R4 TOTY Dambuster Tour Germany/Belgium

[DJ Marky Mark]

Hi everyone, Just a quick reminder with regards to the meals on nights 3 & 4. We are still waiting for replies from 3 cars and need to get back to the hotels as they are chasing. If you haven't done so already could you let us know whether you want to eat with the group on these nights, ideally this evening. Many thanks

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

...and here is the Tourbook section for Day 3; Day 3 - Friday 26th July 2013 - Bad Durkheim to Langscheid - 250 miles total After breakfast depart hotel at 08.30. Follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 3.1” - Bad Durkheim to Edersee - 166 miles - 3 hours. Heading north, we begin with a stretch on the motorway to get some miles behind us. Passing Frankfurt we will take the opportunity to fill up with petrol on the motorway (opportunities will be limited from here) before turning off near Giessen and passing through Marburg before we start to see some more scenic routes as we get closer to the Edersee national park. The route takes us through Waldeck (see POI 07) before passing the Eder Dam itself (see POI 08) and on to the Edersee car park. We hope to arrive at noon and spend up to three hours here, giving time for lunch and to fully explore the area around the dam. Leave Edersee at 15.00. Follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 3.2” - Edersee to Langscheid - 84 miles - 2.5 hours. Leaving Edersee we travel west through the Naturpark Rothaargebirge. Approaching Langscheid we detour briefly for petrol in Sundern before returning to meet the shores of the Sorpesee at its southernmost point and then following the shoreline to our hotel (see Hotel Details Day 3) which looks directly onto the Sorpe dam (see POI 09). We hope to arrive in time to check-in and then have a stroll around the dam, in particular to be able to walk to the bottom of the dam and appreciate the scale of the construction.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Today's road book "lift" for Day 4 of our Tour[8D] Day 4 - Saturday 27th July 2013 - Langscheid to Arnhem - 166 miles total After breakfast depart hotel at 09.00. Follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 4” - Langscheid to Raesfeld - 90 miles - 4 hours. Our hotel at Langscheid is only 15 miles from our first stop today, the last of the “big three” dams on our tour, the Mohne Dam (see POI 10). After we have paused to cross the dam and taken our photos we will move on just a mile or so to see the Mohne memorial (see POI 11) in the small village of Gunne. Parking for all of our cars will be a little difficult but it should be possible to find places close by. From Gunne its only 3 miles further to our next stop, Hopgood’s crash site (see POI 12). We leave our cars by the roadside here and take a brief walk to the site. As we move north west from the dams, our tour focuses on the crash sites which abound on the route to and from the dams, a sombre reminder of the human cost of Operation Chastise. It’s a further 20 miles or so to our next stop just north of Hamm, this time the crash site of Ottley (see POI 13). Again we leave the cars by the roadside and take a short walk to the memorial in the crater caused by the crash. We drive on for approximately 20 more miles reaching another famous landmark. The Dortmund-Ems canal (see POI 14), although not directly associated with the Dams raid, featured heavily in 617 Squadron’s history. A number of raids targeted this important and heavily defended transport facility. We will cross the bridge at Ludinghausen and we will be able to stop for photos if we wish. A further 20 miles sees us arrive in Raesfeld (see POI 15) where we will park near the castle and take the opportunity to stretch our legs and take some lunch. Leaving Raesfeld at 14.00 continue to follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 4” - Raesfeld to Arnhem - 76 miles - 2.5 hours. Just 4 miles outside of Raesfeld is Astell’s crash site (see POI 16). Not the easiest to find but the Sat Nav should take us straight there. We now cut across country in an easterly direction towards the river Rhine and our last crash site of the day, that of Barlow (see POI 17) just outside of Haldern. From here we join the motorway for a short stretch taking the opportunity to refuel before we reach Arnhem and cross the famous John Frostbrug (see POI 18), quite literally “a Bridge Too Far” and the scene of heavy fighting during Operation Market Garden in 1944. We will cross the bridge and then take the narrow road back underneath along the riverside. This road is a dead end so we will turn round and go back under the bridge stopping for photos at suitable points before getting back onto the main Arnhem ring-road and heading to our hotel for the night (see Hotel Details Day 4) which is in a park just outside of town.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

and on Day 5 we can look forward to.... Day 5 - Sunday 28th July 2013 - Arnhem to Bruges - 210 miles total After breakfast depart hotel at 09.30. Follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 5” - Arnhem to Steenbergen - 90 miles - 2 hours. In order to make the most of today we will travel to our first crash site, that of Burpee (see POI 19) via the motorway. It is just 60 miles away so the drive should only take an hour. We can’t stop at this site as it is an active military airfield but we can drive alongside the perimeter fence before moving onto Steenbergen where we will visit the crash site and graves of Jim Warwick & Guy Gibson (see POI 20). Steenbergen is a good place for lunch so we will pause here, although parking is not always easy. After a stroll and a bite to eat we will visit the unspectacular crash site of Guy Gibson (see POI 21) on an industrial estate to the west of the town. This site marks the end of the Dambusters related section of the tour. However there is still much to see and do, so we will leave Steenbergen and continue to follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 5” - Steenbergen to Bruges - 120 miles - 3.5 hours. We cross a number of polders before crossing the coastline on the incredible Stormvloedkering (see POI 22) and reaching the pretty market town of Middelburg. Again parking is not always easy here for a group of cars, but we have two car parks mapped so hopefully they will be able to accommodate us and we can spend an hour or so here. We anticipate arriving at around 15.00. We leave Middelburg and soon travel through the impressive Westerschelde Tunnel (see POI 23). It’s then a short drive into Belgium. There are a number of smaller petrol stations once in Belgium so we will take the opportunity to fill up before arriving at our hotel in the centre of Bruges (see Hotel Details Day 5). The evening is free to stroll around this fabulous town. We will lead an evening guided tour of the town for anyone that would like to do this.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

and our final day, Day 6 Day 6 – Monday 29th July 2013 – Bruges to Calais/Zeebrugge - 240 miles total Today is essentially a free day. Those travelling back to Zeebrugge need to arrive at the port in good time for the 17.30 check in deadline prior to the 19.00 sailing. Those returning via Eurotunnel need to be at the Calais terminal by 15.30 to catch the 16.50 crossing. The options for today are to spend it in Bruges, (though please remember you will need to check out of the hotel car park or pay for additional parking) or take the opportunity to follow a WWI themed route taking in the “Trench of Death” and the impressive Peace Tower, both at Diksmuide. We will of course lead this tour for those that wish to go. It is on the way back to Calais but not too far if those traveling back via Zeebrugge (35 miles back to Zeebrugge) wish to join. If joining the optional tour please follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 6” - Bruges to Diksmuide - 30 miles - 1 hour. We will leave the hotel at 09.30 after a leisurely breakfast and arrive at the Peace Tower (see POI 24) at 10.30. There is a small restaurant here so we can have a snack if required before travelling just a few miles further to the “Trench of Death” (see POI 25). From here those returning to Calais should continue to follow Sat Nav Route “13.07 Dams Day 6” - Diksmuide to Calais - 50 miles - 1 hour. We will return to Calais directly via the motorway. Those returning to Zeebrugge should load waymarker “wm34 Zeebrugge Ferry Return Day 6”. The return journey is 35 miles and will take less than an hour Off to the Goodwood Festival of Speed now, I will post some details from the "Points of Interest" along our route next week.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Ok so, the "Points of Interest" on the first day of next weeks tour; Day 1 - Wednesday 24th July 01 - Monschau Lovely town in the Venn region of the Eifel National Park. Lots of half-timbered buildings and plenty of choice for lunch. We will park at the car park in the lower town and hope to have an hour here to stretch our legs. Tourist office details; Monschau-Touristik GmbH, Stadtstraße 16, 52156 Monschau. Phone: +49 (0) 2472/8048-0. Open 10.00 to 17.00 http://www.monschau.de/tourist-information/index.php 02 - Nurburgring The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex around the village of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old "North loop" track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The north loop is 12.8 miles (20.8 km) long and has more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. Jackie Stewart nicknamed the old track "The Green Hell," and it is widely considered to be the most demanding and difficult purpose-built racing circuit in the world. Between 1982 and 1983 the start/finish area was demolished to create a new GP-Strecke, and this is used for all major and international racing events. However, the shortened Nordschleife remains in use for racing, testing and public access. No opportunity for us to go onto the track today (public access only from 17.30 to 19.30), but we can pause for photos under the famous “red letters” near the main complex. http://www.nuerburgring.de/en/startseite.html 03 - Cochem Picturesque town on the Moselle river amongst vineyards which cloak the steep valley sides. As we drive through you may get a “flavour” of the town and decide to return on another tour when there is more time to visit the castle or to stroll around the shops in the historic centre (one street back from the river). 04 - Bad Durkheim Our evening stopover. Bad Durkheim sits in the Palatinate Forest on the German Wine route. There are a number of attractions including the Dürkheimer Riesenfass (Giant Barrel), the world’s biggest barrel which houses a restaurant. Have a walk in the town, but ask at the hotel for a map and directions to the Gradierwerk on Salinenstrasse (a short stroll through the park adjacent to the hotel). It’s 1.5 Euros to walk round the upper tier. A unique experience!! http://www.bad-duerkheim.com/sehenswuerdigkeiten-freizeit/gradierbau-saline.html

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

...and Day 2; Day 2 - Thursday 25th July 05 - Porsche Museum Stuttgart Open 09.00 to 18.00. We will park in the underground car park. Once inside, go to the top of the building (escalator then stairs) and work downwards. There is a shop and nice restaurant for lunch. Take time to visit the Porsche showroom across the road. They are used to tourists and often have some nice cars on display. http://www.porsche.com/international/aboutporsche/porschemuseum/ 06 - Solitude Race Circuit Race circuit near Stuttgart used for the German GP in the 1960’s and often used by Porsche for testing. It is now all public roads but there are a number of old buildings where you can stop and take photographs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitude_Racetrack

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Day 3, a big day in terms of the history on this tour; Day 3 - Friday 26th July 07 - Waldeck Waldeck is a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in north western Hesse, Germany. It lies on the Edersee, a man-made lake. Waldeck was the residence of the Counts of Waldeck who, beginning around 1200, gradually gathered a sizeable realm under their control and, having added the county of Pyrmont to their holdings through inheritance, were elevated to Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1712. The town’s main landmark is Schloss Waldeck which 617 Squadron used as a landmark when commencing their bombing runs on the Eder Dam. 08 - Eder Dam The Edersee, Germany's third largest reservoir, was created by the construction of the Eder dam in 1914. The dam was designed to help regulate water levels for shipping on the Weser and to generate hydroelectricity. Like the Mohne, the Eder dam was a gravity dam made from granite masonry. Due to its location surrounded by large hills, the Germans believed the Eder dam would be almost impossible to attack and therefore it had little defence. There were no anti-torpedo nets or anti-aircraft guns. There were only two guards on patrol on the dam with rifles. The Eder dam was difficult to locate with the similarly looking wooded landscape with valleys and an early morning mist rising. Due to the shape of the valley, the attackers would have to approach over Waldeck Castle sat on top of a 1,000 feet peak, then dive down to the lake and swing sharply left, hop over a spit of land and quickly drop to 60 feet for the attack. As soon as they released their Upkeep they would then have to pull up steeply to avoid the high ground on the other side of the dam. In actual fact they would have no more than 5 seconds to line up the plane at 60 feet and release the weapon before it was too late. At 0120 Shannon AJ-L was sent in to attack the Eder. After three attempts at lining up correctly he could not achieve the right angle or height. Maudslay was sent in. He had similar problems and after two attempts Shannon tried again. On his third attempt he released his Upkeep. It exploded right against the dam wall but the dam held. Maudslay had another attempt. His bomb aimer Mike Fuller, perhaps not wanting to delay the attack released the Upkeep too late. It hit the parapet of the dam and exploded. Although Maudslay had cleared the dam, the blast almost certainly caused him damage. Gibson radioed him and asked if he was OK. Maudslay was heard to faintly reply "I think so". It was the last they would hear from Maudslay. Gibson called Astell who he had not seen since leaving Scampton but Astell and the crew of AJ-B had been dead for about an hour and a half. There was now just Knight’s Upkeep remaining. Knight made one dummy run before making his final attack. On his second run Ed Johnson, the bomb aimer, released his Upkeep. It skipped over the lake three times and hit the wall not far from the centre. To the delight of Gibson and the remaining planes the bomb punched a hole right through the middle of the dam and then the top fell away with a gigantic torrent of water bursting through. Today the area around the dam is popular with tourists and walkers, there is much to see and do. 09 - Sorpe Dam Unlike the Mohne and Eder dam the Sorpe is an earth dam not a gravity dam. It was built between 1927 and 1935 and at 61 meters high it was Germany's highest earth dam. The Sorpe dam is 640 meters long and holds back over 70 million tons of water. It was the least likely to be breached. Due to various problems, only three Lancasters reached the Sorpe Dam; McCarthy, Brown and Anderson. Here the "Upkeep" bomb was not spun, and the approach was made along the length of the dam, not at right angles over the reservoir, due to the topography of the valley. McCarthy's plane was on its own when it arrived over the Sorpe Dam at 00:15 hours. He realised the approach was even more difficult than expected. The flight path led over a church steeple in Langscheid. With only seconds to go before the bomber had to pull up to avoid hitting the hillside at the other end of the dam, the bomb aimer George Johnson had no time to correct the bomb's height. McCarthy made nine attempted runs, the Upkeep bomb was dropped on the tenth. The bomb exploded, but when he turned his Lancaster to assess the damage it turned out that only a section of the crest of the dam had been blown off. Meanwhile, three of the reserve aircraft had been directed to the Sorpe Dam. Burpee had been shot down at Gilze-Rijen airfield. Brown reached the Sorpe Dam but in the dense fog the bomb was dropped hastily and also failed to breach the dam. Anderson arrived last, but by then the fog had become too dense for him even to attempt a bombing run. For some reason McCarthy had failed to relay the signal “Goner 79C - Weapon release at the Sorpe dam, exploded on contact with the dam and a small breach made”, until he was 20 minutes from home. As a result, controllers at Grantham were not aware that the Sorpe which was the second most important target after the Mohne was still standing. Despite this primary target remaining, the reserve wave were sent to attack secondary targets, the Diemel, Lister and Ennepe Dams. Our hotel overlooks the Sorpe Dam so we should have plenty of time to walk across the dam and down to the bottom of the earth bank where the sheer scale of the construction can be most appreciated. Another one tonight.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Points of interest for Day 4..... Day 4 - Saturday 27th July 10 - Mohne Dam The Mohne dam was completed in 1913, at that time it was the largest in Europe. At 37m high, 777m long and 30m thick at the base it was built from blocks of granite masonry. It holds back approximately 140 million tons of water. At the time of the Dams raid, the Mohne dam was protected by 2 anti-torpedo nets in the water in front of the dam and a number of anti-aircraft guns. Formation No. 1 arrived over the Möhnesee and Gibson made the first run. The German gunners were ready for him and were probably amazed to see the Lancaster turning on its lamps as it approached the dam. With the Upkeep now being revolved backwards at 500 rpm in the belly of the aircraft, at 0028 hours Spafford, the bomb-aimer, pressed the release button. As in testing, the Upkeep bounced across the lake three times before sinking against the dam. A huge column of water was thrown up as it exploded. Everyone thought the dam had given way but as the spray subsided they realised that the dam wall was still intact. Gibson gave the water a few minutes to settle before calling Hopgood. His aircraft had been hit by flak on the way and came under heavy fire on the approach. The bomb-aimer Fraser, released the Upkeep late. The bomb bounced over the dam and hit the power station on the other side. The plane now crippled, limped over the dam in a ball of flames after a fuel tank had no doubt been hit. Subsequently Gibson flew his aircraft across the dam to draw the flak away from Martin's run. Martin’s aircraft was damaged but made a successful attack. Young made a successful run and after him Maltby when, finally, the dam was breached. Gibson called off Shannon who was about to make his attack and ordered his wireless operator Hutchinson to send “Nigger” back to Grantham - the codeword for the successful breach of the Mohne dam. Gibson with Young accompanying, led Shannon, Maudslay and Knight to the Eder. 11 - Mohne Memorial The memorial to the Möhneseekatastrophe is located on the main street in the small village of Gunne. The village sits right below the dam and was badly damaged after it was breached. There is limited parking here but this poignant memorial is certainly worth a visit. 12 - Hopgood’s Crash Site Not too far from the Mohne dam is Hopgood’s crash site. We leave our cars on the roadside from where it is a two minute walk to the monument in a clearing. The plaque recounts some of the story. Knowing he was doomed Hopgood tried to gain some height to allow his crew to bail out. Tony Burcher the rear gunner managed to escape by cranking the turret around by hand. In the fuselage where his parachute was stored he saw John Minchin the wireless operator seriously wounded. Burcher bravely pushed his fellow crew mate out of the rear door, pulling the rip cord of the parachute as he fell. Burcher opened his parachute while inside the plane throwing it out of the door and letting it pull him clear. As he left the plane the wing sheared off and he passed out. The plane plunged into the ground in ball of flames three miles from the dam. Hopgood, Earnshaw, Brennan and Gregory were killed instantly. Burcher came round on the ground but had sustained serious back injuries from either hitting the tail of the plane or landing heavily. Minchin's parachute had failed to open in time and he was killed. Fraser the bomb aimer had also managed to escape from the Lancaster in the same way Burcher had by allowing the parachute to pull him clear of the plane through the front escape hatch. Both Burcher and Fraser were taken prisoner. 13 - Ottley’s Crash Site Ottley’s crash site is in a field just to the north of Hamm. Again we leave our cars by the roadside (taking care as this is a busier road) and take another short walk to the wooden cross that stands by the crater caused by the crash. Ottley had been part of the third wave. At 02.31 he responded to a signal redirecting him from the Lister dam to the Sorpe dam. Sadly he turned south a little early and was hit in the fuel tank by flak from Hamm. An explosion tore the wing off the plane which then crashed with the bomb on board. Miraculously rear gunner Fred Tees, still in his turret, was thrown clear by the explosion and survived but was immediately taken prisoner. The rest of the crew perished. 14 - Dortmund-Ems Canal The Dortmund Ems Kanal (DMK) was conceived by the Bishops of Münster who recognised the economic significance of the River Ems and between the 15th and 18th centuries several minor canals were built to create links with Holland. It was later agreed to create a link from the Nordrhein-Westphalia area through to the North Sea which would bypass the mouth of the Rhine which was controlled by Napoleonic forces who demanded customs taxes for goods in transit. However, following the Rhine Navigation Act of 1831 which allowed freedom of navigation and the exemption of duties levied, the Prussian authorities lost interest in a link with the North Sea. The building of a railway between Münster and Emden in 1856 caused a crisis as the low cost of the rail freight took away much traffic from the canals. Fortunately for the canals, the development of the Ruhr coal mines rekindled interest in moving large quantities of goods by water transport. The building of the canal from the River Ems to Herne in the Westfalian coal-field took seven years and cost 80 million Marks. It employed over 4000 workers including Dutch and Italian specialists. The finished canal was 266km long, passed through 20 locks and a shiplift to transfer vessels the 14m height difference from the Herne to the Dortmund branch of the canal. The canal is still a vital transport link allowing the use of ships carrying loads of up to 3,500 tons. Bomber Command targeted various parts of the DMK during WWII. The significance of the canal can be measured by the fact that 31 raids took place between 1940 and 1944 with almost 2200 planes dispatched. At least 60 of these planes were lost including a number from 617 Squadron. For more information; http://www.bomberhistory.co.uk/Canal%20raids/ 15 - Raesfeld Raesfeld is first mentioned in a document from the 9th century. It is now a small town featuring a famous castle. The present day castle dates back to 1259 and is one of Germany's most beautiful moated castles. The visitor centre is shut until 13.30 but we will still be able to see the castle. http://cmsen.eghn.org/raesfeld-besucher.html 16 - Astell’s Crash Site Situated just a couple of miles outside of Raesfeld, this is the only Dams operation crash site to still yield fragments of wreckage. A memorial (a stone and plaque) was erected in 2005 and can be seen through a gap in the hedge. We can park alongside the memorial. There are conflicting stories as to why Astell crashed. Bob Kellow, Knight's wireless operator said that Astell was trailing behind when he was caught in a crossfire of light flak. German witnesses however, claim that Astell flew into an electricity pylon and crashed exploding into pieces as the Upkeep detonated. Astell and his entire crew were killed in the crash. From where we park we can see the electricity pylon that locals say was responsible for bringing the plane down. 17 - Barlow’s Crash Site Barlow was the first to take off at 21.28 on 16th May 1943. He had only just crossed into Germany when he hit an electricity pylon near Rees. The Upkeep bomb did not detonate despite the explosion and was soon recovered by the German military who discovered its secrets, but only after the local major had posed for a photo with it, thinking it to be a fuel tank. We park by the roadside (there is as yet, no memorial) from where we can see the pylon responsible for the crash. 18 - John Frostbrug The John Frostbrug is the road bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem. The bridge is named after Major-General John Dutton Frost (1912–1993), who commanded the British forces that reached and defended the bridge during the Battle of Arnhem in September, 1944. Arnhem had a floating bridge since 1603 but as the city grew in the early 20th century a permanent link across the Rhine was needed. The Rijnbrug was completed in 1935, but was destroyed by the Dutch in 1940 to slow the German advance during the invasion of the Netherlands. The Germans needed a bridge however, and a pontoon bridge was built whilst the road bridge was being repaired. In September 1944 the Allies launched Operation Market Garden. The road bridge across the Lower Rhine should have been the final objective of the operation, and its capture was tasked to the British 1st Airborne Division. Unexpected German resistance in Arnhem meant that only a small force of some 740 men were able to reach the northern end of the bridge, commanded by Lt-Colonel John Frost. On the night of the 17th September the British attempted to take the southern end of the bridge, using a flame thrower to destroy German positions in the bridge's towers. This accidentally ignited an ammunition store and the fresh paint on the bridge caught fire, illuminating the area for most of the night and forcing the British to abandon their attempt. The superior German forces in Arnhem eventually overwhelmed Frost's men. They had however succeeded in closing the bridge to German armour for some four days, twice as long as a whole division was expected to hold the bridge. The rest of the division held out at nearby Oosterbeek until 25 September before being evacuated across the river. Although the bridge survived the battle, it was bombed and destroyed by B-26 Marauders of the 344th Bomb Group on 7 October 1944 to prevent the Germans from using it to send reinforcements south of the river. After the war the Rijnbrug was rebuilt in the same style and opened in 1948. The bridge was made famous in the 1977 film “A Bridge Too Far”, although because the buildings nearby had changed so much since the war, the film was actually filmed at Deventer where a similar bridge spans the IJssel. The Arnhem road bridge was officially renamed the John Frostbrug on 17 December 1977. More tomorrow, hope you're all getting ready[] Those that we are meeting enroute, we will be in touch this weekend to confirm the rendezvous.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Day 5 Day 5 - Sunday 28th July 19 - Burpee’s Crash Site Burpee was part of the third and final wave. He was negotiating the narrow gap between the night fighter airfields of Eindhoven and Gilze-Rijen who had been alerted by the earlier waves passing by. Brown witnessed Burpee’s demise noting that the Lancaster was on fire before it crashed into the Gilze-Rijen airfield where the Upkeep exploded like “a rising sun” causing massive damage to buildings and equipment. Today the airfield is still an operational military base so we can’t stop but will drive along the northern perimeter. 20 - Guy Gibson & Jim Warwick’s Grave Gibson and Warwick’s grave lies on the left hand side on the first avenue from the entrance of the catholic cemetery in Steenbergen not far from their crash site. Now there are two stones, but this wasn’t always the case. The Germans cordoned off the crash site at the Graaf Hendrikpolder. Human remains were recovered which confirmed there had been 1 person in the plane and therefore initially it was suspected the other member may have bailed out. However, with the discovery of a third hand, the presence of a second person was confirmed. Jim Warwick was identified from his identity tag. The laundry tag in a sock identified the other person as a “Guy Gibson”. The remains were placed in a small specially constructed coffin. The local deputy mayor, Mr Herbers, wanted to give the men a proper funeral. They hired a horse-drawn hearse from nearby Halsteren. The coffin was draped with the flag of the Netherlands and was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic cemetery. The funeral was attended by the Roman Catholic priest, Father Verhoeven and the protestant Pastor van den Brink. As they did not know the men's religion they performed the funeral between them. A cross was erected over the grave with Warwick’s full rank and name with the name “Guy Gibson” underneath. When it was later confirmed who “Guy Gibson” was, a new cross was constructed with Gibson's rank, name and decorations. 21 - Guy Gibson & Jim Warwick’s Crash Site Today a timber merchants on an industrial estate marks the crash site. There are some clues though, the road is called “Gibsonstraat” and it joins a road called “Warwickstraat”. Adjoining these is a road called “Mosquitostraat”. On 19 September 1944 an order came for 5 Group to attack Bremen. Gibson was to be the controller. As Gibson did not have a regular navigator, one had to be found. The original choice was sick, so Sq Ldr Jim Warwick DFC was selected. There was no serviceable Mosquito available at Coningsby for Gibson to use, so it was decided to use 627 Squadron’s reserve plane located at Woodhall Spa. Gibson and Warwick were driven over. When they arrived Gibson rejected the reserve plane, KB213 and insisted on using KB267 instead. At the target, the marking of Gibson’s area of control went badly wrong. The raid concluded at 21:58. It is possible he loitered in a wide, high orbit to assess the outcome and left around 22:00. One crew from 61 Squadron claimed they heard him say he had a damaged engine. His plane crashed at Steenbergen at around 22:30. The exact cause of Gibson's crash is unknown and is likely to remain so. There are various theories with some far stronger than others. The obvious one was his simple lack of experience flying Mosquitos. Although Gibson was unpopular with some people, events at RAF Woodhall Spa suggest the swap of the planes would have made it impossible for the actual plane he flew to have been tampered with. There were some instances of Mosquitos breaking up because of their wooden frames. A lack of fuel is favoured by members of 627 Squadron. In December 1985 the site was excavated and wreckage from the plane recovered. There was no obvious damage to it. Therefore, it has been suggested that Gibson and Warwick did not get the swap between fuel tanks correct. It has also been suggested there was a fault with the fuel tank selector. In October 2011, the Daily Mail featured an article stating that the cause of Gibson's death was friendly fire. Rear gunner Sgt Bernard McCormack flew on the raid. Before he died in 1992, he left a taped confession with his wife that he believed he had shot Gibson down. He had seen what he thought was a Ju-88 flying near his plane and had fired 600 rounds at it when in the vicinity of Steenbergen. He saw the plane go down. During the debriefing after the raid he explained what had happened. He was then asked again about the incident by an Intelligence Officer the following day. The attack was witnessed by another Lancaster. Reports exist in the National Archive from both crews. It is possible that Gibson was not where others might have expected him to be. During the briefing for the raid, he was advised to use an exit route that would put him over France. However, he disagreed and insisted he would return by the shortest route at low level. 22 - Stormvloedkering The Oosterscheldekering is the largest of the 13 ambitious Delta Works series of dams and storm surge barriers, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. The construction of the Delta Works was in response to the widespread damage and loss of life due to the North Sea Flood of 1953. The 9km Oosterscheldekering was the most difficult to build and most expensive part of the Delta works. Work on the dam took more than a decade. The dam is based on 65 concrete pillars with 62 steel doors, each 42 metres wide. The parts were constructed in a dry dock. Each pillar is between 35 and 38.75 metres high and weighs 18000 tonnes. The dam is designed to last more than 200 years. The Oosterscheldekering is sometimes referred to as the eighth Wonder of the World. It has been declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It is manually operated but if human control fails, an electronic security system acts as a backup. A Dutch law regulates the conditions under which the dam is allowed to close. The water levels must be at least three metres above regular sea level before the doors can be completely shut. It takes approximately one hour to close a door. The full dam has been closed twenty-four times since 1986, due to water levels exceeding or being predicted to exceed the three metres. The cost of operation is €17 million per year. 23 - Westerschelde Tunnel The Westerschelde Tunnel is a 4.1 mile tunnel Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. It is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in The Netherlands. The current toll is 5 euros. The tunnel is a bored tunnel and consists of two tubes which were excavated by a tunnel boring machine. Each tube has room for two driving lanes, but does not have a hard shoulder. Every 250 metres, the two tunnel tubes are connected to each other by lateral connections. In an emergency, the doors are automatically unlocked. The tunnel reaches its deepest point under the Pas van Terneuzen, 60 metres below water level. http://www.westerscheldetunnel.nl/en/home.htm

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

..and finally day 6[] Day 6 - Monday 29th July 24 - Peace Tower, Diksmuide De Ijzertoren (Yser Tower) or the Peace Tower in Diksmuide is a symbol of freedom and peace. The tower is 84m high, has 22 floors and is a museum about life in World War I. You can climb the steps or take a lift to the top where there is a tremendous panorama from the roof terrace or the enclosed glass viewing platform. You then walk down a floor at a time through various reconstructions of life at the time. In 1914, the area of Diksmuide was flooded so that the allied troops could stop the German invaders. They held back the Germans for 4 years until the end of the war. The inscription on the Yser Tower, AVV-VVK means "Alles Voor Vlaanderen - Vlaanderen Voor Kristus" (All for Flanders - Flanders for Christ). Entry is 7 Euros http://www.aandeijzer.be/ 25 - Trench of Death, Diksmuide Opposing elements of misery and glory marked the Belgian section of the Western front called “The Trench of Death” between 1914 and 1918, where regiment after regiment of the Belgian army struggled under unbearably harsh conditions to prevent the German advance toward France. The Germans had fitted a base with petrol tanks near the Ijzer river, and it was heavily armed with machine guns. In 1915, under heavy fire, Belgians started digging a trench along the west bank of the river to try to retake the base. Through the use of saps (the extension of a trench to a point below the enemy fortifications) both sides got closer to each other until they were yards apart. The attacks were incessant, the trenches narrow, the soldiers sitting ducks for mortar attacks. Finally, in 1917 the Belgians built a big concrete shelter with lookout holes called the "Mouse Trap" to stop the Germans from infiltrating the Belgian trenches at the ends of the saps. The “Trench of Death” near Diksmuide remained at the heart of the Belgian resistance until the successful Anglo-Belgian offensive of the Battle of Flanders Today we can park right outside and walk through the trenches by the river and visit the new visitor centre. http://www.webmatters.net/belgium/ww1_dodengang.htm Look forward to seeing you tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

For our visit on Thursday to the Porsche Museum at Stuttgart can everyone please bring along their PCGB membership card as the museum will give us free entry if we have them []. See you soon

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Hi everyone, hope you all had safe returns. I'll post the YouTube clips as I do them. Here is the first, Solitude Race circuit at Stuttgart; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmQtsiK4Y4c All of our other clips are here http://www.youtube.com/user/EuropeanDrivingTours See you all soon

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

Hi, Some of you wanted to see the master route of where we went. Here it is.

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

and another "quickie" for you, the bridge at Arnhem; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAp6caSMJR8&feature=youtu.be

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

The Westerscheld Tunnel, with "natural" sound[8D][] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbPkdL-y3I&feature=youtu.be

 

[option911]

Well for anyone who missed the Tour, or considered it but couldn't make up their minds; You missed a brilliant and very well organised event. The driving was brilliant and quite exciting at times. The scenery was stunning and very varied. The company was agreeable, humerous and a pleasure to spend time with. The Museum trip was sublime, all being parked outside the front of the entrance, flying our R4 flag, just enhanced the whole experience. The Hotels were all very high quality and made us feel welcome, if not a bit special. The sight and sound of 9 Porsches thrashing through the roads of Europe was the culmination of a boyhood dream. Thanks Mark and Allison, I would sign up again without doubt, very proffesional and great company! Gavin R4 ARO

 

[garyw]

ORIGINAL: DJ Marky Mark The Westerscheld Tunnel, with "natural" sound[8D][] [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbPkdL-y3I&feature=youtu.be]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbPkdL-y3I&feature=youtu.be[/link]

Seems to me you're missing a V8 to come mullering by..... []

 

[DJ Marky Mark]

ORIGINAL: garyw

ORIGINAL: DJ Marky Mark The Westerscheld Tunnel, with "natural" sound[8D][] [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbPkdL-y3I&feature=youtu.be]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEbPkdL-y3I&feature=youtu.be[/link]

Seems to me you're missing a V8 to come mullering by..... []

Ah you mean as opposed to the Merc that mullered us all at the start[][] Yes it would have been lovely to have a V8 along, maybe next time[] See you on Friday

 

[garyw]

Looked an amazing trip and something I'd love to do in the future for sure. Just too many trips this year to do them all...[] Looking forward to Friday.. []