RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

So regarding Sgt Hudson and the Staffordshire Yeomanry - I had a look again at alberk's post, #224.

02.30 hrs
A-Coy 7 ASH with one troop of Staffordshire Yeomanry ordered to advance from area of Rosau farm to the southern edge of Bienen via farm 054563 held by D-Coy. Meanwhile Bienen was subjected to heavy artillery concentrations. When A-Coy advanced further from farm 054563 it came under heavy fire from SP guns and machine guns which were observed to be mostly firing from southern edge of Bienen. Commander of DD-troop of Staffordshire Yeomanry was killed.
​

The other thing I want to reference is the article Too Close For the Guns, although the author for some reason keeps calling the unit the Essex Yeomanry, which is an error. This is regards to the morning attack and 'Argyll' Farm:



I am not clear whether the troop was four tanks, and lost one when their commander was killed, or one of the tanks just wasn't able to make it over to the farm, or if it was only three tanks to begin with. But this seems to match very roughly with Sgt Hudson's citation. One was immobilized due to soft ground or engine trouble, and one was knocked out.



(So the date is wrong, and his officer was killed hours earlier, in the night.)

Be this as it may, I do not think that the Archers actually came up as far as the farm. Aside from it being very dangerous, and contrary to anti-tank doctrine, the account of Lt Anderson's actions starts with a mention of one of the Archers being fired at during the night when they drove "down the road from the dyke to Bienen". They wouldn't have really needed to do so from 'Argyll farm', if I understand its position correctly.

So... maybe the Archers were at NNSH regimental HQ (I haven't looked up where that was) and Hudson got the Archers to come up as far as Rosau Farm, or something of that sort.

 

The Tac Bn HQ of the Argylls was located at the Rosau farm, so I suppose the NNSH's was also there. The Archers IMO moved up to the area behind the Rosau Farm (the only spot offering some concealment) and waited until dusk before moving forward to support the infantry/tank troops which by then were struggling to get a hold on Wing (where they were counterattacked).

The date mentioned in the citation (27 March) is wrong and must be night of 26 to 27 March.

 

stolpi,
I think the correct date would rather be the night 25th to 26th March.

Chris,
the Archer SP gun that knocked out the German counterpart was positioned at the crossroads on the southern edge of Bienen and it fired straight up the main road leading north. I used a photo that stolpi posted and added some new (larger) inscriptions:

 

Hi Alex,

Having tried to plot 058564 I agree about the crossroads position, but as to the German vehicle's location, may I ask how you established this? The only information I am going on are the Canadian reported locations, which give the Jagdpanzer's location as 062572, northeast of the Archer's location and a little north of the road to Millegen - even though I can't make sense of this as it seems like fire would be blocked by intervening buildings along the road to Millegen.

(Also I would be somewhat surprised if they could hear the sound of a round striking, at that distance. And it would seem to be contradicted by what was said in one of the infantry war diaries which said the distance was 100 yards!?)

Baffled,
Chris

 

... aw ships ... of course; my bad!

 

I am going by the reports - I read from these that these actions took place on the main road leading through Bienen:

 

Or - if we go by the map references 062572 and 060570 for the destroyed German SPs I could envisage this:

That should be a distance of 750 metres...

 

I agree that the 'A' Company report definitely gives the impression that the incident occurred in the immediate aftermath of the battle between the Sherman troop and the 3 Jagdpanzers. And it would make sense of the part of the detailed anti-tank battery/regiment report which talks about a "burning English tank" and how the SP had repositioned after knocking out a Sherman.



But - this report says the Sgt Comeau's Archer moved into the town at "midnight" and then this took place "Later". I think this has to be somewhat wrong because the HLI moved through the North Novas' positions at 23:30. It seems too much to think that the report has "midnight" when they meant "19:00". (Although considering how Sgt Hudson's war diary got the date so badly wrong, maybe I should not get so hung up about this?)

Does this mean that the Jagdpanzers knocked out yet another Sherman? It seems like it, but I certainly couldn't match it with the 8th Armoured Brigade loss details. It's all too much for me...

 

Forget about this "at midnight" of the 25th.
That does not key in with any other description of the battle for Bienen.
Who wrote the above report, when was it written? With which intention was it written? Was the man who wrote it involved or present when it happened? Or was this later related to him?

Maybe I am stating the obvious - but still: Lots of reports I read get details wrong. I check which aspects are corroborated by other reports, where and how do details match? Also, bear in mind the circumstances. Confusion reigns during battle and even in the aftermath details can get lost and muddled - even in more relaxed circumstances people confuse details, especially with regard to time and dates and names.

I go by this rule of thumb: The lower the organizational level the more details are reliable - a platoon or company report is more reliable than a bataillon report etc. A report written shortly after the action by men who were present is better than a report related a few days/weeks later or a summary from various reports.
The reports in the NNSH war diary were written immediately after the battle by men who were there. These are a first class source - and still you will find inconsistencies.

 

Hi stolpi,

I'm looking again at posts 5 and 6 about 1BW and the fighting at Klein Esserden and Speldrop. My understanding: 'B' had slow progress in Klein Esserden and 'A' was committed to help. 'C' went to Speldrop. 'C' withdrew as much as possible from Speldrop because of the German counterattack, and 'A' withdrew from Klein Esserden. But I don't see mention of 'B' at this point. Did the battalion withdraw entirely from Klein Esserden before retaking it?

 

Hi all,

On the subject of the German defenders at Emmerich, I am perplexed by a bit of the Reginas' after battle report, which has that the defenders "were NOT SS or even PARA troops. They were average run of the mill types reallocated from LUFTWAFFE Arty, and MARINE fighting as infantry." (See post #44, report provided by Klambie)

But some of the defenders were as I understand it from 6th Parachute Division, which I gather from online searches had to be rebuilt after earlier losses. So had the Reginas just gotten a wrong impression of the defenders overall? Or is this a good characterization of 346th Division troops?

I assume that 6th Parachute Div had been in the area, unlike 346th Division which was rushed down from Rotterdam. Is that right?

 

Chris - Note that the Army boundary between 1. Fallschirm Army and 25. Army ran east of Emmerich. The defense of Emmerich was the responsibility of 25.Army (hence 346. Inf Div - left wing formation of 25. Army). This division was not rushed towards Emmerich but already in position (from the top of my head).

At Klein Netterden (to the east of Emmerich) formations of the 6. FJ Div were brushed aside by the Winnipeg Rifles ; the FJ retired towards Netterden. The latter village was later dealt with by the 6th Cdn Inf Bde (2nd Cdn Inf Div); the Camerons of Canada attacked the village on the morning of March 30th. These Fallschirmjäger IMO represented the extreme right wing of the FJ Division and therefore of 1. Fallschirm Army. In general what was left of the 6. FJ Div retired in a NNE direction, desperately trying to stay in touch with the neighbouring 8. FJ Div (2nd FJ Korps). At Emmerich the Regina's therefore encountered 'regular' infantry of the 346. Inf Div.

 

Ohhh thank you so much, stolpi! It all makes sense now.

 

Map with Army boundaries of both Armies:


See also 2nd FJ Korps boundaries:


I posted them also over here: RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

 

Thanks for that!

Regarding 346th Division, "rushed" may have been overstated. But I didn't mean that they had only just arrived, but that they had been moved quickly to the area. Earlier you wrote (post 150):

The Regina War Diary mentioned that throughout the operation more POWs of the 346.Infanterie Division were taken. All had the similar story of movement from Holland (vicinity of Rotterdam) in the last few days. They were sent down in groups of 100 to 200, split in smaller groups of six men and sent out to defend houses.​

 

I'm not sure whether I'm on the right thread here, but I'm trying to find out a little bit more about my father, Lt Gerald Shires, who was awarded the MC on the night of 23/24 March '45. He was in 276 Field Coy, Royal Engineers, attached to 153 Bde, as they crossed the Rhine near Rees. I have the citation from the National Archives, posted below. I never really had the chance to ask my father about it, as he died way back in 1974, Just looking for a steer as to where I can find a little more information and context - would it be through the Royal Engineers or the Highland Division?

 

Hello John JS,

for the context of the actions on March23rd/24th (which can also be found in the thread above) I am sending you an excerpt from the regimental history of the Gordon Highlanders (author Wilfrid Miles: The Life of a Regiment, first published 1961). The 1st Gordons are mentioned on p. 346.

Of course, the war diaries of 276 Field Coy and the 1st Gordons would give you additional context. I do not have those.

Best
Alex

 

Another good one is Martin Lindsay's book, "So few got through", which has a chapter on the Crossing of the Rhine River and subsequent battle for Rees.

See: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Few-Got-Through-Lindsay-Martin/dp/1848848560

But this is also from the 1st Gordon's perspective, not strictly Engineers.

Attached some pages from the Royal Engineers Battlefield tour book re the deployment of engineers in Op Turnscrew (51st Highland Division sector):

 

Thanks very much for that Alex and Stolpi. I'll keep digging. I suspect the war diaries of 276 Field Coy would be the logical next step. The reason my interest has been piqued is because my mother died earlier this year, and in clearing out her flat I found several photographs from my father's time in Germany at the end of the war, plus some snaps taken on a trip back there in 1965 of the place on the Rhine where he crossed, and of various new bridges (presumably on the site of the structures he helped to build in 1945).
Thanks again,
John

I meant to add that when I get round to digitising them, I'll post them.

 

Because of a possible visit from Canada, i was on the road to see some places. Today in the vicinity of Rees.

27 March 1945 around 1400 the A-Coy of the Canadian Scottish Regiment crossed the Waterloo Bridge.
Stolpi, described already this crossing in detail.

But her the place as from today 28 Jan 2023.
1st photo shows you see the map with the Waterloo Bridge.
2nd photo from the nothern shore of the Rhine, you can see the churchtower of Honnepel.
3th photo the Mahnenburg farm on the Northside.
4th photo Damages in the front of this farm.
5th photo Probably AT rocket hit the back of the farm. Not the best i know, but you can recognize the hit.