'Rocket-Firing Typhoons' - today

Well, almost.

Determined to get the most from my too-brief Falaise visit last week, I was really wanted to carry out a long-cherished idea. Frank Wootton's famous painting, 'Rocket-Firing Typhoons At The Falaise Gap' has long been a particular favourite of mine. Here's a detail from the print I have....






Sadly, there are now no Typhoons, or knocked-out Panthers, and FW took a little artistic licence with the curve of the lane - but check out the Church tower of St. Lambert-sur-Dives...

 

They match pretty close. Those buildings in your pic, are they regular citizen's homes? Nice looking work.

 

FramerT - yup, that's pretty much how 90% of Normandy looks......

 

Is the Michael Wittmann - Typhoon argument still out there?

 

I like the now and then idea! Fist time I actually see the painting.

 

I think it's now the 'Michael Wittmann - Northamptonshire Yeomanry' argument now.....

 

Interestingly, I've just got a copy of Tieke's 'In The Firestorm Of The Last Years Of The War'. ( JJ Federowicz, 1999 ).

The little lane in the foreground of both pictures was the actual route used to escape the Pocket by the survivors of 10th SS Division 'Frundsberg', personally led by their commander, Oberfuhrer Heinz Harmel.

The entire area was under intense artillery and tank fire, and Tieke decribes it as '..the deepest depth of wartime hell that had yet been reached...' (p.195 ).And as for those 'regular citizens homes', they've seen a bit of history, too.

'In addition to the church in St. Lambert, there were also several farmsteads lying around it that were not destroyed, in which the 'Frundsbergers' assembled and made ready for the push through...' (p.196 ).

 

Curious if any of the structures are pocked from the battles like some in the Ducal Castle.





There’s a beautifully restored Hawker Typhoon 1B armed with rockets in Normandy.

 

I didn't really have time to look at the St. Pierre sur Dives buildings to check for battle damage, but it was certainly visible on the churches in nearby Falaise.

BTW, the Typhoon at the Normandy Memorial museum is an exact replica ; the only original surviving Typhoon being at the RAF Museum, Hendon......

 

Martin what are codes and squadron/group of the Typhoon there ?

yes Frundsberg got a real bloody nose at Normandy, it only had a Pz. IV Abteilung and was not fitted with a Panther Abt. the Stug companies were squished and it like the 17th SS Pz. Gren. really got thumped by jabos besides hideous artillery from the Allies. It was literally only a Pz. Grenadier unit.

 

Under a magnifying glass, the nearest Typhoon appears to be carrying the 'HH' codes of 175 Squadron, 2nd TAF. This would certainly be correct but I'm not so sure about the blue spinner ; 175's were usually red.

Which I suppose goes to show the artistic licence of an Official War Artist actually working in the field ; his job being more to convey the atmosphere of what was happening as it happened, in contrast to the more research-led work of post-war artists......

 

Nice to tie up another loose end. On my second visit in September, I found that there are indeed vestiges of the fighting to be seen in St. Lambert-sur-Dives....

 

Martin, this is a now and then comparisson using your photo of St Lambert.

The 1944 scene of the knocked out Panthers is in the right of your photo (where the wooden fence is).

 

knocked out or out of fuel, abandoned, blown internally before escape and then the Allies rolled these things over off the road .....

 

Maybe 'not working condition' would be a better description....

 

You're quite right, John - the dried-up stream bed where the Panthers were lying is still there, crossed by the original cast-iron road bridge.

I didn't realise that until I got home ( doh ! ) so it's somewhere I'll be visiting again !

 

The top of the exhibit panel for the Typhoon provides squadron, pilot and mission information on the craft, which reflects the unit, is an original. At the bottom it indicates the only surviving example is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon. I question their definition of surviving. It could be meant to reflect flying condition. My attempts to obtain additional information from the curator have failed.

Excellent shot. Current weathered and aged blends well with the damage from the battle.

 

The museum chap I spoke to while standing next to the Hendon Typhoon seemed very certain it was the last real one, I remember it surprised me that such a classic had become so rare. Presumably the details of the replica(?) just reflect the paint scheme it wears?
Wasn't the Hendon one a swap from one of the big American collections for a Hurricane?

I suspect this is the only flying Typhoon we'll see for a fair while.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Just for the record, the RAF Museum Typhoon is without doubt the only surviving , complete example. A Sabre-engined Tempest is being rebuilt to eventual flying condition for Kermit Weeks by PPS at Booker.

The RAF Museum Typhoon was sent to the USA in WWII and it was kindly 'swapped' back when it was realised that the MOD, in a huge oversight, had indeed scrapped every one of theirs.

The Memorial Typhoon in Normandy is nice, but it's an exact GRP replica. The weight of the engine alone would probably have that roof down !

 

any Tempests in existance ?