Battle of Rethem 1945 (Aller river crossing)

Matt I've found parts of the documentary on you tube..mostly in Dutch but with contributions from combatants in English and German..
Made in 1985, a bit dated but might interest you..has contemporary film
It's called
De Bevrijding van S'hertogenbosch by
Luc van gent

 

El-gordo,

Thanks for the reply. I’m always amazed how the WW2 veterans are always very humble.

We only found Sam last year. We knew him under a different name and the family thought he had died in France. We had been looking in the wrong place and for the person. He was also in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderer for 12 years before transferring to the 1/5th so we were looking for the wrong Regiment as well.

I managed to go out to s-Hertogenbosch twice last year. Once to follow the Battalions route from their entrance to the city to the Station I’m familiar with the specific bridge you refer. There’s a great story about that bridge in terms of 2 groups of resistance fighters occupying houses either end of it without knowing each other were there. I also went to attend the 75th Anniversary. They had 4 veterans from the 53rd there as well as a contingent from the Royal Welsh including the Colours and Goat the mascot.

I’ve looked for the book you mention and I can only find 1 at c.£100. I think it’s simply called October 1944 , but I will keep an eye out for it. I’ll look for the dvd too, I wasn’t aware of it, thank you for the steer. I have managed to get a copy of the book below.

There is another chap on here called Issac Voelcker whose grandfather was a company commander in the 1/5 in Rethem.

Kind regards, Matt

 

Hi Matt
That's a good book you have there with lots of details..we have copy but I can't access it at the moment..my brother has it and I can't visit because of the virus situation..I was going to look up the Rethem battle to see if it mentioned Issac's grandfather.
Don't forget to have a look on YouTube
Regards
Gordon

 

Good morning Penny,

Thank you so much for sharing this poem which, although it is extremely poignant, is of particular relevance to me. I am a nephew of Private Albert John Vivian Roberts, 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment, who was always known as Jack to his family and friends. I believe that my uncle may have been the friend to whom your father was referring when he wrote this poem

 

Guy

I am a nephew of Private Albert John Vivian Roberts and can confirm that he was always known and referred to by family and friends as Jack

Chris

 

Hi, a great read. A question to put out there. I thought the CO was Lt Col Martin Jones and that he was killed during the attack after the Coup de Main. In the text it says there was already an acting CO during the Coup de Main.

 

Correction, Morrison-Jones

 

Lt Col Morrison-Jones was killed at Ochtrup on 2 April when his jeep struck a roadside mine. During the Rethem battle the battalion was commanded by Maj Bowker (who was promoted to Lt Col on 10 April).

 

Cheers, I read the Germany Army account of the battle today and it has him as being killed during the attacks on the tenth. They must not have registered it until a few days after.

 

Does anyone know where one can get the ORBAT for 1/5, I am making the bold assumption that it would have consisted of three Rifle Coys with a Fire Sp Coy, about 700 in total.

 

Hi Graham - curious to know the German Army account you are reading. If it is based on Ulrich Saft’s (which it quite possibly is) then the information can be suspect. There were 4 rifle companies and a support company in infantry battalions of the day.

 

ill post a snippet

Thanks, It is the Taktik centre version, it basically states in the first attack, that the 1/5 Welsh Btl was again bogged down in the Wölpe lowlands. After considerable losses it went back to WohlenDorf. Among its 50 casualties was the Btl Kdr, Lt Col Morrison-Jones. Yep Saft is one of the 10 contributors to the document.

 

Regrettably the version (sounds like the HOS Hannover paper) is wrong about Lt Col M-J.

At the risk of sounding a massive smart arse, I cover the Rethem battles in some detail in my book Theirs the Strife (see link below). Best. John

 

Looking forward to the read. Off to Rethem on Sunday for a day, should be good.

 

Have a good day Graham. If you visit the town’s war cemetery near the former level crossing, spare a thought for the young men buried there, who fought and died in the pointless defence of the town. Their needless deaths were the direct result of Grossadmiral Doenitz’s vanity and fanaticism.

 

Shall do, such a waste so close to the end.

 

Had

Two pictures of the German 1st Panzer Division Study day at Rethem two weeks ago. It was a great and humbling day in which serving Officers of the Division gave a description of the fighting whilst the British Exchange Officer gave the British Perspective. The 1st Picture is looking from Elfriede towards Schweinebarth.

 

May I ask John, 3 years after the quote, if the soldier below, Joseph Reginald DAVIES, would have been with the 1/5 Welch on the 11th April, when he was killed:-

Fusilier JOSEPH REGINALD DAVIES
Service Number: 4209027
Regiment & Unit/Ship - Royal Welch Fusiliers - Secondary Unit, Regiment and No. 3 Commando
Date of Death - Died 11 April 1945
Age 30 years old
Buried or commemorated at BECKLINGEN WAR CEMETERY
8. D. 4.
Germany
Secondary Unit, Regiment and No. 3 Commando

I found his name on a list of Obits., dated 27th April 1945, from the County Herald, which is either Flintshire or Cheshire, but he died of wounds, and was from Flintshire, as far as I can tell, but I want to tell his story and would like to add his family history, so he won't be forgotten. I tried Find my Past, but they don't have that edition on the website.
Regards,
Mavis Williams

 

Dear Mavis - from the information you have provided it would seem that Joseph, although his original regiment was RWF, was serving with 3 Commando on the date of his death. At this time 3 Commando was heavily involved in the battle for the bridgehead over the Aller in the area of Essel upstream from Rethem. I’m on hols in Pembrokeshire at the moment so away from my sources and information. When I get home at the end of the week I’ll see if I have any further information. Best wishes. John

 

Thank you so much for your swift reply and information. Very grateful. Regards, Mavis