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When an estuary unmasked the landing site

Détail

  • Nom
    When an estuary unmasked the landing site
  • Lieu
    OUISTREHAM
  • Contribution
    Erwan LR
  • ID
    2586.2700

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When an estuary unmasked the landing site
When an estuary unmasked the landing site

As surprising as it may seem, the 177 French members of the commandos Kieffer were able to find out a few hours before the landings exactly where they were going to land.

The Allied general staff provided the soldiers who were going to land with maps and aerial reconnaissance of the future new front. However, whether it's the maps or the aerial reconnaissance, everything is devoid of any real name, everything is in code name. This is in the interest of keeping the location of the'Operation Overlord secret. This was without counting on the very good knowledge of certain Normans from the 1st BFMC (Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos), they recount this moment in the report Les francais du Jour D:

For Jean MASSON: "We studied on relief maps, aerial photos, but there were no names."

While René ROSSEY adds: "No name nothing, so the Normans they knew, they said 'It's the Orne estuary! ' How can they-know-those people?!"

And Léon GAUTIER ends with what the general staff passes on to them: "They recognized that we were landing at Ouistreham, we were asked not to repeat to our British comrades where we were landing."

So they will have succeeded in unlocking one of the most important secrets of their time, this thanks to the double estuary of the Orne which is clearly recognizable from the air.

 
When an estuary unmasked the landing site
When an estuary unmasked the landing site.
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When an estuary unmasked the landing site

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