Are you just asking re Anti-Aircraft guns or destruction of the guns in general?
Re destruction in general, From
The Gunners of Canada Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson, the following is a longish quote gives general corroboration:
"The 14th was the day that the Germans entered an undefended Paris. Early that morning General Brooke, who had crossed to France and set up a small headquarters at Le Mans, was told by General Weygand that the French Army was no longer capable of organized resistance. In the late afternoon on instructions from London Brooke issued orders for the Canadians in France to be withdrawn....as soon as the C.O. had had the message confirmed, he started the regimental columns on the road to the coast....At Landernau he [Colonel Roberts] telephoned Brest, and was told to send his guns and ammunition forward to the dock, and to hold the rest of his command to join with other Canadian units and units of the 1st Armoured Division in forming a defensive line for the protection of the port....
During the morning, Colonel Roberts took the guns and limbers as close to the east quay as Dockyard Control at Brest would allow. ...
Early on the 17th, Headquarters Brest Garrison, to ensure that the evacuation of all personnel would not be jeopardized by attempts to save equipment, issued orders for all transport to be destroyed. Even the guns of the 1st Field Regiment were endangered. A report in the regimental diary shows how close they came to be lost.
At 1100 hours, Lt.-Col. Roberts went to Garrison H.Q. and fought for nearly two hourst to save the guns. Col. Mackie, the Garrison Commander [an ex-cadet of the Royal Military College of Canada], was very helpful, but eventually had to order the guns and tractors to be destroyed. This was countermanded by wire. But shortly after, the order to destroy came again. Lt.-Col. Roberts pointed out that his guns were on the dock and guaranteed to load them within an hour. ... Loading began at once "before any more minds could be changed."...by the four o'clock deadline there had been put on board the steamer Bellerophon not only the Field Regiment's 24 guns, but also 12 Bofors guns, seven predictors, three Bren carriers and several heavy technical trucks, belonging to other units. Then came the grim task of destroying the Regiment's gun tractors, while French civilians stood by waiting to salvage what they could of the remains. Drivers drained the oil from their vehicles and then ran the motors until they seized. After that they went to work with picks and crowbars on the engines, batteries, R.T. sets and other equipment. It added little to the gunners' peace of mind to note that when the Bellerophon pulled out into the harbour, though she was well packed with troops there appeared to be still room enough to have taken all the equipment that had been on the docks.
Such was the manner in which the 1st Field saved its guns and brought them back intact to England.
It was the only unit to do so."
Please note that the entry in Wikpedia is wrong when it says 5 countries took part in the evacuations at Dunkirk - Canada was the 6th - probably incorporated with the British. Wikpedia notew the following statistics that :
"In accordance to military principle where priority is given to men over arms, the Allies left behind 2,000 guns, 60,000 trucks, 76,000 tons of ammunition and 600,000 tons of fuel supplies.
- 10,252 German soldiers lost
- 42,000 wounded
- 8,467 missing
- 1,212,000 Dutch, Belgian, French and British prisoners taken
- 30,000 British died
- 338,000 men saved in the evacuation
The Germans gained:
- 1,200 field guns
- 1,250 anti-aircraft guns
- 11,000 machine guns
- 25,000 vehicles
Regards, Michelle
Dunkirk and destroyed AA batteries?
Re: Dunkirk and destroyed AA batteries?
Re: Dunkirk and destroyed AA batteries?
