Beyond The Beaches - Battle for Normandy 4 - 7 October 2011

12 GBG Members attended another very successful Recce/CPD tour tour to Normandy between 4 - 7 October 2011. This was the second consecutive year touring the Normandy battlefields. Members made their own arrangements for getting to Caen where we stayed. Transport and attendant costs were shared with those who took their own vehicles.

As always each attendee was asked to present on a particular operation and to share their knowledge with those attending. Many were new to British military options post D Day. Operations discussed and recced were Ops GOODWOOD, PERCH, TRACTIBLE. TOTALISE, EPSOM, JUPITER and BLUECOAT.

After the tour had finished Members either made their way home to Blighty or travelled up to Calais to join other Members on the Calais weekend.

Members at Bulls Bridge Op Bluecoat

L-R Joe Hamon, Bob Darby, Ian Taylor, Neil Bright, Paul Oldfield, Tim Stoneman, Peter McLelland, Ian Mitchell, Ian Hodkinson, Tony Smith. (Wybo Boersma taking photo)

Beers/Dinner in the Buffalo Grill Mondeville

Ian Taylor sitting on the fence presenting on Bluecoat

Wybo Boersma, Peter McLelland and Ian Mitchell in the market area Villers Bocage discussing the raid by one Michael Wittman

On Point 213 the summit of the high ground east of Villers Bocage

This was the last of three tours undertaken this year under the Recce/CPD programme. Next year year it is intended that similar tours will be undertaken to Berlin, the Retreat from Mons and again Normandy but this time focusing on post D Day American operations

Bob Darby

Badge Member 29