Jos,
What is so significant about the first line? 716 Infantry Division was indeed part of LXXXIV Army Corps of the Seventh Army. So what?
Yep the confusion over the name "Graf Waldersee" has apparently been perpetuated for 70 years! As I've explained several times "Graf Waldersee" was for some months back in 1944 also known as 10./1716. The creation of 11./1716 came a short time before the invasion. By 23Jun44 much of the 716th had been destroyed. Only two of it's gun batteries were still in action ie. 1./1716 and 11./1716 aka Graf Waldersee". In today's world of digital technology it's hard to understand that back in 1944 they were endlessly shuffling paper work. In the wake of the invasion there's little wonder that there was some confusion over one particular Battery that had been renumbered and renamed on several occasions. The confusion back in 1944 is the basis of the confusion now.
Are you still denying the existence of 10./1716
and 11./1716? Or perhaps Gefreiter Paul Thiel and Soldat Ignaz Schiefelbain were lying when the were interrogated? Hey that's from an original document entitled WO 208/3645, PWIS(H)/LDC/16 (of 21 June 1944) - thanks to Mr Trew at Sandhurst for posting it on this thread!.
As for original German documents I don't have direct access to the German Archives (it's a very long drive
). However to start with take a look at
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 1716-R.htm for another small bit of evidence that I'm using.
And the Bauprogramme is not a "building report" it's a
building plan. And I can demolish the theory that it's something more if you like...
Lets start with 1./1260 at Riva Bella - just how many bunkers had been completed by
01Jun44 - answer:
NIL. In fact the guns weren't even there on 01June. The US IX Bomber Command & RAF Bomber Command had significantly impaired the building program that had commenced
months before ie. soon after the Bauprogamme was issued. The guns were at a "wechselstellung" ie. alternate position in the wooded area north of St Aubin d'Arquenay. In fact the exact position of 1./1260 was Grid Reference 094778 (from 25,00 scale Allied Maps) - that info comes from an original document called the War Diary of No 6 Commando (WO 218/68). There's lots more, but I wont continue.
Thanks again Jos for providing the full Bauprogramme page. However you (and others) have long since decided this document has some other significance, and are not willing to change your minds. Hence this has turned into a circular argument. I'm not interested in debating this particular confusion any further. Thanks for your response anyway.
RichTO90 - exactly as I thought (and as you know), the "last minute" shuffling started on 16Mar44
bunker14 - Très beau travail, continuez comme ça
Regards
Artee