Crumpled map solves mystery of German gun behind D-Day massacre (Amateur historian finds at a fair)

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | January 4, 2008

[Stoat]

Crumpled map solves mystery of German gun behind D-Day massacre

Last updated at 17:03pm on 4th January 2008

A baffling mystery of the D-Day landings was solved by an amateur historian - after he found a crumpled map at a fair in Stockport.

 

Experts have long disputed the location of the main Nazi gun battery which caused carnage on Omaha Beach, in terrible scenes which were recreated for the Hollywood film Saving Private Ryan.

 

The Germans had built a decoy gun emplacement overlooking the area while the location of the real guns which blasted the beach, where 2,000 men lost their lives, remained unclear.

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Gunning position: The location of the Nazi gun battery was long disputed

 

But Gary Sterne, a publisher and collector, stumbled on the answer as he browsed through items at a Stockport militaria fair and a piece of paper fell out of a pair of US serviceman's trousers.

 

It turned out to be an invasion map for Omaha Beach, which included an area marked Area of High Resistance he thought could be the "lost" Nazi gun emplacements.

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Amateur historian Garry Sterne tracked down the 'lost' gun emplacements after finding a tattered map

 

"It sparked my curiosity, because that area was previously thought to be just fields," he said.

 

The 43-year-old father of two from Cheadle Hulme travelled to Normandy to examine the area - and bought it.

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The headquarters of the 'lost' Nazi gun emplacements. Mr Sterne bought the site bit by bit from 32 different landowners

 

He spent thousands buying the 40-acre site bit-by-bit from 32 different landowners, and two years excavating trenches and bunkers to reveal the 'Maisy Battery'.

 

Mr Sterne believes this was responsible for the brutal bombardment of Omaha on D-Day and for days afterwards until its capture on June 9, 1944.

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Sterne spent two years excavating the trenches and bunkers at the site

 

Now Mr Sterne plans to open a museum on the site and the battery will be featured in a documentary for the BBC Timewatch programme.

 

Mr Sterne has contacted veterans of the US 5th Ranger Battalion, who confirmed taking Maisy Battery from the Germans.

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The radio room at the site, believed to be responsible for the brutal bombardment of Omaha on D-Day

 

The Timewatch documentary, Bloody Omaha, is presented by Richard Hammond on BBC2 on Sunday at 9pm.

 

What do you think? Have your say.

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Thousands of American troops were gunned down as they landed at Omaha beach on D-Day

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How the carnage was captured in Saving Private Ryan

[Stoat]

Please also see this related article from the UK Telegraph:

Amateur historian unearths Nazi battery - Telegraph

Amateur historian unearths Nazi battery

By Stephen Adams
 

Last Updated: 3:56pm GMT 04/01/2008

 

 

An amateur British military historian has unearthed a vast underground Nazi gun battery thought to have caused carnage during the D-Day landings.

• Google Map: Maisy Battery

  Gary Sterne discovered the huge 'Maisy Battery’ after he found a crinkled map which fell out of an old pair of US serviceman’s trousers at a military memorabilia fair in Stockport.

  
  Mr Sterne discovered an extensive installation “the size of four football pitches”

  It turned out to be an invasion map for Omaha Beach, which included an area marked Area of High Resistance.

  Mr Sterne, a publisher and collector, believed it could show the "lost" Nazi gun emplacements, which experts had never been able to locate.

  Most believed the area where Mr Sterne was looking was nothing but fields. But after travelling to Normandy to find out for himself he stumbled across an entrance to the complex in undergrowth.

  He said: “It sparked my curiosity, because that area was previously thought to be just fields.”

  He discovered an extensive installation “the size of four football pitches”, including bunkers, offices, a sizeable field hospital - less its roof - and housing for 155mm cannon.

  He found trenches in the land surrounding the buildings stretched for a mile and a half.

  Within hours of the landings on 6 June 1944 at least 2,000 Allied troops are thought to have died.

  In the days that followed until the fabled battery was captured on 9 June, hundreds more are believed to have lost their lives.

  Mr Sterne said he thought shelling from the battery contributed heavily to Allied losses.

  It was finally captured following aerial bombardment with 2,000lb bombs.

  The Omaha Beach landings and the terrible loss of life that resulted was dramatised in Steven Speilberg’s 1998 blockbuster Saving Private Ryan, which starred Matt Damon in the lead role.

  
  The infrastructure of Maisy Battery remained largely intact

  Despite being heavily bombed itself, the infrastructure of Maisy Battery - or Grandcamp Maisy as it was also known - remained largely intact.

  However, over the years it was lost as nature took hold, and it remained buried in French soil for more than 60 years. Experts were divided about the battery’s location until Mr Sterne’s find.

  The Germans had built a decoy gun emplacement overlooking the area and the location of the real guns which blasted the beach remained unclear.

  The 43-year-old father of two from Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, has bought a house close to the battery and subsequently spent thousands buying 40 acres covering the site from 32 different landowners.

  He then took two years excavating the site. He said he received no animosity from the French towards his plan.

  Mr Sterne has also contacted veterans of the US 5th Ranger Battalion, who confirmed taking Maisy Battery from the Germans.

  They also revealed that they found $4.2million worth of French francs, which was shared among the men.

  Now Mr Sterne plans to open a museum on the site.

  The battery will be featured in a documentary for the BBC Timewatch programme, titled Bloody Omaha, which will be presented by Richard Hammond and broadcast on BBC2 this Sunday at 9pm.

[ClearCase_guy]

I wouldn’t want to mix apples and oranges, but this is interesting in light of the whole “WMD in Iraq” argument. Sometimes figuring out where the weapons were located takes more than 60 years — even after you pretty much know where to look.

[Stoat]

Ping

[Tijeras_Slim]

Very cool, thanks for posting.

[Terriergal]

hmmm.... post #2 makes a good point.

[Stoat]

You’re quite welcome; I’m delighted that you’ve found it to be worthwhile :-)

[Petronski]

Great thread!

[Kolb]

Very interesting! Turning the site into a museum is a great idea. Hope they show this documentary on one of the BBC America cable channels, I’d like to see it.

[Constitution Day]

Excellent article! Thanks for posting it.

[nothingnew]

ping

FMCDH(BITS)

[Billthedrill]

A BTT for a great find. I’ve always wanted to own a bunker complex. :-)

[snowsislander]

He spent thousands buying the 40-acre site bit-by-bit from 32 different landowners, and two years excavating trenches and bunkers to reveal the 'Maisy Battery'.

One would think that he had to spend more than just "thousands" to buy those particular 40 acres.

[cav68]

I can remember my Dad talking about how heavy the fire was that morning, he was with the 29th Infantry, VA, group. I know he would have enjoyed reading this article as much as I have, thanks.

[Freeper]

" in light of the whole “WMD in Iraq” argument. Sometimes figuring out where the weapons were located takes more than 60 years — even after you pretty much know where to look.

. . . . a perfect example of a perfect example. Congrats.

[Freeper]

" in light of the whole “WMD in Iraq” argument. Sometimes figuring out where the weapons were located takes more than 60 years — even after you pretty much know where to look.

. . . . a perfect example of a perfect example. Congrats.

[ReluctantDragon]

I will never forget our brave men who gave their lives that day.

[Ditto]

Looking at the Google map, it appears that this battery was about 5 or 6 miles from Omaha beach. Looks like the Germans had the beach zeroed in pretty well.

[WakeUpAndVote]

Great afternoon read, thank you for the post!

[blam]

Excellent, thanks.

[Steelerfan]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.