French 75mm brass shell case with ink stamp markings recovered in the area of La Mare des Pierres on the battlefield of the Bloody Gulch south of Carentan on the 13th June 1944

This is a World War 1 French 75mm brass shell case captured after the fall of France in 1940.Then re used by the Wehrmacht as the pak 97/38 anti-tank gun brass shell case. The case is a nice relic condition example with very little damage just a few dents, but the very rare bit is the remains of the black ink stamped markings on the side partly clear to see. On the bottom of the case it has all of its original markings including dated 1905 on the case and the primer clear to see it has been very well cleaned and overall nice condition .The case is complete and retains some of its original brass colour it has partly discoloured and damaged from being buried the case is a nice example of a recovered case perfect for display or any collection. The shell case was used during the German counter offensive at Carentan and 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 comes with 2xA5 laminated information cards and map.

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 Armoured 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 Armoured 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.