Battle for Arnhem.... (1 Viewer)

[panda1gen]

Continued from #1950......

131 Brigade eventually assembled on the northern outskirts of St Oedenrode. The 1st/7th Queens,




... supported by 5/Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, were to strike north on the eastern side of the road. The plan was for them to join 1/502 PIR at Koevering.




At the same time, 8/Hussars were to support 1st/5th Queens in a north-westerly advance to Schijndel.




Both advances made slow progress, as at least two 88mm guns were still in position to stop them.




Additionally, Panzerjäger were repeatedly encountered on the western flank.

 

[panda1gen]

Nevertheless, by late afternoon, 1st/7th Queen’s and 5/Inniskilling Dragoon Guards Group were able to move alongside 1/502 PIR as planned.






With sufficient combat power now assembled, significant progress was made against Kampfgruppe Jungwirth ...




... and a link up was made with 506 PIR to the east of the road.




However, in the gathering dusk, C Squadron 5/Inniskilling Dragoon Guards Group came under fire from American anti-tank guns. As the two forces were now approaching each other from the opposite direction, this incident prompted General Taylor to draw operations to a close for the night.

 

[panda1gen]

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/131st_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)

https://www.britishmilitaryhistory....s/124/2019/05/7-Armoured-Division-1944-45.pdf

http://www.desertrats.org.uk/units.htm

http://www.desertrats.org.uk/orginfantry.htm#17Queens

https://dbpedia.org/page/131st_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)

https://queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/short_history/sh05.shtml

http://www.desertrats.org.uk/WarDiaries/5th_RIDG/5th_RIDG1944.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Royal_Inniskilling_Dragoon_Guards

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_King's_Royal_Irish_Hussars

https://www.qrhmuseum.com/roll-of-honour-8th-hussars

https://www.tracesofwar.com/docs/wardiary.asp?menu=1&docid=249

 

[panda1gen]

The operations towards Schijndel mounted by the 1st/5th Queens and 8/Hussars Group,








although slow,




prevented von der Hydte from responding to Major Jungwirth’s appeal for support. Major Jungwirth complained:

‘The right flank of our left neighbour [6 Fallschirmjaeger Regiment] is now at least two kilometres behind. Request action soonest from our left neighbour to restore the link with Koevering.’

 

[panda1gen]

25-26 September 1944 – 506 PIR Attacks From the North

The next plan was for an attack south on the night of 24/25 September. Assembly for this required the foot-sore paratroopers to perform yet another march. The 101st’s divisional history records:



‘At 0300 the 506th with the 321st [Artillery] and Battery B of the 81st was ordered back down from Uden to attack and clear the highway. Moving through the heavy rain of that night, the weary men passed Veghel.’

Whilst the 506 PIR concentrated south of Veghel, at around 06.00 hours the 101st Airborne’s Reconnaissance Platoon located the enemy positions.

They achieved this with help from 2/HCR’s armoured cars.




According to 44/RTR they established that,

‘the enemy were astride the road in battalion strength, with four or five tanks and self-propelled guns and that the road itself was mined’.

 

[panda1gen]

Colonel Sink’s plan was for H Hour at 08.30.

506 PIR was to attack southwards along the road on a narrow (two battalion) frontage, with tank support, towards Major Jungwirth’s Kampfgruppe.




The unit after-action report described the initial stages of the battle:

‘The attack jumped off at 0830 with 3rd Battalion leading [east of the road], with one-half squadron of tanks attached and 1st Battalion following to the right [west] rear. 2nd Battalion was in reserve. At 1130 the 3rd Battalion was held up so the 1st Battalion was needed to protect the right flank of the regiment …’




During the three hours between H Hour and 11.30 hours, the infantry made slow progress in the early morning mist and rain, which prevented accurate artillery and tank fire support.




Spandaus and German tanks firing from positions well concealed in the edge of the small woods covered the open ground that the Americans had to cross and brought the attack to a halt.




First Lieutenant Andros recalled:

‘The landscape was very flat and the enemy had some good grazing fire set up and you couldn’t move over the ground. That grazing fire was really low. The musette bag on my back had the top ripped off by machine gun fire.’

The divisional history recalls how,

‘The 3rd Battalion had to halt and dig-in, and then the 1st’.

 

[panda1gen]

Colonel Sink, in the American manouverist style, immediately committed 2/506 PIR and B Squadron 44/RTR to a flanking attack ....




.... while 1 and 3/506 kept the German’s attention fixed to the north ....




.... and poured in suppressive fire.




An RTR officer recounted that:

‘About this time news was received that an unknown armoured column was setting out from St Oedenrode to assist. After a lot of dial-searching we intercepted what was obviously an armoured regiment in full chat, and, breaking in contact was established with the 8th Hussars, who were identified after a lot of veiled speech and remarks on the colour of various hats. Their plan was to drive north from St Oedenrode towards Schijndel.’

 

[villagehorse]

You have created a traffic jam Kevin, indicative of Hell’s Highway. Good one. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

You have created a traffic jam Kevin, indicative of Hell’s Highway. Good one. Robin.

Thanks Robin, I have no shortage of these .....

 

[panda1gen]

The move of 2/506 PIR and half of B Squadron 44/RTR to the east of the cut at Koevering was slow, as the overnight rain and numerous drainage ditches made difficult going for the tanks. 44/RTR’s after action report recorded that:

‘B Squadron’s leading troop, No. 4, or what was left of it had been halted in their short left hook by multitudes of enemy tanks, who appeared from behind every bush.






Also halted, were the American parachute infantry, by small-arms fire.




The residue, therefore, swung even further to the east and approached the main battle through thick woods, and after a pretty bloody battle in which Sgt Newman and his crew were killed, the road was reached after last light and an infantry link-up took place with the 1st/5th Queen’s on the left and with 501 PIR on the right.’

 

[panda1gen]

Progress in making this link up to the east of the road was slow, as the British armour was understandably cautious following their encounters with powerful German tanks and anti-tank guns.




In addition, immediate artillery support to the 506 PIR was limited, due to a lack of ammunition north of the cut.

Sergeant Lipton of Company E, 2/506 PIR recalled the fighting:

‘When we were in the middle of a very large open area, they opened up on us with small arms, mortars and direct fire from tanks in woods adjacent to the open area. We hit the ground, which was slightly rolling, and gave some cover to the men …




The Sherman tanks were behind us on the minor road and we could see the German positions and three of their tanks on the far side of the field, we yelled to our tanks to come up to fire on them.

The British lead tank left the road and came forward through the trees. We were yelling to the commander that the German tanks were right across the field (about 400 yards) and the British tank officer [Sgt Newman] had the hatch open and was standing up with field glasses looking in that direction.




For some inexplicable reason, the British tank continued to move forward until its front pushed out of the wood into the open field. A 75mm shell from one of the Panthers slammed into the British tank, hitting the shield around its gun without penetrating it. …

The Sherman was open throttle in reverse to back into the woods again but it was too late. The second shell hit below the gun shield and penetrated the armour. The tank commander’s hands were blown off and he was trying to get out of the hatch using his arms when the third shell hit the tank blowing him out of the hatch killing him and setting the tank on fire. It burned all night with its ammo exploding at intervals.’

 

[panda1gen]

Meanwhile .... over the Rhine, the paras needed reinforcing .....

K&C announce reinforcement paras to join some of this lot ......

 

[villagehorse]

Very good Kevin. Hopefully they will arrive before these guys are overwhelmed. Can they hold out. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

Very good Kevin. Hopefully they will arrive before these guys are overwhelmed. Can they hold out. Robin.

Not sure Robin ... getting a bit dicey!

 

[villagehorse]

JG buildings are made for this series, so iconic, really showcasing the MG figures. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

Despite slow progress and setbacks, by 19.40 hours, the link-up between 2/506 PIR and 131 Brigade was being reported on the eastern side of the German positions on the highway.

As already recorded, General Taylor halted the advance for the night, leaving the enemy in possession of a portion of the road.

Schutze Heinz Sitter of Kampfgruppe Jungwirth recalled:

‘Dusk. Orders to break out. A march of a few kilometres, then enemy contacts towards dawn. We lie up with Captain Ortmann and a sergeant in a farm house.




Enemy artillery pounding us, then come the tanks.




Next to us is an anti-tank gun with a truck full of ammunition, which does not fire a single shot. Apparently a broken firing pin.






Tanks are shooting us up with direct fire.’

 

[panda1gen]

Hell’s Highway Reopened – 26 September 1944

By the following morning the Germans had largely withdrawn to the west.

C Battery, 377 Parachute Field Artillery’s diary records:

‘26 Sept – Weather is very bad with lots of rain falling. “Hell’s Highway” still cut but an attack is scheduled for 08.00 hours. Battery has fired quite heavy since early morning in conjunction with coming attack … H Company 502 PIR, supported by tanks and artillery, successfully reopened ‘Hell’s Highway’ at 0930 hours.

No traffic is yet allowed to use the road because of 88’s zeroed on the road.’




Despite clearing the road of enemy by mid-morning, the route north was by no means open.

Firstly, assault guns, were still able to close in on the road and engage anything moving.




Secondly, the route was still blocked with the wreckage of over fifty trucks and tanks lost over the preceding days.




Thirdly, Kampfgruppe Jungwirth had been in positions along the road long enough to liberally sow both anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.




The mines and wreckage took the 326 US Engineer Battalion and the Royal Engineers time to clear and XXX Corps’ Club Route north was not open until late in the day.

 

[villagehorse]

I see Kronprinz have some new ‘Hell’s Highway’ figures. A tempting consideration Kevin, given your story line. Robin.

 

[panda1gen]

I see Kronprinz have some new ‘Hell’s Highway’ figures. A tempting consideration Kevin, given your story line. Robin.

I did not know this, thanks Robin, I shall look them up.

 

[panda1gen]

Ref: Battleground Europe - Operation Market Garden

Hell’s Highway - By Tim Saunders


Thanks to the earlier removal of Kampfgruppe Walther, an alternative route to the east was developed, which worked around the German cut to the road at Koevering.




It was not straight forward however and this route required significant coordination by 50th Division to bring it into use even for light vehicles.




The route used the tactical sign of the Ace of Hearts and was manned by Military Police to guard and direct traffic.




The Royal Engineers still had to repair roads and strengthen bridges for sustained traffic, but once the main route was opened, XXX Corps traffic resumed its northward flow.




Evidence of the fighting was all too visibly obvious to soldiers moving up towards Nijmegen and the Island. Amongst them was Lieutenant Robert Boscawen of the Coldstream Guards. He recorded that:

‘When we moved on through the gap [‘cut’] the US airborne were still literally dug-in along the ditches on either side of the road prepared for further counter-attacks. The tangled wreckage of our supply vehicles was a sad spectacle, with one of our knocked out Delivery Squadron tanks upside down resting on top of its turret in a field.’