106. See AIR 27/2046 No. 575 Squadron Operations Record Book Summary of Events, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/1972 No. 512 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; for Air Commodore Darvall’s plan see Middlebrook, pp.397-398
107. See AIR 27/1433 No. 233 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/1876 No. 437 Squadron RCAF Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/473 No. 48 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/1574 No. 271 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
108. See AIR 27/1167 No. 196 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/1654 No. 299 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/2134 No. 620 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/1154 No. 190 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
109. See AIR 27/1433 No. 233 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
110. WO 171/589 1st Airlanding Brigade War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 16:00, 23/09/1944; and WO 171/1234 1 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary, entry for 16:15, 23/09/1944
111. See Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Force, September 1944, entry for Saturday 23 September, European Theatre of Operations (ETO), at http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii/usaf/html/Sep.44.html, accessed 25/06/2017
112. See AIR 27/473 No. 48 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/1433 No. 233 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; AIR 27/1876 No. 437 Squadron RCAF Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
113. See Middlebrook, p.397; and AIR 27/1433 No. 233 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
114. See AIR 27/1574 No. 271 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
115. See AIR 27/1876 No. 437 Squadron RCAF Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and Alan W. Cooper, The Air Battle for Arnhem, Appendix ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, p.184. Flying Officer William Richard Paget RCAF is interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland, Plot 4, Row B, Grave 8; his crew, Flying Officer Donald Lawrence Jack, Warrant Officer First Class Ray Irving Pinner and Flight-Sergeant Denis Joseph O’Sullivan are also interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery in Plot 4, Row B, Grave 20, Plot 4, Row B, Grave 19 and Plot 4, Row B, Grave 18 respectively. The four despatchers from 223 Company RASC (Air Despatch), Corporal Thomas Henry Baxter, Corporal Leslie John Clark, Driver Frederick Walter Beardsley and Driver Paul Williams are also interred in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, in Plot 17, Row C, Graves 6, 4, 5 and 7 respectively
116. Testimony from Flight-Sergeant Derek Gleave, No. 48 Squadron RAF; cited in Middlebrook, pp.396-397
117. See Middlebrook, p.397. Pilot Officer Walton Ralph Pring has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, UK, Panel 212. Warrant Officer James Leroy Springsteele RCAF and Sergeant Henry Everest Colman RCAF are interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland in Plot 4, Row B, Grave 3 and Plot 26, Row B, Grave 3 respectively. The CWGC database lists both men as Pilot Officers but the above ranks are taken from the 48 Squadron records; see AIR 27/473 No. 48 Squadron Operational Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
118. See AIR 27/1154 No. 190 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/1167 No. 196 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
119. See Cooper, Appendix: ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, p.169
120. See AIR 27/1654 No. 299 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
121. For gun figures see Kershaw, Appendix ‘Operations to Reduce the “Cauldron” Oosterbeek Sep 20-26 1944’, TO&E Table ‘FlaK Brigade “Svoboda”’, p.337; for German change of tactics see Middlebrook, p.396
122. See AIR 27/2134 No. 620 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and Cooper, Appendix: ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, p.175
123. See AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and Cooper, Appendix: ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, p.172. Pilot Officer William Kirkham is interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland in Plot 4, Row A, Grave 17. Flying Officer David Henry Atkinson, Flying Officer Morris Hand and Sergeant Harrold Ashton are interred in the same Plot & Row in Graves 15, 16 & 14 respectively; Pilot Officer Ernest Charles Brown and Lance-Corporal Gerard Reardon are interred in Plot 21, Row C, Grave 11 and Plot 16, Row A, Grave 3 respectively
124. See AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and Cooper, Appendix: ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, pp.173-174. Flying Officer William Baker RCAF is interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland in Plot 31, Row A, Collective Grave 2‒7 along with Flying Officer John Dickson DFC, Flying Officer Robert Carter Booth, Warrant Officer Francis George Totterdell, Flight Sergeant Dennis James Blencowe and Flight Sergeant Richard Bert Bond; Driver Robert William Hayton RASC and Driver Reginald Shore RASC are interred in Plot 15, Row A, Grave 5 and Plot 31, Row A, Grave 1 respectively. The CWGC database lists Dickson as a Flight Lieutenant, Totterdell as Pilot Officer and Bond as Sergeant, ranks cited are taken from No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book; Cooper renders Blencowe as Blencoe
125. See AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and Cooper, The Air Battle for Arnhem, Appendix: ‘RAF Losses at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944’, p.173. Flying Officer Beck’s crew are interred in Heteren General Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland, Plot 2, Row A as follows: Driver Cyril William Lightwood and Flight Sergeant Harold James Stell in Grave 13A and 13B, Flight Sergeant John McGarrie in Grave 14, Flight Sergeant Erle Mayne Milks RCAF and Flight Sergeant Pierre Cormiere RCAF in Graves 15A and 15B respectively
126. Quoted from AIR 27/2041 No. 570 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
127. See AIR 27/1654 No. 299 Squadron Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944; and AIR 27/1876 No. 437 Squadron RCAF Operations Record Book, entry for 23/09/1944
128. See AIR 27/473 No. 48 Squadron Operations Record Book and AIR 27/1574 No. 271 Squadron Operations Record Book, entries for 23/09/1944
129. See W0 171/590 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 16:00, 23/09/1944
130. See WO 171/400 1 Airborne Division RASC Airborne Element War Diary, entry for 05:00-06:00, 22/09/1944; and WO 171/594 4th Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix C, entry for 22/09/1944
131. See WO 171/393 1 Airborne Division HQ War Diary, entry for 16:05, 23/09/1944
132. See W0 171/590 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 20:00, 23/09/1944
133. See Middlebrook, p.403
134. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.170-171
135. For numbers of men/parapacks see Brinson, Airborne Troop Carrier, p.145; for take-off time see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.186
136. For 16:43 timing see Brinson, p.145; for 16:47 timing see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.190
137. The Polish Brigade War Diary notes the arrival of the 1st Battalion and part of the 3rd Battalion at 16:00 but also states that Brigade HQ was not informed of the fact and continued to list the units as missing; see Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 16:00, 23/09/1944
138. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.190-192, 196-197
139. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 49 ‘30 Corps Orders for 23 Sep’
140. See Ellis, Victory in the West, Volume II: The Defeat of Germany, p.42; Essame, The 43rd Division at War, p.128; and CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 51 ‘30 Corps Operation Instructions No. 25 of 23 Sep�
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141. For twelve figure see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.197; for fourteen figure see John Sliz, The Storm Boat Kings, p.53; sixteen figure cited in Essame, p.131
142. See Essame, p.131; and WO 171/1586 204 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 21:00, 23/09/1944
143. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 50 ‘Narrative 23 Sep’; and Essame, p.129
144. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 50 ‘Narrative 23 Sep’
145. See Essame, p.129
146. Quoted from Essame, p.130
147. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 50 ‘Narrative 23 Sep’; and Essame, pp.129-131
148. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 09:00, 23/09/1944; Sosabowski, p.177; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.180
149. See Sosabowski, Freely I Served, p.177
150. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.189-190; for Grave drop timing see Brinson, Airborne Troop Carrier, p.145
151. See Middlebrook, p.412
152. See The Pegasus Archive, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Biographies Section ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Baillie Mackenzie’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/charles_mackenzie.htm, accessed 16/07/2017; and Ryan, p.481; for Forward Corps HQ location see Middlebrook, p.412
153. Quoted from The Pegasus Archive, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Biographies Section ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Baillie Mackenzie’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/charles_mackenzie.htm, accessed 16/07/2017
154. Quote from Ryan, p.482
155. See ibid., pp.482-483
156. See The Pegasus Archive, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Biographies Section ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Baillie Mackenzie’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/charles_mackenzie.htm, accessed 16/07/2017; and Ryan, p.483
157. See Middlebrook, pp.412-413; and Ryan, p.482
158. Pre-19:00 timing based on Polish representatives returning to Driel at that time; see Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 19:00, 23/09/1944. For Mackenzie’s disquiet over the perceived lack of urgency, see Powell, The Devil’s Birthday, p.203
159. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.178-179
160. See ibid., p.185
161. See ibid., pp.180-181, 184
162. Quoted from Sosabowski, p.178; see also Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.186
163. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 16:30, 23/09/1944; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.188
164. Quoted from Sosabowski, p.178
165. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.180. There is no mention of the unnamed Brigadier in the Polish Brigade War Diary or Sosabowski’s account
166. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.182
167. Quotes from ibid., p.182
168. Cholewczynski’s initial mention refers to eighteen vessels capable of carrying twenty-four passengers but subsequently refers to eighteen passengers; see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.182, 194 & 197; for the sixteen capacity see Middlebrook, p.411. The precise model of assault boat is unclear; see for example James Ladd, Commandos and Rangers of World War II, Appendix 4 ‘Landing Ships, Craft, Amphibians and Other Vehicles’, p.247
169. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 52 ‘Narrative – night 23/24 Sep’; WO 171/1586 204 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 21:00, 23/09/1944; Essame, p.131; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.182
170. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 19:00; and Sosabowski, p.177
171. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.194; and Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 23:00, 23/09/1944
172. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 19:00, 23/09/1944; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.194
173. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 21:30, 23/09/1944; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.194
174. Quoted from Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.194
175. See ibid., pp.194-195
176. See WO171/397 1 Airborne Division HQ Royal Engineers War Diary, entry for 19:15, 23/09/1944
177. See WO 171/393 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary, entry for 23:45, 23/09/1944; for Mackenzie’s decision to keep his reservations to himself see Ryan, p.483; Urquhart, p.152; and The Pegasus Archive, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Biographies Section ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Baillie Mackenzie’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/charles_mackenzie.htm, accessed 17/07/2017
178. See Cholewczynski, p.195
179. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 23:00, 23/09/1944
180. The US D-Ration chocolate bar, officially known as the ‘Field Ration, Type D’ was introduced in the late 1930s as a vitamin-enhanced emergency ration. Produced by the Hershey Chocolate Corporation, the D-Ration was usually issued in a waxed cardboard box containing three bars, each of which weighed four ounces and contained 600 calories; the three bars in total provided the 1,800 calories considered necessary for a day’s intake. Pemmican was a concentrated mixture of dried and ground lean meat mixed with fat and sometimes augmented with fruit berries, which could be stored for years with no detrimental effects. Invented by Canadian native Indian tribes, pemmican was used by fur trappers, Arctic and Antarctic explorers, and was issued to British Army units serving in the 2nd Boer War as part of their emergency ‘iron’ ration.
181. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.196
182. For 22:30 timing see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.196; for 23:00 timing see Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 23:00, 23/09/1944
Chapter 19
1. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.197
2. See Sosabowski, Freely I Served, p.179
3. For Myers’ involvement see Middlebrook, Arnhem 1944, p.411; and Faulkner-Brown, A Sapper at Arnhem, p.76. For 1st Airlanding Brigade Defence Platoon acting as guides see WO 171/589 & WO 171/590 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 23:55, 23/09/1944
4. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.194
5. See WO171/1513 9th (Airborne) Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 19:30, 23/09/1944. However, Lieutenant Brown’s memoir clearly states that he spent the night of 23-24 September near the 4th Parachute Brigade HQ alternating guard duty with Captain James Smith from 1 Troop; see Faulkner-Brown, p.76. As the timing and wording in the 9th Field Company War Diary entry is almost identical to an entry the previous day in the 4th Parachute Squadron War Diary the former might simply have been entered in error under the wrong date; see WO 171/1511 4th Parachute Squadron RE War Diary, Appendix I, entry for 19:45, 22/09/1944
6. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.198
7. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 00:20-00:30, 24/09/1944; Cholewczynski cites a precise time of 00:23; see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.197; for 4th Dorsets reference see Essame, The 43rd Division at War, p.131
8. See WO171/1586 204 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 21:00, 23/09/1944
9. For Polish mortars and 43rd Division artillery see Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 03:00, 24/09/1944; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.198
10. Timing cited in Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 03:00
11. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.198-199
12. Quoted from ibid., p.199
1
3. For gas main see ibid., p.198; see also Sosabowski, p.179
14. See Sosabowski, p.179; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.199
15. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.199
16. See ibid., Poles Apart, p.200
17. See Sosabowski, p.180
18. See for example Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.204. All three officers involved in controlling the crossing points on the south bank received awards for their actions. Lieutenant Grünbaum was awarded the Silver Cross Order of Military Virtue Fifth Class, whilst Lieutenants Dawidowicz and Skulski received second awards of the Cross of Valour; see The Pegasus Archive website, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Awards Section, Polish Awards Pages, www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/awards.htm, accessed 21/09/2017
19. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.203. 2nd Lieutenant Waclaw J Jaworski is interred in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Gelderland, Holland, Plot 25, Row B, Grave 20; his date of death is given as 26/09/1944. Lance-Sergeant Tomasz Lepalczyk has no known grave and does not appear in the CWGC database. According to Cholewczynski he was buried in a shallow grave on the polder close to the north bank of the river shortly after the crossing ceased; see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.207
20. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.200-201; for reported firefight see Middlebrook, p.412
21. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.201-202
22. Quoted from see W0 171/590 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix ‘F’, entry for 01:45, 24/09/1944
23. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.199
24. See ibid., p.201
25. For 05:00 arrival time see ibid., p.204
26. See Sosabowski, p.180; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.204-205
27. See Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 05:05, 24/09/1944; and Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, pp.205-206, 208
28. See for example Middlebrook, p.411
29. 153 figure cited in Sikorski Institute AV 20/31/27 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade War Diary, entry for 05:05, 24/09/1944; see also handwritten reference at bottom of page reading ‘These numbers do not include those casualties suffered on boats and after debarking who were immediately brought back to the southern bank of the river.’
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