Operatio Tonga and "the ring contour"

[WimO]

In a number of books I kept reading about the need to extend the airborne perimeter further south east of the Orne with the British 12th Para Bn, to cover "the ring contour" and later to advance towards this position. However, ne'ery a map to be found where this might be. The modern topography has been significantly altered by roads and a highway 'cutting' through the terrain in the area in question. So I started with an assumption based on my earlier work with "Bloody Buron Overhaul". In that operation, the Canadians were to occupy the 80 meter circle contour south of Buron after securing the latter, only to discover that there was no such contour and that the terrain instead sloped gradually towards the south. This was an error on the 1:25,000 military maps in use at the time. Interestingly, on all such maps there is a disclaimer that the contour lines on the map might not be reliable! Indeed. Thereafter I was lucky to stumble across the 1:25000 map for Ouistreham online which showed a smallish heart-shaped 30 meter contour SW of Le Bas de Ranville, the south edge of the latter being the position taken up by the 12th Paras. So I went on the assumption that this might be the 'ring contour'. Today no such feature is discernable. Then, in an old (1976) publication, "Dropzone Normandy" by Napier Crookenden I stumbled across a small, line-drawn map which showed exactly that position marked as the ring contour. The print was less then one millimeter tall. Success!

If you glide at ground level across my forthcoming map you will not discern a ring countour. Instead there is just a large area of sloping ground with lines of sight disturbed by tall crops and hedges. There is no sign, no circle drawn on the ground, no distinct bump that says, "Here it is. Here is the ring contour". I try to imagine what the young paras at the time must have seen and thought. Interesting.

 

[PEB14]

Remember that, on the Geoportail (www.geoportail.gouv.fr), you have access to 1950 maps. While not as precise as today maps, they still provide some elevations information.