French 75mm complete high explosive shell dated 1918 re used as the German PAK 97/38 anti-tank gun used during the German counter offensive at Carentan,recovered at La Mare des Pierres the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch,Carentan,13th June 1944,Normandy

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This is a rare find in this condition from the battlefield a complete French 75mm shell which is completely empty and inert these world war 1 guns were captured by the Germans after the fall of France in 1940 then re used by the German army as the PAK 97/38 anti-tank gun.The projectile is missing its brass driving band but is complete with its brass fuse this is clued in as the tread is broken and the projectile fits in and out of the case easily but is a bit tight. The brass shell case dated 1918 still with all of its markings on the bottom that can be seen which are very clear to see and read .The case is complete only light damage from wear and tear it does retain a bit of its shiny original brass colour but it has mostly discolored and is a bit dirty from being buried it is in very nice condition for a battlefield recovered shell that was used during the German counter offensive at Carentan. The shell was recovered in the area of La Mare des Pierres defended by American paratroopers on the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch south of Carentan on the 13th June 1944 in Normandy.The shell case comesd with 2xA5 laminated information cards with a map of the battle

At dawn on June 13, the 101st Airborne was about to attack the German line until it was suddenly attacked itself by tanks and heavy artillery. Two battalions of the 37th Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by the 17th Panzer Battalion and Fallschirmjager Regiment 6. The 501st Regiment, on the American left flank, took heavy losses and had to withdraw completely. Company’s Dog and Fox of the 506th, on the left flank, eventually withdrew as well, and by noon the spearheads of the German attack had come within 500 yards of Carentan. Only Company E (Easy) of the 506th Regiment, commanded by First Lieutenant Richard D. Winters, anchored its right flank against a railway and held its position. Fortified by the 2nd/502nd Regiment, Easy Company was able to hold off the German attacks until American tanks came to reinforce them. In response to the German counterattack, General Bradley moved the U.S. 2nd Armored Division into Carentan at 10:30 a.m. At 2 pm the 2nd Division attacked, supported by the self-propelled 105-mm howitzers of the 14th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. A unit of tanks and mechanised infantry moved towards Baupte in the area of the 2nd/506th’s where they crushed the German main lines. A second unit pushed back German troops along the Périers motorway, inflicting heavy losses in men and equipment. The 2nd Division then moved one kilometre west behind the original lines.

The team of the German PaK 97/38 anti-tank gun

French 75mm complete high explosive shell dated 1918 re used as the German PAK 97/38 anti-tank gun used during the German counter offensive at Carentan,recovered at La Mare des Pierres the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch,Carentan,13th June 1944,Normandy

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