Villers-Bocage Then & Now......

[HistoryMan]

Pretty much as in my first posts of this thread - to really 'do' V-B two books are essential ( Daniel Taylor's 'Villers Bocage Through The Lens' and the Deprun/Joualt 'Villers-Bocage - Autopsie d'une Bataille' ). The latter ( published by Heimdal ) is particularly useful to pinpoint actual locations throughout the town.

As with a lot of WW2 locations, many people drive through saying 'There's nothing to see' . I always visit a battlefield having read as much as I can ; my imagination does the rest. Much of V-B itself was rebuilt following almost total destruction in WWII and it can be hard to orient yourself - but Point 213 and the Ancienne Route de Caen where the Wittmann action started are still quite recognizable and, to me anyway, have a very powerful atmosphere.

Enjoy your visit - as a bonus, the main street of V-B contains several nice cafes and bars where you can relax over a coffee or beer, and imagine 88mm shells flying down the street in front of you !

Thanks Martin, looking forward to it, will be calling on on the way to Falaise.
Just ordered the Through the Lens book

Cheers

[HistoryMan]

I visit VB at least three times a year Guding a Panzers in Normandy Tour when we cover the Battle in detail . Certainly the descriptions of where Wittmanns Tiger was knocked out differ greatly and one of the most exchaustively researched accounts account by Dan Taylor puts that place as being near to the D6 Tilly junction not the location suggested by Agte and the recent Heimdal production.

Pat Dyas was actually in a Cromwell as were most of A Sq 4 CLY and the HQ Tanks , the only Shermans were at point 213 or with B Sq , Sgt Stan Lockwood for exapmle who stopped Wittmans advance through VB . The only other Sherman in VB initially was a Sherman OP Tank from 5 RHA.

where is point 213 ?

[Martin Bull]

where is point 213 ?

It's just to the NE of V-B, on the old D675 V-B/Caen road. You drive under the new A84 motorway and the road immediately starts to climb toward Point 213 (take the first lane on the right to find the Ancienne Route de Caen and 'Les Hauts Ventes' farm where it is believed that Wittmann's Tigers were bivouacked. Back on the D675, climb just a short way up to Point 213 - you're travelling where the 'Desert Rats' were ambushed.

It's well worth getting ahold of the French IGN 1:25,00 map #1513O (Aunay sur Odon & Villers Bocage ).

[HistoryMan]

It's just to the NE of V-B, on the old D675 V-B/Caen road. You drive under the new A84 motorway and the road immediately starts to climb toward Point 213 (take the first lane on the right to find the Ancienne Route de Caen and 'Les Hauts Ventes' farm where it is believed that Wittmann's Tigers were bivouacked. Back on the D675, climb just a short way up to Point 213 - you're travelling where the 'Desert Rats' were ambushed.

It's well worth getting ahold of the French IGN 1:25,00 map #1513O (Aunay sur Odon & Villers Bocage ).

Nice one, will do, where is best to purchase these map s?
cheers

[Martin Bull]

Nice one, will do, where is best to purchase these map s?
cheers

IGN maps are a bit like our Ordnance Survey - big scale, aimed at walkers. They're not too expensive and can be recognized by their blue paper covers. I'm not sure if you can get them via e-bay or Amazon - I always tend to buy them when I'm 'over there' - all local newsagents ( 'Maison de la Presse' ) sell them.

[HistoryMan]

IGN maps are a bit like our Ordnance Survey - big scale, aimed at walkers. They're not too expensive and can be recognized by their blue paper covers. I'm not sure if you can get them via e-bay or Amazon - I always tend to buy them when I'm 'over there' - all local newsagents ( 'Maison de la Presse' ) sell them.

Got one on Amazon

Thanks again, will be taking my 80 year old father with me on a bit of a tour, recently lost my dear mother so i'm trying to get him out of the house

[Paul D]

It's like everything mate , there is always something to see if you know where to look !!

VB is very difficult to orientate or Then and now due to the fact that the place has been completely rebuilt but as Martin says you can go up to Point 213 plus the Ancienne Route de Caen where the Tigers laagered overnight and the junction from which Wittmann began his attack , the 7th Armoured memorial on the D6 Roundabout , the display in the Hotel de Ville and the position where Stan Lockwoods Firely engaged and stopped Wittmans advance plus a few other interesting spots !!

[HistoryMan]

It's like everything mate , there is always something to see if you know where to look !!

VB is very difficult to orientate or Then and now due to the fact that the place has been completely rebuilt but as Martin says you can go up to Point 213 plus the Ancienne Route de Caen where the Tigers laagered overnight and the junction from which Wittmann began his attack , the 7th Armoured memorial on the D6 Roundabout , the display in the Hotel de Ville and the position where Stan Lockwoods Firely engaged and stopped Wittmans advance plus a few other interesting spots !!

Great, looking forward to it !

Any tips on where to go at Falaise ??

cheers

[Martin Bull]

Any tips on where to go at Falaise ??

cheers

I well remember ( with considerable embarrassment ) my first visit to Falaise . I was on my way to Le Mans in 1980 and pulled up in the middle of Falaise thinking - 'Where's the Gap ? ' . For that, you need to go to the Trun/St. Lambert/Chambois area which is a few miles away.

In Falaise itself, there used to be a halfway decent, relic-based museum below the Castle. It was rather notorious for allowing no photographs - I don't know if it's still there. The school where the Hitlerjugend allegedly fought to the last man can still be found but again, Falaise town was largely destroyed in WW2 and had to be rebuilt in the 1950s....

[HistoryMan]

I well remember ( with considerable embarrassment ) my first visit to Falaise . I was on my way to Le Mans in 1980 and pulled up in the middle of Falaise thinking - 'Where's the Gap ? ' . For that, you need to go to the Trun/St. Lambert/Chambois area which is a few miles away.

In Falaise itself, there used to be a halfway decent, relic-based museum below the Castle. It was rather notorious for allowing no photographs - I don't know if it's still there. The school where the Hitlerjugend allegedly fought to the last man can still be found but again, Falaise town was largely destroyed in WW2 and had to be rebuilt in the 1950s....

Thanks Martin, just want to visit a couple of the iconic locations related to the closing of the gap as it were...
I would like to visit here at least?