LZ 'P' Scenes and Photos, Operation Varsity

Paras of 3 Bde who jumped short of the DZ... I suppose...
Four crew member were killed, only one bailed out.

 

Hi,

Since this is the LZ 'P thread' I'll post up this poor quality still from from a Movietone newsreel of what looks to be the Bunty woods to the right, with the north end of zone to lower left.

The chutes around Bunty either on the ground or descending (?) would be those of the 17th Airborne 513 PIR men dropped astray from C-46 Commandos. War photographer Robert Capa landed not far south of Bunty. Will look for better quality and post here later if found.



Regards ...

 

Coming from that angle yes, Americans. Kopenhof is to the right out of shot past the AP logo. So these aircraft are pretty much flying South to North.
Some Americans landed as far North as the 7 Para positions. Nick Archdale had a couple of them with his platoon for a little while.

 

Hello,

Correspondent L. Marsland Gander in his Operation Varsity account explains how his group while travelling from their Horsa on LZ 'P' to Division HQ at the Kopenhof Farm came across a dead American paratrooper near a glider with "Hitler's Headache" written on the fuselage.



Bert Hardy of the AFPU photographed a Hamilcar with "Hitler ..." chalked on its side on March 25th (BU 2617). The Gander glider can be seen in the background. Unfortunately the number on the Bren Carrier's front fender can't be made out to determine positively if it belonged to the RASC group being investigated by SH. Are they pulling a trailer?



A simple nose frame compare between the Hardy photo and the photo of CN 278 from the Adams' collection shows the stains are similar, but the resolution for BU 2617 is poor unfortunately. Is it the same Hamilcar or am I seeing things again ... ?



Regards ...

 

Hi,

The Bren Carrier is almost certainly 716 LCC, The Bren's number is only 3 different from the one seen in the Adam's picture, which is also 1 digit different from the Bren Carrier known to be on CN 277. i.e. they all have the same / similar registration numbers, which I have assumed to be because they are all RASC Bren Carriers assigned to 716 LCC.

I think it is plausible that they are the same Hamilcar, the debris under the nose is also very similar although not identical. The fact there is similar debris is a big coincidence if they aren't the same, however, The damage on the 278 pic looks slightly more extensive and the shape of the hanging down panels doesn't quite match.

The fence posts under the wing in the 278 pic do match the fence line distance though which is another point towards them being the same.

I have had a look at the Chalk Text on the side of this glider this afternoon, To the rear it looks like it could read Fear the wind? but we aren't certain on that. There is also a hidden I in front of a word starting with S, before Hitler, and on the loading photograph for 278 similar righting can be seen on the right side of the glider (although none of the text matches).

Best Regards,
SH

 

Hi,

A still and a couple of marked aerials of the Hamilcar west of Kopenhof, just above Bislicher Str. Not the best unfortunately.



Regards ...

 

Going back to Bourne's Description and the possible landing locations, the following information can be discerned from Bourne's account...

- "I heard the first pilot say to the second I can see the railway.” ….. “we landed very fast, went through a couple of fences and stopped with a jerk”.

- “All of us, Consisting of the Defence Platoon of Divisional Headquarters, nipped out and too cover under a low bank on top of which was a post and rail fence”.

- “They moved off, reached two farms outside which German prisoners standing in docile lines were observed, and presently reached their” HQ “at Kopenhof Farm”

I think this leaves one location as the most likely and i have shown this + the suspected route from the glider to the HQ at Kopenhof on the plan below.

Grid Ref is roughly: 51.7272, 6.5579

Note to future readers: This is of course all circumstantial and based on the information above and assumptions on the plan below as such there is a chance this location and route are not accurate.


Figure 1 - Possible landing location Route for Brigadier Bourne and the HQ Defence Platoon.

Side Note: The possible low bank is also of more general historical and geographical interest as it aligns with the row of trees north of Bunty and East of Kopenhof (next to the small track). This suggests to me that this treeline was historically a more continuous and prominent feature of the area (possibly going back a long way). There are even remnants of it further north at 51.73733, 6.54550. Probably doesn't help us with much but after looking for possible low banks and fence lines I couldn't help but notice it.

Best Regards,
SH

 

Hi,

Second farm on Isselbruch Str. did not exist then. Nice try though.

Regards ...

Edit: Actually both those farms you point to did not exist then.

 

Welp that puts paid to that idea, will take another look : )

 

Hi Jennifer,

Just to confirm, the text on the bottom left, does that state "Kopenhof1945"? I've only just noticed it.

Kind Regards,
SH

 

Hi,

A good copy of the Robert Capa Varsity photo story in Life magazine can be viewed on brithm's Twitter feed here:

https://twitter.com/6thairborne/status/1647714429704839170

For what it's worth my look at Capa's movement in the British zone is available here:

Robert Capa in the British Zone – Operation Varsity.pdf - Icedrive

Regards ...

 

Hi,

This story (attached) is possibly a variation on the Hamilcar that disintegrated and spilled its contents on approach to the Rhine as discussed earlier in the thread. I doubt it occurred as told here. Hard to believe though that someone would actually create a cartoon of the event. Rumour and hearsay.



Regards ...

 

Tree and Parachute

In the David Shepherd "Kopenhof" print which we dealt with earlier in the thread a parachute can be seen hanging in the tree behind the men in jeep with trailer. I think the location if real is just south of the burning farm.



Another documented scene with a parachute are the photos taken just behind the burning farm by Robert Capa of the American paratrooper casualty being treated by a medic. A parachute hangs nearby, possibly caught up by electrical lines.



Capa also took long distance photos of the farm which capture a few chutes draped in trees to the rear but they are not very clear. A sharper, better quality photo of area is needed to isolate a real tree with chute that is similar to the one depicted in artwork. If, that is, it exists in reality and is not a complete creation from the artist's imagination who was it seems quite good at painting trees ...?



Regards ...

 

Hello,

I've looked a little closer and there are two trees just south of the "burning farm" that could be candidates for the tree with parachute in the Shepherd artwork. One even has a chute caught high in its branches going by Capa crops - too high perhaps. The other, number 2, may as well but is hard to make out. Attached are a couple of photo analytic endeavours that hopefully show it all better.





But who knows, could be wild imaginings ... ?

Regards ...

 

I did. hear of one of the light tanks accidentally being kicked into gear and driving forwards causing the Hamlilcar to break up. I think alberk may have more knowledge?

 

Hi,

Another comparison between a portion of a Capa photo and an enhanced bit of the Shepherd artwork showing what appears to be the same burning farm complex from slightly different angles, of course, with the use of a lot of arrows pointing this way and that ...



Regards ...

 

Thanks ...

Yes, no matter how you look at it, a terribly tragic event.

Regards ...

 

Has anyone come across any shots of gliders close to the Southern bridge that connects Hammilken to Brunen on LZ 'U'. Specifically I am looking for a shot showing the glider piloted by Flight Lt Peter Ince and Raf Sgt Pilot Ayliffe. They were the leading glider of a group of 8 who were the coup de Main party for the bridge. Apparently they landed within a short distance of the bridge and had the CO of the RUR in their glider. The glider hit the top of a belt of trees before landing and at some stage caught fire after they left it the glider was seen to be on fire. It may well be that it was completely destroyed as the secnd pilot related in his memoirs that they moved away from it in case the explosives they had carried exploded. He doesn't mention if this actually occurred.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I’ve got aerials for that location. Have to get them from my laptop.

 

That would be great. Thanks very much