Bruneval, anything to see today?

Just watching a History Channel Doco on the Bruneval Raid.

I just know a Secret of the War docu about Bruneval. it's the same by History Channel ? I'm interest by that if no, in France we don't have docu about Bruneval


Guard house was the name code by British for Operation Biting. During the raid there was only one man in it. It was one of the three Germans prisonner, it was a telephonist man. But at the memorial place, there was a trench with pillbox.

I have pictures of the battlefields took with snow too. I'm sorry, I don't understand the problem with pictures, can't you see my photos Harry ?

 

I just know a Secret of the War docu about Bruneval. it's the same by History Channel ? I'm interest by that if no, in France we don't have docu about Bruneval


It was captioned "Bruneval Raid" however it encompassed all german radar throughout the war and the efforts of Dr D V Smith? to prove (to his superiors) that the Germans had sophisticated types of radar for directing bombers to targets eg Coventry at night etc.

It showed the Paras in their training for the raid and a "Squadron Leader Hill?" who they sent over in his Spitfire? to achieve photos of the installations.

Possibly is the same version you have seen.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Just picked up this thread again.... an interesting well planned operation.

One of the preparations for the raid was to gain intelligence on the Luftwaffe GCI. The Bruneval site was ideal for gaining intelligence on the system, being very close to the coast and it transpired it was not heavily defended.Aerial reconnaissance by RAF Benson with sorties flown by Squadron Leader Tony Hill provided the answer after the chateau area was identified as being the location of Wurzburg equipment.From the photographs,it was ascertained that grass had had not been cut around the Wurzburg,the reason, it was correctly concluded that the grass was long because the Wurzburg was surrounded by barbed wire with grass growing among the wire.The gear would be designated by the British as Wurzburg A

I think the Wurzburg development reflected the Hitler attitude to R&D.The concept was aired in 1935 by Dr Runge of Telefunken but its management did not back further development.However Dr Runge continued with his R&D and had made gains in its development by 1936. Udet and the anti aircraft force showed no interest in the gear even after tests by Telefunken were shown to pick up strong reflections of a test flight JU 88 at an altitude of 5000 metres at 5 km distance with an accuracy of 50 metres.

However Telefunken continued with the development and by 1938,the Luftwaffe showed a positive interest.In July 1939,the gear was demonstrated as an improved version,the Damstadt, in the presence of Hitler...30 km range with a 3 metre parabolic antenna with a rotating dipole but the order for 5000 Wurzburgs had to wait until October 1939.

In the end 4000 Wurzburgs of all Marks were delivered during the war.From the Bruneval raid, RV Jones undertook to calculate approximately, by manufacturers serial number,the numbers of Wurzburgs already manufactured.From the Damstadt the Wurzburg A was developed and improvements led to the B,C.D and E versions,the latter continued until early 1945 when the Marbach gear was introduced.

Incidentally the Belgian underground sent photographs of various Wurzburgs which turned out to be helpful as an insight to British intelligence as to what the Germans had as GCIs

Was at Benson before Christmas and thought of the Reconnaissance units there....took a few photographs of those RAF in the village burial ground.

Adam....uploading snags ref date posted resolved.I uploaded the photographs in the various threads that have been initiated on Bruneval.

 

2884907 Jim Calderwood


Perthshire Advertiser 14 April 1992

Name: James Calderwood.
Date of Birth: 5/12/1914.
Place of Birth: Perth, Scotland.
Service: British Army.
Rank: Private.
Regiment/Unit/Squadron: [Army Air Corps].
Service Number: [2884907].
Date of Capture: 01 December 1942.
Theatre of Capture: North Africa.
Camp Name/Number: Stalag XIA Altengrabow.
PoW number: 141002.
Date of Death: [unspecified].
Number of Photographs: 0.
Number of Fingerprints: 0.
Number of X-rays: 0.
Number of Cards: 3.
WO 416/54/252