Battlegroup Fehrmann Tiger v. three British Comets, 3RTR

Chroist you learn something new everyday!:mellow: Steve have you got copies of all the entries in the diary? Hope you have, I've got a mate who's dad was in C Sqn and he was the driver of the lead tank into the village of Husum (25 Kms NW of Hannover), the tank was taken out by the Volksturm firing numerous Panzerfausts at it! Sadly in the action the Comdr Sgt Alan Duff, LCpl John Nation and Tpr Charles Ellershaw were killed. My mates dad stayed inside the tank, shitting himself and smoking daring not to bail out as the tank was still being fired at. This action took place on or around the 8th Apr 45.

Andy

I can do better than that!

Reference 'The Sharp End' by Johnny Langdon (which draws on his own memory, diaries and the 3RTR War diary etc):
....8th April 1945.....Enemy infantry with bazookas were reported to be in the Forst Rehburg...Within seven minutes of moving off, the leading tank in C Squadron, on the left of the centre line, was hit by a bazooka.....Soon after, the advance towards Husum, a village six miles north of Rehburg, was resumed......(Langdon then describes how his own tank - in the same Troop as my fathers tank Celerity - was knocked out by a bazooka also in Husum)....Apparently trouble broke out again in Husum and.....Sad to relate the battalion had three of its members killed in the Husum area, Sgt Duff, L/Cpl Nation and Tpr Ellershaw. L/Cpl Nation was the MO's (Barry Whitehouse) assistant. There were at least three tanks bazookered in the battalion including mine.

'Taurus Pursuant' Roll of Honour:
Sjt A. Duff 8 Apr 45 Hussum
L/Cpl J.S.Nation 8 Apr 45 Hussum
Tpr C Ellershaw 8 Apr 45 Hussum

3RTR War Diary for 8th April 1945:

 

I've got a mate who's dad was in C Sqn and he was the driver of the lead tank into the village of Husum.....

Has your mate/mates Dad got any photographs he could share with us? We could start another thread entitled '3RTks/3RTR in Germany'.....?

 

Soon after, the advance towards Husum, a village six miles north of Rehburg, was resumed......

The action in Husum was far more likely against marines from Bataillon I./6 and/or Hitler Youth from 5./12 SS.A.u.E.Btl.12 HJ. Volksturm could have been involved but I think not. 4 KSLI also lost soldiers in the action. The action concluded with the village being burnt to the ground.

John

 

Steve - Thanks for the info, I'll pass it onto my mate Tim Payne and also ask him if he's got any photos.

 

I know that at the end of the action the 3rd moved South East and leagured up at Engehausen, then moved East towards Winsen (Aller). Where there was a bit more fighting.
Whilst being stationed in 'Falling-Bar-Stool' (92-02 & 05-07) me and Mrs S54 used to make the odd shopping trip over to Celle and rather than go down the autobahn we used to take the scenic route through the southern part of Bergen-Hohne Ranges and on towards Winsen (Aller). I mentioned this in conversation to Kev Greenhalgh who used to run our Regt museum and now the Fallingbostel Military Museum (http://www.fallingbostelmilitarymuseum.de/) and he said 'Have you ever noticed the anti-tank gun barrel a farmer uses as a gate post'? I replied 'No I hadn't', he pointed out where it was on map and the next time I went through there I found it! Could kick myself for never getting a photo of it, I think it belonged to a PAK40 and I don't know if it was just the barrel and/or if the breech ring and recoil mechanism was buried underneath it. PSA photo of it's LOCSTAT, you never know some other reader of this thread might remember it being there:-

 

....and specifically the four corners where the Aller action took place....

Many hours of careful editing later........this is a composite of the four map 'corners'.....just now need the WW2 gridlines adding......

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ezy05cg3zhoecdj/Aller%20Battle%20Map%20v4.tif

Note: large file (approx 45Mb)

 

Nice job from what I've seen so far - it's downloading at a blistering 20KB/s!

 

Nice job from what I've seen so far - it's downloading at a blistering 20KB/s!

Gosh! Finished yet?

 

Now you mention it... it's finished, but the file is nowhere to be found - looks like it timed out. I'll give it another go.

 

Now you mention it... it's finished, but the file is nowhere to be found - looks like it timed out. I'll give it another go.

Just done a test download: took approx 1.5 minutes at 480kb/second

 

Well done Steve. My computer and/or Virgin Media are obviously quick as the map downloaded in about 0.5 seconds. Perhaps Idler is buying the wrong sort of coal for his computer. Now all we need are the gridlines....

 

It's thinband out here in the sticks... 37% - no - 38% at 18.9KB/s. Hard typing with crossed fingers!

 

Well done Steve. My computer and/or Virgin Media are obviously quick as the map downloaded in about 0.5 seconds. Perhaps Idler is buying the wrong sort of coal for his computer. Now all we need are the gridlines....

Thanks John.

I've managed to source a copy of a period map at 1:250000 (GSGS4346 Sheet L53 Hanover) but am not sure how this will scale to the 1:25000 used in 'our' new map....will give it a go and see if the WW2 map references in the 3RTR War Diary stack up.

What I have established is that the Autobahn was actually constructed slightly further to the east than 'our' map and Sheet L53 suggest and this accounts for some discrepancies between Langdons account and the modern topography (all will be explained in due course).

Steve

 

According to 3RTR War Diary:

3rd May 1945:
Bad Segeberg (whole Battalion)

PS: done a quick google trawl and I reckon, on the basis of probability and that it's a quite built up area, it could be Bad Segeberg.

99% certain the photos were taken in Bad Segeberg. Reason? I suddenly remembered I had a copy of Bill Close's book 'A View From the Turret' and there on P.163 is another photo taken at the same time and captioned 'Comets of 3 RTR in Bad Segeberg - May 1945, just after capitulation'. The buildings are clearly the same as the ones in the second photo posted by S54. The only difference would seem to be that some of the tanks are still carrying cam in the P.163 photo whereas they have largely been stripped of cam in S54's photo suggesting that that photo was taken a short time later. Sadly Google Street View isn't activated for this area of Germany (or any areas of Germany) but I think I can see a possible candidate street/building in the west of the much-changed town.

 

This is the link to the Google Maps air photo of the street where I reckon the photos were taken: Bad Segeberg, Germany - Google Maps

The Comets were lined up on the broad pavement where the cars are parked and the large, rather grand white building is probably the one with the grey roof with the link for 'Debeka Versichern Bausparen' at its left corner.

On the other hand I might be completely wrong....!

 

This is the link to the Google Maps air photo of the street where I reckon the photos were taken: Bad Segeberg, Germany - Google Maps

On the other hand I might be completely wrong....!

I think that's spot on; you can just make out the white frontage and the roof line is consistent with the period photograph. If 'Parkstrasse' was built post-War and the other buildings to the left have been redeveloped, that would clinch it. Local photo would be nice...anyone out there because it's a long way from here in Worcestershire? !

 

Tis' a pity that Bad Segeberg isn't close to Bielefeld as that's where I'll be spending Christmas!

 

Tis' a pity that Bad Segeberg isn't close to Beilefeld as that's where I'll be spending Christmas!:deflag[1]:

Come on, where's your sense of adventure?! Bad S probably has a fantastic Christmas market with stalls and stalls of bratties mit. Just hop in the car...

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

 

Come on, where's your sense of adventure?! Bad S probably has a fantastic Christmas market with stalls and stalls of bratties mit. Just hop in the car...


I totally agree: could also drop by Essel which is on the way!

 

I totally agree: could also drop by Essel which is on the way!

I would have no hesitation in driving up to Bad Segeberg if I could guarentee the weather, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be snowing and what with my daughter about to give us our first grandchild it will be a bit difficult!