To pick up the XXX Corps narrative from #1351 ......
The first vehicles over the new Son (Class 40 Bailey) Bridge were the Dingos and Daimler Armoured Cars of B Squadron 2/Household Cavalry Regiment, the XXX Corps reconnaissance troops.
The Dingo Scout Car, was designed by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) after winning the 1938 British War Office requirement for a scouting vehicle. The design was then passed over to Daimler Motor Company (under the BSA umbrella) for production.
The low profile, high speed and good cross country performance made the Dingo popular.
The cars were rear-engined and very agile. The innovative bi-directional five-speed transmissions were a factor and the original design also called for four-wheel steering, which gave it greater manoeuvrability. This feature was removed starting in the Mark II however, because many drivers could not get used to it. The tyres were nearly solid so there was little danger of getting a flat crossing difficult ground or during combat. Production of Daimler Scout Cars began in 1939 and ended in 1945. 6,626 examples were built.
They first went with the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 (used by the 1st Armoured Division and 4th Northumberland Fusiliers) and proved to be extremely effective. By the time of Market Garden they were still useful, relying on the low silhouette, small target size, speed and high manoeuvrability to get the job done, for an example of this kind of exploit, see post # 1249 page 125.
Source: Wikipedia. SPECIFICATIONS Daimler Scout Car
Machinery
One Daimler 2.5-liter 6-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 55hp
Suspension
Wheel, 4x4
Armament
1x7.92mm Bren light machine gun or 1x13.9mm Boys anti-tank rifle
Armor
30mm front
Crew
2
Length
3.20 m
Width
1.70 m
Height
1.50 m
Weight
3.0 t
Speed
88 km/h
Range
320 km
The Daimler Armoured Cars were essentially the scout car equipped with turrets originally made for the Tetrarch light tanks. Although production began in 1939, transmission problems kept them out of service until mid-1941, where in North Africa, the 11th Hussars and the Derbyshire Yeomanry successfully operated them. Units operated these vehicles as far away as Southeast Asia and NW Europe, and all reported satisfaction with them. Between 1939 and 1945, 2,694 Daimler Armoured Cars were built. Waiting for the bridge to be completed, troops have a brew
Source: Wikipedia. SPECIFICATIONS Daimler Armoured Car
Machinery
One Daimler 4.1-liter 6-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 95hp
Late in the war the 2pdr gun may have been fitted with a Littlejohn adapter, effectively improving armour piercing capability.
Also late in the war, some were converted to SODs - Sawn Off Daimlers, where the turret was removed and a pintle weapon, e.g. a 50cal MG, was fixed instead. This smaller and lower vehicle was harder to hit, lighter, faster and easier to hide.
A typical Daimler equipped troop of the 2/Household Cavalry (and others) would be 2 scout cars and two Daimler Armoured Cars.
An example of a full Daimler equipped AC Squadron could include: 14 Daimler AC, 13 Dingo SCs, 2 AEC Heavy ACs, 3 M5 half tracks and 5 Staghound AA. Some units may have swapped Staghounds in the HQ (as these were roomier) and some may have had Humber ACs as liaison vehicles with specialist radio links.
The 37 ton Sherman tanks of the Grenadier Guards (GG) Group were next, as they now took over from the Irish Guards (IG) Group as the lead unit of Guards Armoured Division (GAD).
GG Shermans advance
Although its paper organization remained one armoured brigade and one mechanized infantry brigade, after Normandy the Guards Armoured Division generally fought as four combined-arms battlegroups, two under each brigade headquarters.
GG Group mechanised infantry
GG Column
Guards Armoured Division Headquarters and Staff
5[SUP]th[/SUP] Guards Armoured Brigade
2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
2nd Battalion, Irish Guards
1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards (Mechanized)
32[SUP]nd[/SUP] Guards Brigade
5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards
3rd Battalion, Irish Guards
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
Guards Armoured Division Component units
Artillery · 153[SUP]rd[/SUP] (Leicester Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45 · 55[SUP]th[/SUP] (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 08/06/42-11/06/45 · 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-29/05/45 · 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45 · 94th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45
Engineers
· 14th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 04/08/41-11/06/45 · 148th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers 04/08/41-11/06/45 · 11th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers 01/10/43-11/06/45
· 15th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 01/08/45-22/02/43 · 615th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 01/03/43-11/06/43
· 2nd Battalion WG was originally an infantry unit but later converted to an armoured role, becoming the divisional scouting and reconnaissance unit of the Guards Armoured Division. This division landed in France on 29 June 1944 and fought its way across North West Europe. It participated in many of the Normandy breakout battles, Operation MARKET GARDEN, the advance on and subsequent crossing of the Rhine, and the drive into Germany itself.·
· The 1st and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Battalions WG joined the Guards Armoured Division, with the 1st Battalion being infantry and the 2nd armoured. The two battalions worked closely, being the first troops to re-enter Brussels on 3 September 1944 after an advance of 100 miles in one day in what was described as 'an armoured lash unequalled for speed in this or any other war'.
· 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Household Cavalry Regiment 15/09/41-27/02/43. As we have already seen, 2/HCR worked closely with GAD in Market Garden, but they were XXX Corps assets at that time.
Signals
· Guards Armoured Division Signals, Royal Corps of Signals 18/06/41-11/06/45
Divisional infantry
· 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Independent Machine Gun Company 24/03/44-11/06/45
Brigades
The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] HQ were now under XXX Corps command with their HQ based at Son. The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] held the road north of Eindhoven and by 0700 hrs the GG passed through Veghel, cheered all the way by the US paras. This meant that the GG raced 10 miles in 50 minutes.
The plan for Garden seemed to be working, but this was however, to prove deceptive. The Germans, some 24 hours or so from the initial assault, were recovering. The 107[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Brigade (PB) was freshly re-equipped and about to entrain for the Eastern Front. The principal fighting element was a Brigade of Panther tanks,
but the vital Workshop Company had already set off for the Eastern front, which would affect the AFV availability over the next few days.
By the late afternoon on the 19[SUP]th[/SUP], forty Panthers were concentrated about 4 miles east of the Son bridge in the Molenheide Woods ..... tank crew and panzer grenadiers before the attack
107th PB scouts seek route to target ......
officer and scout with 1m rangefinder observing the 'target rich' movement on 'club route' .....
The 800 vehicles of the GG supply column move north in a constant stream over the Son bridge.
Trucks carrying vital supplies to the GG spearhead of XXX Corps ...
The difficulty for tanks to operate in the Dutch landscape was universal and so the CO of 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB, Von Maltzahn, opted for a small tank/infantry attack through the limited approach routes to the bridge.
Tank / infantry conference prior to battle ....
Von Maltzahn planned to use most of his tanks to support the attack by firing HE, to make up for his lack of artillery. The aim was a surprise attack to block the ‘Club Route’ and destroy the Son Bailey Bridge.
Reports of tanks were now coming in to 101[SUP]st[/SUP] HQ from Dutch sources, but they were also receiving reports of progress of the Garden flanking forces. They were unsure then as to whose tanks they were. In one example report a small unit of the 101[SUP]st[/SUP] was spread thinly along a canal road when Dutch civilians sped up to them to warn of six German tanks on the way.
Rare early wooden K&C Panther
All they could do in practice was wait. The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] was holding 20 miles of road, so thin defences were inevitable. The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] defences east of Son were even thinner than intended, due to reserve units being sucked into a battle to the west of Son, at Best. The Bridge itself was defended by some engineers and a platoon of infantry, with glider pilots to the north east.
The 506 PIR had also pushed out from Eindhoven into the surrounding country to the north east overnight September 18/19[SUP]th[/SUP]. E Co, 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Battalion had reached Neunen, 4 miles NE of Eindhoven, with Cromwells of 15/19 Hussars. In the late afternoon on the 19[SUP]th[/SUP], tank/infantry patrols were sent to the woods outside the village when they bumped into 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB (flank protection screen for the main attack on the bridge) at 400 yards range. The PIR had been tank riding and now jumped off the Cromwell tanks, who looked for targets. None could be seen so nothing happened.
Sgt Martin jumped back on a tank to point out a hidden target, the tank edged forward and Martin urged caution. The commander replied, ‘I can’t see him old boy and if I can’t see him, I can’t very well shoot him’. Martin warned him he would, ‘see him dam soon’, and climbed down just before a Panther brewed it up. The crew bailed out, including the gunner who had lost both legs. The blazing tank was still in gear so kept moving. A Panther claimed a second burning Cromwell. The remaining tanks and PIR retired back to Neunen, pursued by 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB.
Early polystone K&C Panther WS23
A sharp fight at dusk followed, after which the Allies withdrew to the outskirts of Eindhoven under cover of darkness. HB Panther at dusk
The main 107[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Brigade attack slowly approached the bridge.
K&C WS23 Panther
As noted throughout this brief telling of the XXX Corps advance, their fighting elements (currently spearheaded by the Grenadier Guards Group) needed re-supply and traffic was very heavy on the limited road(s) open. It was also frequently stuck in jams. A large number of ‘juicy’ soft skinned RASC targets therefore lay ahead for the 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB.
GG Supply vehicles
Additionally, any XXX Corps fighting elements they may meet would almost certainly be strung out along the same road and be highly vulnerable.
GG tanks, lead by Figarti Sherman on exposed raised road
Similar to the Allied experience, it had been difficult for the 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB to find routes around and over the many water obstacles for the 44 ton Panthers to travel.
The 1034 Grenadier Regiment was ahead of the Panthers, moving stealthily as they approached their immediate target, the ‘subsidiary bridge’, from the south east.
Unfortunately for the counter attack, they discovered that the subsidiary bridge had been blown by German forces days before. This was a real blow for 107[SUP]th[/SUP] PB. It meant that Von Maltzahn could not deploy to the south of the canal and as the river Dommel was across his front he had no room to manoeuvre, he had to move east along the canal towpath.
K&C Panther with tank riders
Also, he could not co-ordinate with an attack by 59[SUP]th[/SUP] Division from the west as hoped, because this division was delayed.
Meanwhile, 101[SUP]st[/SUP] patrols had been sent out from the bridge in response to the reports of enemy tanks.
On patrol
Panthers prior to advance down the towpath (K&C WS23 and HB Panther)
One of them watched, ‘a well camouflaged tank’, burst from the trees and head along the canal bank. It was quickly able to open fire on targets crossing the bridge. The Panther set a truck on fire on the bridge.
The truck belonged to Q Battery 21[SUP]st[/SUP] Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery and carried ammunition.
This burned furiously, illuminating the bridge and blocking it due to exploding ammunition. Von Maltzahn had succeeded in his primary objective for now, XXX Corps’ route north was blocked. News of the attack reached the 101[SUP]st[/SUP] HQ about the same time as enemy shells from the supporting tanks. Some of these support tanks had crossed canals north of Molenheide and advanced on Son from the east.
German infantry advance along the canal bank
Back on the towpath, Pte McCarthy missed with two bazooka shots but hit with a third, which appeared to have no effect. He reported that the Panther looked about the size of a house. He also reported that he saw it, ‘maul a truck on the bridge’.
Divisional HQ were, among others, firing with all they had behind walls and other cover, especially in a nearby school. The Panthers responded with 5 HE shells, but with limited visibility from within their tanks they could not subdue the 101[SUP]st[/SUP] infantry without their own infantry support.
Battery B, 81[SUP]st[/SUP] Anti-Tank Battalion had arrived by glider only a few hours earlier, but they were able break the deadlock by rushing forward a 57mm AT gun.
Captain A Gueymard wrote,
‘Upon reaching the bridge we observed a large tank on the south side of the canal, due east of the bridge. We were able to get an AT gun beside a house and fired at the tank which was moving across the levee. Our first round into the side of the tank disabled it and the crew jumped out and disappeared. Several other rounds were fired for good measure’.
A second tank was destroyed by bazooka fire, causing the tanks and panzer grenadiers to withdraw to the east. This crisis had passed.
Meanwhile, ‘Club Route’ was already earning the name of ‘Hell’s Highway’. Chaos still reigned along parts of the road.
Reinforcements for the 101[SUP]st[/SUP], from the 1/327 Glider Infantry Regiment, took up defensive positions around the bridge.
The 101[SUP]st[/SUP] were surprised that the German attack was not pressed home. However, the German faced the same problems that had hindered the XXX Corps advance. It was very poor ground for tanks, who relied on infantry protection in the dark. Even when there was just small arms fire, this kept the infantry suppressed so the buttoned up tanks could not risk advancing.
Fortunately, as illustrated above, more AT weapons did eventually arrive for the hard pressed 101[SUP]st[/SUP].
As for the German counter attack on the Son bridge, the 107[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Battalion were now disrupted as, in the dark, infantry and armour had withdrawn in different directions, so reorganising would be a protracted affair.
Which way now?
Who is in charge?
Even so, the impact on XXX Corps movement north would prove significant.
The 2/HCR picketed the Club Route and a typical incident was reported, ‘A dispatch rider appeared covered in mud. Slowing down and only pausing long enough to shout, “there is a panzer division on the road moving south towards you and orders are that you have to turn around”, he was then off in a flash.
Before he could be grabbed by authority he had dashed down a large part of the column, spreading his alarming message. There was no wireless with the lorries and unfortunately a batch of RASC vehicles took him at his word and, without more ado, turned about and made off at speed the way they had come’.
Eventually the lorries were collected together in a field near Aalst and they rejoined the convoy’.
The actions on the flanks of Hell’s Highway affected mainly troops from supporting arms, who were not well equipped to fight and would not normally expect to have to, especially when faced with, ‘a panzer division coming down the road!’. In the circumstances the truck drivers’ reaction was understandable.
Compounding the chaos, the Luftwaffe launched a raid by seventy aircraft on Eindhoven after dark.
'The brass' inspect the airfield
They had been evicted from Eindhoven
Poor weather conditions and the distances from UK and Normandy airfields had combined to lose Allied air superiority in the locality.
Allegedly, the bomber pilots had recently been stationed in Eindhoven, so a highly accurate bombing resulted in destruction of six ammunition trucks and part of the Philips factory.
The exploding ammunition trucks then engulfed fuel and small arms ammunition carriers. The delay caused by this blockage to the road and to the Guards’ vital supplies was substantial.
Pte S Brown of the RASC recalled how they had been stopped in the street for ages, so they had been invited into Dutch houses to eat and drink. When the bombers came they joined the Dutch families in their cellars. When they emerged, trucks and buildings were blazing and there was nothing to do until the trucks had mainly burned out.
The wrecks were pushed to the side, but his truck had survived, so now with a co-driver, he was off up Hell’s Highway before dawn. He recorded that after these experiences during a very long night, he had never been so tired in his life, before or since.
The bombing caused significant destruction in Eindhoven
British troops inspect the damage
Somehow, Pte Brown's truck survived and exhausted, he soon got going again, with a co-driver from a destroyed vehicle, carrying vital supplies
As for the German counter attack on the Son bridge, the 107[SUP]th[/SUP] Panzer Battalion were now disrupted as, in the dark, infantry and armour had withdrawn in different directions, so reorganising would be a protracted affair.
I am glad that you like it - it is a shot from a couple of days of collaboration by a group of brits, kindly hosted by Clive Gande, in 2012. The idea was to create XXX Corps columns formed by several collectors' sets. It has taken me some time to resize them, but you will probably be sick of the sight of them by the time I post them all.
107 Panzer Battalion attack Club Route on 18 September 1944
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The low profile, high speed and good cross country performance made the Dingo popular.
Waiting for the bridge to be completed, troops have a brew
Dingo and Humber AC.
