LZ 'P' Scenes and Photos, Operation Varsity

I think you are right
I guess this picture is from the same serie as the ones with the hedge.
In the back I see on the left the shape of a A pole and on the right a shape of what looks like a parachute on the electric lines ?!

 

Good identified

 

some pictures we have al ready seen.

 

a bit of topic but is the Writer of "battle of Burpgun Corner" still here in this Tread or dus someone know is nickname here??

 

That's me

 

a

and Maxwell D. Taylor??

 

dag,

Uit welk archief komen deze foto's, heb ze nog niet eerder gezien?

hoor graag!

groeten,
Harry

 

Hi Harry,

What pictures? Could you give me the post number you saw them in. If they are Capa photos they could have been dug out from all over the place. I've done several PDFs on him - check the download links,

Regards ...

 

Ok, it's post 251 here:

LZ 'P' Scenes and Photos, Operation Varsity

If you are referring to the film stills, they come from here:

OPERATION VARSITY : Airborne Invasion East of the Rhine, March 24th 1945 (rough assembly and offcuts) [Main Title]

Reel 1, about 4:40+

Regards ...

 

Hallo Cee,

Heel erg bedankt! Weet je waar ik een oorlogsdagboek kan vinden waar ik meer over kan lezen over LZ P? I hope you can help me.

Groetjes!

 

Hi,

War diaries for LZ 'P':

The Rhine Crossing

War Diaries

My PDF:

LZ 'P' Scenes and Photos, Operation Varsity.pdf - Icedrive

Regards ...

 

Ho,

Robert Capa poses for the camera with other American military photographers in 1945.



Regards ...

 

A LZ 'R' Horsa

This well-known photo by Sergeant Jim Christie, 5 AFPU, was actually shot on LZ 'R' but I will stick it here as it might be of general interest.



Here's a closer look at the Horsa caught by Christie somewhere nearby his own crashed glider. It appears a jeep pulling a gun is about to drive away. There are a total of 8 men in the scene, not all of whom may be associated with that glider.



Let's move in for an even closer view of the glider's front end and the Jeep.



The Horsa appears to have come to an abrupt stop, nose down. At first glance one gets the impression the nose has been swung open. However, the cockpit of a Horsa MK II opens to the starboard side and not to the port side as seen here. It's level to the ground which indicates the front wheel has been dislocated in the rough landing. There is also evidence of extensive damage to the backside of the cockpit.

A wounded man on a stretcher has been placed on the back end of the Jeep – perhaps one of the glider pilots injured in the landing. Is that his co-pilot standing nearby ...?

-----------

The following photo comes from the NAM Collection of Major WHJ Sale and catches a view of his tank unit travelling east on Mehrhooger Str. towards Hamminkeln on the 25th or 26th of March, 1945.



Below we see a few crops of the same Major Sale photo. Is that the same Horsa as seen above, just across the road from where Sgt. Christie's own glider had crashed? If so it was actually a Mark I Horsa as the rear tail has been removed.



Still more shots showing the same Horsa. The first two are from clips by Harry Oakes, Christie's cine partner. A different jeep and gun were caught here. And also yet another of glider by Sgt. Christie.



Regards ...

 

Major-General Richard Gale



I was intrigued when an online article mentioned briefly that General Gale was present at Kopenhof Farm, 6th AB Div HQ, as early as March 24th, 1945. Gale, the former 6th Airborne CO, was at this time with the First Allied Airborne Army as a Deputy Commander, whatever that entailed, under Lt. General Brereton.

" ... General Ridgway arrived on the east bank around 3 pm. His first stop was Miley’s HQ, where he received a brief report on the day so far. Miley was still concerned that he had yet to hear from Eric Bols at Kopenhof Farm.

As the light began to fade, Ridgway, Miley, and their escort set off for Kopenhof. The convoy’s route ran through the 194th’s sector and then the 513th’s.

Ridgway stopped to get a report from each commander. At the 513th’s HQ, he heard about the misdrop and the ease with which the C-46s had caught fire. He later gave instructions that the aircraft would never be used again to carry paratroops. At Kopenhof, the party also met General Gale.

Ridgway and Miley left the farm about midnight. Fighting was now under way nearby, and they ran into a German patrol. As Ridgway was reloading, a grenade exploded by one of the jeep’s wheels, and he was hit in the shoulder by a piece of shrapnel. The wheel absorbed some of the fragments and undoubtedly saved his life. The Germans were soon driven off, and the party continued to Miley’s HQ. ... "

Interestingly someone posted an inquiry asking about a grandfather who they claimed was Gale's secretary:

"Hello. Did you by any chance find the names of these 10 Admins. I am looking for information about my grandfather who was secretary to Richard Gale and was flown in."

Did he arrive by glider during Op Varsity - not sure.

The earliest mention of Gale in the war diaries after Varsity so far comes from the 3rd Parachute Brigade:

"27th March 1945
Place: 157471

...

1000 - All 3 Bns successful in reaching Bde objective ahead of schedule. 8 Bn proceeded on tanks. SAS tps in Armd Cars exploited success. 9 Bn suffered cas from SP Guns and at one time surrounded. Situation cleared by 1500 hrs. General GALE, OBE, DSO - Div Comd at Bde HQ."

Regards ...

 

Hi.
I’m fairly certain GALE didn’t come by air, I’m sure there’d be more info available if he did. Interesting that he turned up at the Kopenhof though.

 

Yeah,

I was thinking that maybe the article writer just mistakenly put down Gale instead of Bols. But surely they would have spotted it by now and made the correction ... curious.

Remember the one armed General Bourne we looked into? He was with the 1st Airborne Corps which was part of the First Allied Airborne Army command structure at this time. Anyway he came in by glider as there is an account of his experience.

I think General Gale probably arrived later. Not sure about his secretary though.

Regards ...

 

A British Airborne man?

This pic comes from alberk's Capa page. Perhaps a scene of American Paratroopers heading south just off of Westfeldweg. Is the dead soldier from the British Airborne?



Regards ...

 

Another from alberk's site:



The same background Horsa can be seen in the "Limping Para" pic.



Regards ...

 

Major-General Gale (I Airborne Corps) speaking with Major-General Bols, Brigadier Bourne (I Airborne Corps) leaning over the jeep and right of Major-General Gale.

 

BU 2593 wounded American paratrooper Hardy (IWM)