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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

Posted on 01/04/2008 10:08:40 AM PST by 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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HQ Nazi gun emplacements

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

Scroll down for more

 

How the carnage was captured in Saving Private Ryan



TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: banglist; dday; england; france; germany; godsgravesglyphs; milhist; militaryhistory; omaha; omahabeach; overlord; uk; ww2
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To: archy
But the gunners could have required a barrel change, or lost the end of a belt, or had any of a dozen other things happen that could have caused enough of a delay for a practiced crew to unload over the side.

Here's a YouTube clip from the movie. When the gate went down and the scene switched to the MG-42 crews perspective looking down the barrel into the barge, I thought the movie was over and that I paid $6 for a 6 minute movie.

Obviously, the director took some license here.

61 posted on 01/04/2008 1:35:00 PM PST by fso301
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To: cav68
My grandfather would only say "We weren't there to be tourists" when asked about what his European tour of duty was like. After he went to the 50th Anniversary, he only talked about what they ate and the wine he brought back. It wasn't until we saw Saving Private Ryan in the theater that he began talking about his D-Day experiences.

He was fortunate to not have been part of the morning landing waves and had advanced well off the beaches when he was wounded. I asked if, when visiting again in 1994, he tried to find the spot where it happened. He said that he didn't need to- he had an image of where it was and what it had looked like as a medic had propped him up on a fence (hedge?) for what seemed like weeks- and it would always look that way to him regardless of what changes time brought.
62 posted on 01/04/2008 1:42:23 PM PST by philled ("CNBC?...You might as well be doing ham radio at that point."-- Dennis Miller)
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To: nodumbblonde
You have to look for an Enclave & Stronghold agent.

<}B^)

63 posted on 01/04/2008 2:04:16 PM PST by Erasmus (I've never been divorced, if you don't count my relationship with reality.)
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To: fso301

>>I thought the movie was over and that I paid $6 for a 6 minute movie.
<<

The landing scene in Saving Private Ryan was so realistic and shocking that it was worth the price of admission just for that!

It’s sad to see the obituary page every day filled with WWII vets. They are the lucky ones who got to live their lives though.


64 posted on 01/04/2008 3:59:58 PM PST by ParaVet93
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To: Stoat

VERY cool! When I was a teenaged kid, we climbed all over those pill boxes in and around Mainz Germany. They’re all over everywhere.

One time we came upon one with a door still unsealed (most had been long since welded shut) and went down a spiral stair-case I’d guess about 2-3 stories underground until we could go no further because of junk piled up. I’ve often wondered what’s beneath that junk we couldn’t get past.

And isn’t it a shame alot of the D-Day footage went over the side of a boat, lost forever?


65 posted on 01/04/2008 4:14:27 PM PST by tpanther
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To: blackie
I was 14 that summer of 1944.

The AM radio stations in the USA carried short-wave broadcasts through-out the day from the beach, etc.

Memories...

66 posted on 01/04/2008 5:51:10 PM PST by Buddy B (MSgt Retired-USAF)
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To: ClearCase_guy
(Every honest, reasonable person knows that there were WMD's. The denials are just blatant, disgusting games.)
67 posted on 01/04/2008 5:54:39 PM PST by bannie (Jimminy Cricket is hollering, "Beware!!! clintons CHEAT!")
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To: Kenny Bunk
"No WMD in Iraq," has now achieved Urban Legend Status, just like "Al Gore's Stolen Victory."

When do you suppose Snopes will debunk this Urban Legend?

68 posted on 01/04/2008 6:45:36 PM PST by AZLiberty (President Fred -- I like the sound of it.)
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To: Stoat

Awesome Article! Thank you for the Post!


69 posted on 01/04/2008 7:00:36 PM PST by Kitty Mittens (To God Be All Excellent Praise!!)
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To: All
I saw with interest several of you are interested to watch the forthcoming TV programme Timewatch about this excavated site one Omaha beaches, so I have registered to let you know you now can :)

The BBC has a new website out called
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

and after the programme has been shown on UK TV ( 9 PM Sunday ) here you will be able to search for it on the link I have provided then watch it on line in its entirety, indeed you can do this with any BBC show that they show now :) and you will have seven days to watch it........ hope that helps :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008p88c

70 posted on 01/04/2008 9:33:10 PM PST by taylortony
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To: ClearCase_guy

That is a compelling point.


71 posted on 01/04/2008 10:05:50 PM PST by The KG9 Kid
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To: taylortony; All

Welcome to Free Republic and thank you so very much for your mail to me as well as your post here in the thread. It’s extremely kind and gracious of you to help us out in this way, and I do sincerely hope that you will stay and make Free Republic a regular destination....many of us feel that it’s the best site on the internet!

Sadly, regarding the video content from the BBC, I went to the second link that you so kindly provided and when I click on any of the currently-available programs, it returns the error:

“Sorry, this programme is only available to play in the UK “

and so I’m guessing that “Bloody Omaha” will quite likely be the same way.

It’s still quite useful for you to have brought us this information, however, because there are many British FReepers who come to Free Republic regularly and they might not be aware of this BBC service.

I will still check back when “Bloody Omaha” becomes available in the UK, but as a Yank I won’t be getting my hopes up too high :-)

Thank you again for taking the time and trouble to bring us this information and I do sincerly hope that you will come back regularly.

Best wishes to you and yours :-)


72 posted on 01/04/2008 11:17:29 PM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

Dang!

Thanks for the info.


73 posted on 01/04/2008 11:39:51 PM PST by Alas Babylon!
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To: Alas Babylon!

You’re quite welcome :-)

Hopefully one day it will be made available as a DVD, or perhaps PBS may broadcast it eventually due to the tremendous continuing interest in these topics.


74 posted on 01/05/2008 6:39:00 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Constitution Day; mad_as_he$$; Stoat
Thanks for the info! He was completely gobsmacked!

In order to share the experience and lest anyone be confined to the experience of merely one location, he's now envisioning a "Bunker/Compound Timeshare Network"... lol

75 posted on 01/05/2008 8:06:55 AM PST by nodumbblonde
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To: Erasmus
Well, that explains it! I was looking under "Bastion & Fortification Agent". :(

;)

76 posted on 01/05/2008 8:10:11 AM PST by nodumbblonde
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To: Buddy B

Lotsa memories. :):)


77 posted on 01/05/2008 9:53:02 AM PST by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: Stoat

Making the unmissable, unmissable more about BBC iPlayer

Search for help

<!-- p.nospacedivider {padding-top:0.1em;background: transparent url('http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/img/border_dot.gif') repeat-x; clear:both;} //-->

Can I download programmes from outside the UK?

The BBC uses Geo-IP technology to identify where your are based on the location of your internet service provider (ISP). This ensures that only internet users in the UK can enjoy programmes on BBC iPlayer.

 

If you download a programme to your laptop or a portable hard drive, you can watch this wherever you are in the world. However, you will only be able to download new programmes once you return to the UK.

 

Why do I need to be in the UK to use BBC iPlayer?

 

Rights agreements mean that BBC iPlayer is only available to users in the UK. However, BBC Worldwide is working on an international version, which we will make available as soon as possible.

 

Some content, such as podcasts, are available to users outside the UK at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/.  Many BBC News programmes are available for viewers outside the UK at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/default.stm, BBC Sport highlights are available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport and BBC Radio stations are available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/

 

Do make sure you check for news on BBC iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk

 

How does BBC iPlayer identify that I'm in the UK?

 

BBC iPlayer recognises your location by checking your IP address (a sequence of numbers for every computer on the internet).

 

I'm in the United Kingdom but told that I'm not

 

Sometimes even though you're in Britain it's possible you may see a message saying you're not. This could be because your computer is on a foreign-based network, or is routed overseas (sometimes the case with work connections if your employer is not UK-based). Some programs, such as web accelerators, can cause your IP address to appear as if it is outside the UK.

 

If BBC iPlayer doesn't recognise your IP address at all, then you won't be able to stream or download programmes.
 
Occasionally it may simply be a network error, so it's worth closing your browser and reopening as a new IP address is allocated which may be UK-based.

 

Our Geo-IP technology system recognises IP addresses provided by UK-based internet service providers (ISPs). If BBC iPlayer doesn't recognise your address, contact your ISP and establish whether:

 

  • Your ISP has registered with us and if we're still processing the registration.
  • There's a technical problem with your IP Address.

 

If your ISP has registered with the appropriate databases, our servers are updated on a monthly basis so you will have to wait until the next refresh to gain access.

You can discuss this issue on the BBC iPlayer messageboard.

 

Did this answer your question?

  

Related Answers

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For help on how to deal with your enquiry, then the BBC iPlayer messageboard may offer the help you need. Alternatively you can Contact Us

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78 posted on 01/05/2008 10:01:25 AM PST by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: nodumbblonde
Bunker/Compound Timeshare Network

Cool! Can I join? :)

79 posted on 01/05/2008 5:40:45 PM PST by Constitution Day (Get over yourselves!)
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To: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten; 359Henrie; 6323cd; 75thOVI; Adrastus; A message; abb; ACelt; AZamericonnie; ..
Thanks for the ping, Stoat.

Welcome to the new pingees of the list.

To all: please ping me to threads that are relevant to the MilHist list (and/or) please add the keyword "MilHist" to the appropriate thread. Thanks in advance.

Please FREEPMAIL indcons if you want on or off the "Military History (MilHist)" ping list.

80 posted on 01/06/2008 12:17:19 PM PST by indcons
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