48th Highlanders?? Try this link School Song Quote;- In memory of the 48th Highlanders of Canada, nineteen of whom fell in and around the municipality of Voorst, including the Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Donald A. MacKenzie, DSO, DSC, born 9 July 1914 in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada, killed in action on 12th April 1945 at Wilp in the municipality of Voorst" Verrieres
Thanks it seems that the P.P.C.L.I are the ones that I am looking for, any one might can provide me with a WD of 11,12,13 april 1945?
Unfortunately can't go until early next year. Planned to go there on 4 January, but they are shut on Mondays. I've still got a couple of WD that you gave me from before to look at. Have not forgotten.
Philip - I have just brought forward a visit for later this week. I will do the PPCLI diary for you then. I also have a memoir of a PPCLI officer for this period somewhere.
I'm looking at Once A Patricia by C Sydney Frost now. EDIT page 436 . April 11 - 2300 hours. It takes us longer than I planned to go around the lake and reach Baker Company at Byron. Capt Egan Chambers reports no recent enemy activity in his area , but is cooncerned that Jerry will soon move into WILP if we don't get there first. I agree. We pore over maps and discuss routes to our objectives. I decide to send Lt Beardmore and his 18 Platoon immediety to Winchester, about 1000 yards ahead. goes on to describe the fighting edit page 433 it says Dog Company will take houses on outskirts of WILP codenamed WINCHESTER, Baker Company will move forward and occupy the village codename CHAMPLAIN. He revisted his old battlefields a few times in 1980s & describes a few more things in later pages. Regarding his retiurn to Wilp in 1985. Back then in 1985 the locals invited the 48th to take part in ceromonies to mark the crossing & liberation but left out the PPCLI who actually did the assault. He was rather annoyed ! He says PPCLI launched the attack across the Ijssel in Buffalos at 04.30 on 11th April 1945 and had occupied Wilp by 01.00 on 12th April. The 48th didn't arrive on their Assembly Area on the east bank until noon on 12th by which time B & D coy of PPCLI had been in Wilp for at least ten hours repulsing an attack by 120 infantry, 3 tanks & an SP gun. The 48th were the breakout force once the PPCLI had made the assault across the river. It was all sorted out in the end though.
See this from page 23 onwards. points 41 & 42. http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/ahqr-rqga/ahq039.pdf
I'm looking at Once A Patricia by C Sydney Frost now. Ah yes, that's the one I was thinking of. Well done that man. Should be getting the diaries tomorrow, Philip.
hope this helps, by one who was there. Charles Sydney Frost. Once A Patricia has to be one of my all time favourite memoirs. He was OC 'D' Coy at the time.
In 1985 when revisiting this area his Dutch frind wondered how the Buffaloes managed to get across the dykes. At the end of a trail was a "nice fat opening you can drive a tank or car though" , it was still there in 1985. There is/was a small wooden area near the river where he "made my final recce on April 11th 1945."
same photo here. http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/img/Victory-p499a.jpg map here. http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/sk/Victory-44.jpg http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/maps/Victory-13.jpg
HyperWar: The Victory Campaign [Chapter 20] "CANNONSHOT" was launched by the 2nd Infantry Brigade on the afternoon of the 11th, about midway between Zutphen and Deventer. The assault was delivered by Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada under cover of extensive artillery support, including smoke-screens on the flanks, concentrations of high explosive on known defensive positions and counterbattery and counter-mortar bombardments.107 At 4:30 p.m. the two battalions began crossing the river in "Buffaloes" of the 79th Armoured Division; not having used these vehicles in Italy, they had trained carefully with them before the operation. Surprise was achieved and "the action went speedily and according to plan".108 On the left the Seaforth reported no opposition and, 65 minutes after the assault began, all their companies had consolidated on objectives; on the right, the Patricias encountered stiffer resistance, but after knocking out a French tank used by the Germans they too secured their ground.109 By six o'clock the first phase of "CANNONSHOT" had been successfully completed. Meanwhile, five companies of engineers had started bridging and rafting operations on the eastern bank of the Ijssel.* The *The engineers under the Commanding Royal Engineer 1st Canadian Infantry Division had been increased for "CANNONSHOT" by the addition of the 32nd Field Company R.C.E. He also had under his command the 277th Company of the (British) Pioneer Corps. --551-- enemy's artillery quickly registered this vital target and shellfire inflicted 17 casualties on the sappers. Nevertheless, by two o'clock on the following morning they had two rafts and a bridge ready to take wheeled and tracked vehicles across the river.110 On 12 April the 1st Brigade passed through the 2nd to expand the bridgehead westward towards Apeldoorn. In the course of the fighting the 48th Highlanders of Canada lost their Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. D. A. Mackenzie, who was killed by a shell. The German artillery was accurate and troublesome, and the 2nd Brigade noted that houses in this theatre, unlike those in Italy, "provided no shelter from shelling due to the fact that houses were made of brick and not stone or cement". The 3rd Brigade now crossed the Ijssel and the attack progressed rapidly on a wider frontage. By six o'clock on the morning of the 13th--at which time the division reverted to 1st Canadian Corps command--patrols had penetrated nearly halfway to Apeldoorn. General Foster's troops were then preparing for the final thrust into the town.111 The concluding stages of "CANNONSHOT", an integral part of the 1st Corps' operations, will be described in the next chapter.