Op Varsity - RA equipment and positions?

To avoid any confusion, both pilots in fact survived.

I had reached the same conclusion about Haus Hall being most likely where they were taken. Thanks for the additional information alberk, it's very helpful. I don't suppose any hospital records exist nowadays?

Jenny

 

Ok

 

Just wondering how you’re sure they were treated there?

 

Alberk
Just to confuse matters, I have attached a copy of the extract from my father's (BSM Bentley) pay book
which mentions the word (H or Lifsiln) plus a place name "1 Ve...???" and "Quarry Head". I wonder if there is/was a quarry near Haus Hall. I have tried to compare the writing in my father's pay book with his writing at the time on the back of a photo of A Troop 210 Bty where he has handwritten all the names of the men. The "L" I have taken from Gnr Lawson who in fact was on Glider 305 and was one of the two gunners killed.

CJB (Charlie)

 

Hi Charlie,

there is a town called Vreden 10 kilometres to the northwest of Gescher... . As you surely know, Quarry Head is a placename in the UK. I do not know of any quarries in western Westphalia...

Best
Alex

 

I looked again at the typed report. It clearly states that he was in Gescher and was treated in a hospital… there is not much choice with regards to hospitals in Gescher which had a little over 7000 inhabitants in 1939.

Gescher is known for ist bell foundry which has a Long tradition...

 

Just five kilometres south of Gescher there is the little town of Velen.

 

I am not sure whether this is relevant at all, but still: Velen - as quite a few in this forum will know - on March 29th, 1945 was the site of a murder. The victim was an RAF glider Pilot - Flying Officer Stephane Peter Anthony Mansell:

"Glider No.293 crashed at Landing Zone 'P' and he was taken prisoner. Escaped from PoW column two days later. On 29 March 1945 he was cornered in a farmyard at the village of Welmar and beaten to death by a gang of Hitler Youth. Body discovered 30 March 1945 by his elder brother, Major Gerald Mansell OC Armoured Recconnaissance unit which captured the village.

Traugott Vitz provided this information (Feb 2018): "There was a trial held at Borken, Germany, for the death of F/O Mansell. The place of death is given as Velen in the file description of the relevant National Archives (Kew) file. File are TS 26/519. The trial file is WO 235/38. Other relevant files: WO 235/613; WO 309/57, /558, /1190, /1491, /1594; WO 311/419. File Titles: Velen: murder of Flying Officer Mansell Defendant: Johannes Cenning. Defendant: Emil Nix. Place of Trial: Borken. Velen, Germany: killing of British officer airman Velen, Germany: killing of British officer. Includes 4 photographs depicting: HQ BAOR: War Crimes Group (NWE); Otto Wilhelm Rossmannek, together with others (named), accused of killing Flying Officer Mansell of Royal Air Force at Velen on 28-29 March 1945; photographs of accused. Dated 1945-1948."
Source: Glider Regiment Casualties Database

 

This is more precise information on the case….

 

Alex,

To further the matter, My father talked about when he was POW he/they (the wounded) were transported in a lorry with solid rubber tyres through villages with cobbled streets with the canopy fastened down and told not to show their faces as the locals would probably attack them. I suppose most of the villages in those days had cobbled streets so this does not prove anything. I wonder why he wrote Vreden or Velen. I am of course assuming all the handwriting on the flap was written at the same time (Op Varsity)

Regards,

Charlie

 

The 2./ Kriegslazarett-Abteilung (mot) 613 was located at Haus Hall in Gescher and in the castle of Velen. Many wounded soldiers from Operation Varsity were also brought there. There is also a military cemetery ( verwehte-spuren - Gescher ) near Haus Hall. A total of 111 war victims from World War II are still lying there today. There were also 2 British paratroopers and an American B-24 pilot buried there. The 3 allied soldiers were reburied after the war. The Stab/ Kriegslazarett-Abteilung (mot) 613 was in the monastery in Maria Venn.

 

3 Allied soldiers were buried in Velen. The glider pilot Mansell and 2 American soldiers. There are still war graves from WWII in the cemetery in Velen.
( verwehte-spuren - Velen )
At least one British paratrooper was buried in Maria Venn. There are also war graves from WWII in the Maria Venn cemetery.
( verwehte-spuren - Reken-Maria Veen )

 

That is a very valuable addition - thank you, Monument. I was going to contact the Stadtarchiv (municipal archives) at Gescher to find out what they might have on this topic. I read about the cemetery - apparently close to the river near Haus Hall. The odd thing ist that the two British paras who died of wounds were buried at some distance from Haus Hall. I wonder whether local historians may have an explanation for that - or possibly you may have one?

 

The 3 allied soldiers were buried in the same place where the other soldiers' graves are still today. It's not very far from Haus Hall. It was a good place for the graves as there was a lot of space there. The point marked on the map is incorrect. The same square, but much further south before the sharp curve of the river (Berkel). The war graves of Haus Hall are located there.

 

Ok - so the guys who exhumed them in 1947 got the grid coordinates wrong? I am not disputing this - it just makes me wonder...

 

I assume so because the other war graves from Haus Hall are still there. About 250 meters from the access road (Hallerweg) to Haus Hall in a small forest.

 

...with just three British war dead to exhume there they could have paid a little more attention to detail...

 

Other Allied soldiers were buried in Gescher. But they didn't die at Haus Hall. The soldiers died in plane crashes and a motorcycle reporter. That is why they were buried in the normal cemetery in Gescher and one in a field grave. All were reburied after the war.

 

Alberk,

Do you know the date of the map showing Gescher and Haus Hall? I am now completely certain that Haus Hall is the mis-spelt name in my father's (BSM Bentley) report and written in his pay book. Also the name Velen. Looking at a modern map (Google) it looks like the route they took was NE Bocholt - Rhede - Borken - Leven - Gescher. It is also interesting to note 11 Armour and Airborne Recce captured the Hospital (30th March 1945). I think I did some research into the movements of 11th Armour (tanks) on this site which should tie everything up. Thanks again for all your hard work and I can now possibly finish the book about my father's military career. I would like to add this latest information for which you of course will be credited.
Now this is settled, I probably still have to research what happened to the other two gunners

Regards,

Charlie (CJB)

 

Hi Charlie,
the map I used is a 1944 British issue. Here is a link to the map
Meßtischblatt 4008 : Coesfeld (West) [1944, 1:25.000, GSGS 4414 GERMANY / GSGS 4497 BAVARIA] - Landkartenarchiv.de

Good to hear that your book is nearing the finishing line.

All the best
Alex