New NARA Glider Footage

Hi All,

Thanks to Niels we have new NARA aerial glider footage to peruse

The first screenshot is from a sequence shot as the aircraft flies along the southern edge of the Boutteville Marshes eastwards towards the coast:

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The photograph below shows the same gliders marked 1-7 inclusive:

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Note the 'Axehead' Field for reference, also marked on the present day GE screenshot below, minus it's southern hedgerow:

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If you have the contrast on your monitor set carefully, you may be able to make out what I take to be a bulldozer sweep path taking away Horsa #7 bit-by-bit to presumably a burn site on the southern boundary of the marshes.

Many thank to Niels for unearthing this valuable new addition to our knowledge base.

More screenshots to follow...

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Doc,

Yes, as John states, it looks to me that #7 (and probably #5 and #6 also) will be pushed into the corner as indicated by the blue arrow below:

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This corner appears to be (at least in 1944) what we would term here in Ireland a 'wet spot' as indicated by the dark tone. If this is correct, then it would have reduced agricultural value as regards summer grazing or hay cutting possibilities.

Here is another screenshot from the same footage looking westward over the marshes. Note the 'Axehead' Field again for reference:

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Also note Horsas lettered 'A', 'B' and 'C' for a tie with this other sequence below from the footage; this time with the aircraft orbiting the eastern end of the marshes:

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Gliders 'A' and 'B' are also just visible at the extreme right (eastern) side of the first image in this post showing my blue bulldozer track theory.

I am wondering about the smoke in these last two screenshots :dodgy:
It appears to be somewhere within the area indicated on the extract from the reconnaissance photograph NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_8010 flown on the 12th June below:

Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk​

The footage is, I believe, shot much later in the summer of 1944 if we are seeing gliders being prepped for burning. This fire though is unlikely to be gliders burning IMHO; one possible source may be the farmhouse in the centre of the GE screenshot below:

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As always, comments and corrections welcomed.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi All,

These footage stills just keep getting better the more you study them...

Regular readers may recall we looked at some glider photographs on eBay back aways, two of which we joined together by flipping one left-to-right resulting in this composite:

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The original high resolution merged file is available here if readers want to take a closer look. I am pretty sure the Horsa in the foreground marked '36' is an Elmira glider and I would suspect the aerial tie shown below in the screen grab from my PS session is well to the north of the Boutteville Marshes:

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You might wonder about the second yellow tie from the left, but the piece of wreckage becomes quite clear as the camera plane flies up the hedgerow towards the two gliders out in the field:

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The footage stills include one from a ground sequence shot from a slightly different angle to the eBay photograph and includes the tip of the Horsa wing with the Air Corps star - at least I presume it is from Horsa #36:

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The location should now be relatively easier to track down due to the unusual 'neck' of the field on the far side of the hedgerow.

Anyone any ideas?

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi All,

Not at home just now, so I cannot post a screenshot, but I am looking for a field like the one located north of Sainte Mere Eglise here:

49.43378,-1.328981

Note the long 'neck' but extending here in the wrong direction for the footage :s

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Doc,

I presume you refer to the Boutteville Marshes?

Looking forward to your pictures in any event.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Doc,

Your effort in acquiring the photographs of the Boutteville Marshes is very much appreciated.

I note with interest that the ground to the north (your first photo) decends quite steeply to the flat ground of the marshes. This does not seem to be the case on the southern boundary. This feature will most certainly help in identifying any ground photo which might have been taken at this location.

There is a photograph in one of Philippe Esvelin's books (not to hand at present) which shows two intact Horsas in a large field. One of the Horsa's wheels seem to have left a track in soft ground like that which you would expect on reclaimed marshland. We now have a good selection of air cover for the main body of gliders resting on the marshland. I will take a look to see if any of these match the orientation visible in that photograph.

Another observation I made last night; I often wondered why the Boutteville Marshes were not designated as an 'official' LZ. OK, the main drain would have been an issue but it does run parallel to the long axis of the marshes and so gliders would be landing in the same direction. Last night I was looking at a para night map for an area south of the marshes and noted that the marshes are marked as flooded. This does not seem to be the case in the aerial cover we have, so I presume the extra dry month of May 1944 may have dropped the water levels back into the drains. If this was the case, then in all probability, the surface grass and reed beds showed up on aerial cover as a different tone to that of surrounding dry grass fields due to a coating of mud. Just a theory of mine.

There is also footage showing at least two gliders in the far distance landing in water. I also would wonder if the Boutteville Marshes might match this location :sleepy:

In any event, once again many thanks for your efforts Doc.

Regards,

Pat

 

OK,

After an extensive search in 82nd territory, I believe the location of the rolled Horsa wreck is this hedgerow:

• 49.416557,-1.33456

I am just about back on track following the copy over of data to a new PC so I should be able to post an extract from the ever fruitful '8010' soon to show readers why I have chosen this location. The photograph in question is this composite:

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The 'dog leg' corner has a new hedgerow joined to it today but it stands alone in 1944 as per frame '8010'. If you have a copy of this great photograph, you will see that the corner is just one single hedgerow as we see in the aerial footage. Not quite at my 80% certainty threshold but its very close

Screenshots coming...

As always, comments and corrections welcomed and appreciated.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi All,

As promised, here are the screenshots to backup my theory.

First, an extract from the new NARA footage showing the 'dog leg' corner. I have also marked the port side wing tip of a Horsa as a tie to the other screenshots below:

Image Credit: NARA​

Next the extract from NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_8010 flown on the 12th June:

Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk​

OK, you might well be sceptical due to the high altitude and distance from the camera, but bear with me. Below is another great photograph, also shot on the 12th June IIRC, showing nine C-47s banking southwards having just dropped parapacks on the La Londe A-6 ALG. The view is north west with Sainte Mere Eglise at centre left. Note again the 'dog leg' corner marked thereon:

Image Credit: NARA​

It was still not fully nailed down in my mind until John sent me an extract from a proof frame of NCAP_ACIU_US30_4108_1060 flown on the 8th June:

Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk​

The location is now unmistakeable thanks to John's efforts at tracking down new reconnaissance cover from the NCAP archive.

I wonder what the round feature is in the corner :dodgy: At first glance there seems to be another like it just over the hedgerow but I think that one is just a mark on the negative. The round feature is so symmetrical that I would wonder if it’s a bomb crater. The shape is just about discernable on the footage too. The same corner seems to have some brush growing in it on the GE extract below; perhaps due to a new pond having been created by the blast in 1944.

Also of note on John's photo, the rolled Horsa fuselage lying parallel to the hedgerow, almost invisible except for the fact that the sortie from which this frame is taken was flown on the 8th June so it must be there This is a very good example of how a Horsa can 'hide' on these photographs, most especially when the wings are detached. It gives hope that the missing Signal Company glider we currently seek in the 'MSG John McCarthy’s Road to Lecaudey Farm (Part II)' thread may yet be located.

Finally, the GE screenshot showing the present day location:

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Regards,

Pat

 

Hi John,

Yes, I see what you mean. The distance out from the hedgerow is better seen in the still from the footage below:

Image Credit: NARA​

But, I still think the fuselage is not what I take to be a tail section we see in the eastern corner of your photograph. I think the footage was shot looking along the hedgerow with the camera guy standing at or on the debris field of the tail section. The fuselage is reflecting very little light skywards because of the angle it is resting at and I also suspect the foliage overhang is much greater that we appear to see from the ground shots.

I could be wrong though

Regards,

Pat

 

Morning All,

I just wanted to add the link to the British Pathe Marauder footage which shows over our current AoI, albeit with very heavy cloud cover. Below is a still frame from the footage. The Horsa who's wing tip I labeled above is just visible at top-centre-right in a small break in the cloud cover:

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Regards,

Pat

 

Hi Dale,

This video and others have been uploaded onto YouTube by the guys at PhotosNormandie on this page. The intact Horsa with the nose protruding onto the laneway is that marked 'Edna' and chalk numbered 16. The location is the western hedgerow of the Pond Field as indicated in this extract from NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_8010 flown on the 12th June:

Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk​

Below is another view with 'Edna', marked 'H1', pulled back into the field to clear the gap. The purple arc 'C' is the angle of view as seen in the last photograph of this post:

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The well know photograph below is the starboard side view of the same Horsa:

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...and lastly a ground view of the small cluster behind 'Edna':

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'Edna's starboard side wing tip is marked 'H1' above - before she was moved.

The other scene in a laneway with the Horsa wreck is the subject of the ''Hoatson Horsa Wreck' thread and remains to be found.

Regards,

Pat