A photo of the graves of 7 parachutists from 6th Airborne

I have been researching one of John Emmerson's photos which shows the graves of 7 parachutists from the 6th airborne. There is another grave nearby with an unknown 6th Airborne. A close look shows several of the helmets have a bullet hole to the head. I have now found a reference to 8 men from the 6th Airborne who survived after their glider crashed on the 6th June only to be executed after capture :

http://www.591-antrim-parachute.info/Grangues-Inquiry-findings.html

I cannot be certain if this is linked to the photo but it makes very interesting reading:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/Commando+War+Graves+Memorials+and+Plaques/graves/France+Cemeteries/jde1468+copy.jpg.html

As the photo has Douville marked on it and the place of the crash was in Grangues, these are extremely close and adds to the likelihood these are connected

Hi Pete,
that does indeed make very interesting reading but I have doubts that these are the same unfortunate Airbourne that got executed...

My first doubt was when you said that you noticed that some of the helmets bore bullet holes - I doubt that anyone would try to execute anyone by shooting someone through a helmet.

Reading the Grangues Inquiry my doubts were bourne out when I read the testimony of MRB:

18. The testimony of MRB, a competent and intelligent witness, that he clearly saw eight British soldiers wearing red berets, unarmed, prone on the ground, and in the custody of German armed guards, at about 0200 hours, in the vicinity of the stables, is convincing in itself and is unhestitatingly accepted in toto...

If the prisoners were wearing their berets, why would anyone then get them to put on their helmets before they shot them - through the head?

Reading on:

20. (c) In his testimony, the pathologist, Captain Rankin states that:

(i) each of the eight bodies bore one single gun shot wound only, which was in each case the cause of death (though there is a remote possibility that in one case there had been another single wound which could have been fatal.)

(ii) each such wound was above the waist and in a vital spot.

(iii) in five instances the point of entry of the bullet was from the rear

(iv) the bullet wound in each case had been caused by the same weapon

(v) no one of the eight bodies bore signs of battle injury caused before death of any kind whatsoever

(vi) none of the other ten bodies in the grave bore any evidence of gun shot wounds.

The pathologist makes a point that each one was shot above the waist and in a vital place - he does not mention the head which I think a pathologist would in a case like this?

The Pathologist thought that the killing were done at maximum range of the weapon and, while the Court of Inquiry does not necessarily agree, they do say that it was not at point blank range.
If someone actually wanted to shoot someone through a helmet they'd surely [because of the very purpose of the helmet] do it from point blank range?

Another point, is that the pathologist and the Court of Inquiry both state that the prisoners were shot from behind.
Looking at the photo it's clear to see that the holes are in the side, top and in one case, the front.
One helmet has two holes, but the pathologists says that each prisoner was killed by a single shot.
to be honest the holes in these helmets do not look like 'entry' holes to me - they are far too big which would indicate, normally, that these were 'exit' holes. This again would contradict the pathologist who said there were no exit holes in the bodies (which is why he concluded that they were shot from maximum range).

To be honest the helmets don't even look British to me - they look American.
Were British Airbourne wearing American helmets at this time?

nick

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 18/04/2012 19:32:40

Thanks Nick

Ah well back to the drawing board. I have sent off a message to the webmaster of the site anyway as he appears to have a great deal of knowledge about this incident and may know more.

I hope that information on who these men were may one day come to light. I would just say that L/Cpl Emmerson has been pretty accurate in recording everything so far, so I think it likely that they are from the 6th Airborne. I believe volunteers from the HQ section were responsible for burying many of the fallen.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 18/04/2012 20:05:48

There is just one point I would make. The men who were executed were buried according to the report by the Germans who executed them. As you say a witness said they were wearing berets. As such the helmets may not be theirs and might have been added at a later stage by allied forces. Just a thought.

As regards the helmets. They look pretty similar to this one : http://home.tiscali.nl/nijsten/Pictures_Headgear/helmet4.html

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 18/04/2012 21:18:09

Pete,

Pete wrote:There is just one point I would make. The men who were executed were buried according to the report by the Germans who executed them. As you say a witness said they were wearing berets. As such the helmets may not be theirs and might have been added at a later stage by allied forces. Just a thought.

Yes that's feasible, especially as the Court of Inquiry state that there was only one helmet found near the graves.

Pete wrote:As regards the helmets. They look pretty similar to this one : http://home.tiscali.nl/nijsten/Pictures_Headgear/helmet4.html

To me it looks as if some of the helmets on the graves have rims - the British Airbourne Helmets were rimless as your picture shows. Certainly the two on the far left seem to be British but I thought that some of the helmets looked like the ones in the picture below.
But then, as you say, Ken Emmerson said they were 6th Airbourne Div and, although there were Canadians in that Division, I don't think there were any Americans in it...
Were there?

Nick

nick

I agree with Nick on this. To me the hole in the helmet on the left has been caused by shrapnel. The hole in the second helmet from the right might be a bullet hole. I can't see any holes in the other helmets. There is one with a black blur on it, but to me that isn't a hole made by a bullet or otherwise. It might be some spoiled ink.

Just like Pete I also think that the helmets are British. When you enlarge them enough it is clear to see that they are completely round at the rim, were as the American helmet had another shape at the rim.

Hello Pete and others pondering theEmmerson photo.

I have been contacted by a French researcher living in the locality of the photo, I asked him to take a look and see if he recognised it
or couldfind out about it.

He sent me the following information:

On the picture you see only 7 helmets but look left of the first one (on the left). You can see a small post locating a grave. the 9th small post is probably hidden one of the 2 big posts.
the picture is the temporary grave of 9 casulties who were killed on 7th June 1944 (in the afternoon) at Douville En Auge (near Grangues).
the position of the temporary grave was : map 7F2 coordinatess:276776
the casualties were:
B 135587 Private James BROADFOOT 1st Canadian Para Bat. (Ranville War Cemetery IIA M 05)
B 75489 Private Gordon CONNAGHAN 1st Canadian Para Bat. (Ranville War Cemetery IIA N 03)
L 74035 Private Orlando ELLEFSON 1st Canadian Para Bat. (Ranville War Cemetery IIA O 05)
B 79949 Private Kenneth PLEDGER 1st Canadian Para Bat. (Ranville War Cemetery IIA L 03)
UNKNOWN Private (Ranville War Cemetery IIA K 5)
UNKNOWN Private AAC (Ranville War Cemetery IIA M 03)
UNKNOWN Private RAMC (Ranville War Cemetery IIA N 05)
UNKNOWN Lance Corporal (Ranville War Cemetery IIA O 03)
2329499 Corporal James MOORE 6th Airborne Divisional Signals (Ranville War Cemetery IIIA B08)

The 4 Canadians were part of Lt Rousseau stick which jumped in Gonneville Sur Mer. Lt Rousseau had a special duty: to meet the mayor of Dozulé head of the local resistance.
the events of 7th June is well known and there are different accounts (Private Robertson, Private ANDERSON).

Which was very kind of him to do. I hope that helps put you on the right track.
Definitely not Grangues casualties whose grave was a war crime scene, and not touched after the departure of the German soldiers, until the bodies were recovered for the war crime autopsies.

Hi Lesley

Thanks so much for the reply which clarifies matters. I have responded personally by email to you

Regards

Pete