Original photo from my collection. Same view from the top of the slope, far right ambulance is far left in photo 40 above. keith.
Picture 1 #42 looks like a spare Bofors 40mm barrel which ties in with the 40mm marking on the ammunition box. Picture 3 is a clip of four rounds for a Bofors. Tim
Great collection and thread Kieth,my uncle's battallion (9th DLI) got out almost intact sadly he was killed on 26th May along with over twenty other's when his companies billet recieved a direct hit.
Thank you Steve for putting that up. Original photo from my collection and book. British 303 rounds, lots of info in this photo. Keith.
Loss of BEF war materiel....it is recorded that the defeat at Stalingrad cost the Wehrmacht the equivalent of 3 months war materiel production output.I would think the amount of war materiel production output lost by the BEF was much much higher than that. Sean Longden's "Dunkirk" references that the BEF lost and abandoned 2472 guns..not itemised......nearly 65000 vehicles...not itemised and 2000 motorcycles.In the withdrawal, 416000 tons of stores,over 65000 tons of ammunition and 162000 tons of petrol were left behind.(I would think where possible such war materiel would be subject the slash and burn destruction policy as laid down by official orders) Then there was a most important commodity lost...... soldiers comforts...that of the NAFFI assets lost.....many years ago I recollect a reference that the NAFFI lost 10 million fags on account of the withdrawal from Dunkirk.There are many accounts from films and most importantly of accounts of the experience of British POWs being offered British cigarettes while being interrogated.....all part of the psychological war.
Pemberton's Development of artillery tactics and equipment does give a detailed breakdown of artillery pieces:- 1,006 field guns - enough for 40 field regiments 480 anti tank guns 272 medium guns 53 heavy guns 6 super heavy guns 260 AA Guns This is just over 2,000 pieces; less than half the production for 1940 (4700 artillery pieces all types) So in theory after, say, five months the army might have been re-equipped. However, the army started 1940 deficient in artillery and other material to fully equipment the expanded army and the 1940 campaign also demonstrated the need for a much higher proportion of anti tank and AA guns. The urgency to replace equipment also lead to delays in introducing the 6 pounder anti tank guns to replace the obsolescent 2 pounder and in replacing medium and heavy artillery. The losses at Dunkirk in practical terms have an impact until 1942.
Sheldrake - do you know what tractors would have been typical for the list of artillery types lost ? Craig
Some of the trucks were sent to Antwerp, in Fort2, the Lufwaffe revised them, here are some pictures:
Fate of special vehicles on the BEF withdrawal from France In the past I read the account of a survivor from the Lancastria sinking who was involved in driving down to St Nazaire with army vehicles. They were instructed to head to an airfield under construction just outside St Nazaire where the vehicles were to be destroyed but were told that arrangements had been put in place to ship special vehicles back to Britain.Whether this took place has not been recorded but I have not seen accounts where they were. I do not think that the RAF ever operated out of St Nazaire.This airfield may have been what is now the Montoir airfield which now serves St Nazaire. Postwar the USAF are recorded as operating from there and now it is a manufacturing hub for Airbus Industries....cannot trace if the Luftwaffe were here during the occupation.