Operation Eclipse - Wismar

Discussion in 'Canadian' started by canuck, Jul 10, 2016.

  1. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    Shortly after Varsity the 1st Can Para received orders to march north to Wismar. Wismar is a city on the Baltic coast of Germany. It sits at the northern end of a chokepoint between the sea and Lake Schweringer and is a transportation hub. Winston Churchill recognized the city’s importance and knew that if it fell into Russian hands too quickly it could allow them to advance far past the agreed upon lines set up at the Yalta conference and take most of Northern Germany and even Denmark.The taking of Wismar was even more dangerous as the British there had to play a game of bluff. Wismar was a legitimate Soviet target as had been agreed at Yalta. However, the British wanted to send out a warning to the Red Army, which was effectively – “no further”. At the least it was hoped to buy enough time to secure Denmark’s borders. However, there was always a danger that fighting would break out between the Red Army and British forces in Wismar.

    During the evening of the 1st May, Lieutenant-General Ridgway, the Corps Commander, visited the 3rd Parachute Brigade and gave orders to the Division to make its way to Wismar on the Baltic coast as quickly as possible to head-off the Russian advance. The 5th Parachute Brigade had been nominated to lead the charge, but Brigadier Hill decided to contest this honour and ensured that his 3rd Brigade were well underway by the time that their sister formation was due to depart. Mounted in lorries with the tanks of the Royal Scots Greys in support, the two Parachute Brigades then raced across Northern Germany on separate routes.The 3rd Parachute Brigade, led by "B" Company of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion riding on the hulls of the Royal Scots Greys, won the race to Wismar in the afternoon of the 2nd May. They then established themselves around the town as the remainder of the Division arrived over the following hours. Endless streams of refugees and surrendering military personnel continued to pass through their hands throughout the remainder of the day, and dealing with this tidal wave of humanity became an enormous headache as the cages set up for them were soon overflowing.

    "From speaking to veterans of the unit we’ve learned that a new war almost broke out over Wismar. They have explained to us that shortly after the initial contact with the Russians, Lieutenant-Colonel Eadie, Commanding Officer of 1CanPara, met with his Russian counterpart.
    It was during this meeting that the Russian commander, backed by tanks, demanded a Canadian withdrawal, explaining that his objective was Lubeck, near Denmark. Lt.-Colonel Eadie, refusing to give in, told 1CanPara to prepare for combat. The Russian commander was taken aback; he knew no group of paratroopers would stand a chance against an armored unit.
    Wrongfully assuming that the Canadians must have had airpower and armor of their own, he backed down, and discussions proceeded."

    Lightly armed when compared to the Soviet tank corps facing them, the British and Canadian paratroopers in Wismar were asked by senior Red Army commanders to leave the city. Hill told his Soviet counterpart that he had at his full disposal the might of Allied bomber fleets and the firepower of the 6th Airborne Divisional Artillery that had been informed of the 3rd Guards Tank Corps positions. The threat worked and men and machines from the Red Army pulled back – the tanks that had breached the defensive wall were recalled. It gave the Allies sufficient time to ensure the safety of Denmark from an occupying Soviet force and it also ensured that the demarcation line in Europe as agreed at Yalta was kept. It was left to the highest ranks in the Allied command to sort out the issues raised at Wismar. Field Marshal Montgomery met senior Red Army General Rokossovki on May 8th in Wismar. However, by that time diplomacy was to count and not military action.


    An interesting account from Ron Anderson about 'promoting" a Private to Colonel by placing an eagle on his helmet, so they could more easily process German officers surrendering.

    http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/2558:ronald-andy-anderson/

    paras1.jpg paras2.jpg paras3.jpg Advance_to_the_Baltic-640x398.jpg


    http://www.pegasusarchive.org/varsity/depth_wismar.htm
     
    Cee, Peter Clare and Tricky Dicky like this.
  2. gpo son

    gpo son Senior Member

    A little Geography "that's 485 Kilometers in about 16 hours. that's some fine Orienteering...they must have been booking it on those Shermans
     
    canuck likes this.
  3. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Interesting story.
    Who knows if the Russians would have stopped at Lubeck or not.
     
  4. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Canuck,

    Great post....as always.
     

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