Where was the mock up Merville Battery used in training ?

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by Owen, May 31, 2012.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    All I can find is that it was mocked up near Newbury anyone know exactly where?
    Just curious as been reading about it again today.
    I know where the real one is, went there in October 2010, be interested to know where they trained for the attack.
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Aha no sooner post the thread than found this.
    The Otway Family Tree

    A spot in England at West Woodhay near Newbury, where conditions were very similar to those subsequently to be encountered in Normandy, was chosen.

    Anyone be even more specific ?
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Seems I've answered my own query.
    Ho hum.
    Inkpen - The Merville Battery. The 9th Battalion The Parachute Regiment rehearsed for the D-Day assault on the German Coastal Artillery Battery at Merville, France. A full sized replica was fabricated in the valley below and repeatedly attacked, in t

    Inkpen - The Merville Battery. The 9th Battalion The Parachute Regiment rehearsed for the D-Day assault on the German Coastal Artillery Battery at Merville, France. A full sized replica was fabricated in the valley below and repeatedly attacked, in the final practice live ammunition was used and the mock up destroyed. The Parachute Regt received battle honours for the action and the battery at Merville is today a museum to their heroic action.

    Might have to visit there one day.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I seem to remember seeing some footage of the one used for training - was there a documentary on it?
     
  5. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Andie, you may be thinking of D-Day 6.6.1944, a drama documentary commissioned by the BBC to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004.

    D-Day 6.6.1944 - BBC Documentary

    There are several acted scenes showing the 9th Battalion in training using a mock-up of the Merville Battery.
     
  6. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Hi Owen,

    The training on the model of the Merville battery was below Inkpen in Berkshire at West Woodhay. This info I received from Napier Crookenden's book Dropzone Normandy; p. 176-178

    Dropzone Normandy. The Story Of The American And British Airborne Assault On D Day 1944: Amazon.co.uk: Napier Crookenden: Books

    Late in April, a piece of ground at West Woodhay was chosen for exercises; its requistion was procured within 48 hours, although seven different Ministeries had to be consulted. A full scale model of the battery was built on the plot and kept up to date from the latest available air photographs. Casemates and shelters were made of tubular scaffolding and canvas; the wire defences, minefields, ditches and buildings were exactly copied; and the ground round the battery was cleared and levelled...During the night of May 8th the battalion marched from Bulford to Woodhay, bivouacked near the battery model and stayed there until their return on foot to to Bulford on May 24th. These 16 days were spent in continous training on the model, ending up with five daylight and four night rehearsals of the whole assault, each with ball ammunition. One of the men later wrote home from Normandy to his family, recording of this training that 'Nearly three weeks of really hard work day and night, doing the same thing over and over again, meant we could do the whole thing without thinkng...Can one wonder that we knew and were confident that, if everything went according to plan, we could not fail'

    west woodhay - Google Maps

    WW2 Merville Battery Memorial | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
     
    Owen likes this.
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Finally been up there myself & taken some pics.
     

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  8. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

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