F/O Ripsom Photographic Collection

Hi All,

F/O Theodore Bleecher Ripsom of the USAAF 439th Troop Carrier Group disobeyed orders when he and his co-pilot, Calvin Redfern, took a Waco to Normandy on the morning of the 7th June as part of Mission Hackensack - he took a camera along with several rolls of film.

Philippe Esvelin, in his two books, 'Forgotten Wings' and 'D-Day Gliders', makes extensive use of this precious photographic collection of over 1000 photographs.

I want to commence this thread with three of these images taken from pages 70, 77 and 78 of 'Forgotten Wings'. Two of them are easy, thanks to the French road sign pointing to Turqueville and Sainte Germain de Varreville:

​

As can be seen, the photographer, whom I assume to be F/O Ripsom, is keeping pace with the same GIs in both as they pass a close double junction, walking eastward towards Utah Beach on the D70 road. The first junction with the road sign is that of the present day D129 to Turqueville and the second junction just a little more to the east is that showing the DUKW exiting (I think) from the present day D524 road leading to Boutteville. Below are two GE 'street view' screenshots of the first junction:

​

The reader will note that it is still 3 Kms to Turqueville today. Below is the next junction leading to Boutteville:

​

Not a huge discovery you might well argue but a third photograph on page 70 in 'Forgotten Wings' has caught my eye. It appears to show the same group of three GIs, this time passing a horse drawn cart with 101st men on board and leading the animal:

​

I wonder is the double junction visible in the far distance in this third photograph, making it actually the first in the sequence of three?

There is an appropriate straight stretch of the D70 to the immediate west of the double junction which would fit the view we see behind the cart and, if I am not mistaken, the tree line at the end of the road looks a bit like the common tree grouping we see in the other two photographs.

Just for the heck of it, I had a look at our reconnaissance cover for the area and sure enough the extract below from NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_4052, flown on the 12th June, shows the double junction within the red rectangle...

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

...zoomed to below:

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

Note the apple tree groupings visible at the Turqueville junction in both ground and aerial views. I have prepared a GE screenshot of the double junction for those readers who may not be sure of where we are:

​

Lots more challenging photos to come from this fantastic collection.

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi François,

The glider group you refer to is in the 'Pond Field' as discussed on page 3 of the Brigadier General Pratt's Waco Crash Site thread here.

Also of interest, the double junction was just missed in the footage shot from the door camera of the re-supply mission as show here. If only the pilot had banked a bit more to the west, swinging the cargo door view more to the east in the process

Regards,

Pat

 

Hi François,

I think the 'dark blob' you refer to is more likely to be the short northern hedgerow between the two junctions. Note how this portion is in deep shadow behind the GI hunkered down at the double telephone poles.

Regards,

Pat