Fontenay-le-Pesnel

Another bit of "Fontenay-le-Pesnel" footage that the IWM currently has online, and certainly not one I have seen before, so perhaps it's only fairly recently gone up online?:

This one under an associated subject of "British Military - hygine" - is a bit more revealing ;-)

OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 4) [ALLOCATED TITLE]

Object description
British troops enjoy a hot shower behind 49th (West Riding) Division's sector of the front line.
Full description
Troops who have just had a hot shower dry themselves with towels, get dressed and cut their toenails in a farmyard in the village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel during a brief period out of the line following the capture of the Rauray spur. Men pour buckets of water into a large tank heated by a wood fire from where the shower water is drawn. Naked men scrub themselves clean in showers set up in the lee of a farmhouse.

And with a production date of "1944-06-28" - I suppose clips of it might have been subsequently intended, perhaps, to turn up in some of the more light hearted 1944 newsreel.

OPERATION EPSOM - 49th DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 4) [Allocated Title]

This one (above) - Part 4 - is available to view currently, but the other parts, are not, though the descriptions of those are i.e.

OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 1) [Allocated Title]
Part 1 - Object description
Wrecked armoured fighting vehicles and guns from 146th Brigade and its supporting units and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend are found in Fontenay-le-Pesnel as British troops consolidate their hold on the devastated village.
Full description
A 4th Lincolnshire Regiment Universal Carrier overtakes a Loyd carrier hit and set on fire by an anti-tank projectile in a meadow outside Fontenay; the 6-pounder gun it was towing lies a few yards away. Dead cattle and the corpse of an SS man (from the 26th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment) are found in fields outside the village. In Fontenay itself, a 7.5cm anti-tank gun covering the Caen-Juvigny road has been overrun, with one of its gunners lying dead nearby, while further down the road can be seen a burnt-out Sherman tank and a smouldering Panther Ausf G tank, which the cameraman examines in detail. The cameraman then surveys the extent of the destruction in the village - a product of mortar and artillery fire from both sides - and observes men of the Hallamshire Regiment looking for snipers in and around Fontenay, during which a fatally injured German is given water to drink, and digging in.

Production date:1944-06-25

OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 2) [Allocated Title]
Part 2 - Object description
Scenes of armour and infantry moving towards Fontenay.
Full description
A Crusader AA tank, an M10 Achilles 17-pounder self- propelled gun and a Crusader gun tractor from the 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery, 30th Corps' anti-tank unit, move along a tank track towards the village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel. Men serving with the 11th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers - two of them having been injured during the fighting for Fontenay - sip mugs of tea. A Loyd Carrier with a 6-pounder anti-tank gun in tow moves up towards the front.

Production date: 1944-06-25

OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 3) [Allocated Title]

OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 3) [Allocated Title]
Part 3 - Object description
Scenes of mortar bombardment at Fontenay-le-Pesnel.
Full description
Branches fall from trees lining the Caen-Juvigny road as a mortar bombardment launched by the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend lands on Fontenay-le-Pesnel; a motorcyclist despatch rider and a Universal Carrier from a 70th Brigade unit attempt to run the gauntlet. Smoke rises from buildings set on fire by German artillery while a near-miss sends earth clods flying into the air.

Production date: 1944-06-26

There are a few mentions, I saw, in some of the correspondence home of my (24th Lancer) grandfather sent back from the nr. Fontenay area i.e.

This from 24th June 1944: "The weather here today is lovely. In this orchard, (it’s just like Senie’s) we get the full benefit of the sun. We are lucky to have a nice stream for the washing of ourselves and our clothes; there is a nice little waterfall, so we have a shower bath, when it’s warm enough! They did fix up for us to have a bath, we took one look at it and decided our stream was cleaner. They say there’s trout in it but I haven’t seen any."

And... from 2nd July 1944: "It’s getting too blooming dark to see now so I’ll have to give young Beddow his pencil back + go to bed. We had a grand shower in a field today, a milk churn with holes in the bottom.

 

This is nearly all EPSOM and starts with A70 58-12 (your OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 3) [Allocated Title])







and at 6m 50s is 'A 4th Lincolnshire Regiment Universal Carrier overtakes a Loyd carrier hit and set on fire by an anti-tank projectile in a meadow outside Fontenay; the 6-pounder gun it was towing lies a few yards away. '
from your link OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 1) [Allocated Title]

 

this ' A Crusader AA tank, an M10 Achilles 17-pounder self- propelled gun and a Crusader gun tractor from the 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery, 30th Corps' anti-tank unit, move along a tank track towards the village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel.' can be seen at 1m34s here




and is from your link OPERATION EPSOM - 49TH DIVISION AT THE VILLAGE OF FONTENAY- LE-PESNEL (PART 2) [Allocated Title]

 

These Youtube links are mainly EPSOM footage

After Cherbourg - Second Army Advances

After Cherbourg - Second Army Advances - NO SOUND. I have never been able to find the IWM Film number for the HJ POWs at 2m26s.

After Cherbourg - Second Army Advances - NO SOUND

After Cherbourg - Second Army Advances - NO SOUND

British soldiers follow tanks advancing; Shermans fire and enter a village

British tanks battles and British troops dig in for night in France
British tanks battles and British troops dig in for night in France during World ...HD Stock Footage
British troops patrol in a village in France
British troops patrol in a village in France. HD Stock Footage
CAEN LIBERATED
CAEN LIBERATED -
Invasion Scenes Europe (1944)
Invasion Scenes Europe (1944)
Invasion Shots (1944)
Invasion Shots (1944)
British troops march with tanks and artillery on a field in France
British troops march with tanks and artillery on a field in France. HD Stock Footage
Squeezing Nazis Out Of Normandy Aka Squeezing Nazi's Out Of Normandy (1944)
Squeezing Nazis Out Of Normandy Aka Squeezing Nazi's Out Of Normandy (1944)

 

Hello guys,

Im guessing this book is released now , did Heimdal by any chance bring out an English text version ?

Thank you
Paul.

 

Hello Little Black Devil,

Will your book be released with English text by any chance ?.....Im keeping my fingers crossed.

Thank you
Paul.

 

Re. post #45 above

FONTENAY-RAURAY, Autopsie d’une bataille - Editions Heimdal

Parution prévisionnelle : octobre 2018

Translated: Google Translate

The current, provisional, anticipated release date for this book appears to be October 2018 - as we are "just-in" - October 2018 now ;-) I'm keeping an eye out ;-)

I think, at least by the current look of it, it is going to be in French, and presumably there isn't going to be an English text version.

All the best,

Rm.

 

Heimdal stopped doing dual text books a while back

 

A great pity because their market would be substantially larger if they produced an English and/or Dual Text version. While my level of French means I can survive in a Supermarket type environment, being (sadly) 'typical English', that doesn't run to reading books....and I can't justify buying a book simply to look at pictures even if I've not seen them before and even though the area is of great interest to me (which it is). It's all about that delicate balance between reading value and book price.

Good luck to the Authors anyway. Excellent topic....

 

The first half of the book has been published in Normandie 1944 Magazine

 

There is a review (of this) here:
Google Translate



This special issue of Normandy 1944 Magazine Editions Heimdal is the first part of a study devoted to Operation Martletand fighting for the villages of Fontenay-le-Pesnel and Rauray during which Britain's 49th fight (West Riding) Infantry Division supported by the 8th Armored Brigade to the Germans of the 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend and 130. Panzer-Lehr-Division . For Bernard MONTGOMERY and the British, twenty days after the landing , it is a question of forgetting the missteps of the non taken of Caen the evening of June 6, 1944 and the failure of Villers-Bocage while the Americans' are preparing to win their first big win with the capture of Cherbourg in the Cotentin .

At first glance, the layout is particularly neat and clear. On the iconographic side, rather than proposing clichés that have already been published many times, the authors propose very numerous contemporary aerial views of the battlefield on which they superimpose either diagrams or extracts from period clichés. Thanks to their precise knowledge of the field, they thus give readers the possibility of simply and effectively visualizing the tactical commitments described in the text. Readers of Normandy 1944 Magazine will recognize the concept that makes the success of Frédéric DEPRUN's research articles published throughout the issues.

In the introduction, the authors return to the battles for Boislonde Park and its castle on June 17 and 18, 1944. The violence of the confrontation and the level of losses on each side announces what will happen a few days later.

Only the battles of the first day (June 25, 1944) of Operation Martlet are discussed here with the British advance in the morning and German counterattacks in the afternoon. So it is the fight for Fontenay-le-Pesnel pitting 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division and 12. SS Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend which is analyzed in detail.

The story at the most tactical level possible and photo montages really allow to live like in a documentary film the thread of the fighting. Also worth noting are cliches of remains found in the field several decades after the fact. Maps on two pages based on vintage aerial photos on which are superimposed the positions of the different units and their movements are superb.

In the end, it is an excellent research work, quite balanced between British and German vision, served by a modern editorial work, dynamic and limpid. A reference in the field that still exceeds the work, already very good, made for the Battle of Villers-Bocage [cf.Normandy 1944 Occasional Magazine No. 10 ( Heimdal , 2015) and Normandy 1944Occasional Magazine No. 11 ( Heimdal , 2015)].

Summary:

• Foreword
• Prelude to battle
• Interests and Objectives of Operation Martlet
• June 25, 1944, fighting for Fontenay, 4:00 am-noon
• June 25, 1944, German counterattack, 1 pm-midnight

 

If I'm not mistaken, the officer pictured is Brigadier Trevor Hart Dyke who was at the time CO of the Hallamshire Battalion of the York and Lancs who fought at Fontenay.

 

Hi RM, what a shame, but thank you anyway much appreciated.

 

I agree with you SDP, it is a shame as there books in the past have been great I have a few from this publisher dual language text of course, but did notice that they have not been doing this for a while.

Cheers,Thank you.

 

If I read this, I feel very Lucky to be Belgian.

I read French, Dutch, English, German wthout too much difficulty.....

Only very expensive as I have a very broad interest and an even larger library.....lol

 

Fontenay/Rauray - Autopsie d'une bataille

 

Gents i would save your money and spend it on the Bear and Fox Ready for the Fray which is being written by our own member " Little Black Devil " which covers Operation Martlet for a number of reasons .

One it will be in English

Two the historical content will be much more detailed and much more accurate than the one produced by Heimdal , the two authors have rushed this out to try and publish it first before Frederick

 

Steve ,

I forgot to mention i was in Tessel with Frederick in June and Ernie's graffiti is still there !

 

Brilliant. His legacy lives on. Did you take a photo by any chance?

I'll renovate it - that's the promise I made to Ernie - when I visit next June. I just wish there was a way of preserving his graffiti without having to renovate it (sorry Ernie) because no matter how careful one is it will still change gradually over the years

 

These are rather bold statements

1- the Heimdal book will be available in English too: Fontenay - Rauray, Autopsie d'une bataille, 25-28 juin 1944

2- The Heimdal book has not been published yet (should be out in a few days now) and the release of the 'Bear and Fox' book is currently scheduled for April 2019. Therefore, could you please explain how you came to the conclusion that the latter will be much more detailed and accurate than the former ???