The superb D-Day Merville Battery airborne landings casualty and Prisoner of War and Great War Western Front family group to the Chambers Family, the father, Private T.V. Chambers, Army Service Corps seeing service on the Western Front from 10th September 1915. The son, Private, later Lance Corporal G.T. Chambers, 9th Parachute Battalion, Army Air Corps would take part in the Battalion’s assault on the Merville Coastal Battery in the early hours of 6th June 1944 being wounded and later taken prisoner of war in one of the best known actions of the D-Day landings where a force of just 150 men would assault and capture the heavily fortified position whose coastal guns would threaten the beach landings.
Son: A superb Second World War North West Europe D-Day landings assault on Merville Battery casualty and prisoner of war Efficiency Medal group awarded to Private, later Lance Corporal G.T. Chambers, 9th Parachute Battalion, Army Air Corps who was wounded and declared missing on 6th June 1944 during the Battalion’s assault on the Merville Coastal Battery. He would later be confirmed as a Prisoner of War. The attack on Merville Battery being one of the most significant actions during the landings with the 9th Parachute Battalion being tasked with eliminating the guns of the battery which were soon as a significant threat to the beach landings, troops of the battalion were scattered over a wide area when they were targeted by anti-aircraft fire just as they were approaching the drop-zone. Out of a force of 150 men who attacked the positions, just 75 survived the day, the Germans later recapturing the position after a counter-attack and holding on to it until 17th August when they would abandon the area.
Group of 5: 1939-1945 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; Efficiency Medal, GVIR 1st type, Territorial Suspension; (5826795 PTE. G.T. CHAMBERS. AAC.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Gordon T. Chambers was born in Hampstead, London on 4th July 1919 and would go on to see service in the Second World War in North West Europe with the 9th Parachute Battalion, Army Air Corps landing on D-Day and participating in the attack on the Merville Coastal Battery. During this action Chambers would be wounded and was declared missing. He was later confirmed as a Prisoner of War of the Germans.
Just after midnight on 6 June, the 9th Parachute Battalion's advance party landed with the brigade's pathfinders, and reached the battalion assembly area without any problems. While some men remained to mark out the company positions, the battalion's second in command, Major George Smith, and a reconnaissance party left to scout the battery. At the same time, Royal Air Force Lancaster bombers started their bombing run, which completely missed the battery to the south. The pathfinders in the meantime were ineffective, as those who had arrived at the correct drop zone found their Eureka beacons had been damaged when they landed, and the smoke and debris from the bombing obscured their marker lights from the pilots of the transport aircraft. The main body of the 9th Parachute Battalion and their gliders were to land from 01:00 at drop zone 'V', located between the battery and Varaville 4 km (2.5 mi) inland. However, the battalion was scattered, with a number of paratroopers landing a considerable distance from the designated drop zone. Lieutenant Colonel Otway landed with the rest of his "stick" 400 yards (370 m) away from the drop zone at a farmhouse being used as a command post by a German battalion; after a brief fire-fight, they helped other scattered paratroopers, and reached the drop zone at 01:30. By 02:50, only 150 men had arrived at the battalion's assembly point with 20 Bangalore torpedoes and a machine gun. The mortars, anti-tank gun, mine detectors, jeeps, sappers and field ambulance section were all missing.
Aware of the time constraints, Otway decided he could wait no longer, and the reduced battalion headed for the battery and joined up with Major Smith's reconnaissance party just outside the village of Gonneville en Auge. The reconnaissance party had cut a way through the barbed wire, and marked four routes through the minefield. Otway divided his men into four assault groups, and settled down to await the arrival of the three gliders.
In England, one of the gliders diverted to RAF Odiham as its tow rope had snapped during bad weather. The other two gliders, unable to locate the battery, did not land where assigned. On their run in, both gliders were hit by anti-aircraft fire. One landed around 2 miles (3.2 km) away, the other at the edge of the minefield. The troops from this glider became involved in a fire fight with German troops heading to reinforce the battery garrison.
Otway launched the assault as soon as the first glider overshot the battery, ordering the explosives to be detonated to form two paths through the outer perimeter through which the paratroopers attacked. The defenders were alerted by the detonations, and opened fire, inflicting heavy casualties; only four attackers survived to reach Casemate Four, which they assaulted by firing into its apertures and throwing grenades into air vents. The other casemates were cleared of personnel with fragmentation and white phosphorus grenades, as the crews had neglected to lock the doors leading into the battery. During the bombing raid, the battery's guns had been moved inside the casemates and the steel doors left open for ventilation. During the battle, 22 Germans were killed and a similar number made prisoners of war. The rest of the garrison escaped undetected by hiding in underground bunkers.
Steiner was not present during the bombing, but at a command bunker in Franceville-Plage. After the raid, he set out for the battery, but was unable to gain entry due to the volume of fire from the British paratroopers. At the same time, a reconnaissance patrol from an army Flak unit with a half-track mounting a large anti-aircraft gun arrived. The crew had intended to seek cover at the position, but instead used the gun to engage the paratroopers.
With the battery in their hands, but no sappers or explosives, the British gathered together what plastic explosives they had been issued for use with their Gammon bombs to try to destroy the guns. By this time, Steiner had returned to Franceville-Plage, and directed his regiment's 2nd and 3rd Batteries to fire onto the Merville Battery.
Chambers would survive the war, be repatriated and later died in Colchester during 1995.
Father: Great War 1914-1915 Star awarded to Private T.V. Chambers, Army Service Corps who saw service on the Western Front from 10th September 1915 and who surviving the war would be discharged to Class Z Reserve on 15th June 1919.
Group of 3: 1914-1915 Star; (M2-098676 PTE. T.V. CHAMBERS. A.S.C.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (M2-098676 PTE. T.V. CHAMBERS. A.S.C.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Thomas V. Chambers saw service as a Private (No. M2/098646) on the Western Front from 10th September 1915 and would be discharged to Class Z Reserve on 15th June 1919
