Bastion 32 Dunkirk May - June 1940

Rather pre-empting Kev's advice in the 'General' section, http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/general/12420-too-much-ww2-bad-you.html#post117762
I took my daughters to the Antwerp Book Fair yesterday. The youngest got a book about Woodland Elves, the eldest something about two kids who catch a thief in the polders, both signed by the authors and I stumbled across the stand from military bookshop 'de Krijger' and bought François de Lannoy's "Dunkerque 1940"

This is a Heimdal book with a lot of well-captioned (in French though) photographs of May - June 1940. There were a number of pictures captioned as showing Admiral Abrial's HQ in Dunkirk in 'Bastion 32' which was built in 1874 and demolished as recently as the 1970s. I realised that I had known several of the pictures for years together with others which must have been taken around the same time and which come from the ECPA archives.

Feeling rather proud of my detective work and knowing that there are a couple of 'Fall of France' enthusiasts here, I thought I'd share them.


This picture of a Civilian Impressed A.J.S with a Peugeot car in the background appeared in Jaques Borgé's 1976 "Les Motos et La Guerre" although wrongly captioned. The same photo is in de Lannoy.


This Norton 16H was used in Jean-Paul Pallud's "Blitzkreig in the West - Then and Now" and also Patrick Negro's "Motos Militaires". Although I hadn't made the connection, the same Peugeot is in the background. I was however puzzled by the clothing of the bystander.


The Onion-seller's beret is explained in this one from de Lannoy captioned as showing three French Airforce personnel using the Peugeot's bonnet for an impromptu picnic.


A further photo shows a view allegedly from inside the building although the angles are puzzling me slightly.


Pierre Metsu's "Dunkerque 1940" Pictorial shows the fortification in 1976 just before it was demolished for an expansion of the dockyard which has now closed !

I also looked at another Heimdal book "Blitzkreig a l'Ouest" by Pallud which I had assumed was a French language version of the 'Then and Now" book - same author and title - but it seems to be completely different (and better quality photographs) At 74 euro, I had to pass it by yesterdayay

 

I'm not too well up on French uniforms, I just thought that those flapping trouser bottoms looked so un-soldierly.

There is a later picture showing bomb damage with two motorcycles close by but it is too indistict to see if they are the two Nortons.

I wish that my French was a bit more up to visiting the ECPA archives.

Apparently part of the casements located nearby now form a (very) small museum. Has anyone been there ?

 

Adam,

What do we suspect the glass holds ? red wine ?

de Lannoy's caption simply says "Un peu plus tard, des aviateurs français prennent leur repas sur la capot de la Peugeot."

...which is about the limit of my french really !

I have the impression that he is well researched but it would be a rare book that had no discrepancies.

The chap on the right is clearly a Fly-boy but my guess would have been Air-France.

There are a lot of niche French language books on many aspects of the war in Europe but most of them never make it to an English translation. They have some good technically-based magazines as well but for some reason there is always the idea that the English-speaking world could not support them. Based on how short-lived magazines tend to be in the UK, that could be true. A legacy of the W.H. Smith dominance probably.

Rich

 

Are they really all air force? Chap in the middle is surely a tanker or armoured car man. (though that doesn't necessarily exclude some sort of AF armoured car squadron??).

The man on the right is definately Armee de l'Air (they're still badged the same today) and, looking at the lower dress of the other two men, i'd say they were too. The helmet (mle.35)worn by the man in the middle wasn't solely worn by AFV crews, but was originally intended for all motorised troops , especially motorcyclists. Both the man on the left and in the middle appear to be wearing the same pattern leather jacket (though the one on the left seems to have shortened sleeves), but neither are the single breasted, leather collared 1935 pattern jackets as issued to armoured troops.

if I was forced to hazard a guess as to their roles, i'd say that on the left is an airforce driver (of the car in the pic?) and in the middle is an airforce motorcyclist/dispatch rider/escort (though these are usually pictured wearing the canvas 1935/38 coats). The Adrien resting on the car also appears to be in the dark blue, shinier airforce colouring.

I wonder what the story is behind the boshed windscreen?

Thanks for posting them ,Rich.

dave

 

looking at the picture of the Norton , with the interested looking chap in the background (the one on the left in the other pics), it appears that he is a Sergent of the airforce.

Dave

 

Definitely plonk in that glass!

Most certainly it is! It'd be a very poor grognard/poilu who actually had water in his water bottle, so i'm sure that these flyboys would have carried something of better quality , especially seeing as they were mobile! (burn the papers, save the wine!)

Dave

 

The cars are great, aren't they ? I think we might have to start a "cars in military service thread" !