Looking for reference MAP of account A-Coy 7 PARA D-Day

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by COMMANDO, Jun 19, 2022.

  1. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Sgt Villis led 1 Platoon on DDay. He died or was killed on the 7th I believe. There is no mention how this happened.
    Did he die of wounds received on the 6th? Je was burried at Hermanville sur Mer what can indicate that he was wounded on the 6th, being evacuated to the beach but might have died during that time....
     
  2. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Commando,

    Do you know where 3 Platoon ended up? Believe it is covered in the Barber book?

    The following is from an old email sent by Michael P-C. Do not know the circumstances of Villis' or Temple's wounding.

    'The Platoon Sergeant Sgt Villis and Lt Temple, were in charge of the platoon as Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Commander. It is known that Lt Temple was wounded on D-Day and evacuated back to England, where he died of his wounds. Sgt Villis commanded 1 Platoon during the battle for Benouville, the small village just South of Pegasus Bridge on D-Day. He died of his wounds on the 7th of June."

    Regards ...
     
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  3. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Hi Cee, this what I can make out of it with the information now available. No. 1 and 3 Platoon were very thin on the ground. Coy HQ had also some men missing including the CQMS and CSM and incl Lt Temple of No.1 Platoon (indicating that as normal procedure Coy HQ was split up over 2 or 3 planes. Therefore No. 1 Platoon I think was about 2/3rd in strength while 3 Platoon was only half (just about 18 men). With the strength of the Platoons in mind they did a formidable task, and you can better think in Sections and groups then in Platoons. Walking through the area and Google street view is helping a lot then you will see a lot of new houses have been build since but if you delete these almost all (so not all) the original houses are still standing. Which makes a reconstruction more easy. I do hope to find better quality air-photograph's of the area and hope to find more of the March 44 sortie. For those who have read Neil Barbers book they will note that I do not agree with him about the locations of the ADS, as he has altered the facts Wagstaff wrote. Neil mentioned that it was an ADS , so advanced... forward, but this was not the intention. The original RAP of the 7th Bn was to be set up at the mapreferences I have marked as 'ward' , A ward is not an RAP, but commonly a barn or small house where light wounded men could rest and could receive minor medical help. In most cases when you are heavily wounded they will bring you to the RAP, being treated and then moved to the ward (somekind of resting room). As the RMO Capt Young en part of his personal did not arrive the Caplain Parry coordinated this with the help of some medics of Wagstaff's team. According to Wagstaff the ward was on the opposite side of the road. Wagstaff himself set up an ADS... Wagstaff was part of 225 Para Field Ambulance. 225 were to set up an MDS at Ranville and some of their Sections were send forward. A forward medical post of a Field ambulance was called ADS (or CCS depending which task was given). With the RMO missing Wagstaff was ordered to take over this task and to work as an RAP for 7 Para Bn. So when you read ADS it will not say 'forward' in reference with the original 7 Para RAP, but was 'forward' for the MDS. I hope people can understand this what I am trying to say.
    Wagstaff himself mentioned the map references in his 44 account which I have marked on the map. This is spot on as this in house number 32 which Wagstaff himself recalled where the RAP was throughout the years. . Directly opposite the road were in 1944 no houses, but was an open area,, to the south-east were 3 small houses (still there). Neill Barber visited the are and placed the ADS further south... because it had also a same gate (???? so what) But he forget that here there was not a large open area, is not in line with the mapreferrences and would place the ADS in a rather isolated position.
    Because No. 1 and 3 Platoon had retreated from the crossroads at the Chateau entrance the Germans could move around their positions, Wagstaff mentioned an half-track and an Mark IV. The Germans moved on, but Wagstaff could hear that they must have occupied behind his positions. From other reports we know that the tank moved on towards the Maire and then drove back along the main road where it was put out of action.
    During the day - of 6 june - an patrol from the North (including the I.O.) had reached the 'ward' and found the Rev Parry been killed as well as some others, now this is subject to another discussion - so I will ot get into this now. They told the remaining personal to move back with them which some did. One of them decided to get his personal equipment left at the ADS and decided to get it. Wagstaff mentioned this in his account that there came a medic (from the other side) with the news of Parry being killed. Its clearly that the patrol did reach the ward, but not the ADS. The houses almost directly opposite the ADS can then be ruled out and the only possible location of a house or barn is 50 meters back just were the RAP had to be set up as planned. My intention is to visit Benouville again next month and will make more photographs of the area's they were in. Benouville A Coy Positions.jpg
     
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  4. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    I’d love to know if Mr Wagstaff did an account of his drop on Varsity, my grandad was in the same aircraft!
     
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  5. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Well done Commando, you have spent some time thinking about what occurred with 'A' Coy in south Benouville. Wish I could help more but have trouble typing at the moment because my condition.

    Regards ...
     
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  6. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Thank you Cee, Im normaly researching Arnhem ad like to get in the small unit actions - platoon or company. De actions of the coup de main are well known but no one seems to get into details regarding 7 Para apart from the war diary and some well know reports.
    Walking through the area is always helping to get an idea of the distances and situation.
    Im now foccused on A Coy and Benouville, after that I want to get into the Le Port positions.

    One of the questions is... the patrol of a few men of C Coy to the Chateau... when did this happen? There is an indication that this happened in the late morning. But how did they get there. How dit they retreated? Why didnt they make contact with A Coy?... or did they move with A Coy and then moved further on their own...?
     
  7. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Came cross this on the web :- the story of Edgar Gurney (Sergeant???) with A-Coy 7 Para (from We Remember DDay by Frank Shaw) Very detailed. I do believe that where he speaks of the position where they were attacked by the tank is where A-Coy had his HQ (bank of earth, bordered by sunken cart track). The Cart track is in my opinion Rue du Tour de Ville. Coy HQ was at the corner of this track and what now is called Aveneu de 5 June. Gurney was about 40 yards up this road (then cart track).... In his story he later takes up a new position but he does not mention this move. He then is protecting the Coys west flank where he meet a Sergeant ??? Young. This is further west and at the back of the farm mentioned in Neil Barbers book. They must be in the small wooded (orchard) area looking over the open field where they see a Coy of German's attacking. Even the door in the wall Gurney mentioned can be found.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 25, 2022
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  8. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Screenshot_20220625-103252_Maps.jpg
     
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