252 Field Company, Royal Engineers. May 1940

Discussion in '1940' started by Drew5233, Aug 10, 2016.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    War Diaries for the above unit.
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  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Not sure if these appendices will be of any use for your book Jerry? I quite like letter from the Corps Commander, thought that may be nice to mention?
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  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

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  4. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    Thanks Andy, a great help. I owe you!

    Jerry
     
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  5. Koen

    Koen Member

    This is a photograph of the main road bridge in Halle a few days after it was blown on the 17 may by the 252 Field Company RE. The demolition charge did not only destroy the bridge but also the resounding houses. The rubble o f the houses was pushed aside en remained like this for a couple of years until one of the houses collapsed onto a German soldier.

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  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Thanks for sharing the photo.

    I shouldn't laugh but I'm imaging the sappers arguing over how much explosive to use and being worried how much trouble they'd be in if the bridge wasn't blown up properly. I can only imagine looking at the surrounding damage that they threw caution to the wind and used an extra truck load of explosive just to make sure !
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Koen - Do you have a now image from the same spot by any chance?
     
  8. Koen

    Koen Member

  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Thanks - It would be nice to get a non google maps 'Then and Now' comparison. I've not ventured that far south on my travels yet.
     
  10. Koen

    Koen Member

    I will try to make a picture of the bridge this week.
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I wasn't hinting :lol:

    However I would love a Then and Now to post on my 1940 Facebook page along with some info from the diary.
     
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  12. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Was this the steel girder bridge that they used 200lb of guncotton on ? All I can see is reinforced concrete.
     
  13. Koen

    Koen Member

    This is not the bridge on the my photograph. The steel girder bridge was in the centre of Tubize some 4 miles to the south-west.
     
  14. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It's a shame that there seems to be no demolition report for this one then. It would be nice to know how much (presumably amonal ?) was used.
     
  15. Koen

    Koen Member

    Al the demolition reports are for bridges over the Brussel-Chaleroi canal, the river Senne or railroads in or near Tubize. They used a couple of charges to blow up the bridge. One charge of 600lb, the main charge of 1000lb of amonal in the centre of the bridge and an other one of 200lb covered with sandbags.
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Strewth, no wonder it rattled a few tiles off...
     
  17. Koen

    Koen Member

    This is a picture of the bridge and surroundings a couple of years before the war.

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  18. Andy Kehoe

    Andy Kehoe New Member

    Thanks for the info - am looking into the history of NW engineers.
     
  19. Chris Goodall

    Chris Goodall New Member

    Hi my grandfather was in 252 field company at Dunkirk. This war diary is fantastic. Is there any more information available about the unit?
     

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