Operation Dragoon - 70th Anniversary - 75mm Pack How Pics

Towed Artillery, Wanted, For Sale,(NO EBAY ITEMS) and Knowledge Base
Post Reply
User avatar
Packhow75
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 418
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:51 am
Location: UK

Operation Dragoon - 70th Anniversary - 75mm Pack How Pics

Post by Packhow75 » Sat Aug 30, 2014 2:10 pm

I hauled one of my 75mm Pack Howitzers from the UK to the South of France for the 15th August commemoration of Op Dragoon this year... a couple of pics from the trip below - happy to post more if anyone's interested.
75mmPH - Dragoon70th - Joe Bail - 460th PFAB.jpg
Joe Bail - 460th PFAB Veteran - 70th Anniversary of Operation Dragoon
75mmPH - Dragoon70th - Joe Bail - 460th PFAB.jpg (150.82 KiB) Viewed 415 times
75mmPH - Les Arcs - Reenactment Pic.jpg
Reenactment Photo - Les Arcs, Provence, France.
75mmPH - Les Arcs - Reenactment Pic.jpg (90.37 KiB) Viewed 415 times
We had the howitzer blank-firing on the Valbourges DZ with the kind permission of the landowner too... there's some film of it on U-tube somewhere.

Cheers

Tim
Ford GPW, 10cwt Trailer, 75mm Pack Howitzer, M3A1 White Scout Car, M4A4 Sherman VC - s/n 4873


dwing
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 5:03 am
Location:

Re: Operation Dragoon - 70th Anniversary - 75mm Pack How Pic

Post by dwing » Sat Aug 30, 2014 3:00 pm

Good looking pack. I am surprised that they let you into france with a weapon. Heaven forbid the French would actually touch a weapon. Or even look upon one.
If your gun doesn't leak oil, it's time for a bigger gun.

User avatar
Packhow75
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 418
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:51 am
Location: UK

Re: Operation Dragoon - 70th Anniversary - 75mm Pack How Pic

Post by Packhow75 » Sun Aug 31, 2014 1:06 am

dwing wrote:Good looking pack. I am surprised that they let you into france with a weapon. Heaven forbid the French would actually touch a weapon. Or even look upon one.
A long process.

1) Letter from the local Mayor inviting me to attend the commemoration with the Howitzer explaining the relevance of it to the event.
2) Application to French Govt (Defence, Home, Police and Customs)
3) Export Licence from British Govt
4) Import Licence from French Govt

Time... approx 11 months.

Otherwise, probably wouldnt have been able to take it.

Then 1000 miles each way drive (though I recognise for those of you in the USA this isnt far, in UK terms, it's quite a distance).

Well worth the effort though.

A bit daft to do it when you consider we were only 10 miles from the French Artillery museum at Draguinan which have a 75mm Pack Howitzer... but they dont like theirs getting dusty, so rarely let it out of the museum.

Tim
Ford GPW, 10cwt Trailer, 75mm Pack Howitzer, M3A1 White Scout Car, M4A4 Sherman VC - s/n 4873


Post Reply

Return to “Artillery”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 57 guests