I am delighted to report the acquisition of some very rare colour footage shot by Captain William H. Nation, Regimental Adjudant (S-1), 508th PIR. We are indebted to Glyn Shipstone and the Jump 44 Living History Group for obtaining permission for us to use screenshots from the footage here on the Forum. Captain Nation shot the following scenes during his time in Normandy, sending the un-developed film home. He never saw the footage. Captain Nation was killed in action near Lanzerath, Belgium on the 31st January 1945. He now rests at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. The first Normandy scene shows this German truck convoy on what appears to be a wide, black top road in Normandy: I done a bit of processing in Photoshop on the above screenshot in order to squeeze as much detail as possible. Anyone wish to give their impressions as to what is going on in this scene? Thanks, Pat
Hotchkiss H39 (with its turret at 8 o'clock with the hatch open) Now you got my attention ;-) Considering this is about the 508pir, Pz.Ers.u.Ausb.Abt.100 seems the obvious candidate, not Pz.Abt.206. A rear view would probably answer that question. Presence of trucks is interesting, especially since they are facing in different directions.
Thanks Niels, I knew you would have the answer Strange that one truck is facing the camera while the others are pointing in the opposite direction. I also get a sense that the road is falling away in the distance. Could the staff car moving in the background below be General Falley's car I wonder? Anyone able to confirm it as a staff car? Is the vehicle in the left foreground the same type of car with the hood up? Thanks, Pat
Softskin vehicles can be a pain to identify. You can always try the AHF. At first glance I'd suggest it's a 1939 Chevrolet (no top), but types can look a like. I think it has a red/orange air recognition panel (with white star) over the hood. With some exceptions, there was not really a proper type of staff-car in the German Army. Any decent size 4-seater (preferably without top) would suffice. As for that H39, I really should know. After all I designed a complete 3D model of it ;-)
yes, we are probably looking at the hatch itself as a dark shadow, but still not as dark as other areas on the photo.
Morning All, Anyone able to make out the vehicle in the left foreground of post #4 above? The front radiator grid and headlight position seem to match pretty well with the staff car which is moving in the background. The location might be Chateau Francquetot (Coigny), but the next scene shows the wreckage of C-47 'L4-0' (42-100819) of the 91st TCS / 439th TCG, flown by 2Lt. Marston Sargent (Pilot) and F/O Steve Baran (Co-Pilot). Without disclosing it here, can anyone tell me if the exact location of the crash site is known? I can only find a reference to it being near Picauville. All 20 men onboard were killed in the crash. I will post some screenshots of the wreckage tonight, but if anyone has Mark Bando's '101st Airborne - The Screaming Eagles at Normandy', there is a B&W photo of the wreckage therein. Thanks, Pat
More... The next scene shows several seconds of the 'LH-0' C-47 crash site: The last screenshot above seems to indicate quite a large impact and debris field for this crash site. I do not know the exact crash site location, but if any reader does know it, please do not disclose it here. I also note with interest that this is the first time I have seen the radio call sign letter in colour...never knew it was blue. Does anyone know if this colour was specific to the 91st TCS and/or 439th TCG? Regards, Pat
The next two scenes... The first shows two graves, which the narrator seems to imply relate to the crash site... ...but I would wonder if these are in fact German graves? We then move to the so far only confirmed location...Chateau Francquetot (Coigny): Seeing the chateau is today a much sought after wedding location as per this page, I wonder how many guests walking these grounds realise this film shows a very different era! I would be very grateful if anyone is able to tell us the names of these two lades; whom I presume were family members at the chateau in 1944. Thanks, Pat
Hi Pat, I believe your last photo in post #9 is from an entirely different C-47 than the Sargent C-47. You will notice the similarity in the tail position, debris, and tree line, in a photo from the book "Down to Earth" by Martin Morgan on page 149. Sorry about the quality... The photo on the right is captured in a better quality photo here... This is C-47 42-100876, the pilot Muir. John
Hi John, I agree the last wreckage screenshot in my post #9 above matches exactly with the treeline of the C-47 crash site you have posted and consequently the footage must be showing two different wrecks. Regards, Pat
Thanks Patrick, Looking through more of the footage, I came on a sequence which shows a column of German PoWs being marched along a laneway and then into an orchard for processing and/or interrogation. The orchard appears to be at a hamlet or village, though this could also be a large farmhouse complex with multiple buildings. The American guards are clearly 82nd paratroopers, possibly from the 508th PIR, given that its Captain Nation who is filming the scenes. Most readers will have seen this same column of prisoners in much better quality B&W footage, a copy of which is available on the Critical Past site here. I am very interested to see if its possible to find the location using both films. The opening scene in the Nation footage is shown below: ...and still #5 from the CP footage shows an officer issuing a halt order at what I take to be a junction in the laneway : Note below the left handed trooper with the light toned binoculars is only barely discernible in the Nation footage as the column is marched through the orchard... ...but is very clear in still #29 of the CP footage: More follows... Regards, Pat
More... There is a group of German officers at the head of the column and these men are segregated once they arrive in the orchard. Once again, these men are difficult to make out in the Nation footage - but they are there! More follows... Regards, Pat
I would wonder... ...is it possible to gleam any information from the officers uniforms? Anyone able to ID the left hand arm band? Thanks, Pat
"Unit" might not be the way to call it. These areTodt guys (Armband reads Org.Todt). I'd focus on the SME - Blosville area. These guys were photographed on Utah Beach later as well. One of them is very easy to recognize, and some others are probably on the photo as well. I've done quite some work on these guys in Normandy, but some visits to the archives will probably still be necessary. I may even have the names of some of these individuals, but it's impossible to link them to a specific photo without some sort of personnel files or other sources.