panda1gen
Colonel
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Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook
Monday 18th September 1944
Only one corner of the perimeter had been attacked during the night. This was a library or small school on the eastern side of the lower ramp held by Captain Eric Mackay and some men of A Troop, 1st Parachute Squadron. There were several covered approaches to what was really an exposed outpost, and the Royal Engineers found it difficult to hold.
Only one corner of the perimeter had been attacked during the night. This was a library or small school on the eastern side of the lower ramp held by Captain Eric Mackay and some men of A Troop, 1st Parachute Squadron. There were several covered approaches to what was really an exposed outpost, and the Royal Engineers found it difficult to hold.
Sapper George Needham says:
We had started to prepare it for defence, by smashing the windows and pulling down the curtains, but we had only been there about ten minutes when the Germans attacked, throwing grenades into the rooms.
Captain Mackay decided that building was too vulnerable, so he ordered into the larger school building next door, where we joined B Troop. They objected and said,
'Bugger off; go find your own place,'
but Captain Mackay, being the man he was, persuaded them in no uncertain terms to let us in, and we started fortifying some of the empty rooms.
(The Royal Engineers were later joined in the school by Major 'Pongo' Lewis, the 3rd Battalion's company commander, and twelve of his men. There was some argument after the war between the sappers and the infantry over who was in command in this building, the Van Limburg Stirum School, during the subsequent three days of its defence. Captain Mackay, in an article in Blackwood's Magazine, claimed to have been in command and never mentioned the presence of the 3rd Battalion men. Major Lewis, in his short official report, did not mention the larger RE party. Both officers had been allocated this position separately, in the dark of that first night, and Major Lewis, though clearly the senior officer, probably did not interfere with Captain Mackay's handling of the larger sapper party.)
We had started to prepare it for defence, by smashing the windows and pulling down the curtains, but we had only been there about ten minutes when the Germans attacked, throwing grenades into the rooms.
Captain Mackay decided that building was too vulnerable, so he ordered into the larger school building next door, where we joined B Troop. They objected and said,
'Bugger off; go find your own place,'
but Captain Mackay, being the man he was, persuaded them in no uncertain terms to let us in, and we started fortifying some of the empty rooms.
(The Royal Engineers were later joined in the school by Major 'Pongo' Lewis, the 3rd Battalion's company commander, and twelve of his men. There was some argument after the war between the sappers and the infantry over who was in command in this building, the Van Limburg Stirum School, during the subsequent three days of its defence. Captain Mackay, in an article in Blackwood's Magazine, claimed to have been in command and never mentioned the presence of the 3rd Battalion men. Major Lewis, in his short official report, did not mention the larger RE party. Both officers had been allocated this position separately, in the dark of that first night, and Major Lewis, though clearly the senior officer, probably did not interfere with Captain Mackay's handling of the larger sapper party.)
