@@WalkingDday only after some whisky 😜, he was one of the guys who took casement 1, that's where we put his ashes in 2012 after jumping him in. He did 23 yrs in the paras, myself and 3 brothers followed him. He was in the BBC programme Regimental stories in 2011. I was privileged to jump over the battery on the 70th, video on my channel
So was my dad : Joe Martin 9th battalion I'm proud but essentially dad told me the drops he did were a total cock up IE being dropped miles off course and at merville refused among others to be in a suicide squad , just as well otherwise I'm not around..
Superb video, very well done, my uncle was a Mosquito Pilot with 605 sqn, his and another 2 aircraft were tasked with attacking AA and searchlight positions at the Merville Battery, His D Day logbook entry is amazing, he documents the whole attack in it....he first went in at 0010hrs on the 6th. and dropped the first bomb of the 2nd front on the battery, he continued the attack , after clearing the area for the Lancs to go in, even tho his aircraft was severely damaged. Nothing at all is written anywhere about these guys and their work that night...
@@WalkingDday Hi Again,, sent a copy of it to your web masters address, hopefully it will get to you via that..:-) Of course it doesnt mention Merville, but you know where he is from his notes.
The last grave name was Catlin. I used to work with a guy named Keith Catlin. He's dead now, so I can't ask if he was a relative. Keith was a Pom too. RIP .
Hallowed ground for the Parachute Regiment. Another informative video thanks Colin. Probably still my favourite D-Day location, although I don’t think the new visitor centre and hanger have improved it.
It was the first time I’ve been there since the changes. I didn’t hang around in the center but it looked like a book/souvenir shop. The hanger is no doubt to protect the plane in winter, but it has denatured the site somewhat.
There is a really interesting account from a German soldier's experiences of that attack in the book "D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944" (Holger Eckert). The soldier was in command of one of the gun emplacements and he tells how after the Paras used phosphorus grenades, he knew that the position was undefendable and he, plus the surviving gun crew, took the gun's firing mechanism and hid in an underground survival and storage area below the gun until the Paras had gone.
Nice work, and good to see you in action again. Well described, and an amazing feat considering the size of the force used. Liked your footage of the bunker (old nightclub). Having mooched around here over the years, it was a pleasant surprise to notice (on my last visit 18 months ago) that there was now access into this bunker. I have always been curious to see inside. Not sure if this is still the case. Directly opposite this site (30 metres) in a private garden it is still possible to see a tobruk covering the road. If you don't mind me asking, do you know what were the large bunkers and buildings (redoute) situated nearer the estuary used for? There appear to be quite a lot of buildings in the area. Thanks again, your work has got me itching to re visit the battery and surrounding area again asap, travel permitting of course. Kind regards.
@@WalkingDday Yes. It’s been blocked with boulders for years at front two entrances. Access was gained (forced) at rear (not by me)Very interesting interior and much larger than you would think. Obviously why it was okay for a night club. Oh to be able to go back in time. To experience it when it was under German operation AND as a nightclub. 👍🏻
Just found your channel, unfortunately I'm compelled to binge watch them all! Thank you for your effort and hard work it does show through Just a little thought.....sometimes the sound effects you add can drown out your voice a little
Very good. But you needn't edit out every mistake, its very distracting to see you jauntily shifting thru time like that, lol. Also, a scale of distance would be very useful on your maps. Still, I did enjoy this and learned some more about the actions of the Commandos that night. Thanx for your work.
Proud to say my dad was one of the 150 attackers
Thanks for the feedback. Did he tell you much about it?
@@WalkingDday only after some whisky 😜, he was one of the guys who took casement 1, that's where we put his ashes in 2012 after jumping him in. He did 23 yrs in the paras, myself and 3 brothers followed him. He was in the BBC programme Regimental stories in 2011. I was privileged to jump over the battery on the 70th, video on my channel
@@dougmoodie8713 just watched. Great.
So was my dad : Joe Martin 9th battalion I'm proud but essentially dad told me the drops he did were a total cock up IE being dropped miles off course and at merville refused among others to be in a suicide squad , just as well otherwise I'm not around..
I was here D-Day and met the Vets who fought here and heard their stories first hand, hand to hand figh with daggers! They were legends all of them
Brilliant as usual. Many of us will never walk there. Thank you for bringing it to us.
My Grandfather was there. 9Para 6th Sgt Jack Hennessy
Superb video, very well done, my uncle was a Mosquito Pilot with 605 sqn, his and another 2 aircraft were tasked with attacking AA and searchlight positions at the Merville Battery, His D Day logbook entry is amazing, he documents the whole attack in it....he first went in at 0010hrs on the 6th. and dropped the first bomb of the 2nd front on the battery, he continued the attack , after clearing the area for the Lancs to go in, even tho his aircraft was severely damaged. Nothing at all is written anywhere about these guys and their work that night...
That’s great feedback. I didn’t know about this Mosquito attack. It would be great to see a copy of his log book.
@@WalkingDday Cant send a photo on here, do you have a website, I can send a copy of it..:)
@@WalkingDday Hi Again,, sent a copy of it to your web masters address, hopefully it will get to you via that..:-) Of course it doesnt mention Merville, but you know where he is from his notes.
@@Norrie-jj2ve Hello, Didn't get an Email. My contact adress is @normandy-tour-guide.com preceded by guide
@@WalkingDday Hiya, Just sent an email...Hope you find it interesting...:)
Brilliant as always Colin, you really bring it alive with all the interesting details.
Great presentation, thank you for the on site work, gives a great feel of the battle ground .Enjoy all your work.
The last grave name was Catlin. I used to work with a guy named Keith Catlin. He's dead now, so I can't ask if he was a relative. Keith was a Pom too. RIP .
Hallowed ground for the Parachute Regiment. Another informative video thanks Colin. Probably still my favourite D-Day location, although I don’t think the new visitor centre and hanger have improved it.
It was the first time I’ve been there since the changes. I didn’t hang around in the center but it looked like a book/souvenir shop. The hanger is no doubt to protect the plane in winter, but it has denatured the site somewhat.
Brave men….saved many lives
Interesting video again! Thanks.
There is a really interesting account from a German soldier's experiences of that attack in the book "D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944" (Holger Eckert). The soldier was in command of one of the gun emplacements and he tells how after the Paras used phosphorus grenades, he knew that the position was undefendable and he, plus the surviving gun crew, took the gun's firing mechanism and hid in an underground survival and storage area below the gun until the Paras had gone.
Thanks for the comment. That book by Eckert has been debunked. Apparently none of the soldiers mentioned can be traced.
Okay - thanks. Sad that there are no real accounts from the German side though.
Nice work, and good to see you in action again. Well described, and an amazing feat considering the size of the force used. Liked your footage of the bunker (old nightclub). Having mooched around here over the years, it was a pleasant surprise to notice (on my last visit 18 months ago) that there was now access into this bunker. I have always been curious to see inside. Not sure if this is still the case. Directly opposite this site (30 metres) in a private garden it is still possible to see a tobruk covering the road. If you don't mind me asking, do you know what were the large bunkers and buildings (redoute) situated nearer the estuary used for? There appear to be quite a lot of buildings in the area. Thanks again, your work has got me itching to re visit the battery and surrounding area again asap, travel permitting of course. Kind regards.
I didn’t know a bunker was accessible. I was just there long enough to turn a few seconds of video before moving on to Amfreville.
@@WalkingDday Yes. It’s been blocked with boulders for years at front two entrances. Access was gained (forced) at rear (not by me)Very interesting interior and much larger than you would think. Obviously why it was okay for a night club. Oh to be able to go back in time. To experience it when it was under German operation AND as a nightclub. 👍🏻
Just found your channel, unfortunately I'm compelled to binge watch them all!
Thank you for your effort and hard work it does show through
Just a little thought.....sometimes the sound effects you add can drown out your voice a little
Thanks for the feedback
Very good. But you needn't edit out every mistake, its very distracting to see you jauntily shifting thru time like that, lol. Also, a scale of distance would be very useful on your maps. Still, I did enjoy this and learned some more about the actions of the Commandos that night. Thanx for your work.
Thanks for the comment on the edits.
The scale is the light grey squares. One mile by one mile.
Where exactly was " Merville"?
It’s a few miles North East of Pegasus bridge.. It's on the map at 6:34
Brave German soldiers! 👍😎🐺
Brave German soldiers!
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