SGT R.D. Martin’s Film Footage - Operation Varsity

Colour Pic

This one is entitled "194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division". Wonder if those are the same 3 trees with the chestnut farther back? Probably well known - no idea.



Regards ...

 

I would say that these are "my" three peculiar trees and there seems to be the chestnut tree in background - an amazing picture! And not known at all! Where did you find this, where does it come from? Who wrote the caption? I mean - is it an original caption an the back of a photo or was it written by someone who posted or published it in whichever context?

Are there any more pics like that?

Going by the trees, this is clearly on LZ N - and the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment was supposed to have landed somewhere else, i.e. on LZ S.

Great find! Sensational - at least by my standards! Kudos!

 

Wauw

Yes that is the 3 trees and also the chestnut tree.

amazing good picture in colour

 

yes Nitrowski he is correct,

i just found some indications on this picture you used in this treat
the trooper on his knees is facing the "Bahn ubergang"
the WACO in de back on the left side of the grass lane on poles with his tail up you see also in this picture.
you see his tail wheel
the grasslane is behind the vertical poles with barbwire.
1 pole is out of his place. (behind the helmed of trooper on his knees.

check out this picture for the same indications

 

alberk,

An old find. I named it based on info from this site which is presently down. It may not be correct and I've never run across any similar colour photos, if that is what it truly is:

http://www.panzernet.com/foro4/showthread.php?11073-Uniformes-mezclados/page8

24-25 Marzo de 1945. Cercanías de Wesel, Alemania.

Operación Varsity. Miembros del 3rd Battalion, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division USA. Todos ellos llevan los nuevos uniformes M1943 y botas M1943. El soldado de la derecha lleva un Flak Helmet M3, es probablemente un piloto de un planeador Waco.



Regards ...

 

Thank you, Cee. I have this colour photo - these are glider pilots who landed on LZ N - one of them is known: Don W Pinzel (the man on the right). This is on March 25th, the glider pilots are resting on their way back to the Rhine

 

this will be also on the late 24 march our 25 march
they are in the same area as the 3 tree's
onley on the otherside.

 

I have only seen this pic in b/w. Same with other pics by Pinzel. So I wonder, is this one colorized?

 

May never know for sure unless there is some kind of official documentation stating colour film was used.

Regards ...

 

There’s a few tests I can run with an image processing tool tomorrow evening.

There is a light source top left, is this present in the black and white copy? It looks like it might be a photo of a photo with this light coming from elsewhere but I will need to check on a bigger screen.

Separate note for investigation tomorrow, that cart with the horse might appear in the footage, if so it is upturned right of shot as the jeep passes in front of the barn. I will check this out tomorrow too, just a thought for now and probably a different cart though.

Great job on finding the 3 trees. Regarding the Waco and 3 tree photo, do we recon they were stripping the glider for shelter wood etc like with the camps at Normandy or more likely it was the REME at work taking out the electronics and dismantling it. If REME I think I might have some more info.

BR,
SH

 

Hi everyone,
I took that photo from a book - it is: "G.I. Victory - The US Army in World War Two in Color" by Jeffrey L. Ethell and David C. Isby (1995). The pictures are attributed to John L Lowden.

John L Lowden wrote the book "Silent Wings at War" (1992) - he served as a glider pilot in 98th Troop Carrier Squadron of 440th Troop Carrier Group. His squadron landed on LZ N. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the book - yet...

The photo does not look colourized to me. The Pinzel photo in b/w is shot in the same situation but from a different angle.

@Market47 - Additionally, I know one photo showing Pinzel in front of his glider before take-off. Do you know others showing Pinzel? And who took these - do we know?

 

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Hello Joop,
I am not quite convinced by the indicators you list. A lot of gliders were propped up by two poles. And fences like these are to be found everywhere in this area...
So, I am still little bit skeptical ...
Regards
Alex

 

Hi Alex. I am nt familiar with that book. But I can't remember having seen a colour pic in Lowden's album/collection. However, there were open spots in the album of removed pics. He does not have such in his book. I assume that Lowden got that color pic from somewhere else (assuming the credits are correct).

He probably had his own camera and took pics himself. Except those where he is in the pic

 

That means that there s a Lowden album. Did you know him personally? Or is this album to be found in some archive? And does this album contain Varsity photos?
This is the other colour photo attributed to Lowden - the location is in Flüren, on the edge of DZ W and shows glider pilots resting on their march back to the Rhine on March 25th.

 

To be honest, I had the same idea as Joop. Better, I believe Ortwin pointed this located out to me a decade or so ago. But looking now, the pic with the soldier on the path, there is a small part of a glider visible on the right edge. I am not sure if this is the same glider as visible in the ther pic, as the hight of that part does not seem to be the same.

 

I was there with Ortwin just a few weeks ago. He had doubts that this is at Fuhrmannshof - and one has to admit, it is difficult to place without clear indicators. I can only add this as context - the glider called "Rita" or "Nita" in the top picture (taken by Tec4 Clyde M Pletcher) is visible in the background of the "kneeling trooper" pic.



The trees look like an orchard - the typical fruit trees that so many farms had in a field close to their buildings. Then there's the "A-Mast" (don't know the English word) and some simple poles. Plus behind the tree on the extreme left something that looks like the large pylons of the power line.



To the left of the A-Mast I think I can make out a parachute (?)


And finally, if we look at the aerial showing Fuhrmannshof and the chestnut tree, I do not see an arrangement of gliders that would vome close to those in the "kneeling trooper" and "Rita" pictures.

 

Oi,

I'm not totally convinced by this but wonder if it might be the same treeline. As usual not sure.



Regards ...

 

well gents,

i'm 98% sure it is the right spot

look at these pictures to see more indactions.
the areal picture gives also a good few on the situation, the two waco's close togehter ( the one on the poles and the wing tip on the right side of the picture is from the one directly south of it) wing tip marked with green dot.
the grass path between those two gliders.
the bright white spot diretectly south of the glider on poles is his crased wing, marked with 2 pink dots in both pichtures.
the Hedge in the back marked with yellow line
the corner of the small meadow south of the path. marked with red line.
and the firtst pole at the beginning of the grass path near soldier on knees.

one thing on the arial picture what chatced my eye was that the postion of the waco behind the one on poles is changed. its number looks CN42. ?

 

i had the same idea !!
there are also some darker trees visuable in the footage.