Thanks, Wessex Wyvern.

After I posted I went back to the reference books and saw that his regiment was not in the same area. Oh well - I'll probably never stop looking for my Dad's face every time I see a photo or video footage of Canadian troops!

Michelle

Hi everyone,

The DVD that was released in 2006, "Death & Destruction in the Falaise Gap" includes at the end some newsreel footage and the most complete version I have seen of Sgt. Stollery's film taken at St. Lambert on August 19, 1944. The original film was destroyed in a fire at the Canadian archives in 1966, but a copy must have been made for use in newsreels. The narration is by an American. Here are some still frames from it.

Hauptmann Rauch’s sidecar approaches. Major Currie is behind a jeep, and you can see the top of his helmet:



Major Currie emerges from behind a jeep, holding his pistol:



Rauch surrenders in the face of a Bren gun. His right hand is in the air, and in his left hand he is holding a map case:



Rauch walks toward the Canadians, holding his map case:




Sgt. Mitchell confiscates the map case and starts removing Rauch’s sidearm belt:



Does anyone recognize the marking on the helmet of the soldier on the right? Someone suggested it may have South Alberta Regiment recce colours, or it may be Polish.

Kieran

I can't help with an answer to your question, Kieran - but thank you very much for posting those fascinating stills. I've been considering purchasing that particular DVD - now I am decided !

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Hi Martin,

The DVD is generally very good, and it gives an honest assessment of the success and failure of the operation to close the Gap. Some of the narration is difficult to hear, and some of the footage is clearly misplaced (especially the German clips from the Battle of the Bulge) but overall I recommend it.

Kieran

Thanx alot for the pics and "well done" for the Bren gun man, as he did not pull the trigger....

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The soldier to the right and slightly behind Sgt. Mitchell looks Polish to me-as does the steel helmet. I've seen the insignia somewhere before but I don't remember where?

Anyway, I agree, nice stills.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

..best price I've seen is 6.99 via Ebay seller

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZjohncosby

That's a good price and I'll probably go for it...thanks for the tip, Neil !

( Happy New Year, BTW.... )

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I bought the DVD on saturday and found it quite good, although, as mentioned by Kieran, the narration is sometimes hard to follow. It contains footage of the Moissy and Chambois area that i had not prevoiusly seen, the St Lambert clips in particular are excellent.

The chap who takes you around the battlefield sites in the DVD amused me, he looked more like a coach driver (with his short sleeved white shirt and tie) than a wartime historian...

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

i would like to get that! looks good! i really like to see the actual footage stuff, i only have one set of 7 VHS films with very little real footage on it.
thanks!

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Scott

..and to you too Martin.....we must get that Saumur trip organised some time in 2008 !

my copy of the DVD arrived ....there's plenty of footage that's new to me, but having only ever spent a day in the area, it is still occasionally a little hard to follow... however I do like the way they cut footage of the region and locations today into the period clips... at nearly a 100 mins running time (including the newsreel extras, the build up, the various operations preceding the final battles, the bios of the commanders etc etc ) it is good VFM...the only annoyances for me - aside from the repeated use of the Ardennes clips - were the showing of the same stills each time a commander's name was mentioned during the intro section and the commentator's appalling pronounciation of the various place names ...

Just spent the afternoon watching the DVD. Yes, I squirmed at the 'coach drivers' pronounciations, suc as 'Boisjos' becoming 'Boss-Joss' and Vimoutiers 'Vermer-trezz' - even more odd was when the historian ( correctly ) stated that the final German resistance in Falaise centred on L'ecole Superieur 'right behind me' and then pointed straight at....Falaise Castle ( ).

But overall, a better-than-average DVD ; to me, worth the money not only for the St Lambert clips ( fascinating to 'freeze', especially the expression on Hauptmann Rauch's face ) but also the clip of Wittmann biting his lip.

But great to see all the battlefield locations, right down to the Mont Ormel cafe where my wife & I stopped for coffee and the little bakers shop in Chambois where we bought sandwiches on out own walking tour. Plus of course Moissy ( sorry, Moy-zee )

Roll on the end of March when we'll be there again....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I still think the mystery chap is SAR, see his landyard.
http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/medi...?title=Lanyard
Not a DR as helmet straps wrong so must be Armoured Corps helmet not Despatch Rider.


The South Alberta Regiment

A black and "old gold" (yellow) lanyard was worn on the left shoulder by all ranks of the overseas unit.

see similar one worn by this SAR Sgt.
http://www.sarvaofcanada.ca/june03/johng11.JPG

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Hello everyone!

Is there anyone who can inform me where I can buy that DVD today?

Mats

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Mats R

Hi Mats, try these links...

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/33260...searchsource=0

DEATH & DESTRUCTION IN THE FALAISE GAP: Documentary NEW on eBay, also, DVDs, DVD, Film TV (end time 09-Mar-08 20:41:13 GMT)

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

This time around, I managed to get a 'Then & Now' of the two Panthers which feature in Frank Wootton's famous painting......






And before anyone asks, no - I didn't tow one of them home behind my car !

The farm building in the background ( partially obscured by trees today ) remains largely unaltered, and is one of the buildings used by 9th SS Panzer as a Command Post during the retreat over the bridge.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I remembered this question and went specially to the area of the 2nd SS counterattack. This is the forested area at the rear of the Polish positions on Mont Ormel. In the foreground, the depression in the ground marks a Polish foxhole and German tanks advanced toward the wood, across the fields in the background. The Poles opened fire at 30 metres and there is a well-known photo of a Sherman and Panther both knocked out in this field, just to the right of the photo. The valley over to the left ( only just about visible in the pic ) was where the very last German forces escaped the pocket.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

great pic, still trying to visualize all of this, in the distance does the break down to the left and with the present trees, either not standing or very very small the area must have been quite open for the Poles to Blast the W-SS truppen ?

To the left is a fairly dramatic ( for Normandy...) slope.

Here's a view along the road, Polish positions ( where the foxhole is) to the left, German attack came in from the right. The wrecked Sherman and Panther were where the gap in the hedge is, immediately on the right.



The level of vegetation is about the same as in 1944, judging from photos taken at the time.

If you walk down the road, just past the curve in the distance, on the left is an open field ( which the Poles dubbed The Bare Ridge ) which overlooked the Falaise Gap itself and was the very edge of the Polish Maczuga position.




During the counterattack, at least five Shermans in this field were knocked out in quick succession by an anti-tank gun which the Germans had emplaced on the hill just out-of-shot top right. From reading various accounts, the Poles, whose ammunition supply situation was perilous, held off firing until the Germans were close.

The battle here was very determined, and took place under constant artillery and mortar fire from both sides. I think it's fair to say that the Poles eventually out-fought the Germans ; supplies were starting to come through from the Canadians and the tide of battle was certainly in the Allies' favour by this time. The German troops must have been close to total exhaustion, having already fought their way out of the Gap.

The fighting here reminds me of Arnhem in that two elite forces faced one another, but with the additional 'edge' that this was the Waffen-SS versus the Poles. That must have been some fighting.......

( PS : Apologies for the 'moodiness' of the photos - they were taken very late in the evening with sun almost completely gone ).

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson