15th / 19th Hussars in Assche / Asse

Discussion in '1940' started by BrianM59, Apr 12, 2015.

  1. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    The picture below is one of the pictures that Ascania sent to Steve (who kindly sent me a copy). The same picture was used by Peter Taghon in his excellent book “Mei 1940”. Peter Taghon presumes that this was Major Cockayne – Frith’s tank. With the detailed description above in mind, I would say that this was L/Cpl. Pearce’s tank…


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    And if my theory is correct, the situation would have been like this:

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    The damage to the tank is as described in L/Cpl. Pearce’s account, and the house with the large, grey, horizontal blocks in the façade was at that time the property of the Archbishop of Malines. See also next post in this thread.

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    The picture below comes from Ascania:

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    And another picture from the same scene:

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  2. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    As explained in the previous post, the house with the large, grey, horizontal blocks in the façade was at that time the property of the Archbishop of Malines. Both men may have entered one of the houses with a balcony in the picture below.

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  3. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    The scetch below shows the situation at that moment: Major Cockayne – Frith and his A Squadron tanks and carriers enter the village from the east side, while the German anti-tank gun is waiting for them in the west:

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    The result is that many tanks and carriers are hit by the German artillery. The pictures below show the result:

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    The last two pictures also comes from Ascania, and show the same tank as the two previous pictures. The first Ascania picture is also used in Peter Taghon’s book “Mei 1940”, and according to Peter Taghon this tank belonged to A Squadron (white triangle on turret still vaguely visible). Could this have been Major Cockayne – Frith’s tank I wonder?
     
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  4. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

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  5. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    In the pictures above we’ve got four different tanks (Lt. Lord Clifton’s tank, L.Cpl. Pearce’s tank, the tank in front of the brick wall in the Stationstraat and the tank close to the station), plus two carriers (one in front of the Café des Arcades, close to the station, and one a bit further down the Stationstraat).

    The next pictures may also have been taken in or around Assche, but I haven’t found the exact location yet.


    First unknown tank (not the same brick wall as in the previous post!):

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    Second unknown tank:

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    Third and fourth unknown tanks:

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    Any additional information would be welcome!

    Jan
     
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  6. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Jan, Good Work !

    I wonder though if the abandoned tank posted by Keith in #557 of the Armour Markings thread might be that in the 'ditch' in Leuven / Louvain ?

    We haven't found any other documentary source for light tanks being abandoned there. It looks more like a crater than a ditch though. It is marked on the reverse as "Löwen" and although these captions are often wrong, it isn't a known Asse tank and apart from what we know of the odd abandoned tank in Waterloo there is little evidence of alternatives to the east of or around Brussels.

    Leuven.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2020
  7. Blanket Stacker

    Blanket Stacker Junior Member

    Superb effort identifying all those locations, well done.
     
  8. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    Excellent work Jan! We now know why you are the expert.

    I wonder if Rich is convinced that Horsa is Lt Lord Cliftons tank, 4th Troop A Squadron. My Dad mentioned that he wasn't aware of any of his comrades with a tank with the name of Horsa, but he's 93 years old now.

    I did find some other evidence on the Ascania website that indicated that FHQ and 5th Troop A Squadron enter the town from the northeast along Lindendries road from Kobbegem and moved toward the rail line and Assche Station. There is an account of a Trooper George Sargent a DR of FHQ who was on the back of Major Colin Cokayne-Frith's tank when it was hit and he was badly wounded. He had previously been blown off his motorcycle by an anti-tank round and ordered to take cover behind Major Colin Cokayne-Frith tank. I wonder if any of the tank pictures match with any of the houses on Lindendries?

    I pieced this info together after translating an Ascania article about G. Sargent visiting Assche in 2001 (he was 81) and Jef Vermeiren touring him around where he thought events had occured. There was also another Belgium newspaper article that covered the same event.

    Here's my summary:

    Trooper George Sargent FHQ A Squadron 15/19th Hussars Assche May 18 1940

    Trooper George Sargant was a dispatch rider in FHQ A Squadron commanded by Major Colin Cokayne-Frith,. At about 1330 hours on the afternoon of May 18 1940 FHQ and 5th troop A Squadron proceeded into Assche in relief of 4th troop. 4th Troop had already come under anti-tank fire and one of there tanks was KO and the other disabled. They enter the town from the northeast along Lindendries road from Kobbegem and past the rail line and Assche Station.
    Upon approaching the town they came under fire from German anti-tank guns of the 6 Army,19 Infantry Division, IR74, PzJägAbt 19 . One anti-tank gun round exploded close to Trooper Sargent’s motorcycle and he was blown off his bike and his motorcycle was damaged. Surprisingly he was not wounded and did not suffer a scratch. Major Colin Cokayne-Frith, then ordered Trooper Sargent to take cover on the back of his Mk VIb. Moments later the Mk VIb was then hit by an anti-tank round, Trooper Sargent was hit and wounded by shrapnel in the foot, leg and body. Sadly Major Colin Cokayne-Frith, and his crew including his gunner Corporal Kenneth Smith were killed.
    Trooper Sargent was bleeding badly from his foot. He noticed a row of houses nearby with a door ajar and crawled toward it and pushed open the house door and saw a frightened elderly couple inside. Because they did not understand English, he motioned for a towel to stop the bleeding and a drink, which they gave him. He then lost consciousness several times. His next memory is of a young German Lieutenant who stood with a gun at the door. The Lieutenant wanted to know whether there were other hidden Englishmen. Two of the Lieutenant's men then carried him out and laid him on the lawn. They cut his pants off and gave him an injection. When he awoke again, he was in a German field hospital. Then they transferred him to the local hospital (perhaps present day-old hospital.), which was confirmed by the late Sister Mary Alice Fier Man. He remembered being attended to by a nurse by the name of the Casteye.

    George Sargent stayed there only a few days. The Germans then took him to a camp with wooden barracks in Tienen, where he had difficulty recovering. He remembered that the camp was left unattended for several days, but he was unable to escape because of his wounds. This was a missed opportunity, because what followed was a stay of 3.5 years on bread and water in six German POW camps, first in the vicinity of Maastricht, then in Poland. Only in late 1943, was he traded with a hundred Englishmen through Sweden for German prisoners of war.

    Cheers guys
     
  9. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    Oh just spotted something else. The First unknown tank (not the same brick wall as in the previous post!) has a diamond on the turret indicating it was an RHQ tank. According to the regimental history and the war diaries RHQ wasn't in Assche during the battle. There was a mentioned that RHQ passed through Assche on the morning of May 18 before the Germans occupied the town. So if this was a tank in Assche it was brought here after the battle in the afternoon of May 18 or photographer in the morning (probably not likely). RHQ was shot up near Levenstraet by German anti-tank guns and armour cars while trying to cross the Dendre
     
  10. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Not really... Mostly modern houses in Lindendries... Or could this be something...? Note the small white farm in the distance... Not 100% sure though...

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    I have contacted two very knowledgeable locals (thanks for your help Bart and Bram), and they confirm that this picture may have been taken in the Louvain area. More precisely either Diestsesteenweg or Tiensesteenweg. I've already "visited" both places with Streetview, and indeed, exactly the same style of houses... But unfortunately I couldn't find any matching houses... :( They may have been demolished by now... Another argument for this location: it was on the Tiensesteenweg that a lot of photographs were taken from British troops trying to stop the German invasion...

    Jan
     
  11. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    Yes hard to tell about the Lindendries location not enough info in the original photo. But as you say maybe. Seems a good bet that FHQ followed this road but perhaps were not engaged here. Have to find some more pictures.

    I had some more thoughts on Horsa. The two pictures we have seem to indicate that it has been in that location awhile or been moved there. (no tank tread, sandbag wedged under the left tread and oil leaking out). Also seems to have some damage to the right front. I just checked with my Dad and he now says the tank he saw being driven by a German soldier right after the battle while being marched away was Lt Lord Cliftons. So Lt Lord Cliftons tank just lost a track which was reattach quickly by the Germans and then it was moved. I wonder if it might be a 5th troop tank, they had 3 tanks in Assche. I'll look into this possibility.

    BTW I picked up 16 German soldiers photo albums on ebay, about 2300 images, some 1940s France Belgium stuff with KOed French and British tanks. I'll forward any interesting stuff to you once I receive it and go through it.
     
  12. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    I just went through the 15th/19th H war diaries again for May 18, and have some further speculation.

    The war diary indicates Major Cokayne-Firths tank was KOed on the outskirts of Assche when fired upon by German AT guns. Further that Captain BH Mytton, 2IC, (Mk VIb commander) reached Assche with SSM JR Laing (bren gun carrier commander) and presumably the FHQ DRs, and then became heavily engaged (probably the Assche Station area). The war diaries also indicate Captain Mytton and FHQ was heavily engaged and left his tank to engage the enemy with hand grenades and a revolver...... It doesn't indicate his tank was hit or KOed by AA guns but must have been damaged some how.

    So perhaps the unidentified Mk VIb with the open fields and white farm building (Lindendries) is Cokayne-Firths tank on the outskirts and the other Mk VI near the station (3 views) in Assche is Captain Myttons tank. The KOed bren carrier near the station is probably SSM Laings carrier.

    The war diaries indicate that 3rd Troop TSM Smith was last seen moving along the main road into Assche. His troop had 3 bren gun carriers. Presumably he would have entered the town near the station and moved up Stationsstraat road. There is a shot of 1 or 2 KOed bren carriers on Stationsstraat road most likely one of his carriers.

    Just some further speculation, feel free to offer alternative interpretations. Still working on 5th troop.
     
  13. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Hello Steve,

    Would it be a good idea to post the 15th/19th War Diaries here (at least the pages relating to Assche)? Maybe we can find a clue that you didn't see...?

    Just a thought...

    Cheers,
    Jan
     
  14. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    No problem I'll send you the war diary for May 1940. Also came across another photo of an Assche Mk VIb which looks similar to ones we have I'll send this aswell.

    With regard to the tank we speculated is Major Cokayne-Firths tank I just realized it has a rectangle on the turret so a B Squadron tank not A. I'll look in the war diaries and history for what happened to B Squadron.

    BTW if you don't have the regimental history check the following website for a free download.

    http://www.lightdragoons.org.uk/downloads.html
     
  15. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Everything received Steve, thanks! Have also downloaded the regimental history.

    Need some time now to study all these documents... o_O

    Jan
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    These photographs are demonstrating just how problematical it is to tie everything in with the documentary evidence. There is something 'wrong' about 'Horsa'. I can't see that it was originally a 15/19H tank. If it was Clifton's and was damaged in more than the track, it is conceivable that the German 'Field repair' didn't last very long.

    I'm not completely sure what images I have posted on the earlier thread, but for the sake of completeness, it may be a good idea to put them up here.

    This one looks like Asse to me. The turret is facing front and it has a large aerial which is not visible on all the Asse casualties.

    VIB Burned Asse.jpg



    Track damage again.

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    Last edited: Jan 18, 2020
  17. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Isn't that the same wall as my "First unknown tank (not the same brick wall as in the previous post!)"

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    Anyway, the second picture is definitely L/Cpl Pearce's tank in the Stationstraat.

    Jan
     
  18. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    Yes its problematic but fun! I agree with Jan on the second picture. I hadn't seen that one before, thanks Rich. Yes Horsa doesn't quite match up. The location is odd as well being a little remote from the main action around Assche Station area. More photos would help if they still exist or can be uncovered.
     
  19. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I've found another copy of the same photo but less tightly cropped. It just might help if one of the houses on either side has survived. The obstacle does look rather more like a ditch in this photo.

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    Last edited: Jan 18, 2020
  20. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I have no evidence that this is Asse but to my eyes, it could be.

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    This looks to be Jan's 'Second Unknown Tank' in the Lindendries again.

    Vickers VI Asse.JPG



    It has been travelling with turret reversed and looks to have been seriously hammered by enfilade fire from a 37mm PAK presumably as it crossed a side street. Horrible. This means that it must have passed the white farmhouse and that there was some opening to the left from where it was fired upon.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2020

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