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Topic: Merville Battery

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	The Merville Battery
		The northern end of the Battery was protected by an anti-tank ditch, 14 feet wide and 300 feet long, with the remaining circumference protected by two belts of barbed wire, the inner belt being 8 feet tall, and in between these lay a 50-75 feet deep minefield.
		In the dark, the Battery was not easy to locate and so the men on the ground were to guide the gliders towards it with Eureka beacons, however none of these had been recovered and so the pilots were flying by sight alone.
		The assault upon the Merville Battery, by a small and wholly ill-equipped force, is still regarded as one of the most outstanding achievements in the history of the Parachute Regiment.
	www.pegasusarchive.org /normandy/depth_merville.htm (1354 words)

	Merville Gun Battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Merville Gun Battery was a gun battery in Normandy, France as part of the Nazi's Atlantic wall built to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion.
		The northern end of the Battery was protected by an anti-tank ditch, 14 feet wide and 300 feet long, with the remaining circumference protected by two belts of barbed wire, the inner belt being 8 feet tall, and in between these lay a 50-75 feet deep minefield.
		The assault upon the Merville Battery, by a small and wholly ill-equipped force, is still regarded as one of the most outstanding achievements in the history of the Parachute Regiment.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Merville_Battery (1387 words)

	The Merville Battery (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		The Merville Battery, situated six miles north-east of Ranville, was a formidable obstacle.
		By far the easiest solution would have been to bomb the Battery or to shell it from the sea, but accuracy in both cases was doubtful and only a direct hit from the heaviest of ordnance would be effective.
		In the dark, the Battery was not easy to locate and so the men on the ground were to guide the gliders towards it with Eureka beacons, however none of these had been recovered and so the pilots were flying by sight alone.
	www.ornebridgehead.org /depth_merville.htm (1354 words)

	Operation Tonga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The destruction of the Merville Battery, a heavily fortified gun emplacement, four miles to the north-east of Ranville.
		The Battery overlooked Sword Beach, and it was therefore seen as a considerable threat to the invasion as its four guns could account for thousands of lives as the sea-borne troops came ashore.
		At 00:30, before this reconnaissance party had reached the Battery, one hundred RAF Lancaster and Halifax heavy bombers would attack it with 4,000 lb bombs in the hope of destroying the position altogether or at the least inflicting considerable damage upon the defences.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Operation_Tonga (4732 words)

	The Otway Family Tree
		The rendezvous organisation and battery reconnaissance parties, ten strong, were to land from an Albermarle, mark the dropping zone and reconnoitre a route to the battery through its defences.
		The three gliders which were to crash on top of the battery were to be released at a height of six thousand feet at 04.24 hours, one and a half minutes later a bugle was to sound reveille, whereupon mortars from the firm base would fire star shells to illuminate the target.
		The plan for illuminating the battery with star shells had gone awry, for there were no shells or mortars from which to fire them, and Staff-Sergeant Bone in consequence at first mistook the village of Merville for the battery.
	www.otway.com /family/docs/app_p.html (3440 words)

	La Cambe May 25th, 2006
		The Merville Gun Battery was a gun battery in Normandy, France as part of the Nazi's Atlantic wall built to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion.
		The gliders were to be guided to the Battery by the troops on the ground using Eureka beacons, however none of these had been recovered from the drop, and so the gliders pilots were flying by eyesight alone.
		The other, however, found the Battery and was making its final approach when it was spotted and fired upon by a machine-gun, wounding four of the men inside and throwing the glider off course.
	www.saak.nl /normandy2006/merville/merville.html (1451 words)

	BBC - WW2 People's War - 'Marra' McGuinness MM at Merville, D-Day 6th June 1944
		For the 60th Anniversary documentary the BBC re-enacted the attack on the Merville Battery for a drama-documentary entitled 'D-Day 6.6.44'.
		In 1944, the Merville Battery had four guns in casemates overlooking what was to become 'Sword Beach' where the 3rd British Infantry Division was due to land on 'D-Day'.
		Most of the paratroopers who died during the attack on Merville Battery are buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries in Normandy, such as the one at Ranville, situated a little to the south-east of 'Pegasus Bridge'.
	www.bbc.co.uk /ww2peopleswar/stories/98/a4160198.shtml (3015 words)

	1940 Articles - The Merville Battery
		The task of silencing the Merville Battery was given to the 9th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, which was part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade.
		It's tasks were to make a reconnaisance of the Battery, meet the Battalion outside the objective, advise the CO on the prospects of his plan, and lead the unit along to the assault by the best route.
		He could not see the Battery, and believing that the bombed village of Gonneville was the target, he descended to 500 feet, but realising his error, banked the Horsa away.
	www.1940.co.uk /history/article/merville/merville.htm (2625 words)

	3rd Brigade WW2 Reenactors - Tour of Merville Battery
		The 9th Parachute Battalion led by Lt.-Col. Otway was given the capture of the battery as their primary objective on the night of June 5th/6th, 1944, as part of the Normandy Invasion.
		For the 9th Parachute Battalion the objective was the destruction of the Merville Battery, a fortified concrete artillery position that could fire on the Normandy landing beaches.
		The location of the Merville Battery, in the low farmlands near the coast of the Channel, has been maintained as a memorial site.
	www.6th-airborne.org /tour_merville.html (993 words)

	Stop 7 - Merville Battery
		The Merville Battery was a German gun site, where it was thought a battery of at least 150mm guns were located.
		On D Day, Otway and his men were scattered far and wide by the drop, and with a strength of under 110 men at the RV point, and only one machinegun and a handful of bangalore torpedoes to blow the wire, and explosive for the guns, he decided to attack anyway.
		As shells fell on Sword Beach on 6th June, it was thought by the High Command, who had not received Otway's message by pigeon, that the Merville Battery was still in action.
	battlefieldsww2.50megs.com /stop_7_-_merville_battery.htm (359 words)

	Nap Nuts Singapore Wargamers Wargames
		To aid the assault, a coup de main party of Engineers and part of 'A' coy 9th Para were to land their gliders right in the midst of the gun positions.
		By 4am, he reached his "firm base" at the southern end of the battery and was ready to begin the assault.
		At the Battery the gaps were blown in the wire and the men stormed straight in, firing from the hip.
	napnuts.tripod.com /cf_merville.htm (851 words)

	Tours in the British and Canadian Sectors
		The battery was promptly silenced by fire from HMS Ajax and the French cruiser George Leygues.
		To visit the Merville Battery (18) from the Pegasus Bridge area, drive east from the bridge on D 514, cross the Orne River (this bridge is new), and continue north through Sallenelles.
		The task of neutralizing the Merville Battery was given to the seven-hundred-man 9th Battalion, 6th Airborne Division, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway.
	www.history.rochester.edu /mtv/britsect.htm (3656 words)

	3rd Brigade WW2 Reenactors - Merville Battery
		The Merville Battery was a series of heavy gun emplacements in concrete bunkers built by the German Army.
		The battery was built near the coast, and could easily lay fire on Sword beach, the landing area designated for the British 3rd Infantry Division on the morning of June 6th.
		The plan of attack required detachments of the 9th Battalion to secure the area surrounding the battery, establish a secure base of operations for the assualt, and create diversionary attacks against local German forces to delay the possibility of reinforcements arriving at the battery.
	www.6th-airborne.org /merville.html (882 words)

	The Atlantic Wall Linear Museum © 2005
		Despite the excellent camouflage arranged by the occupiers, the battery was quickly spotted by the British aviation.
		The Merville-Franceville-Plage battery was composed of four casemates, each armed with medium calibre artillery pieces: three Model 669 casemates and one Model 611, the most important.
		The coastal battery, which could have delayed the Allied landing on Sword Beach, was assaulted by British paratroops (the 9th Battalion) in the night between the 5th and 6th of June, 1944.
	www.atlanticwall.polimi.it /museum/bunker/bunker_france.php?inventory_ID=105 (469 words)

	Welcome
		The Merville Battery was part of the atlantic Wall built by the Germans in order to repel any assault from the sea and particularly from the beach of Ouistreham.
		The battery became one the main objectives of the 6th Airborn Division during the night of the 5th to the 6th of June 1944.
		Today, a museum is located inside of the 1st Casemate and uses documents and equipment to recall the history of the assault on this Battery, considered impregnable at the time.
	mairie-mervillefranceville.fr /web/englishMervillebattery.do?nodeId=5 (146 words)

	Untitled Document (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		When he had been assigned to the silence the Merville battery, the mission was situation was described simply as a stinker.
		The Merville battery was surrounded by machine gun posts, and a thick belt of barbed wire, which was was surrounded by 30 yards of minefield, a 2nd barbed wire belt surrounded that and the finally a 100 yard stretch of minefield.
		The Merville battery was estimated to hold up to 200 soldiers, with ten machine gun post.
	www.planetcallofduty.com /sob/html/hist_norm.htm (1817 words)

	The Merville Battery (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		An aerial reconnaissance photograph of the Merville Battery (centre-top), taken on the 8th May 1944, with the bottom of the photograph pointing north.
		Note the anti-tank ditch surrounding the north-west of the Battery, also the bomb damage to Descanneville (left).
		The village of Merville can be seen in the centre, and to the bottom right is Franceville Plage.
	www.ornebridgehead.org /Photos/Pic_MervilleAerial.htm (58 words)

	Close Combat Org Forums - Merveille Battery
		If the British paratroopers failed to take Merveille Battery, and the battery whas still in German hands on the morning when the beach landings started.
		Besides, the guns in Merville were only French 75s, they could scarcely reach the nearest beach - the Paras stormed it thinking there were 10.5s or 15cm cannons there.
		It´s true, the Allies attacked Merville thinking there were a battery of four 150 mm guns.
	www.closecombat.org /forums/printthread.php?t=5484 (217 words)

	THE AIRBORNE ALLIES ON D-DAY :: Knights out of the clouds
		The Merville Battery was considered as treathning for the Beach assault troops in the British sector of the landing and had to be taken out.
		Keeping in mind that the Merville battery had to be destroyed before 05.30 hours, Lt Colonel Terence Otway was in the obligation not to wait,so he moved on without his heavy materials and sappers.
		The 9 th Parachute battalion had reached her goal, Otway broadcasted is all clear message, The Merville battery was out of order, of the force that attacked the battery 65 men were killed, wounded or missing in action.
	www.freewebs.com /airbornealltheway/britishairborne.htm (1564 words)

	The Atlantic Wall - German coastal defences in France 1940 - 1944
		The battery in the year of 1996 when the site was not yet fenced in.
		The battery was situated on a meadow north of the Orne river delta about 3 kilometers away from the sea near the village of Merville.
		During the construction the battery was discovered by Allied reconaissance planes and French workmen with connections to the Résistance reported the Allies about the fortifications.
	www.atlantikwall.fr /en/atlantikwall/normandie/merville.htm (367 words)

	Printer Friendly Format - This Is Local London
		Only one in 50 soldiers were expected to survive the attack on the Merville Battery, a formidable fort and linchpin of the German defence of the Normandy beaches.
		The RAF bombing raid which was supposed to disable the German guns had missed the battery, and anti-tank guns, mortars, mine-detectors and a range of other important equipment, had also failed to arrive at the first rendezvous.
		The Melville Battery, highly fortified, with four heavy guns, two walls of barbed wire, an electric fence, minefield and anti-attack guns and bombs, was an almost impregnable foe.
	www.thisislocallondon.co.uk /misc/print.php?artid=584847 (1091 words)

	Deadly Mission Of Dday Veteran Honoured (from Hendon Times)
		Only one in 50 soldiers were expected to survive the attack on the Merville Battery, a formidable fort and linchpin of the German defence of the Normandy beaches.
		The RAF bombing raid which was supposed to disable the German guns had missed the battery, and anti-tank guns, mortars, mine-detectors and a range of other important equipment, had also failed to arrive at the first rendezvous.
		The Melville Battery, highly fortified, with four heavy guns, two walls of barbed wire, an electric fence, minefield and anti-attack guns and bombs, was an almost impregnable foe.
	www.hendontimes.co.uk /features/newsfeatures/display.var.579863.0.deadly_mission_of_dday_veteran_honoured.php (1171 words)

	Amazon.com: Normandy : Pegasus Bridge and Merville Battery (Battleground Europe) (Battleground Europe): Books: Carl ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		Equally well done is the section on the Merville battery, a German artillery battery that threatened the British sea borne landing beaches.
		Merville was a very deadly company-level battle, with 66 of the 150 British assault troops killed, but it shows what well-trained troops are capable of accomplishing.
		One interesting incident at Merville was that of the 22 Germans captured, one medical orderly who assisted both German and British wounded was recommended for an Iron Cross medal by LTC Otway.
	www.amazon.com /Normandy-Pegasus-Merville-Battery-Battleground/dp/1580970109 (1740 words)

	Welcome
		The Merville Battery was part of the atlantic Wall built by the Germans in order to repel any assault from the sea and particularly from the beach of Ouistreham.
		The battery became one the main objectives of the 6th Airborn Division during the night of the 5th to the 6th of June 1944.
		Today, a museum is located inside of the 1st Casemate and uses documents and equipment to recall the history of the assault on this Battery, considered impregnable at the time.
	www.mairie-mervillefranceville.fr /web/englishMervillebattery.do?nodeId=5 (146 words)

	D-Day: Operation Overlord - Features on thehistorychannel.co.uk
		Another key target for the 6th airborne was the Merville Battery, which was a strong German gun emplacement that posed a major threat to any attack on Sword beach.
		The German gun batteries were heavily defended and an ambitious plan of attack was conceived.
		Despite having far fewer men than anticipated, the quality of the training the men received came to the fore as the small force of airborne troops managed to take the battery and ensured that the Sword landings were free from the gunsâ heavy fire.
	www.thehistorychannel.co.uk /site/features/d-day.php (2505 words)

	Merville Batterie
		The German battery at Merville protected the entrance to the small port of Ouistreham and would have been able to fire on the many ships supporting the attack on Sword beach.
		To neutralise the battery a hundred Lancaster Bombers dropped 400 tons of bombs during the night of 5/6th June.
		By now it was 05:30 and the battery was secure, just thirty minutes before the British Battleship H.M.S. Arethusa was scheduled to pound the site with her six inch guns.
	www.normandy1944.org.uk /merville_batterie.htm (436 words)

	Pathfinder USA - About the Group
		Ahead was the town of Merville and to one side the coastal battery.
		The Pathfinder parachute group had just jumped onto the Merville gun battery in front of the survivors of the original airborne assault, The 9th Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
		This was well received and as a result we had an invitation from the veterans of the 9th Battalion the Parachute regiment to jump at their anniversary onto the Merville gun battery in Normandy.
	www.visualcollector.com /Pathfinder/Letter.htm (1584 words)

	Lutz's Memoir44 Pages: Merville Battery Scenario
		The German battery in Merville, Normandy, was one of the hazards for the eastern landing areas of the D-Day invasion.
		The battery had been extensively attacked from the air, but even direct hits were not able to penetrate the 2-metre-thick concrete casemates.
		The bunker near the road is the main entrance to the battery area.
	flyhi.de /games/memoir44_scen_merville.html (1504 words)

	The Merville Battery - Wild Bill Guarnere.Community
		Merville was just the start of 6 days of hell for the men of 9th Para, after Merville they had to take and hold Chateau St Come,and the surrounding area, they were eventually helped out by the Black watch who also suffered very bad casualties and also the heavy machine guns of the middlesex regiment.
		A part of the battery, is sadly enough unvisitable because it's located on private grounds and the farmer who owns this part asks to much money for this landpart, way to much for tha association that works on volunteers.
		That part of the battery is regulary flooded and you can see from the fence that the casemats are regulary under water, there's always water standing inside them.
	forums.wildbillguarnere.com /index.php?showtopic=6060 (1899 words)

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