Battle for Arnhem.... (2 Viewers)

[panda1gen]

The plan for air cover was for 1,395 bomber



and 1,240 fighter and fighter bomber sorties over the landing areas and surrounding targets.



There were minimal air transport losses to the first wave of drops, the losses would prove to be much higher in later drops, so air force caution on the first day may in fact have come at a higher price later.



The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] Airborne would lift in 424 Dakotas (the highest divisional allocation) and 70 Waco gliders on day one. They targeted the Wilhemina Canal Bridge at Son for the 506[SUP]th[/SUP].

The 502[SUP]nd[/SUP] would guard the LZ, capture the road bridge at St Oedenrode and be ready to guard the bridge at Son and support the 506[SUP]th[/SUP] in its move south to Eindhoven.

The 501[SUP]st[/SUP] was to capture the rail and highway bridges over the Aa River and the Willensvaart Canal at Veghel, hence the separate DZ further north.

The fourth regiment, 327 Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) was due D+2.

They were the nearest to XXX Corps, so Maxwell Taylor opted for men over guns and divisional troops in order to have the maximum assault force possible in the first wave. British guns were due to reach them by 2000 hours.

 

[panda1gen]

In a similar situation to Ike on D-Day, Brereton had to decide on the 16[SUP]th[/SUP] September whether or not the green light for the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] should be given on the basis of the weather forecast.

This was for 17-20 Sep suitable for airborne ops with fair mild weather and some fog, so he said go. In the event, the weather would prove important.

 

[panda1gen]

The Irish guards were as good as their word and did not shoot up the two returning vehicles approaching them at 60 mph!

They discovered where the main defence line was and also three additional infantry positions, to a depth of four miles, all of which they had dashed past – twice!

It was clear that it was not going to be easy for XXX Corps to advance and the Germans were growing stronger every day.

Lt Buchanan-Jardine and his driver, trooper Buckley were the first Allied troops to enter the Netherlands. The Lt was awarded the Bronze Lion of the Netherlands and a Military Cross.

The dubious honour of leading XXX Corps into battle was, as promised by Horrocks, given to the Irish Guards. The following Guards Armoured Division were borne by 20,000 vehicles.




They were to break the crust of the defence supported by a terrific artillery barrage, begun in time with the air operations.






The 231 Infantry Brigade of 50[SUP]th[/SUP] Division would simultaneously expand the Neerpelt Bridgehead and the Corridor on foot.

 

[panda1gen]

Horrocks emphasized that speed was essential and 1st Airborne should be reached in 48 hours.



Given the number of waterways, XXX Corps had two Army Groups Royal Engineer attached.




Following the Guards would be 43 Wessex Division, they were to assault and/or bridge any blown river crossings.

 

[panda1gen]

The route was up a single road, firstly to Valkenswaard.

The challenge facing the Guards can be seen by looking up the road they advanced along, a defender's delight. This is it in 2008, apparently wider than in 1944.



Thick woods along the sides of the road.....



The Commonwealth cemetery, proof of the hard fight that would follow.

 

[panda1gen]

After a halt in the Dutch/Belgian border bridgeheads for a week, the Germans were expecting trouble and reinforced as best they could.




Only 24 hours after Horrocks gave his own briefing and issued his orders, the subsequent briefings had been given throughout the organisation and troops prepared.



XXX Corps (by now a well oiled military machine) was ready to go.



Horrocks climbed to the roof of the factory by the canal with his small tactical team.

 

[panda1gen]

Opposite the Irish Guards (IG) were the dug in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Battalions Fallschirmjager Regiment Von Hoffmann.





At 12.30 hrs Horrocks was told that the airborne were on their way.



The code word 'Tallyho' was issued. At 13.10 he was told that his zero hour was 14.35, meanwhile more junior leaders were assembling their troops.

 

[panda1gen]

Around noon the Germans heard the drone and saw the ariel armada. They were escorted by Mustangs and Lightnings.






The Lightnings especially, strafed anything they could see.


At 1400 hrs 350 guns, mainly 25pdrs,



and heavy mortars



opened up on a target area one mile wide and five miles deep down the straight road to Valkenswaard.

 

[panda1gen]

Many of the medium and heavy guns were left behind due to the transport/logistical difficulties.




In addition, the RAF mediums pasted known and suspected targets,



assisted by eleven squadrons of Typhoons.



There were no clear targets as dug in positions largely in woods meant guesswork and logic took the place of photoreconnaissance.

 

[panda1gen]

Eight aircraft from 83 Group flew over at five minute intervals,



each aircraft making several runs at treetop height so that aircraft were always overhead.



However ineffective or otherwise these would prove on dug in troops, it certainly impressed XXX Corps.




Accounts reveal that such a barrage was hard to take and there were casualties.

 

[panda1gen]

The Irish Guards moved to the start line, troops riding on the tanks of the second and following squadrons.



The General looked on as the battle for Hell’s highway had begun.




For about 10 minutes it went well, advancing at 200 yards per minute (about 7 mph). The experienced tankers thought this was too good to be true,



but the defender’s towed ATG’s had been knocked out.

 

[villagehorse]

Just looks like Michael Cain. You are capturing all the elements Kevin with your vast array of vehicles, planes and figures. Simply amazing. Robin.

 

[Cyber Field Marshall]

I've said it before but this is the BEST thread on the Treefrog Forum! I have been checking in on it regularly for years and continually enjoy it. Kudos and keep up the great work. :salute::

 

[panda1gen]

Just looks like Michael Cain. You are capturing all the elements Kevin with your vast array of vehicles, planes and figures. Simply amazing. Robin.

I've said it before but this is the BEST thread on the Treefrog Forum! I have been checking in on it regularly for years and continually enjoy it. Kudos and keep up the great work. :salute::

Thank you for the very kind comments. I must emphasise this is NOT my collection of toy soldiers, rather my collection of toy soldier pictures. There are at least six collections photographed.

Meanwhile ......

One of my favourite scenes in the film, ‘A Bridge Too Far’, is where the IG begin their advance and have to fight their way along the road to Valkenswaard. This part of the film came complete with scenes of the initial barrage, the recovery by the defenders, the ambush, the ‘typhoons’ at treetop height and the clearing of the road to get the advance going. It was dramatic and seemed so realistic. All these elements were present in reality, but as always in film, it was not quite as it actually happened.


It was actually 231 Brigade (231 B), detached from 50[SUP]th[/SUP] Division, that held the bridgehead and it had been a reasonably busy morning of September 17[SUP]th[/SUP] 1944, several hours before the IG advance.




At 0745 it was reported to XXX Corps that the enemy had tried to infiltrate their positions,



resulting in, amongst other forms of reply, artillery shoots on different targets - an AFV, some mortars,



infantry and a machine gun - as they were identified.




At 0910 they reported transport heard to the north and enemy closing in around the flanks, a counter attack was expected that day.

 

[panda1gen]

When the IG did advance, it was the hand held anti-tank weapons, fired at armour on a narrow road from thick cover that would be especially problematic.



Before then, in true ambush fashion, the defenders let the leading tanks through to be dealt with by SS Assault guns positioned further back, for defence in depth. These took advantage of positions offering longer fields of fire, between woods.



The ambush position was not a point, but a stretch of several miles of narrow road, where they let the IG through so they could attack the maximum number of tanks.

One tank gunner recalled how he emptied a full belt of mg ammo into the sides of the road, hopefully into the ‘bazooka boy’ that he did see and his friends who might be nearby. He thought he was gaining forward traction using this tactic until over the radio he was told he had, ‘no tail’. In the rear of 3 Sqn and lead of 1 Sqn nine tanks and two armoured cars were quickly blazing.

 

[panda1gen]

Lt Volz, adjutant of 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Battalion Fallschirmjager Regiment Von Hoffmann (FRVH) explained how he hated the strafing by the Lightnings, that flew over and shot up anything that moved.






Then the 35 minute barrage, ‘hell’, caused many casualties,



including his CO, who was killed by a mortar shell on the house where he had set up the HQ.

 

[panda1gen]

A rolling barrage then preceded the IG advance up the road.

Lt Volz went on to report how the ambush was carried out and that the road was blocked by blazing tanks hit from 5-10m range by panzerfausts from entrenched and camouflaged troops close to the road.



He also reported that the ground off the roads was too soft to allow the tanks easy access around. Anyone who baled out did so into these German positions, some were lucky, others killed or captured.



In spite of this initial German success, all was not ideal, due to organisational weakness. The road was designated as a secondary road and was at the junction of unit boundaries, so was no particular unit’s responsibility.

To make matters worse, as the attack progressed, ad hoc units lost contact through line and radio. Unit HQs pulled back, control diminished further and they could not even resort to using runners, as the troops and HQs became separated and were unaware of each other locations.

 

[panda1gen]

Meanwhile, around 16.25 hrs, XXX Corps reported that the leading Sqn IG had got through but infantry and assault guns were behind them. They also reported that one Battalion of the 9[SUP]th[/SUP] SS Panzer Division (9SS PD) was at Neerpelt.





XXX Corps recorded that a set piece attack, supported by typhoons, was underway to remove estimated 200 infantry dug in behind the leading tanks, along the road.





At the same time, radio communications were established, a weak 1-2 strength out of five, with General Brownings Parachute Army HQ.

 

[panda1gen]

The IG tried to blast their way through. A foreward air controller FAC rode in an M5 half track up with the two Vandaleur cousins that controlled the infantry and tanks of the IG Group. They passed instructions to the 83 Group Typhoons circling above.



Red smoke was fired to help the pilots identify targets, yellow smoke grenades were thrown by worried soldiers to identify friendly positions, flying as they were at over 200mph.

During the next hour they called in 253 sorties on 5 miles of road and the immediate area. With smoke and radio control to guide them, the rocket and canon firing typhoons were much more effective.



There was some inevitable fratricide, but XXX Corps generally described the RAF pilots as ‘superb’. The Royal Artillery was now also much more effective in this second barrage when called to hit specific targets identified by the IG as they advanced.



The remaining leading IG tanks pulled back slightly before the maelstrom of the Typhoon attacks, just 200 yards from the advanced positions.

 

[panda1gen]

As the IG withdrew slightly a bulldozer was needed to clear the road,



one of many frustrations occurred when its’ transporter become stuck, temporarily blocking the road. The crust was breaking and they were now moving. By 17.05 the IG reported that things were beginning to loosen up.

The IG also noted, ‘The intelligence spent the day in a state of indignant surprise: one German regiment after another appeared which had no right to be there’.



A Company of eight (out of a potential fifteen two hours earlier in the day) 10[SUP]th[/SUP] SS PD StuGs, commanded by Roestler were one of the unexpected guests. They attempted to form a blocking position near Valkenswaard, but they were as limited in their movement as the British. They soon fell to IG tank fire and typhoons.



The turning point in the battle came when Sgt Cowan commanding one of the IG tanks, knocked out a StuG, which was covering the road. The crew then persuaded an 88mm to surrender and then told the IG of other positions.