Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by 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.

Good visualisation - see https://www.topotijdreis.nl/vergelij...9,394412,10.53

Not many people realise that the beach and the inland lake are very much traces of war - or better: "scars of war"

Westkapelle 1944-2021.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Another photo of T148656 I have never seen before, by the looks of it when it was outside the war museum in the late 1940s/early 1950s before it got partly cut up:

T148656 late 1940s.jpeg

(With thanks to Ivo of the Polderhuis museum, who saw this posted on Facebook.)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Another photo of T148656 I have never seen before, by the looks of it when it was outside the war museum in the late 1940s/early 1950s before it got partly cut up:
(With thanks to Ivo of the Polderhuis museum, who saw this posted on Facebook.)

Nice find!

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Two more that are new to me:

Dandy Dinmont ca. 1948 (Kroon, G.S.:ZB Beeldbank Zeeland:186802).jpg
Source

De Tank eind jaren 40 (Kroon, G.S.:ZB Beeldbank Zeeland:186803).jpg
Source

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Two more that are new to me:

Refresher

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...581#post281581

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Oh, you’re right. I didn’t recall seeing those before …

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Here’s something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before:

LCT 1005 on Westkapelle beach.jpg

That’s the Crabs from assault group Apple stuck on Red beach, with the bridge from AVRE A2B between them and still resting on LCT 1005’s bow ramp.

This is a still from a video that somebody posted on Facebook. As I don’t do Facebook, I asked the person who told me about it to download it for me, and he very kindly did. However, those of you who don’t have any qualms about visiting that site can view the video here. This part starts at 2:29.

Other things of interest concerning the Westkapelle part of Operation Infatuate are pictures of the approach right from the start, LVTs wading ashore at 2:22, and troops and vehicles in Westkapelle from 2:32.