custom diesel tank. Sorry to confuse matters but I was seeing that as a 'sheet metal part' that was easy to change. I should have been clearer.

Jakko,
Thank you for the link to the archive. Those are great photos. The photos show that they removed the engine from the dozer that they dug up, presumably to reduce weight. it would have had to be removed anyway for rebuild.

Willem,
Would it be possible for you to post a couple of photos of Cat 1T3038 as it is now please ? Does it still have the dozer kit with the frame between the tracks. If so I would be very interested to see how that is attached to the tractor.

David

[ozm29c]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

During the closure of the gap, an M29C Weasel was dragged out. Many Weasels sank while trying to cross the gap, they were worthless in the fast flowing seawater.

The crawler tractor which is used to drag out the Weasel is most likely each-military as well.
Source: http://proxy.handle.net/10648/af2323...8-003048976d84

Hanno,
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

[Patrice DEBUCQUOY]

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.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Patrice DEBUCQUOY

The armoured Cat in the photo you posted is a D6, not a D7 (the exhaust arrangement is a clue to part them).

Hi Patrice, thanks for pointing that out. I do not know much about Armoured Dozers, can you recommend some good sources?

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

[Alex van de Wetering]

The armoured Cat in the photo you posted is a D6, not a D7 (the exhaust arrangement is a clue to part them).

I agree. Also, the sidewalls of the "cabin" are straight on a D6, but slightly angled on a D7.

Hanno,
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.

John, do you have any more pics of this weasel and do you know where it went? I wonder if it has any type of mount in the rear for a Vickers K(?)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

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.

I checked one of my sources again (Operation Infatuate Landing Table and Beaching Diagram V2), and found more Armoured Dozers were embarked. Indeed four (4) Dozers embarked with the 87 Sqn Aslt Regt RE in LCT nrs. 4, 5, 6, 7. Initially I only counted those, as they embarked with the Sherman tanks I (tried to) focus on.

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:

As part of the operation to clear the River Scheldt and port of Antwerp, 59th GHQTRE under the command of Lt-Col E.W.L Whitehorn assisted the Commandos of 4th Special Service Brigade in their amphibious assault on Walcheren on 1 November 1944. One platoon or section of sappers was allocated to give general assistance to each of the five Commando units, and a detachment of the field park company landed with six bulldozers, leaving the rest of the field companies for beach maintenance.
(...)
The Commandos had sailed from Ostend and landed successfully before dawn at Flushing, but the bulldozers of 59th GHQTRE ran into soft mud and only one could be extricated, and most of the engineering stores were lost, though casualties among the sappers were light.

At least four Armoured Dozers could be found as spoils of war on the beaches for many years after the fighting, until they were scrapped or used as back-fill to reconstruct the sea dyke.

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

[Alex van de Wetering]

To me, dozer "D" looks like a D6. Dozer "C" could be a D6 as well, judging from the pipes.....but hard to see from this far away.
Dozer "B" does look like a D7

Alex

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

At least four Armoured Dozers could be found as spoils of war on the beaches for many years after the fighting

I found most of the remaining ones

Let’s begin on the southern side, near Erika. You identified one bulldozer there, labelled “D”; a second one stood nearby, but I’ve never seen a photo of one. However, I do have a photocopy of a map of this area made (most likely) by Rijkswaterstaat as a plan for the construction of the new dyke, which was given to me about 15 years ago when I was involved in the construction of a large 1:150 scale diorama of the construction of the new dyke, for which I supplied scratchbuilt models of two armoured bulldozers and two LVT (4)s. I recently managed to find it again, and it is what seems to be an accurate map of the situation at the time, with four “tanks” marked on it. An annotation by the man who gave me the map indicates two were Buffalos and two were bulldozers:

Erika map.jpeg (north is to the right)

The bulldozer Hanno labelled “D” is the one on the left (south) on the map, and the Buffalo nearby is then obviously the one also shown in the photo of bulldozer “D”. Though I’m not sure where he got the data what the other two vehicles were exactly, and because he passed away last year I can’t go and ask, given that he had extensive knowledge relating to the war and the works on the dyke, and had spent his whole working life at Rijkswaterstaat, I’m confident this is correct.

(By the way, Landingsvaartuig means “landing craft”. These were three LCT (3)s left behind, two of which are in the background on the same photo.)

Then there’s the one I think was on the beach — see a previous post by me above. Though it’s really just a silhouette, it looks like an armoured bulldozer to me,

That gives us, what, six present and accounted for? Oh yeah, and one bulldozer was on board LCT 513 that turned back, so that’s seven. Let’s find the remaining two …

Bulldozer on dyke.jpeg Bulldozer behind dyke.jpg
(both photos by Neeltje Flipse-Roelse, courtesy of Polderhuis Westkapelle)

I don’t think I’d ever seen these two photos until yesterday night, or if I had, then I hadn’t really looked at them. After double-checking the location of the first one, it’s clearly on top of the old dyke and not one of the three left on the beach, because those are a long way behind the big wall in front of/below it — which is the antitank wall the Germans built on the landward side of the dyke (it wasn’t freestanding, the foot of the dyke was dug away and the wall built into it so there was a sheer drop off the dyke). In the second photo, which is older because there’s no new dyke yet, you can see the same dozer in the background, plus one drowned in the sea just south of the village proper.

From the knowledge I picked up in this thread, I take it the second photo is of a D6? The other one looks to me like it could be a D7. I’m wondering if it’s the same one shown in the better-known photo of a bulldozer actually at work in Westkapelle:

D7A (Sgt. C. Crocker, Beeldbank Zeeland 40022).jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by ozm29c

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.

John, indeed this Weasel was dug up at Westkapelle in 1994. More info to follow later.

Hanno

[Patrice DEBUCQUOY]

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.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Patrice DEBUCQUOY

Unfortunatly there is quasi nothing about the Armoured Cats.
Some very minimal infos in these books :

Thanks Patrice.

Attached is a post-war picture of two Armoured Dozers which got stuck on Red beach at Westkapelle:

14670_2_annotated.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Footage from British Pathe:


The Walcheren Landings 1944: https://britishpathe.com/video/the-walcheren-landings
Covering both Infatuate I and II


Western Front War Report 1944: https://britishpathe.com/video/western-front-war-report
Various shots of Alligators crossing Scheldt.


Invasion Scenes Europe: British Troops: https://britishpathe.com/video/invas...itish-troops-2
E.g. Armoured Dozer on White Beach North
Armoured Dozer white beach.jpg


Invasion Scenes Europe 1944: https://britishpathe.com/video/invas...enes-europe-53
Commonwealth soldiers resupplied during Battle of the Scheldt, possibly at Sas Van Gent, Oct 1944
E.g. Weasel in action
Weasel Sas van Gent.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Studying another picture of the gap pictured shortly after the battle show an overturned Weasel trapped under the steel beach defences:

Attachment 110346

There’s also an LVT (2) in that photo, I just noticed. Zoom in on the area to the left of the rightmost bunker in the distance:

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