R.A.F. Units in D-Day landings on Omaha Beach

I took the liberty of blowing the picture up a bit:


I don't know if any of this helps but the wagon is called Evelyn Anne, I think the Co-Driver is called Andy (Written on the right above Team). It also looks like it has got Begin Convoy and Kitty written on it.

Regards
Andy

 

Since this is in the public domain I see no impediment to its posting here.
Les


5210
SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 14 NOVEMBER, 1944

Gazette Issue 36793 Pages 6 & 7

Air Ministry 14th November, .1944

.
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards: —

Military Cross.

Squadron Leader Frederick Joseph TROLLOPE(68965), R.A.F.V.R.
Squadron Leader Trollope took command of his unit when the commanding officer became a casualty after landing on the beaches of Normandy on " D " day. His courage and devotion to duty in organising the many parties of his unit on the •beach, which was under intense fire, and arranging the safe conduct of men and vehicles as well 'as organising the evacuation of the wounded, • were of a high order. In addition to this work, Squadron Leader Trollope carried out his normal duties throughout the night and was mainly responsible for the successful operation of his unit under great difficulties. All his duties involved continual movement over the beaches and reconnaissance into enemy territory under fire. He. displayed great leadership and courage.
　
The Reverend Geoffrey Clarence HARDING (140848), R.A.F.V.R.
This chaplain landed with a unit on the beaches of Normandy on " D " day. The beach was under intense bombardment and was strewn with dead and wounded. Mr. Harding worked for 36 hours, most of the time under direct fire, giving help to the wounded and burying the dead. He set an inspiring example and was responsible for saving many lives. During the evening of " D " day he walked along a road, which was under fire, into a village in enemy hands. He entered a house in which were many snipers and obtained water which he took back to the wounded. His gallantry and disregard for his own safety were worthy of high praise.
　
Acting Squadron Leader Norman BEST (75523), R.A.F.V.R.
Squadron Leader Best was in charge of some equipment, vehicles, and men during the initial landings in Normandy on " D " day. Some of the vehicles and men fell into traps in the water. Although the beach and disembarkation point were under heavy shell fire and small arms fire, this officer's work in salvaging vehicles and equipment and ferrying them to a place of cover was carried out with great courage and disregard of his own safety. Squadron Leader Best also helped other units in a similar predicament. Whilst under fire he set a fine example to all.
　
Flight Lieutenant Richard Noel RYCROFT, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. (116496), R.A.F.V.R.
Flight Lieutenant Rycroft was the only medical officer on one of the beaches of Normandy on " D " day. Owing to the intense bombardment, it was not possible for him or any member of his, unit to move off the beach for 6 hours. He worked for 48 hours tending casualties among the personnel of his unit and also aided some 75 American wounded. He was himself slightly wounded but his efforts on behalf of others were untiring. He set an example of great courage and devotion to duty and was responsible1 for saving many lives.

Military Medal.


978501 Flight Sergeant Reuben ECKERSALL, R.A.F.V.R.
This airman's gallantry under fire whilst convoying men and vehicles on and over the beaches of Normandy on " D " day was of a'high order. He went forward under • fire with an officer and made a reconnaissance with the object of finding a safe area for men and equipment. He gave sound advice to his- men and his supervision of the ferrying of valuable equipment 'was highly praiseworthy.

1550961 Leading Aircraftman John Young McGregor Sayers REID, R.A.F.V.R.
This medical orderly displayed great courage on the beaches of Normandy on " D " day. Whilst the -beaches were under intense fire, for many hours he attended to some 100 wounded. This involved moving many times across the whole beach. Without his aid the medical officer would have been unable to achieve the excellent results which he did.
　

 

Greetings all. The vehicle being assisted on exit from an LST (pictured on the http://omahabeach.mulberry.free.fr/124-LST.html web page) is a Crossley Q Type tractor towing a trailer. The Crossley Q Type was unique to the RAF. The standard 3 ton 4x4 chassis was used for various bodies. The tractor version had an 8’ 5¾” wheelbase instead of the standard 11’ 6”. The yellow bridge classification disc indicates that the whole vehicle has a maximum loaded weight of 13 tons and the tractor unit alone weighs 4 tons max. I can’t identify any unit or vehicle type markings.

This could be follow up equipment for 21 Base Defence Sector and 15082 GCI or if taken at the end of June 1944 might even be one of the ’40 or so’ vehicles of 15081 GCI that, according to an account by Corporal Harry Warren of that unit, landed in the Omaha area at the end of June.

 

Nofnet - I agree with your comment about the Crossley. As to the date. if I've remembered my schoolboy French correctly, the caption (à partitr du 10 juin) would mean that the photo was taken "late in the day on 10th June"
Does that help identify the unit?
Noel

 

I wasn't sure if was meant to be 'à partit du 10 juin' meaning 'after' or 'from' 10th June' and probably a reference to the fact that 15082 GCI finally became operational on the night of 10th June. ["Un camion anglais, type "Matador" transportant du matériel pour le poste de contrôle aérien GCI opérant en zône US (St Pierre du Mont à partitr du 10 juin)"]
So, I still couldn't say whether it was a further echelon of 21 BD Sector or some other unit such as 15081 GCI. Come to think, 15081 GCI was probably also part of 21 BD Sector, like 15082 GCI.

 

Nofnet
As you are probably aware there were five GCI's within 21 BD Sector, namely 15081, 15082, 15072,15073, & 15074, plus attendant type J,Q,H,P & T Msu's; plus 15121 & 15129GCI's attached to Sector HQ. Interested where to find Harry Warren's report.
Les

 

DoctorD

I wasn't aware, so that's a useful bit of info for me - thanks. My special interest is RAF beach units so I don't know a great deal about the GCI units.

The Harry Warren story is published in the book "Sixty Years On", edited by David Arnold and published by Motoring & Leisure Services Ltd, Brighton in 2005. (ISBN-10: 0-9551730-0-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-9551730-0-4)

The book is a compilation of articles (with additional material) about the last two years of WW2 that appeared in the Civil Service Motoring Association magazine "Motoring & Leisure" from January 2004.

I'll see if I can scan Harry Warren's story and send it to you.

My father, John Fenton knew a couple of blokes that were in 5285G Mobile Signals Unit. Len Owens and George Thomas, together with my dad, were posted to RAF North Coates at the end of 1943 as newly qualified Code & Cypher Sergeants. According to my father's memoirs, Len and George "had joined the seventeen-strong 5285G Mobile Signals Unit in March (1944), arrived in Normandy accompanying 148 Wing in mid-August, then with 15082 GCI ...had been despatched from Caen to join the American forces and the Free French 2nd Armoured Division, to provide a modicum of air defence cover as Paris was liberated." My father was sent to join 4 Beach Squadron in April 1944 and when that unit was disbanded and returned to the UK from Normandy he was posted to 83 Group Control Centre and joined them outside Brussels in September.

 

Just been catching up with this fascinating thread. The gallantry citations were extremely interesting - thanks for posting them.

I just picked up
First Tide, ''D'' Day Invasion June 6th 1944
by Alan Melville
Which appears to be about RAF personnel who landed on Omaha. I am saving it for my summer reading.

Do you know it, Les?

 

Thanks for the offer of the Harry Warren story, Nofnet. Look forward to that if you can manage a scan. You mention G Unit. The complement, equipment and function of the various types of Mobile Units, as indicated by their alpha-numeric suffix, cries out for further research.

Paul
Hadn't previously heard of that book. Does "Just picked it up" indicate an out-of-print publication? Glad you found the citations of interest. As you will have gathered, I have great admiration for the Padre, whose Sunday Services I attended, when things were quieter. I had first hand accounts of witnesses to his courage. I quote "I watched him moving from corpse to corpse collecting dog tags and giving the last rites to the severely wounded, jotting down details with a stubby pencil on a tattered notepad. I'm not relgious, but I felt I was watching God at work ...". As I have said elsewhere, I have a copy of the Padre's own reminiscences, but they run to ten pages, so perhaps I'd better abridge them to cover the essential elements, before posting them here. He doesn't mention entering an enemy occupied house to fetch water for the wounded!
Les

 

Les, I thought this might interst you.

 

Les, the book was published in '45/'46. Once I have read it, I will report back. The author appears to be RAF who landed on Omaha Beach.

 

Thanks for comments, Adam and Paul. Nice to be able to do something useful.
Kind regards
Les

 

Alan Melville the author of "First Tide" was attached to No. 1 RAF Beach Squadron and landed in the the SWORD assault area - see my website R.A.F. Beach Units of the Second World War , I refer to this excellent book on my Books page.

 

Ah - ok. As I say I hadn't got round to reading it yet.

 

DoctorD

My father was sent to join 4 Beach Squadron in April 1944 and when that unit was disbanded and returned to the UK from Normandy he was posted to 83 Group Control Centre and joined them outside Brussels in September.
Hi Nofnet
I've tried three times to post this reply, as ww2talk has slowed to a snails pace, if it doesn't get to you with attachments this time I give up.
My Unit was located on Chausee de Louvain, Brussels in Sept 1944, just down the road from Group HQ which, I guess, is where your Dad joined them. Group HQ was in a Barracks and we were in an ex car showrrom and workshop recently vacated by a Panzer unit.
I downloaded their location from Google Earth, and hopefully this will now attach itself!
Regards
Les

 

DoctorD

Thanks for the info about 83 Group HQ location. I don’t know the exact location of 83 GCC outside Brussels but my Dad said, “No. 83 Group Control Centre was located, much like a circus, in a field just outside Brussels.” He was allocated a sleeping space in a tent but found that only a few hundred yards away was a Tram Halte for the Louvain-Brussels tram. The Senior Cypher Officer put him on day duty assisting him in the running of the Cypher Section, working 9 am until 5 pm, so he was able to commute to and from Brussels daily, sleeping every night at Place Bizet in the home of a Belgian family he had met. He said, “There were a lot of empty beds in 83 GCC's tents”.

He was only at this location for about ten days. 83 GCC then moved north-east through Diest, across the Belgian/Dutch border, on to Eindhoven and thence another 15 miles to the town of Veghel. 83 GCC halted a few miles to the east of Veghel and took over the village of Erp, where they stayed until the Rhine crossing.

 

Hi Mike
You seem to have the very best detailed information on your Dad's movements with 83GCC. Although I was a Type X specialist (amongst other things) I never knowingly ran across 83 GCC. This is not at all surprising, despite our close proximity, as we were part of 85 Group. However, what does surprise me is that although the location statement for 2nd TAF Units, dated 25 July 1944, shows 483GCC located near to Bazenville and part of 83Group, 84GCC still in UK at Goodwood as part of 84Group, the location of 83GCC on that date is not listed. Perhaps they were in an undisclosed Concentration Area in UK(??).
Regards
Les

 

Les

483 GCC and 83 GCC are one and the same. 483 GCC was the original designation and this was changed to 83 GCC after they landed in Normandy. I don't know exactly when. They landed in the late afternoon of D Day at MIKE beach in the JUNO area, had to wait overnight just off the beach and then when the fighting died down moved off across the JIG/KING (GOLD) area to set up shop at Bazenville.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, Mike. I thought there may have been a misprint, with an intrusive "4", I wonder why they changed the number. I was with "A" Echelon of my unit but, in the same location statement that showed us East of Cherbourg in July '44, Echelons B & C don't appear, although they were still located outside Chesham at that time. It seems you sometimes can't rely 100% on 'official' records!