Markings in a field near Fricourt

[temptage]

I was scooting around on Google Earth today and noticed a field just south of Fricourt, on the edge of a wooded area. It looks like it has gun emplacements or something like, and maybe a few zigzags, but it isnt perfectly clear to make everything out.

Does anyone have any idea what it may be? Knowing my luck, it'll turn out to be a really famous place, and I should have known better!

[JimSmithson]

Lots of 2nd W.W. emplacements - Anti-Aircraft if I remember correctly.

[temptage]

That would make sense, but what would it have been defending? Was there any local airfields etc?

[egbert]

The Somme River crossings around Cappy and Bray south of the Fricourt AAA site

[Fattyowls]

I was told that they were to defend the aircraft manufacturing site at Meaulte just to the south west. I believe the modern airport at Albert was part of the site; if you zoom out in Google Earth from the emplacements you can see the proximity. It's mentioned briefly on page 144 of 'The Somme Battlefields', Martin Middlebrook, (Penguin 1994).

Pete.

[The Incomer]

Yes this A.A.site overlooks Meaulte airfield which is prewar and used by the Germans in WW2 as a fighter and repair station.The wartime workshops were underground and still exist.The airfield was bombed by both USAAF and the RAF.

Les

[Fattyowls]

Temptage

I've thought of a couple of additional things. The area of woodland with the AA pits is a bit famous; it's called the Bois Francais and there was a lot of mining activity before 1st July 1916 when I think it was taken during the afternoon. Prior to this both Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon were in the Bois Francais trenches and Sasoon won his MC here. I also think that Egbert's explanation is most likely to be true too; apart from the bombing that Les mentions I think the US 2nd Armoured of XIX Corps crossed the Somme at Bray and Chipilly on 1st September 1944 and the British a bit further west at Sailly-Laurette and Corbie.

Pete.

P.S. Can I ask you a question about why the Grimsby Chums are chums rather than pals? My chums asked me at Lochnagar last month and I was stumped. Would a PM be in order?

[temptage]

are you sure you wasn't with your pals?

As far as I am led to believe, it was all down to the local dialect.

There were over 300 Battalions formed from Towns and Cities in WW1. The colloquial term for these were Pals Battalions, but locally in Grimsby and Cleethorpes dialect, groups of friends were, and still are to this day, chums rather than pals. So they chose to be called Chums rather than Pals, and were the ONLY Battalion to be known as such.

[Fattyowls]

are you sure you wasn't with your pals?

As far as I am led to believe, it was all down to the local dialect.

There were over 300 Battalions formed from Towns and Cities in WW1. The colloquial term for these were Pals Battalions, but locally in Grimsby and Cleethorpes dialect, groups of friends were, and still are to this day, chums rather than pals. So they chose to be called Chums rather than Pals, and were the ONLY Battalion to be known as such.

Thanks for that; it's exactly what I wanted to know. Sorry for taking this off topic.

[egbert]

Probably the AAA site served both, the protection of the Potez aircraft works and the Somme River crossings. From an emplacement tactics standpoint, most likely more useful for the protection of the Potez works. But I also believe it was only one of several AAA sites around this location.

Here is a video of the Meaulte Potez works with Luftwaffe aircraft. I suspect it was then used as a battle damage repair- and scrap place.

[Fattyowls]

Probably the AAA site served both, the protection of the Potez aircraft works and the Somme River crossings. From an emplacement tactics standpoint, most likely more useful for the protection of the Potez works. But I also believe it was only one of several AAA sites around this location.

Here is a video of the Meaulte Potez works with Luftwaffe aircraft. I suspect it was then used as a battle damage repair- and scrap place.

Egbert, this is a really interesting find; thank you. I couldn't remember the name of the manufacturer but I did recognise the Potez light bombers appearing to be scrapped. I was thinking that this would have been filmed during the late summer of 1940 from the ME110 and Ju88s possibly?The footage at the end of the Champs Elysees and the top of the Rue de Rivoli were an unexpected treat. I wanted to walk from the Devonshire Cemetery to the Bois Francais last month when I was over there but was thwarted by barbed potatoes in the fields. I'll try and make it up there next time and photograph the emplacements.

Pete.

[angelab]

My brother and I were walking, a couple of years back, along the bit of road at the bottom left of your blow-up, temptage. We were trying to follow the footsteps of our great-uncle in the 20th Manchesters, who did some dashing deed in Bois Français on July 1 1916.

The field in question, while grassy, had an extraordinarily rough surface, I remember.

Angela

[horrocks]

The wartime workshops were underground and still exist.The airfield was bombed by both USAAF and the RAF.

This sounds fascinating Les. Would love to know more, can hardly resist the image of long-forgotten ME109s lying in hidden underground workshops!