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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1252/16677/MCheshireGL72021-181210-090001.1.jpg
02606eda0a675e268b0b192ecd8faa74
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Cheshire, Leonard
Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard
Baron Cheshire
Description
An account of the resource
374 items concerning Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC, OM, DSO & Two Bars, DFC. Collection consists of photographs of people, vehicles, places, aircraft, weapons and targets; documents including, private and service letters, signals, telegrams, intelligence reports, crew lists and official documents. Cheshire served on 102 and 35 Squadrons and commanded 76 and 617 Squadrons. The collection includes details of 617 Squadron's precision bombing operations. Also included are two sub-collections: one containing 21 photographs of Tinian and Saipan, the other consisting of 37 audio tapes of speeches given by Cheshire after the war.
The collection has been licenced to the IBCC Digital Archive by The Leonard Cheshire Archive and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is property of the Leonard Cheshire Archive which has kindly granted the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive a royalty-free permission to publish it. Please note that it was digitised by a third-party which used technical specifications that may differ from those used by International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive. It has been published here ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre.
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] SECRET. [/underlined] [underlined] BY D.R.L.S. [/underlined]
[underlined] BOMBER COMMAND INTELLIGENCE DIGEST NO. 15 [/underlined]
(Extract from Enemy Communication Summary No. 15 published by S.H.A.E.F.)
[underlined] The SAUMUR Tunnel [/underlined]
A fairly complete account of progress on repairs to the SAUMUR tunnel can now be given. This tunnel, immediately SOUTH of the town, is on PARIS-BORDEAUX main line via NIORT and SAINTES. It was successfully attacked by Bomber Command on 8/9 June and is still not open to traffic. The LOIRE rail bridge at SAUMUR was passable during a part of June but the effective interdiction of the route by the tunnel blockage proved a serious embarrassment to German military transport.
The damage was caused by four of a number of 12,000 lb. bombs dropped during the riad. [sic] The first of these was a direct hit on the roof of the tunnel close to the SOUTH entrance. The tracks were completely obliterated for a distance of 260 feet commencing about 100 yards S.E. of the tunnel entrance by the second and third craters, while the fourth caused serious damage to the embankment near the entrance. The lining of the tunnel collapsed as a result of the direct hit and a landslide ensued.
By 23 June the craters cutting the line had been filled, debris blocking the lines between the embankment had been cleared and the northbound track had been relaid to the tunnel mouth. Repair of the southbound track was still prevented by the menacing overhang on the embankment. Sufficient debris had been cleared from the roof to confirm the suspicion that the lining had been pierced. Cover of 25 June showed no further significant change.
By 7 July the southbound track had been relaid over about half the length of its damaged portion and a narrow gauge line had been built to the crater in the tunnel roof.
By 17 July both lines had been repaired to the tunnel mouth though work on the damaged embankment was not yet complete. The narrow gauge by this time extended into the crater.
By 24 July the hole in the tunnel roof had not only been fully exposed but had been enlarged and wagons were visible on the track. [sic] below. Cover on the next day confirmed the view that damage had been so severe as to prevent repair without first collapsing the damaged portion of the roof. Two large cranes were by this time at work above the hole and two very large spoil heaps were spreading out to the SOUTH. The sides of the crater were being cut back to eliminate the necessity of building retaining walls. During this operation the lines inside the tunnel were constantly reblocked by spoil.
By 8 August the cutting back of the NORTH side of the roof crater was completed, the light railway had been transferred to the opposite side, and the hole in the roof lining had been enlarged to a rectangle 63 by 28 feet.
The last cover was on 10 August, at which time work was still in progress and traffic was still impossible. It is by now clear that the impressive progress made has not been sufficient to restore the tunnel and the important line it controls in time to be of any service to the enemy.
[underlined] AMENDMENT [/underlined]
PREVIOUS BOMBER COMMAND INTELLIGENCE DIGEST NO. 13 should read:- NO. 14.
[underlined] 23rd August, 1944. [/underlined]
GL/1.
[signature]
Air Commodore,
[underlined] Chief of Intelligence Officer [/underlined]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Bomber Command Intelligence Digest No 15 - Saumur Tunnel
Description
An account of the resource
Account of repairs to tunnel which was attached by Bomber Command on 8/9 June 1944 which is still not open to traffic. Describes damage and provides account of repairs to craters. railway tracks and hole in the roof of tunnel.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1944-08-23
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Service material
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MCheshireGL72021-181210-090001
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-06-08
1944-06-09
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Cheshire, Leonard. 617 Squadron bomb damage assessments
License
A legal document giving official permission to do something with the resource.
Royalty-free permission to publish
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is property of the Leonard Cheshire Archive which has kindly granted the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive a royalty-free permission to publish it. Please note that it was digitised by a third-party which used technical specifications that may differ from those used by International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive. It has been published here ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Alan Pinchbeck
David Bloomfield
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One-page typewritten document
bombing
Bombing of the Saumur tunnel (8/9 June 1944)
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Tallboy