Arnhem
Page 133
92. See WO 171/1286 4th Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment War Diary, various entries, 25/09/1944
93. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 57 ‘Narrative 25 September’; and Essame, p.136. For 43 Reconnaissance Regiment involvement see John Sliz, The Storm Boat Kings, p.74
94. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 57 ‘Narrative 25 September’; and Essame, p.136
95. Quoted from Essame, p.136
96. For 1,000 vehicle figure see WO 171/393 1 Airborne Division HQ War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on Operation “Market”: Part II – The Administrative Aspects of the Operation: Seaborne Tail’, Para. 218
97. For transit area location grid reference see WO 177/359 ADMS 1 Airborne Division War Diary, entry for 16:00, 25/09/1944
98. See WO 171/394 1 Airborne Division HQ Seaborne Element War Diary, entry for 09:00, 25/09/1944
99. See WO 171/394 1 Airborne Division HQ Seaborne Element War Diary, entry for 15:00, 25/09/1944; and WO 171/590 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ Seaborne Element War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944; the Airlanding Brigade Diary has the evacuation taking place on 26 and 27 September, rather than 25 and 26 September
100. See WO 177/359 ADMS 1 Airborne Division War Diary, entry for 16:00, 25/09/1944
101. See WO 171/394 1 Airborne Division HQ Seaborne Element War Diary, entries for 15:00 & 22:00, 25/09/1944
102. For a detailed map of the crossing sites see fig. ‘Operation Berlin’ in Sliz, pp.58-59
103. See WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, entry for 12:00, 25/09/1944; and WO171/1586 204 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 06:00, 25/09/1944
104. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 58 ‘The Evacuation – night 25/26 September’; Essame, p.136; and Sliz, pp.55, 61, 75-80; the citation on p.61 is referenced to the 43rd Division War Diary
105. Quoted from Mark Henniker, An Image of War, p.189
106. See ibid., pp.189-190
107. For storm boat details see Sliz, pp.13, 32-35; for cutaway diagrams of vessel and Evinrude outboard motor see ibid., figs ‘Storm Boat Mk.1’ and ‘Evinrude Model #8008’, pp.36-37
108. See Essame, p.136
109. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 58 ‘The Evacuation – night 25/26 September’; Sliz, pp.62, 65; and WO 171/1608 260 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944
110. See for example Sliz, p.62; for Henniker’s own explanation and a brief account of his service in the 1st Airborne Division under Urquhart see Henniker, pp.162-166
111. Quoted from Sliz, The Storm Boat Kings, p.57; for the 551st General Transport Company RASC see ibid., pp.41, 84
112. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’; for the trades breakdown of the 10th Field Park Company RCE maintenance party see Sliz, p.63. Sliz also refers to the maintenance party travelling with the 20th Field Company, but the 23rd Field Company War Diary clearly states that it moved up to Valburg with the 23rd Company’s column and was reassigned there
113. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
114. See WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, entries for 12:00 & 14:30, 25/09/1944; and ibid., Appendix VI
115. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
116. See WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix VI; and WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
117. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 58 ‘The Evacuation – night 25/26 September’; and WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
118. For O Group termination time see WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
Chapter 21
1. For the few moments quiet see Baynes, Urquhart of Arnhem, p.146; for 08:08 message see WO 171/393 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary, entry for 08:08, 25/09/1944; for Phantom message see Ryan, A Bridge Too Far, p.515. There is no reference to the Phantom message to Browning in the 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary or in Urquhart’s biography, but it does appear to have been noted in the Signals War Diary; see WO 171/398 1 Airborne Division Signals War Diary, entry for 10:31, 25/09/1944.
2. For the commander’s conference summons see WO 171/393 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary, entry for 10:30, 25/09/1944; WO 171/594 4th Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix D, entry for 25/09/1944; and WO 171/589 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix ‘F’, entry for 10:30, 25/09/1944
3. See Urquhart, p.167; for details of Gallipoli withdrawal see for example Nigel Steel and Peter Hart, Defeat at Gallipoli, p.388
4. First quote from Major-General Roy Urquhart, extract from personal recollection notes entitled ‘Still More Random Reflections’, cited in Baynes, p.147; second quote testimony from Urquhart cited in Ryan, p.516
5. Quoted from WO 171/396 1 Airborne Division HQ Royal Artillery War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944
6. Testimony from Major Philip Tower, Brigade Major Royal Artillery, 1st Airborne Division; cited in Middlebrook, Arnhem 1944, pp.423-424. Slidex was a paper-based encryption system that used a series of word cards in conjunction with code strips placed vertically and horizontally along the top and edge of the word cards; the latter were placed in a folding case with cursors to create word cells for the encryption/decryption.
7. See Urquhart, p.168
8. See WO 171/397 1 Airborne Division HQ Royal Engineers War Diary, Appendix B, ‘Operation “MARKET”: Report of Activities 9 Field Company RE’, entry for 25/09/1944; and WO 171/1513 9th (Airborne) Field Company RE War Diary, entry for ‘Approx 11:00’, 25/09/1944
9. See Urquhart, pp.168-169; and Ryan, p.518
10. Testimony from Colonel Graeme Warrack, Assistant Director Medical Services, 1st Airborne Division; cited in Ryan, pp.517-518
11. Quote from Urquhart, p.169
12. See WO 171/393 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary, Appendix ‘Report on Operation Market’, Part I: General Outline of Operations, Section 9 ‘Operations from 0001 hrs, 21 Sep to 2000 hrs, 25 Sep.’, Paras. 185-188
13. Quoted from Urquhart, pp.169-170
14. See WO 171/1513 9th (Airborne) Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 13:00, 25/09/1944
15. For 13:30 timing see WO 171/589 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix ‘F’; and WO 166/15077 1st Battalion The Border Regiment War Diary, Appendix A; for 13:00 see WO 171/1323 7th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers War Diary; for 14:00 see WO 171/1235 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary; and for 15:00 timing see WO 171/1511 4th Parachute Squadron RE War Diary, Appendix I
16. See WO 171/1323 7th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers War Diary, entry for 13:00, 25/09/1944; WO 171/1235 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary, entry for 14:00, 25/09/1944; WO 166/15077 1st Battalion The Border Regiment War Diary, Appendix A, entry for 25/09/1944; and Green, 1st Battalion The Border Regiment, p.76
17. See WO 171/1511 4th Parachute Squadron RE
War Diary, entry for 14:00, 25/09/1944; ibid., Appendix I, entry for 15:00, 25/09/1944; and Faulkner Brown, A Sapper at Arnhem, pp.79-80
18. For BREESE Force role see WO 166/15077 1st Battalion The Border Regiment War Diary, Appendix A, entry for 25/09/1944; for route marking see WO 171/1513 9th (Airborne) Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 19:45, 25/09/1944
19. For 7th KOSB withdrawal timing see WO 171/1323 7th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers War Diary, entry for 13:00, 25/09/1944; for loss of contact with D Company 1st Border see WO 166/15077 1st Battalion The Border Regiment War Diary, Appendix A, entry for 25/09/1944; WO 171/589 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 14:30, 25/09/1944; and Green, pp.76-77
20. See WO 171/589 1st Airlanding Brigade HQ War Diary, Appendix F, entry for 13:30, 25/09/1944; WO 166/15077 1st Battalion The Border Regiment War Diary, Appendix A, entry for 25/09/1944; and WO 171/1235 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary, entry for 21:00, 25/09/1944
21. See WO 171/1323 7th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers War Diary, entry for 13:00, 25/09/1944
22. See WO 171/594 4th Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix D, entry for 10:30, 25/09/1944; and Faulkner Brown, pp.79-80
23. See WO 171/594 4th Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix D, entry for 25/09/1944
24. WO 171/1248 21st Independent Parachute Company War Diary, entry for 16:00, 25/09/1944
25. See WO 171/592 1st Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix ‘D’: Diary of Events – 3rd Parachute BN, entry for 16:00 in composite entry for 22/09/1944
26. See WO 171/1247 156 Parachute Battalion War Diary, Appendix C, entries for 13:00 & 14:00, 25/09/1944; for quote see testimony from Major Geoffrey Powell, Officer Commanding C Company, 156 Parachute Battalion; cited in Ryan, pp.518-519
27. See WO 171/592 1st Parachute Brigade War Diary, Appendix ‘D’: Diary of Events – 3rd Parachute BN, entry for 22:30 in composite entry for 22/09/1944
28. See WO 171/1236 1st Parachute Battalion War Diary, entries for 17.00 & 20:00, 25/09/1944; WO 171/1244 11th Parachute Battalion War Diary, entry for18:00, 25/09/1944; WO 171/406 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron HQ War Diary, entries for 19:30 & 20:00, 25/09/1944; and WO 171/406 A Troop 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron War Diary, entry for 16:00, 25/09/1944
29. See WO 171/406 A Troop 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron War Diary, entries for 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 17:30 & 19:00, 25/09/1944; WO 171/1247 156 Parachute Battalion War Diary, Appendix C: ‘156 Bn Parachute Regiment Arnhem’, entry for 14:00, 25/09/1944; and Fairley, Remember Arnhem, p.190
30. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.255
31. See ibid., p.255
32. Members of the Kremer family recalled Major Ogilvie wearing his kilt and frequently visiting No. 8 Stationsweg; see testimony from Sander & Ans Kremer, cited in Middlebrook, pp.368-369. For a photograph of Captain Ogilvie so attired see for example Urquhart, plate captioned ‘A jeep party about to set off into Arnhem’ between pp.96-97
33. See Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.253
34. See Baynes, p.148
35. See for example Kent, First In!, p.128; Victor Miller, Nothing is Impossible, p.179; and Middlebrook, p.428; for Celanese panels see Cholewczynski, Poles Apart, p.257
36. For Downing & Toler recollections see Ryan, p.519
37. See WO 171/406 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron HQ War Diary, entry for 20:30, 25/09/1944
38. See WO 171/1513 9th (Airborne) Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 19:45, 25/09/1944; and Middlebrook, p.428
39. See WO 171/1232 B Squadron Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944; Fuller is rendered Futter in the entry, but no officer of that surname appears to have served with the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem
40. See Miller, p.179-182; and WO 171/393 1st Airborne Division HQ War Diary, Appendix ‘Report on Operation Market’, Part I: General Outline of Operations, Section 9 ‘Operations from 0001 hrs, 21 Sep to 2000 hrs, 25 Sep.’, Para. 187
41. See WO 171/398 1 Airborne Division Signals War Diary, entries for 19:00 & 20:00, 25/09/1944; for Signalman Cockrill’s account see Ryan, pp.520-521
42. See WO 171/406 A Troop 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron War Diary, entry for 20:00, 25/09/1944; and Fairley, p.191
43. See WO 171/1247 156 Parachute Battalion War Diary, Appendix C: ‘156 Bn Parachute Regiment Arnhem’, entry for 20:15, 25/09/1944; and Harry Bankhead, Salute to the Steadfast, pp.161-162
44. The 21:15 evacuation timing would appear to be in error, given that the RCE and RE units that carried out the evacuation at the eastern site reported putting first boat into the water at 21:30 and reaching the north bank ten minutes later; see WO 171/1608 260 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944; and WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
45. See WO 171/397 HQ Royal Engineers War Diary, entries for 20:30, 20:40 & 21:15, 25/09/1944; for Captain Green details see The Pegasus Archive, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Biographies Section ‘Captain Michael Douglas Green’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/michael_douglas_green.htm, accessed 05/07/2018.
46. See WO 171/1234, 1 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment War Diary, entries for 20:30, 21:00, 21:20, 21:35 & 22:05, 25/09/1944
47. See WO 171/406 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron HQ War Diary, entry for 20:50, 25/09/1944; and Fairley, pp.191-192. Squadron Quartermaster George Ellis Holderness has no known grave and is commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial, Gelderland, Holland, Panel 1
48. See WO 171/406 D Troop 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron War Diary, entries for 20:00 & 21:30, 25/09/1944 and 02:00, 26/09/1944; and Fairley, pp.190-191
49. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’; and Sliz, The Storm Boat Kings, p.64
50. See WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, entry for 18:30, 25/09/1944
51. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
52. See Sliz, p.65
53. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
54. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’; and Sliz, p.64
55. See Sliz, pp.65-67
56. See WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix VI
57. Testimony from Lieutenant W. W. Gemmell, 20th Field Company RCE; cited in Sliz, p.75
58. See ibid., p.77; Sapper Thicke’s name is rendered Thickie. For Sapper Thicke’s Military Medal citation see The Pegasus Archive website, Battle of Arnhem Archive, Awards Section, ‘Sapper Dacker H. Thicke’ at www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/harry_dacker_thicke.htm, accessed 07/07/2018; the forenames are transposed and use a different spelling in the citation
59. Testimony from Sapper Donald Somerville, 23rd Field Company RCE; cited in Sliz, p.65
60. See ibid., p.67
61. Testimony from Lieutenant John Cronyn, 23rd Field Company RCE; cited in ibid., p.67
62. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’; and Sliz, pp.68-70
63. For storm boat and outboard motor weight and numbers required for unloading see Sliz, pp.35, 67
64. Quoted from WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
65. Testimony from Lieutenant Russell Ke
nnedy, 23rd Field Company RCE; cited in Sliz, p.71
66. Testimony from Sapper Donald Somerville, 23rd Field Company RCE; cited in ibid., p.71
67. See ibid., pp.73, 67; for reassignment of the Maintenance Section from the 10th Field Park Company RCE see WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’
68. See WO 179/3130 23rd Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix: ‘Report on the Evacuation of Survivors of 1st Airborne Tps from their bridgehead at Arnhem and the River Neder Rijn at Arnhem’; and WO 171/1608 260 Field Company RE War Diary, entry for 25/09/1944
69. For 21:00 timing see for example CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 58 ‘The Evacuation – night 25/26 September’; WO 179/3129 20th Field Company RCE War Diary, Appendix VI, Para. 3; and WO 171/1248 21st Independent Parachute Company War Diary, entry for 18:00, 25/09/1944. For the 20:50 timing see WO 171/406 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron HQ War Diary, entry for 20:50, 25/09/1944; and Middlebrook, p.427.’ For 21:15 timing see WO 171/1248 21st Independent Parachute Company War Diary, entry for 18:00, 25/09/1944. Interestingly there are very few references to commencement of the covering artillery fire plan or the bombardment itself in the 1st Airborne Division unit War Diaries
70. See CAB 44/254 Part II: Operation MARKET GARDEN, Book III, Chapter VII, ‘Section V – Operations on the Island 21 to 26 Sep’, Para. 56 ‘30 Corps Plan 25 Sep’
71. See WO 171/1066 84 Medium Regiment RA War Diary, entry for 21:00, 25/09/1944; and WO 171/1059 64 Medium Regiment RA War Diary, entries for 21:00, 21:04, 21:10, 21:25, 21:40, 22:10, 22:22 & 22:58, 25/09/1944
72. Quoted from Middlebrook, p.431
73. See Miller, p.182
74. See Kent, First In!, p.129; also cited in Ryan, p.520
75. Quoted from WO 171/1248 21st Independent Parachute Company War Diary, entry for 18:00, 25/09/1944
76. See Kent, p.129