GOLD BEACH.

Hello Steve,
Had another look at a few things and found a some more photos that might be of use if you have not already seen them.

Looks like the ramp in question was started around the 11th June.

Regards

Danny

 

Nice composite pics Danny!

One more view of the absent slipway some time between 6 and 8 June 1944 - cropped from IWM photo A24075:


Full, large size photo here:
File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A24075.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...l_Navy_during_the_Second_World_War_A24075.jpg

and yet another composite image from IWM film ADM 1263 starting 06:43:


Maybe the "Stubborn Society" called "slipway" one of the many stair flights running down the sea wall...

Michel

 

Thanks both. That's a cracking shot from the IWM Michel. There's a lovely Derby Winner's Class launch in the centre, quite possibly of 624 Coy 42 Water Transport Unit RASC and maybe even Hyperion, which was one of the first over, but I'd need to check my notes to remind myself.

 

From the same series, IWM A24067 shows the right (western) side of Arromanches, with the same small launch as of the right foreground (foresea?) as A24075, plus a US LCVP and a DUKW, both from OMAHA:


Film ADM 1977 includes a nice panorama of Arromanches on D Day (starting at 03:00), still without any slipway at "B". From 03:40 we can see the rescue of the same US DUKW X34 'LEILA' as on the bottom right of A24067 above.

Michel

 

Thanks Michel. This one is also handy for showing the size of the blocks on the two slipways on the west side of Arromanches and showing that they too were unusable (they're visible on the APs, this reveals their height). I can imagine that once the possible use of the east slipway is disproved, the 'event' may be shifted to the two slipways that did exist.

 

A couple of photos showing the anti tank wall on top of "La Grande Cale" (Exit "C" per Danny's nomenclature). Legend says "RE's blast a gap in the west wall to receive the shore end ramps of the piers":

A24079:


A 24170:


A24158:


"Mulberry Harbour, Arromanches: The west wall looking seaward." (A24080):


almost the same photo as A 24169. Legend:"The "West Wall" at Arromanches looking seaward."


The wall is still there today, with Ramp "C" replaced by stairs (same as on the 1950's aerial photo in Post #159):




Michel

 

Do these help Stephen?

Philip