With the Yank Airborne

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC October 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 6th       Place ELST area        NIJMEGEN

'The regiment moved from divisional reserve SOUTH of the River Waal to our old harbour SOUTH of NIJMEGEN.  By 1400 hrs “A” Squadron were the only sub-unit NORTH of the river.  Efforts were made to have “A” relieved, but the relief was not completed until 2200 hrs.  The day has been generally quiet with some slight shelling of NIJMEGEN at last light.'

 

Dick was now south of Nijmegen again,

away from the front line.

 

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC October 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 7th       Place NIJMEGEN

'Today has been devoted to bathing, maintenance etc.  We have been warned that we return to the ‘Island’ tomorrow, it is believed to the WESTERN sector.'

 

Reg Harper tells of trying to back to Nijmegen to have a bath where Regional HQ ‘had their feet under the table in civvy billets’ by pretending he needed to take a truck back.  Unfortunately he encountered the legendary ‘Towrope’ Captain Joe Meredith, the Technical Adjutant who had organised the water-proofing of vehicles for D Day and who wasn’t to be fooled. Corporal Harper was sent packing, back north over Nijmegen Bridge to ‘the Island’.  (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 Tony Rampling remembers just how important a bath might seem: 

Washing and Shaving

“Well we obviously didn’t wash very much.  They tried to get us to shave, which we did under pressure.  I actually grew a moustache to make myself look a bit older because I looked quite a boy I think.  By and large we stank so much, that, well you wouldn’t have come near us.”  From Anthony Rampling’s account of 61^st Recce (pers comm).

 

On 6^th October Eric Brewer of 61^st Recce’s ‘B’ Squadron Assault Troop wrote in his diary:  “Moved to Arnhem.  Prisoners are only 15 years old with about 6 weeks’ service in.   Plenty of spando fire.  Our guns have been firing all the time.  We are with the Yank Airborne.”

On 7^th October he was:  “Still at Arnhem, east of it” (and remained there until the 9^th). “Gerry put in 4 counter attacks today, also plenty of shelling.  We are with the Yank airborne – they are a fine lot of chaps.” (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 

Roy Howard explained: ‘Owing to manpower shortages in the British 2^nd Army, US 82^nd and 101^st Airborne Divisions were moved north of the Waal to the ‘Island’ to hold the tip of the salient with 61^st Reconnaissance regiment; and remained there until the end of November.  In this period their losses equalled those taken during the Airborne phase.  They became a much blooded Division’.    

The 101^st Airborne Division spent 72 days in combat in the Netherlands from the start of Market Garden  to late November 1944.  They suffered 1,682 casualties in the defensive fighting on ‘the Island’ alone.

(From “March to Victory: Guide to World War II Battles and Battlefields from London to the Rhine” by John T Bookman and Stephen T Powers, published by Haynes in 1986 and “Race for the Rhine Bridges 1940 1944 1945” by Alexander Mckee, published by Souvenir Press 1971.)