Map Coordinate Help Needed

@adambhoy:

I will do it as soon as possible, it might take a few days though as I'm busy as hell right now!

 

I have put your coordinates through the translator, now you have the long/lat in degree / minutes / seconds. If you are familiar with google earth you can, when you create a new placemark, type in the longitude and the latitude and google earth automatically paces the pin onto the right position! If you won't manage tell me, then I will do it for you and post them in here as screenshots! This wil take some time though!

Here is an example:




* "Moved from Houfalize to Slhoumont, Bel, coordinates 6278-7028 Vissoule, SE of Houfalize Sheet 107 N France/Bel"

Latitude : 50° 06' 57'' N
Longitude : 5° 48' 57'' E


* "Moved to 669-724Sheet 107 N France/Bel"
Latitude : 50° 08' 12'' N
Longitude : 5° 52' 26'' E


* "Limerle, Bel 707-749 Sheet 107 N France/Bel"
Latitude : 50° 09' 36'' N
Longitude : 5° 55' 34'' E
The village name is speed Limerlé


* "Hautbellen, Lux VE 744-744 Sheet 107 N France/Bel"
Latitude : 50° 09' 22'' N
Longitude : 5° 58' 41'' E
The village name is spelled Hautbellain



* "Eschweiler 729-551 Sheet 122 1:50,000 France/Bel"
Latitude : 49° 58' 56'' N
Longitude : 5° 57' 49'' E


* "Buckholz Lux 793-583 Sheet 122 1:50,000 France/Bel"
Latitude : 50° 00' 45'' N
Longitude : 6° 03' 07'' E
The village name is spelled Bockholtz



OPERATION VARSITY

* "coor. 2238-4444 Sheet 4305 1:25,000 Germany"
Latitude : 51° 41' 34'' N
Longitude : 6° 36' 48'' E
This is a position on the eastern fringe of the town of Blumenkamp


* "moved to 237-437 Sheet 4305"
Latitude : 51° 41' 12'' N
Longitude : 6° 38' 02'' E
This is a position on the northern fringe of the city of Wesel


* "moved to 271-415 Sheet 4305"
Latitude : 51° 40' 03'' N
Longitude : 6° 41' 00'' E
This is a position on the northern fringe of the town of Obrighoven



* "moved approx. 5000 yds forward to 321-431 Sheet 4305"
Latitude : 51° 40' 57'' N
Longitude : 6° 45' 19'' E
This is a position to the north-east of the town of Drevenack


* "335-433 Sheet 4306"
Latitude : 51° 41' 04'' N
Longitude : 6° 46' 32'' E
This is a position to the west of the village of Damm


* "424-448 Sheet 4307"
Latitude : 51° 41' 56'' N
Longitude : 6° 54' 14'' E
This is a position to the east of the town of Schermbeck


* "Haltern, Ger 611-493 Sheet 4209"
Latitude : 51° 44' 27'' N
Longitude : 7° 10' 26'' E
This is a position to the west of the town centre of Haltern


* "766-646 Sheet 4110"
Latitude : 51° 52' 45'' N
Longitude : 7° 23' 51'' E
This is a position to the north east of the town of Buldern



* "Moved 5 mi forward to 847-697 Sheet 4011 1:25,000 Munster"
Latitude : 51° 55' 31'' N
Longitude : 7° 30' 53'' E
This is a position to the west of the town of Albachten

* "3 mi to 879-705 Sheet 4011"
Latitude : 51° 55' 57'' N
Longitude : 7° 33' 41'' E
This is a position to the north of the town of Mecklenbeck


* "421-252 Sheet 4407 1:25,000 Germany"
Latitude : 51° 31' 21'' N
Longitude : 6° 54' 10'' E
This is a position to the west of the city of Bottrop


* "400-185 Sheet 4407"
Latitude : 51° 27' 44'' N
Longitude : 6° 52' 25'' E
This is a position on the southern fringe of the city of Oberhausen
*"Duisberg 361-162 Sheet 4506"
Latitude : 51° 26' 28'' N
Longitude : 6° 49' 05'' E
This is a position to the north west of the town of Speldorf

 

Amazing stuff!! Thanks so much Skyline... I agree--what can you do when you are NOT busy?! ;o)

My short term plan for this info is to plot it all out and make a map of all the places the battery was.

Long term... I'm going to visit them!

Thanks again for the great help.

 

What unit did your grandfather fight with?

 

He was with HQ Battery, 680th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, 17th Airborne. Thunder from Heaven!

 

Where was the 680th GFA Bn when the 17th ABN was along the Our river?

 

Let me dig through some stuff when I get home... Any idea on specific dates?

 

If memory serves me right it was the first few days of february, I think units from the 17th AB were in Hosingen from the 31st of january till the 9th or 10th of february!

 

Okay, according to the morning reports, HQ Btry/680th was at the coordinates near Bockholtz, Luxembourg (what is that, 3km from Hosingen?) from Jan 29 to Feb 12, when they were relieved and sent to a rest camp near Chalons-sur-Marne, France.

 

I came across this diary from the Executive Officer of the 561 Field Artillery (155mm Guns). After escaping and dodging the Germans around St Vith, they re-united with VIII Corps and supported the 17th Airborne Division. He had the following contact with the paratroops -- besides a few stolen jeeps.

http://561stfieldartillerybattalion.org/Personal Memoirs/WW II Diary of Major A James Gordon.pdf

 

Very nice, Earthican! That is a really a great read. It's too bad more of that stuff didn't survive, or that more men weren't as diligent as Maj. Gordon was!