Photos of vehicles in the Falaise gap

[Michael Kenny]

Any of the ones 'under glass' are interesting as I know several scenes that only exist in this format. More if you have them.

[AVV]

Hello!

just ask if you are interested in more

Yes, surely!

Best regards, Aleks

[punkyto]

Hello!
very good pictures!!

[nebelwerferXXX]

The Corridor of Death '...At least 10,000 German soldiers died, and 50,000 fell prisoner. Nearly 350 tanks and SP guns, nearly 2,500 other vehicles, and over 250 artillery pieces had been lost in the northern section alone of the Falaise pocket...' Enough to equipped 4 divisions.

How about the number of small arms?
About 20,000 rifles and over 600 SMGs probably?

from kstdk photos...thanks!

Inventory of destroyed and abandoned German equipment:

No. 3 images:
---1 towed 88-mm gun
---5 motor vehicles plus 1 other smashed vehicle? What type?
---1 gun tractor, 1 towed 88-mm gun and 2 armored half-tracks

No. 4 images:
---2 Panther medium tanks
---2 motor vehicles, 1 gun tractor and 1 105-mm gun
---1 tank, 2 trucks, 1 car and 1 motorcycle

No. 5 images:
---1 towed heavy artillery and 1 Jerry can
---1 stick grenade, 1 jeep with 1 badly burned dead officer? (because he's in the back seat)
---1 towed Nebelwerfer rocket mortar

No. 6 images:
---5 tanks (including 2 Panther medium tanks), 3 SP 105-mm guns (ex-French tank chassis) and 3 armored half-tracks
---1 SdKfz-251 medium APC and 1 vehicle
---1 gun tractor and 1 Nebelwerfer rocket mortar

[nebelwerferXXX]

The destruction in the Falaise Pocket as reported by the US 1st Army and it said:
'...the roads and fields were littered with thousands of enemy dead and wounded, wrecked and burning vehicles, smashed artillery pieces, cars laden with the loot of France overturned and smouldering, dead horses and cattle swelling in the summer's heat...'

From one officer, also judged the extend of the carnage framed a picture of the destruction and it described:
'...I stood in a lane, surrounded by twenty or thirty dead horses or parts of horses, most of them still hitched to their wagons and carts...As far as my eye could reach on every line of sight, there were vehicles, wagons, tanks, guns, prime movers, sedans, rolling kitchens, etc. in various stages of destruction...'

'...I saw no foxholes or any other type of shelter or field fortifications. The Germans were trying to run and had no place to run. They were probably too exhausted to dig...They were probably too tired even to surrender...'

'...I left this area rather regretting I'd seen it...Under such conditions there are no supermen - all men become rabbits looking for a hole...'


source:
Breakout: drive to the Seine, David Mason, p. 143

Yes, I saw the destruction of vehicles, wagons, tanks, guns, prime movers, sedans, rolling kitchens, etc. as seen in the photos that were posted in this topic.

[AlifRafikKhan]

Superb pictures, Kurt. More, please!

[egonzinc]

Great thread!
On the very first image group in the first post, there are what look like two 234/1. I don't believe any 234/1 made it to the Normandy front, any comments?
There is also an image of a 234/3. If it is from Falaise it must be from 116th PzD, as they were the only ones to get any 234/3, got two of them.
Also of note is the several Stug III with no traces of any sideskirts! I would expect the plates themselves to be long gone, but the brackets and skirt mounts I thought would remain. Maybe at this late date there were more non skirted vehicles than you would expect.
Eduardo

[nebelwerferXXX]

Great thread!

Exactly...!

[Manuferey]

As a complement, artillery pieces on the pictures:

No. 3 images:
---1 towed 88-mm gun = 8,8 cm Flak 41
---1 gun tractor, 1 towed 88-mm gun = 8,8 cm Flak (most probably 36)

No. 4 images:
--- 1 105-mm gun = 10,5 cm leFH 18/40

No. 5 images:
---1 towed heavy artillery = 15 cm sFH18
---1 towed Nebelwerfer rocket mortar = 15 cm NbW 41

No. 6 images:
--- There is a "15 cm Pz.Wf. 42 (Sf.) auf Maultier (Sd. Kfz 4/1)" visible with the rocket launcher rack on top
---1 Nebelwerfer rocket mortar = 15 cm NbW 41

Emmanuel

[niklassthlm]

Hi! "Sorry" to bring this thread up from the dead . I Was just scanning through it, planning my own Normandy trip, and just love this post. Is there any other info/pics now? Maps? Before and after pics? Lots of the pics in this thread are now gone

[Jarhead]

I'm new as of now, and was searching "falaise gap" and got directed here.
great thread and lots of pics.
Am I the only one that noticed the King Tigers at Falaise and or "the Chase" appear to all be "Porsche" turret versions? Yes, I know they were just early production Henschels, and discontinued because they were difficult to manufacture and had a "shell trap" under the mantlet. But only like 50 were ever produced, and it seems most of those were lost with the Panzer Lehr's heavy tank Bn in August / early September 44. None pictured seem to have later, more common production turrets.

[Jarhead]

Here's a video link that i suspect may be from Normandy, at least the first parts. A repair unit has at least one Panther running, looks like the turret is numbered 232. A couple others, including at least one badly burned out, for parts.
The vegitation and terrain just look like northern Normandy in July/Aug/Sept to me. unfortunately the idiot cameramen don't bother to fill out the board.
I know there were plenty of other places for them to get a few panthers together, but it smells like the southern part of the Falaise Gap to me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=44IWaZrBcXo&feature=related

[jpz4]

It's Panther 232 from Panzer Lehr (typical combination of early and late Ausf.A features), filmed on 16 July. Not sure when it was captured, but quite possibly in the Le Dezert fighting. It's of course possible these Panthers were moved, but it is also possible this was filmed where they were lost.

As for those Tiger IIs, most in Normandy were with s.Pz.Abt.503, some more (very early) were with s.Pz.Kp.316 (Fkl).
'Production turrets' were also present in s.Pz.Abt.503 but the number is not clear, probably around three. But for more information I'd recommend tiif.de or the old threads on Missing-Lynx (axis forum). (Also check the replacements T2s of s.SS-Pz.Abt.101 following Normandy losses)
At the same time some early turrets were encountered after Normandy, again I recommend tiif.de.

[spannermann]

Hi,
The most accurate information regarding Porsche turreted Tiger II's in Normandy is ;-

Five (some say six) with sPz Kp 316 (Fkl), this unit was attached to Pz Lehr for a very short time in June 44, soon removed and became an indepentant company, and lost all its Tiger II (P) in the Dreux/ Chateaudun area in August 44.

1/sPz Abt 503 had 12 Tiger II (P) plus 2 Tiger I in Normandy, lost all.

3/sPz Abt 503, orignally had Tiger I in Normandy, after losses its personnel were withdrawn and re-equipped with Tiger II in July 44 , then fought north of the R Seine and back to the Belgium border, lost all panzers. approximately 9 of its 14 Tiger II were Porche turreted vehicles. One #314 with Porsche turret and another, had mechanical faults, and so were shipped back to Germany directly without fighting in France, but #314 later saw action with 3/ sPz Abt 503 in Hungary.

Pz Lehr did not have a heavy tank battalion.

Panther 232 was eventually shipped back to the USA. Does anybody know if its still around ??

cheers leonard paul

[John Hilly]

3/sPz Abt 503, orignally had Tiger I in Normandy, after losses its personnel were withdrawn and re-equipped with Tiger II in July 44 , then fought north of the R Seine and back to the Belgium border, lost all panzers. approximately 9 of its 14 Tiger II were Porche turreted vehicles. One #314 with Porsche turret and another, had mechanical faults, and so were shipped back to Germany directly without fighting in France, but #314 later saw action with 3/ sPz Abt 503 in Hungary.

Actually 12 Porche-, and 2 Henschel- turreted Tiger IIs.
Here's an old link:
http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic ... 44&t=15439

1./s.SS.Abt.101 got 14(?) Tiger (H) IIs - after Wittmann's death. All But one, #104 (Solomon) were destroyed either in Falaise or Seine in front of Paris.

Regards
Juha-Pekka