Battle for Arnhem.... (1 Viewer)

[villagehorse]

Absolute chaos. This passage demonstrates how everything falls apart in close fighting. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

Absolute chaos. This passage demonstrates how everything falls apart in close fighting. Robin.

The 11th Parachute Battalion

All through his battalion's action, Lieutenant-Colonel McCardie understood that the South Staffords would be potentially supported by the 11th Parachute Battalion, located in full strength only a few hundred yards in the rear of the battle around the museum. After his two leading companies were pinned down, he sent up his third company to provide a firm base.

He then looked for a further force to attempt an outflanking move on the left, between the main road and the railway. It was a confined area, but it seemed to him to be the best avenue to renew the advance. McCardie's fourth company, C Company, would have carried out this move but it was temporarily leaderless and still well back.

Its commander, Major Phillip Wright, had set off to receive orders, but had been killed on the way.




As a result, McCardie looked to the 11th Battalion for this flanking attack. The 11[SUP]th[/SUP] Battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel George Lea, was willing to help. Major David Gilchrist's A Company moved forward to a position east of the hospital, between the road and the railway. Gilchrist's small Company HQ set up on the other side of the road, between his own men and Lieutenant-Colonel McCardie's 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] S. Staffs’ HQ.

Whilst he waited for the order to attack, Major Gilchrist discovered that the company jeep and trailer, loaded with all of the company's PIAT rounds, was missing. It had apparently reportedly been borrowed by the battalion padre for a burial, but not yet returned.

'where are my PIAT bombs?'


He then suffered a further set-back with a direct hit on his HQ, which killed CSM George Ashdown and wounded his second in command, Captain Peter Perse. No order to move came.

Gilchrist noted:

'So, there we were, waiting on our start line, the platoons north of the road invisible to the Germans and quite safe. We could hear shooting in front but couldn't see forward because of a hedge and the slope of the road.'

Major-General Urquhart now returned to command at Divisional HQ. Having seen some of the fighting in Arnhem, he did not approve of sending one battalion after another, piecemeal, into what he believed was an increasingly hopeless venture. He decided that, although it was too late to save the South Staffords, the 11th Battalion was not to take part in the battle being fought. An officer was sent with that instruction, timed at around 0900.

A senior officer was also sent to take control of the confused situation in this area, but he too was killed before he could have any effect.




To add to the 'chaos' (to quote Robin - see above), there was a two hour delay before Urquhart’s further orders reached the 11[SUP]th[/SUP] Battalion. In the meantime the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] South Staffords were counter-attacked and overwhelmed, whilst waiting for the support of an outflanking move which never came.

Major Gilchrist describes the effect upon his company:

“Some of the South Staffs fell back through us. I met Major Cain, who said, 'The tanks are coming; give me a Piat.' I had to apologize that we hadn't any. So the South Staffs disappeared down the hill behind us, hotly pursued by German tanks and infantry.




We were outflanked and couldn't engage the tanks, but we were engaging infantry. We had a troop of 6-pounders in support, just behind us, but they couldn't engage the tanks because of the slope of the hill. We started to fall back, and about twenty of us took up position in some sixfoot-deep trenches just east of the hospital, probably dug as air-raid shelters.

We tried throwing Gammon bombs at the tanks, but it was not easy from those deep trenches, and we had no success. The tanks came to within thirty or forty yards and were firing on us.




After about a quarter of an hour of this, I realized we weren't achieving very much, stuck in the bottom of those trenches and not able to see what we were shooting at, so I decided that the group with me would break out to the north over the railway. That was quite hairy, because the railway cutting was fifty or sixty feet deep. There was a German tank on a bridge over the railway further up, shooting down the railway. We were young and fit in those days and we moved like hell, down the bank, over the rails and up the other side. A few men were hit by the tank's machine-gun, but most of us got across. We rather thought that the area we had come to would have been held by the rest of our 4th Parachute Brigade, which we expected to be up by now. We didn't know the Germans were there”.

Major Gilchrist and small party tried to take shelter in a house but were soon captured. The only one of A Company's officers to escape from that area was Lieutenant Arthur Vickers, with only a few men. Most of A Company were taken prisoner.

 

[villagehorse]

You have conveyed so many moving parts here Kevin, just amazing anything was being achieved, a commanders nightmare. Robin.

 

[Grey Heron]

A interesting story being told here with some lovely miniatures.

 

[arnhem44mad]

The 11th Parachute Battalion

All through his battalion's action, Lieutenant-Colonel McCardie understood that the South Staffords would be potentially supported by the 11th Parachute Battalion, located in full strength only a few hundred yards in the rear of the battle around the museum. After his two leading companies were pinned down, he sent up his third company to provide a firm base.

He then looked for a further force to attempt an outflanking move on the left, between the main road and the railway. It was a confined area, but it seemed to him to be the best avenue to renew the advance. McCardie's fourth company, C Company, would have carried out this move but it was temporarily leaderless and still well back.

Its commander, Major Phillip Wright, had set off to receive orders, but had been killed on the way.

View attachment 291658


As a result, McCardie looked to the 11th Battalion for this flanking attack. The 11[SUP]th[/SUP] Battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel George Lea, was willing to help. Major David Gilchrist's A Company moved forward to a position east of the hospital, between the road and the railway. Gilchrist's small Company HQ set up on the other side of the road, between his own men and Lieutenant-Colonel McCardie's 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] S. Staffs’ HQ.

Whilst he waited for the order to attack, Major Gilchrist discovered that the company jeep and trailer, loaded with all of the company's PIAT rounds, was missing. It had apparently reportedly been borrowed by the battalion padre for a burial, but not yet returned.

View attachment 291659 'where are my PIAT bombs?'


He then suffered a further set-back with a direct hit on his HQ, which killed CSM George Ashdown and wounded his second in command, Captain Peter Perse. No order to move came.

Gilchrist noted:

'So, there we were, waiting on our start line, the platoons north of the road invisible to the Germans and quite safe. We could hear shooting in front but couldn't see forward because of a hedge and the slope of the road.'

Major-General Urquhart now returned to command at Divisional HQ. Having seen some of the fighting in Arnhem, he did not approve of sending one battalion after another, piecemeal, into what he believed was an increasingly hopeless venture. He decided that, although it was too late to save the South Staffords, the 11th Battalion was not to take part in the battle being fought. An officer was sent with that instruction, timed at around 0900.

A senior officer was also sent to take control of the confused situation in this area, but he too was killed before he could have any effect.

View attachment 291662


To add to the 'chaos' (to quote Robin - see above), there was a two hour delay before Urquhart’s further orders reached the 11[SUP]th[/SUP] Battalion. In the meantime the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] South Staffords were counter-attacked and overwhelmed, whilst waiting for the support of an outflanking move which never came.

Major Gilchrist describes the effect upon his company:

“Some of the South Staffs fell back through us. I met Major Cain, who said, 'The tanks are coming; give me a Piat.' I had to apologize that we hadn't any. So the South Staffs disappeared down the hill behind us, hotly pursued by German tanks and infantry.

View attachment 291660


We were outflanked and couldn't engage the tanks, but we were engaging infantry. We had a troop of 6-pounders in support, just behind us, but they couldn't engage the tanks because of the slope of the hill. We started to fall back, and about twenty of us took up position in some sixfoot-deep trenches just east of the hospital, probably dug as air-raid shelters.

We tried throwing Gammon bombs at the tanks, but it was not easy from those deep trenches, and we had no success. The tanks came to within thirty or forty yards and were firing on us.

View attachment 291661


After about a quarter of an hour of this, I realized we weren't achieving very much, stuck in the bottom of those trenches and not able to see what we were shooting at, so I decided that the group with me would break out to the north over the railway. That was quite hairy, because the railway cutting was fifty or sixty feet deep. There was a German tank on a bridge over the railway further up, shooting down the railway. We were young and fit in those days and we moved like hell, down the bank, over the rails and up the other side. A few men were hit by the tank's machine-gun, but most of us got across. We rather thought that the area we had come to would have been held by the rest of our 4th Parachute Brigade, which we expected to be up by now. We didn't know the Germans were there”.

Major Gilchrist and small party tried to take shelter in a house but were soon captured. The only one of A Company's officers to escape from that area was Lieutenant Arthur Vickers, with only a few men. Most of A Company were taken prisoner.

I am in the process of reading Middlebrook's book again for the 4th time and I recently read this particular section, so it's really cool to have it going along in miniature!

Scott

 

[panda1gen]

I am in the process of reading Middlebrook's book again for the 4th time and I recently read this particular section, so it's really cool to have it going along in miniature!

Scott

Thank you, I am glad you like it Scott, I am careful (I hope) not to plagiarize him.

The earlier sections on the XXX Corps breakout and with the 101st were from different sources, but I liked his focus on 1st Airborne more than the whole campaign for this bit.

His quotes from the vets are priceless, so I include them. I hope I am ok doing that and manage to illustrate them, but do not feel that paraphrasing them would do them justice.

Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook

 

[arnhem44mad]

Thank you, I am glad you like it Scott, I am careful (I hope) not to plagiarize him.

The earlier sections on the XXX Corps breakout and with the 101st were from different sources, but I liked his focus on 1st Airborne more than the whole campaign for this bit.

His quotes from the vets are priceless, so I include them. I hope I am ok doing that and manage to illustrate them, but do not feel that paraphrasing them would do them justice.

Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook

View attachment 291712

Nah you're spot on mate. I recon he'd he chuffed


Scott

 

[panda1gen]

As for the remainder of the 11th Battalion, some time before 11 a.m. it received new orders from Divisional HQ. The battalion was ordered to turn north, attack over the railway and capture the high ground marked on maps as the Heijenoord-Diependal Feature as the plan called for 4th Parachute Brigade to enter Arnhem from a fresh direction. By 1200 hrs, 11th Battalion (less A Company) was into position for this move.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lea had also decided to use what other troops he had available from the South Staffords. C Company was leaderless from the earlier fighting, so Major Cain, who had retreated into his area, was ordered to take charge of it and the remnants of the other South Staffords companies. Cain formed them into two platoons. You may recall that Den Brink was a nearby feature of higher ground and Lieutenant-Colonel Lea wanted to use Cain and these men to secure it, as a pivot for his own battalion's attack.




Initially, Cain and the South Staffords did well and got on to the high ground without difficulty, but when they were spotted by the Germans they suffered heavily from German mortaring. Once up on the feature they were unable to dig in, as the ground was too thick with roots for the men's light entrenching tools. As a result, the South Staffords continued to suffer heavy casualties. By 2.30 p.m. everything had started to go badly. The Germans saw the 11th Battalion forming up and started to mortar them.




To make matters worse, German tanks now appeared.




The British anti-tank guns were deployed just to the rear of the attacking battalions as they were forming up. The tanks moved around the Battalion to the north of the anti-tank screen, so that it was now caught in the open by these two dangers. The result was that the 11th Battalion was completely overwhelmed and almost ceased to exist. It never had the chance to make even one attacking move and only about 150 men managed to get away. Most were taken prisoner, including the wounded Lieutenant-Colonel Lea.




The South Staffords on Den Brink were also attacked by tanks and forced to retire.

Major Cain, who seemed to emerge unscathed from every action, later wrote:

'It would have been a sheer waste of life to stay there. I had no orders to retire, but I remembered what had happened at the monastery. I felt extremely dejected. I knew that our particular effort to get through to the bridge was a failure and that we had been thrown out of the town.'

This meant that, in just under forty-eight hours after landing, the last attempt to reach the bridge by the 1st Parachute Brigade had failed.

 

[Grey Heron]

Thank you again for continuing the story with some amazing scenes.

 

[panda1gen]

Back on 'Hell's Highway', XXX Corps try to reach 1st Airborne.



As with the fighting in Arnhem described above, the Germans were putting up resistance ....


...... 'get ready but keep your heads down'.


..... 'we need artillery support'.


...... 'open fire'!


But ..... XXX Corps columns are still held up ......



...... and as they are now cut off, 2 Para are in deep trouble.

 

[WesternOutlaw]

Very nice; love the town.

 

[panda1gen]

Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook

Although all attempts had failed, with the destruction of these attacking units, in the built-up area around the junction of the Utrechtseweg and the Onderlangs and in the network of streets on the western side of St Elizabeth Hospital, groups of mixed troops remained to the rear.




These were elements of battalions that had not been committed to the battle, such as jeep drivers, medical orderlies, Vickers machine-gunners and other men from Headquarters or Support Companies.




There were also considerable numbers of men who had become separated from their companies in the original moves into Arnhem, but had now caught up. Some were remnants of companies whose battles on the approach into Arnhem were over and there were also men like the anti-tank gunners, whose guns could not have been deployed any further forward. Although most had taken cover in houses, the antitank gunners were still available to man their guns if tanks appeared.




Many of these men were without orders or tired and confused after skirmishing. Although this mixed group had a potential fighting ability if adequately lead, there was no overall commander and few potential leaders were even present. Some of these groups had made efforts to reinforce the battalions fighting further forward. Lieutenants John Williams and Bill Fraser of the 1st and 3rd Battalions were both liaison officers left behind in the divisional area. Major J. S. A. Buchanan was the South Staffords Support Company commander. They had all, separately, gone up to Arnhem by jeep and collected isolated parties and stragglers from their battalions as they went.




Reports credit Williams with collecting up to fifty men of his Battalion and Buchanan with sixty South Staffords. Fraser reportedly gathered 120 from all units of the 1st Parachute Brigade (although there may have been some overlapping in those estimates). This substantial group did reach the area to the rear of the main battle, but there was no leader to organize their further use.

 

[panda1gen]

Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook

Major-General Urquhart had returned to his headquarters early on that Tuesday morning. He understood that the advance to the bridge had stalled and that there were piecemeal attacks being launched towards the bridge that were not strong enough and needed co-ordination in Arnhem.




Colonel Hilaro Barlow, the deputy commander of the 1st Airlanding Brigade, was a full colonel and the ideal officer for the task of taking control of the disparate units fighting in Arnhem.




He was sent forward, with orders to take charge. Colonel Barlow dutifully sped off in a jeep, accompanied by his batman.




The Divisional HQ never heard of him again. He disappeared and his body was reportedly never found. The disappearance remained a mystery for a long time. Barlow did however reach the area immediately behind the fighting, and there was a witness to his death. Captain John McCooke of the South Staffords stated:

“Lieutenant-Colonel McCardie had sent me back to make sure our transport didn't come any further forward. I found the transport near the junction of the Utrechtseweg and the lower road. Colonel Barlow appeared there with his batman and asked me about the situation in front. I decided to go forward with him.

Heavy mortaring started, and we made a dash for one of the houses which back on to the river.




But the one we got into was on fire in the top storey and it had some bodies in it, and we were being sniped at. So we decided to move on to another building, two houses along. We arranged that I would go first, Colonel Barlow second, and his batman third.

As I ran, I heard a crash behind me and was slightly injured in the leg by a mortar-bomb fragment. I collapsed in the doorway of the house we were making for. No one followed me in. I looked out, back down the street, but couldn't see anything. I went upstairs and looked out of the front bedroom window. There I saw what I can only describe as a mess on the pavement - which I presumed was Colonel Barlow - and a dead body behind that which must have been his batman.

I can never understand why Colonel Barlow's death was always described as a mystery. I reported the incident when I was debriefed after the battle and after the war wrote to some of the authors whose books kept referring to the mystery”.

Colonel Barlow's name is commemorated on the Groesbeek “Memorial for the Missing”. The body of his batman, Lance-Corporal Raymond Singer, was found and is now buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery.

 

[Grey Heron]

My thanks once again for continuing the story and again with some amazing scenes. Merry Christmas to you!

Cheers,
Grey

 

[panda1gen]

My thanks once again for continuing the story and again with some amazing scenes. Merry Christmas to you!

Cheers,
Grey

Thank you, I am glad that you like them, your encouragement is appreciated. A Merry Christmas to you too.

To continue, the Germans launched a counter-attack into this area around midday (although reports are vague on timings at this stage). The tanks nosed carefully forward, with infantry in close support.








BTW I have not forgotten the US paras or XXX Corps fighting up to Arnhem.

 

[jason foote]

Brilliant images and narrative

 

[panda1gen]

Brilliant images and narrative

Thank you.

 

[panda1gen]

Ref: Arnhem - 1944: The Airborne Battle by M. Middlebrook

Against this the British had elements of three 6-pounder anti-tank troops present. These were A and C Troops of the 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery and E Troop of the 2nd Battery, which had been attached to the 1st, 3rd and 11[SUP]th[/SUP] Battalions respectively. The British anti-tank gunners fought some gallant actions.

The South Staffords Anti-Tank Platoon had been kept back in the divisional area. Gunner Len Clarke of E Troop described how his gun was in the front garden of a house looking straight up the road towards St Elizabeth Hospital:

“This tank was coming down the road from the hospital. I think he had an idea something was about and he was going very carefully. Lieutenant Glover, the troop commander, was with us - he always came with E4 gun. 'I'll have a shot at this,' he said, and took over my layer's position at the telescopic sight. I didn't care for that much. 'I'm the layer,' I said. 'Yes, and I'm the officer,' he said, and I had to obey orders. We fired three shots. All shots hit the tank; you couldn't miss at that range. I heard later that we immobilized it. We up-gunned and moved back then”.

The officer directs the 6pdr ......


Gunner 'Dickie' Bird was a signaller with one of the Light Regiment's forward observation officers. He had been 'caught short' and was using a Dutch family's toilet:

“As I left the house, I saw to my right the front end of a tank that was turning into the street and I was drawn into a general rush down towards an anti-tank gun sited in front of some park railings. The tank opened up with its machine-gun, and men were falling like ninepins on the other side of the street. The gun No. 1 was yelling to people to get out of his line of fire, but too late; the tank got in first, and I was almost knocked over by the blast that left the gun crew spread-eagled”.

Tank advances down the street ...

Gunner Eric Milner of C Troop describes how one abandoned gun was rescued from near St Elizabeth Hospital:

“An officer came asking for a driver. I accompanied him to the front of the hospital, and he pointed to a jeep and gun, with no sign of the crew. He wanted me to get it to a safer place, as a tank was coming down the road and would soon see it as a target. I had to turn the jeep round first, as it was facing the tank, which was still some distance away. Just as I turned, the tank saw me and fired, but the shells were going over my head. I looked around and saw, as the tank gun fired, the shell bounced off a bump in the road, and so over my head, probably saving my life. There was one more fright for me; as I drove to safety, I ran over power cables in the road with blue flashes everywhere”.

An officer points out the jeep .....


One hairy jeep journey ....

 

[Grey Heron]

Another excellent post on the subject. Thank you.

Cheers,
Grey

 

[villagehorse]

Kevin the chaos and confusion continues unabated, aptly conveyed in your narrative. Robin..