On this day during W.W. 2

@Gargantua:

We have the biggest coast line in the world… why we relegated ourselves, to a fleet smaller than BC Ferries is beyond me.

Partly, I would imagine, because warships are expensive, and partly, I would also imagine, because some of that enormous coastline is locked in ice and because much of it borders on uninhabited territory.

Thanks for puttin that in to perspective, Marc. Did astound me when I first read it.

Sept 17th 1944. 20000 Paras from the82nd,101st and 1st British Airborne dropped behind the German lines in Holland today. Their objective was the bridges all the way to the Rhine. They would hold them until relieved by British ground forces from 30xxx. The plan was Montgomery’s and it was simple, but audacious. Resistance was expected to be light as the Germans had been retreating for weeks. Allied morale and expectations were high. It was expected the Paras would be relieved in 48 hours. Once the final bridge was relieved, the Ruhr and Germany proper would be theirs for the taking and the war over by Christmas.

Over 4000 planes escorted and transported the Paras and pulled gliders in the two air armadas. THe Germans were able to put just 75 planes in the air, insufficient to cause � much damage. All told 68 planes and 71 gliders were lost or had to turn back.Importantly, 35 of the gliders were from 1st Airborne and included 2 17lb AT guns.

The 101’s objective was Eindhoven and the bridges nearest the front lines.All went well,except at Son, where the bridge was blown. The 82nd(next up the line)also did well, but 2 of yhe 3 bridge over the Waal were blown and there was now no direct route from Grave to NIjmegen. The Germans , with FM Model in command, reacted well to the landings, realising Nijmegen was the key. Unknown, or ignored by the Allies more appropriately, the cadre of IISS(Bittrich) was resting and refitting in the area. This veteran formation was just what was needed on which to build a defence. The 10thSS(Harmel) was ordered to Nijmegen and the 9th(Harzer) West of Arnhem to prevent the 1st Para reaching the bridges there. Student(of 7th Para and Crete fame) was ordered to hold around Eindhoven. As it stood, the German defence was based on small mixed arms ad hoc units, learnt on the Eastern Front and proven very effective at holding until real reinforcements arrived. Hitler realised the landings’ importance and assured Model he would have all available resources.

The1 st Airborne was dropped furthest, 64 miles from the front lines and 8 miles from its objectives and because of a shortage of aircraft was going in over 3 days. It was hampered thus, having to leave half its Infantry to protect the Drop Zones while only one Brigade, the 1st Para took all the day’s objectives. It was to prove too much. The 3 Battalions took 3 different routes and resistance was building all the time. Only Johhnie Frost’s 2nd Battalion made it to the bridge and he was only able to hold the Northern end. He had some mortars and 2 6lb AT guns. He was soon joined by 1st Para HQ, minus its commander, Lathbury.( He and the Division commander were later trapped and had to hide in an attic, therefore missing out on the most important moments of the landings: the start.) At least now Frost had radio communication with Division and some idea of when help was coming to him. � Â

Meanwhile, the ground forces, led by the Guard’s DIvision was finding movement to the bridges very hard going. EvenEindhoven was not taken on the 1st day, but it had been expected to fall within 3 hours. THere were still many miles and many bridges to cross, not all secured.

Sept 18th 1944. The day started badly for the Allies as the weather closed in, delaying by 4 hours the day’s para � and glider reinforcement and resupply. Ridiculously, the Germans had air superiority and attacked, without damaging, some bridges.
30xxx, which had only managed 8 miles, before stopping for the night resumed its march and took Eindhoven.
82nd Para had been unable to cApture the bridge at Best before it was blown and at Son the British still needed to build a Bailey bridge, but with the capture of the important � bridge at Grave and only the Ninmegen one to take, things were looking ok.
At Arnhem the balance of 1st Para Brigade tried to push to the bridge to join Frost, but made little headway against Spindler’s Kampfgruppe. What was needed was the 4th Para Brigade delayed because of weather. It landed at 3, just in time to repell a German attack on the DZs.
Unfortunately, 1st’s Division commander was in hiding and unable to influence the battle.Hicks took temporary command and decided to detach 2nd South Staffs and send them in to Arnhem. WhenHackett’s 4th Brigade landed he tookhis 11th btn away.Tensions between the 2 Brigadiers were high. The Division needed Urquhart, its commander.
Hick’s plan was to attack again tomorrow with these 2 fresh battalions aiding what was left of 1st Brigade.It would be the Division’s last chance to reach the bridge and Frost.

Sept 19th. The weather was still bad over England and 101st only received half of the gliders, the 82nd none and 1st Airborne the 35 belonging to the Polish brigade, but not the Para brigade itself. As for resupply, that was worse than yesterday. 1st Airborne received only 10%, most falling to the Germans as DZs had been captured and the Germans now knew the direction the planes were coming and had set up Flak along the way.
1st Para Brigade’s early morning attempt to reach the bridges floundered once again. By 10am there were only 150 unwounded men. Hackett’s 2 Battalions moved to the Heights to the North East. German pressure was to prove too strong and each would soon be reduced to 250 men each. The only real morning’s success was the release from hiding of the Division commander. He called off 1st Brigade’s attack, the 11th Btn had been wrecked too and reinforced the attack from the NE with the 7thSKOB from the Airlandind Brigade. He also dispatched Colonel Barlow to the bridge to take over the defences. (1st Brigade commander was injured and hiding as he knew.) Barlow never made it. Most of the Poles became casualties on landing at 4pm too as the Germans were on top of the LZs.
30xxx crossed the Bailey bridge at Son and had reached Grave by 820 and were at Nijmegen by the afternoon with a battalion of tanks and co. of Mech Inf and a battn of the 505  and already plans were to take the bridge tomorrow.

Sept 20th 1944. With the lead elements of 30xxx in Nijmegen and only 12 miles from Arnhem, today would be the best chance to complete the Garden part of the operation, but the Germans knew it. Pressure was put on the corridor as far down as Son where the 101 had to keep 107Pz Brigade back from the Bailey bridge. The 82nd had a harder time fighting off 3 Kfgsfrom Corps Feldt which were trying to reach the Maas Waal canal. It was a hard and close runthing for Gavin’s Division. Meanwhile 30xxx was trying to reach the bridge with help from the Division. A plan was formulated to put a battalion of the 504 in boats and to take the North end of the Nijmegen Railway bridge. There were delays, but the river crossing assault took place at 3 and a bridgehead was soon established. By 8pm armour was over the road bridge and had linked with the Paras coming from the RR bridge.
At Arnhem 4 Tigers had crossed the bridge. Frost had been wounded and Major Gough was now in charge. A truce was arranged and Frost was captured, though there was still fighting going on.
The Polish Brigade was still stranded in England.
With more German reinforcements arriving, the 12SSxxx amongst them, Model and Bittrich were planning to retake Nijmegen and hold 1st Airborne at Oosterbeck.

Sept 21st 1944. Now Nijmegen bridge was secure, only Arnhem remained to be captured and the 2nd battn relieved. Ironically, if the Guards had moved off last night, they would have faced little opposition as 10thSS had not yet formed up and were awaiting Infantry and Armour. Horrocks, commanding 30xxx, could not know this and his front was dangerously narrow. The plan was for the Irish Guards to lead off at first light, followed by 43rd Infantry. They got 3 miles before they were slowed to a crawl by Harmel’s � weak 3 Battalion attack, supported by 16 MkIVs and then dug in and � � prepared anti tank guns from Kfg Knaust that had come from Arnhem. it was perfect defensive ambush territory and 30xxx was unable to call in air support.
1st Airborne was spent and its commander knew it needed to be rescued. He divided his perimeter into two halves and gave one each to his two brigadiers. They were being shelled continually. 10th Para Battn was overrun and it’s commander captured. At 9am Gough had tried to break out to the North against KFG knaust, but fightindg soon died down and only a handful of men had not surrendered by 12pm. Kfg Knaust could at last cross the bridge. �
The Polish Brigade was able to leave England, but only half(750 men) landed on the DZ about 530pm. They were unable to fulfill their mission to capture the ferry at Driel. The weather and 100 German Fighters,25 of which got through, accounted for the diminished numbers. Thinking this drop was an attempt to get to the bridge, Harzer organised a blocking force of 2500 from different units.the Poles were on the wrong side of the river!
Tomorrow Student’s 1st Para Army was poised to cut the corridor using a pincer with 86xxx and 88xxx, while more pressure was put on 1st Airborne.

Sept 22nd 1944. It was a misty day, with no resupply.
The German pincer attack went in at 9am, breaking through to the road from both East and
West inbetween  Uden and Grave. The 101 called in air support and 119 rocket firing Typhoons appeared. Horrocks turned around the 32nd Guard’s Brigade to stem the German advance too. Nothing could or did travel past Veghel today.
Further north, 43rd Division qnd the Irish Guards Group pushed on and by 9pm a small contingent had reached the Poles. Some 35 crossed the river to join 1st Airborne.
In the perimeter, 1st Airborne was kept alive by artillery support from 64 Medium Regiment 11 miles away and the Division’s Artillery commander, Loder-Symonds, sometimes as close as 100 yards from the Paras’ lines. All 3 Generals from the Division never stopped moving along the lines, encouraging their men. Fatigue, hunger and thirst were a problem and at day’s end, Urquhart informed Browning at 1st Airborne HQ he could not hold for more than 24 hours andthat he would try and break out towards the ferry  tomorrow.
Bittrich of IISS was planning their annihilation ]with Harzer and Von Tettau.

Sept 23rd 1944. The weather was considerably better today, so Allied Fighter Bombers were able to disrupt renewed Gernan attacks on the corridor from Kfg Walther and the newly arrived 6th Para Regt. under Von Der Heyte. Neither made any headway and by noon the Irish Guards and the 506 linked up, reopening the Highway.
At 1pm the biggest drop since the first day saw all remaining troops arrive in Holland, including the 1st Battn Polish Brigade, which had turned back 2 days ago. 200 crossed the Rhine in the dark.
At Oosterbeck the 1st Para Division was subjected to heavy infantry attacks supported by SPGs, Nebelwerfers and tanks, some with flamethrowers. Movement in the perimeter was greatly effected. Loudspeakers were used to broadcast, turning the battle in to a psychological one. Morale was very low now. The last supply drop  from the UK to the Division was at 4pm, by which time the perimeter was only 1000 yards in diameter. It is possible 10% reached the Division.
At 820pm HQ2nd Army gave permission to withdraw the Division.

Sept 24th 1944. Weather was too bad in England(surprise eh!), but 21 Dakotas escorted by 36 Spitfires took off from Brussels and dropped supplies to the 82nd. 1st Airborne received nothing.
At 9am the 6th Para again attacked the corridor aiming for the bridges at Veghel. At least one Jagdpanther assisted and knocked out 3 Shermans of the 44th Tank Regiment. It succeeded in cutting the Highway with its fire, halting the Northward supply convoys. Another 50 British vehicles were destroyed by a Battn of the 59th Infantry, who were able to evade all Allied units on its way to them. The 502 sent 2 companies to its defence.
At Oosterbeck a truce was arranged, whereby 700 wounded were transfered to the Germans leaving Urquhart with only 1800 able bodied men to protect the perimeter.
Today the 506th Heavy Pz Battn arrived (King Tigers), 2 companies sent to the 10th SS at Elst and 1 to East of the Oosterbeck perimeter.
It is. Ot known who gave the order, but 1st Airborne was ordered to withdraw. London was notified.

Sept 25th 1944. At 2am 350 men from the 43rd Infantry crossed the river th help the 1st Airborne. Kfg Von Tettau attacked and captured 140 of them, including the battalion  commander of the 4th Dorsets. At 8am, Urquhart radioed HQ to say the Division had to be evacuated tonight. About this time the Tigers attacked from the East, driving deep and threatening to encircle the Division.
The Highway was reached and  by nightfall the Germans cleared off it for good.
At 9pm the evacuation, code named Berlin, began. Two companies of Royal Canadian Engineers helped the Division across. In all 2587 men made it across the Rhine; the wounded were left. Throughout the evacuation the 43rd Division bombarded the German defences. For the most part the Germans allowed the British to withdraw.

Market Garden was over. It was estimated only 7% of supplies actually reached the 1st Airborne, which went in with 10300 men and came home with 3000. .
Of the Division, 1300 were killed, 3 of the 9 battalion commanders killed or captured and 2 of the 3 Brigadiers wounded. Five VCs were awarded for bravery ( four posthumously). The Division was wrecked,
It is hard to calculate German losses.
The gain was a 50 mile salient going nowhere.
Germany was far from finished.

Did not know the Volksturm were organised this early. Thanks Surprise Attack.
I cannot find any major WW2 actions to describe for a while and am off on holiday in a week, so will not post here for a while. Have enjoyed filling in. Arnhem is a favourite subject of mine(more 1st Para’s situation).

October 14th 1944.
I forgot; forgive me!
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel commited suicide.
He was born in Wurtemburg on 15th November 1891. Had a glittering career as an Infantry commander in WW1, winning the Pour Le Merite(which he proudly wore) fighting the Italians. He shot to prominence in WW2, after being close to Hitler, leading the 7th Panzer Division in France. In February of 1941 he was sent to North Africa to command a small German contingent fighting alongside Italy. He would become every school boy’s dream commander, running a well supplied British Army ragged for 16 months before capturing the key port of Tobruk, in Libya. He was promoted Field Marshal for this. In November he met his match in Montgomery and despite a few Allied reverses was always retreating. He was not in Africa when the Axis surrendered.
In 1944 he was in France as commander of Army Group B(the important North).
He was wounded and invalided back to Germany. While he was there he was approached by anti-Hitler plotters and because of this link he took his life rather than stand trial.

@wittmann:

October 14th 1944.
I forgot; forgive me!
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel commited suicide.
He was born in Wurtemburg on 15th November 1891. Had a glittering career as an Infantry commander in WW1, winning the Pour Le Merite(which he proudly wore) fighting the Italians. He shot to prominence in WW2, after being close to Hitler, leading the 7th Panzer Division in France. In February of 1941 he was sent to North Africa to command a small German contingent fighting alongside Italy. He would become every school boy’s dream commander, running a well supplied British Army ragged for 16 months before capturing the key port of Tobruk, in Libya. He was promoted Field Marshal for this. In November he met his match in Montgomery and despite a few Allied reverses was always retreating. He was not in Africa when the Axis surrendered.
In 1944 he was in France as commander of Army Group B(the important North).
He was wounded and invalided back to Germany. While he was there he was approached by anti-Hitler plotters and because of this link he took his life rather than stand trial.

Thank you Aequitas. I am no good with Pcs and pictures are beyond me!
Had been waiting to do Oct 14th and Rommel as I thought he was probably a favourite general of many of us: always  mine as a child.
Got back from Florence on Sunday and forgot. Actually wrote that drunk last night off the top of my head!

as you can see I also attached one pic with the emblem of the 7th PD on a Mark IV (edit: Sorry Mark III) on it, They used the Ghost or Phantom as their own marking. Feared from the French soldiers as they kept continuely saying about the 7th ,that they most of the time emerged from were they would have at least expected them.