Camping in the forest took on a whole new meaning as the Allied troops massed together under the cover of the ancient Hampshire woodland in the build-up to D-Day...

IF YOU went down to the woods in 1944 you certainly were in for a big surprise as the New Forest had been transformed into one huge military camp, training ground and rendezvous point for the largest invasion force the world had ever seen.

Allied troops massed together under the cover of ancient trees and narrow country lanes. Normally deserted byways were packed with convoy after convoy of Army vehicles while at a total of 12 airfields in and around the forest squadrons of aircraft waited for the orders that would signal the start of Operation Overlord, D-Day.

This was not the first time that the New Forest had played a vital role in Britain's war effort, a fact highlighted in a new book published as the country marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day. The New Forest At War by Hampshire historian, John Leete looks at what happened in the forest throughout the conflict using personal accounts and reminiscences together with a series of unique photographs.

One of the first contributions the New Forest made came soon after hostilities were declared when people living in the area took in children evacuated from potential enemy bombing targets in Southampton.

In total 5,814 youngsters were evacuated by train to temporary homes in and around the New Forest, each bringing with them sandwiches for the journey, a knife, fork and spoon, comb, handkerchief, plate, mug and toothbrush, shoes or plimsolls, socks, a change of clothes and of course a gas mask.

Families who took in evacuees were given 10s 6d (52p) a week towards the child's keep but this was reduced to 8s 6d (42p) per youngster for two or more children billeted at the same address.

The build-up to D-Day took place over many months and many of the troops who were to assemble along the south coast in readiness for the invasion were assigned camps in the New Forest.

Many of the camps were self-contained with their own facilities and services including cinemas, hospitals and canteens.

"Archive footage still exists of commandos being briefed by Lord Lovat in a clearing somewhere deep in the forest: hundreds of men, unaware of what lies ahead of them, unaware that they are about to change the course of world history,'' writes John Leete. "We will never know how many survived and how many paid the supreme sacrifice. We can only think about them as they prepared for battle, guess at their hopes, their fears and their aspirations.

"Ordinary men plunged into an extraordinary situation.''

I wept for the young German I had to kill

HAMPSHIRE man Frank Rosier was an 18-year-old private when he was thrown in to the hell of the Normandy beaches on D-Day.

Frank, who lives in Cowplain, landed on Gold Beach hours after the first wave of British troops had hit the sand and while the battle still raged.

The teenager was with the 2nd battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and had joined up at 17 to be trained for the Normandy assault.

Amid great secrecy, Frank's unit had been stationed in a sealed area in Brockenhurst while they awaited the order to invade.

"On June 5 we were put in our vessel which held 300 men to sail to Southampton to join up with others," he recalled.

"As we left Southampton there were people on the quayside waving us off and so we waved back. We laughed and said 'so much for all this secrecy then'.

"The crossing was terrible because it was a flat bottomed landing craft and it was very rough. Nine out of ten of us were seasick and the heads (toilets) of the ship were just terrible."

Eventually, Frank and his comrades anchored three miles off the French coast at day break.

"Battleships were firing over us, destroyers were flying around firing behind us and there were floating artillery pieces also having a go and, of course, there was the German's stuff firing back at us.

"When we got ashore there were tanks on fire, buildings on fire, there were dead bodies all over the beach and bobbing in the surf. The whole air around me was black with smoke."

Frank's unit was very lucky, losing only one man and six injured when they hit the beach. This was testament to the bravery of the soldiers from the Devon, Dorset and Hampshire Regiments who had gone ashore and fought hard to make the beach relatively safe.

Immediately Frank and his fellow soldiers were rushing to find cover.

"We were trained to ignore the dead, the dying and the wounded and I belted up that beach. I had never seen a dead body before and they were everywhere."

The next day Frank entered the French town of Bayeux to be greeted by local people armed with bacon and egg baguettes and bottles of wine.

"There was soon an order not to drink the wine so we played netball with the French girls in the square," he said.

"At this time I thought 'this war is OK'."

Soon reality kicked in as Frank's battalion encountered crack German troops and the hard slog through the Normandy countryside began as his war became more brutal.

Frank soon became his unit's runner and was told to take some wounded back through the lines.

"I was walking back when this young German about my age came through the hedge. He had his Mauser rifle slung over his shoulder and I had my Sten gun ready and I cut him in two before he could get ready.

"Afterwards I sat down beside him on the ground and cried my eyes out."

Frank's war ended when he was seriously injured by a mortar explosion on September 6. He had a fractured skull and lost an eye. He was unconscious for ten days and had to spend four years in hospital having plastic surgery to reconstruct his face.

Now a member of the Normandy Veterans Association, Frank will be in France this year to pay his respects to his fallen comrades.

He also talks to children as a volunteer at the D-Day museum in Portsmouth to tell them about his experiences and how important it is to remember.

The New Forest At War by John Leete is published by Sutton Publishing and costs £12.99.