Saturday, 3 August 2019

Piper Operation Cobra








































We arrived in Brittany this afternoon but, on the way over we stopped off with friends in Julloville, which is a short hop up the coast from Avranches in Normandy. It just so happens that there is a weekend of celebrations over the next few days, to commemorate the seventy fifth anniversary of Operation Cobra, and I was lucky enough to catch the start of it last night and this morning.

This included a visit to the vehicle park for the re-enactment yesterday evening, situated in the original SHAEF headquarters at a local manor house, together with a display of a T34/85 and Panther from Saumur, which not that long ago I bumped into a Tankfest. There was also a rather impressive Leclerc provided by the French army, which looked only slightly less incongruous parked outside the town hall.

This morning on the way to Avranches we also ran into a convoy of re-enactors in their various jeeps, beeps, trucks and half tracks, the highlight being a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle and an actual M16 SPAA half track. Quite a sight! The MP in charge of traffic control was a really nice chap too but I stopped short of asking him if I could sit on his bike for a photo. I guess I will just have to get one of my own!

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