Tiger 231 1946 field location today - Gunter Boldt - Wittmann

[headwest]

Hi everyone

SO many of you are amaingly helpful when i pop up with my questions. I am always interested in the "small" parts of battles, or people.

as some of you know I became interested in Gunter boldt due to my interest in Wittmann. Since there is so much debate of MW and so much info I started to become interested in other parts of his story. One thing that kept happening was watching the MW Film, there was this very young looking solder riding next to him. and it hit me, who is that? in all this history and time, he is seen with Michael now forever. I wondered if anyone else had any interest and turns out there was some good info on him and alot of you here helped me so much to learn this

So, one big question, was, the picture of 231, in the field in 1946, the probably tiger Gunter was in when he was mortally wounded jul 19 on the bourgebus ridge
had anyone found that location today? many of us love the THEN and NOW pics and I started looking and asking. again, SO MANY OF YOU here were awesome! Eindhoven, Michael Kenny, and on and on

anyway, i asked Yann on TIGER FB page and he said he knew of this and that he was going to at some point possibly fin the location but was busy with many other things he is doing.

So i posted my question there and the few pics we had and apparently and POSSIBLY, it was in a german book on normandy. 2 people answered with info

1 said in this book it shows 231 IN Bourguebus

, well just a tad outside. then someone else literally came in with a modern address today that matched with the book. I have no idea IF this is totally true for sure. and so i thought i would toss it out to the experts here

one thing i did was when they posted the address today i used Michael Kenny's kick ass historical map and went back to 1947. today it is a parking lot basically but back then in 47 there is a field with trees, trees facing the way the british came. i think it was the british

the book also states 231 was put there to delay? or stop? but was surprised by the attack and got taken out

i open this up to the group here to see if you think this could be the location?

this is awesome! thanks all

[Michael Kenny]

Two air views

[headwest]

ah bummer, I see that it looks like a large wooded area.

those are cool aerials though, did you use that website you showed me? i could only see 1947.

i wonder if the tiger can be spotted in those somewhere though? the tank sat there til 46 at least.

oh well, back to the drawing board, thanks MK

[headwest]

MIchael, do you know what the objects are in the first photo, in the field to the right? could it be one of those?

[headwest]

So i marked a couple of things in the picture

Red - possibly? 231? i say this because in the picture, with the angle, there is a line of trees in front bit off in the distance to the right more trees, this is also a field.

orange - another vehicle but it doesn't match up with the trees in the picture. to close

yellow - trenches.

the book gives this address, and that it was in bourgebus, but again thats not form me. but the one in red? if at all possible it would be that one i would think

[Michael Kenny]

This is what should be there.

[Michael Kenny]

Caption for the photo

[headwest]

I'll have to ask the person who posted that address. i was sure hopeful for a minute lol

[headwest]

The book was Tiger im Kampf“ (German)! Einsatz in der Normandie

Wolfgang Schneider? I don't know anything about this book, but they posted a picture from the book that showed specifically 231 in or just outside Bourguebus itself

then someone else posted that address. just to explain where all this came from

Yann is very knowledgeable and I had asked him, but he only said yes it was a place he wanted to find but hadn't had time yet.

[Michael Kenny]

Edited to remove and replace incorrect information.

4 CLY War Diary.

Below is a July 18th view shows the relationship between the location of A & C Squadrons 4CLY and Bourguebus. They would be somewhere in the area that is above the arrow showing north.
clicking on the image will get you to a large version

[headwest]

Thanks so much Michael! let me see if i can grab the picture he posted, which I thought was from this book, it has a 231 in bourguebus or very close to it, it was also the same person who sent me that address.

Man i love these pictures you find and post, your amount of research and work is extraordinary.

[headwest]

Here it is, now i had originally though since he posted the book, that it came form the book. I do not have the book, I also don't want to post without giving credit but maybe you can see if it is in there if you have it

he first posted the book cover, then this picture, then the address.

Thanks again!

I know you don't like all the Wittmann stuff, but I appreciate that your helping with this, since its more about Gunter and the tank 231 that are both seen so many times.

[Michael Kenny]

5 RTR War Dairy

July 19
’B’ Sqn plus 2 platoons of ’l’ Coy 1 RB passed through ’A’ Sqn who had formed a firm base at Grentheville and pushed into Soliers, clearing minor Inf. opposition on the way, which they then made firm. Spasmodic AP fire came from the direction of the left flank
(direction of Four) but nothing was seen of the tanks or SPs. ’B’ Sqn was ordered to put 2 troops in Bourguébus which arrived in the outskirts after carefully working their way there, a few minutes before
3 Tigers and 2 Panthers came into the village. In the ensuing fight 2 Tigers and 1 Panther were brewed up for the loss of 1 Cromwell. The enemy then withdrew and at first light the 2 troops of ’B’ Sqn returned to Soliers where the Sqn leaguered for the night.

July 20
’B’ Sqn at first light moved into Bourguébus and after a short fight in the outskirts a Tiger was brewed up. There was no other enemy in the village except 2 abandoned Panthers, one of which was brewed up and the other towed back to Brigade Workshops, also 4 abandoned Nebelwerfersz. The enemy continued to shell heavily in Bourguébus, Soliers and Grentheville. The Guards Armd Div by now had established themselves in Four. Later in the day a ’B’ Sqn Firefly succeeded in stalking a Panther and brewed it up 800 yards SE of Bourguébus.
1700 hrs VIII Hussars relieved the Regt and open leaguer was formed near Démouville. It was under observation and very heavily shelled.

[headwest]

awesome! so maybe in the July 26 picture you posted, those hulls could be at least some of the tanks destroyed on the outskirts, in that field? July 20 was the date Gunter was hit, and it mentions that 1 tiger, very cool info. you would think in the July 26 photo we could find more since it seems 3 tigers toal and 1 panther between the 2 days

[Michael Kenny]

I checked and my previous statement that Schneider said 4 CLY got the Tiger at Bourgebus is incorrect. I used an 'edited' version of the War Diary. Here is the correct entry. Schneider says they claimed a Tiger at Bras but I do not read it that way.