Hi guys. I’m back, and I hope you won’t mind me putting a few thoughts about Arnhem down on this Forum, despite the fact the aviation content is minimal.
Just to straighten up a few things. My chum Tom was a Captain in the Paras at the time and in the 1970s went on to buy the Colt that I now fly as part of a group. At 83 Tom decided to give up flying this Spring, but asked if we could fly across together. Sadly this didn’t happen since his entire family wanted to make a thing of the trip and he wasn’t allowed to sneak off with me, as he may have preferred. So Mrs Moggy and I went by Citroen so as to be able to import sufficient French wine to last until Christmas. Tom and his wife of about three months (!) travelled by airliner and train.
Mrs Moggy and I arrived before the start of the commemoration on Tuesday, and left before the bigger official shindigs of the weekend. But I was very pleased to be sitting happily ensconsed behind a half-litre mug at a table in the Schoonoord (No 1 Airborne Pub) when a very thirsty Tom completed his journey on Wednesday. My bar bill that evening is a matter of record, and I am still uncertain how I managed to cycle back to the hotel.
I’m not completely comfortable about mixing veterans and re-enactors. I thought they made wonderful ‘set-dressing’ driving up and down in immaculate Jeeps or sitting at tables quaffing manfully. But it did seem to me that there was too much an element of ‘fancy-dress’ about it – particularly the moment when a barmaid splashed a healthy quantity of lager across the counter and the rough, tough ‘Para’ to my right squealed out “Mind my uniform!” – not a phrase, I suggest, that was heard much in that same building some 60 years earlier at which time it was being used as a casualty clearing station / hospital / morgue. And in Oosterbeek, which had been comprehensively flattened, the transport looked very out-of-place amongst the modern cars and buildings, unlike Normandy where the villages have hardly changed at all and the vehicles seemed more at home. But it has to be said that none of the veterans seemed to object, and in the end that must be the deciding factor.
Nothing remains of the actual bridge in Arnhem, or the area immediately around it. This was a disappointment, though here it was heart-warming to see how many of the veterans are still around, several looking a lot fitter than I.
The Cemetery was problematical too. As well tended as any I have visited, and fearfully moving. But because of the big ‘show’ at the weekend, when we visited the whole place was alive with people building scaffolding platforms for the OB units, and lopping all the nearby trees, presumably for fear of public liability suits should the ever-present and very fresh wind bring down a bough or two of ancient oak during the ceremony. There was no peaceful reflection possible.
However it did raise a question. Some of you may be able to help. The Glider Pilot Regiment seemed to have suffered disproportionately. Row after row of headstones carried their cap badge. Now, at two crew to twenty troops per glider, you wouldn’t have expected this. Why so?
My only thought was that since none of them could be extracted from the Oosterbeek pocket particularly, did they take-up arms as foot soldiers and suffer from their lack of training in that role?
Now I have seen the ground I am angrier than ever at the situation those troops found themselves in. Had it worked, it would have been a tremendous coup. It didn’t, I suppose that is war. I believe though that Monty was desperately trying to preserve British troops with this bold move.
Overriding memories?
The lone C47 mentioned elsewhere. To see the red berets of almost every veteran in earshot jerk simultaneously in the direction of that familiar low-rumble is something I won’t forget. (Very high prevalence of hearing aids amongst the veterans, no ear defenders for weapons training and combat in those days)
The Dutch. Had there been no ‘Arnhem’ their lovely towns would probably have escaped much of the ravages of the war. As it is, not only where they demolished almost totally, but the people were ejected from the area and had to live as best they could in the countryside with no homes, no income, no food. One young girl’s diary describes the luxury of an old hen-coop that she and her family lived in for months, surviving off nettle soup.
But they love the Para’s. Nothing is too much trouble for the veterans. They are lovely people.
All very humbling.
By: paulc - 22nd September 2004 at 15:46
A friend on mine was involved in the Arnham events as part of the DC3 crew – he had a great time and was deeply moved by the humbleness of the veterans. The crew and the veterans were treated like royalty by the dutch and the depth of gratitude they feel towards the veterans is something special even after all this time. Having the local children ‘adopt’ a grave of a fallen soldier is a tradition that I am sure will continue for a long time.
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd September 2004 at 14:40
I would also like to thank the Dutch people for making us feel so welcome.
That’s one of the overriding memories I have of my previous visits to Holland. We did Nijmegen back in the 80’s and 90’s, and we always felt very humbled by the welcome we received from the locals. As Moggy says, lovely people. 🙂 Actually, the Nijmegen route takes you past a lot of places which the US, British and Polish forces fought so hard to take and then defend. One that sticks in my mind is along part of the route on day four; as you approach Grave (?) you march past a memorial to the US 82nd airborne a few kilometers south of Nijmegen. On a peaceful summers day, surrounded by fellow walkers and marchers from around the world, such a sight really does make you stop and think about how different it must have been back then…
By: Willow - 22nd September 2004 at 13:47
I too was in Arnhem/Oosterbeek for the commemorations as my wifes grandfather (84 this year) fought in Oosterbeek during the battle as part of B company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Airborne. A party of eleven of his family, including his three year old great-grandaughter, escorted him back there for the weekend. We attended various events on the saturday including the Driel parachute drop. Sadly, part of this had to be cancelled due to the wind but the Polish freefall demonstration went ahead. This is an interesting parallel, as in 1944 it was the Polish which were delayed by the weather! We then went to Oosterbeek to see the vintage vehicle run. My wife was impressed to see local people asking her Grandfather for his autograph. The feelings the Dutch people have for the veterans is amazingly strong after so many years. While on the main street we walked up to the Hartenstein but couldn’t get in as by now it was being closed for security reasons due to the Royal visit that evening. The air display was not on our plan of things to do, but I did notice a Mitchell and Catalina in the distance. By this stage, however both the 3 year old and the 84 year old in our party were getting tired, so we retired for the evening.
We were up early on Sunday so as to attend the main service at the Oosterbeek Military Cemetery. We luckily managed to get parked very close to the cemetery which meant a much shorter walk. The service was a very moving experience for us all and as Moggy has said, the reaction among the veterans to the lone Dakota was immediate and tear-jerking.
On the Monday morning before heading home my wife and I drove from Ede, where we were staying, to Arnhem and drove over the Bridge, before heading down to Nijmegen and over the bridge there. Overall we had an excelent weekend spoilt only by the ferry journey home in gale-force 8 conditions!
I wish to congratulate the organisers as I thought the whole weekend was extremely well planned. I would also like to thank the Dutch people for making us feel so welcome. My wife and I are intending to visit the area again soon to spend more time there as there is so much we feel we didn’t see.
As for the John Frost Bridge, I have seen photos of it in late 1944 after it had been destroyed by RAF bombing, so it must have been lifted back into position and repaired.
Regards
Willow
By: Firebird - 19th September 2004 at 21:59
I believe that the pilots did fight initially on the ground after landing in Normandy but were swiftly taken back to Britain
That would have been the intention at Arnhem had 30 Corps managed to relieve the Airborne Div as planned :rolleyes:
Checked the figures about unit losses at Arnhem, and the Glider Pilot Regt. didn’t have the highest percentage loss. The 5 highest in proportions of unit deaths were as follows:-
1. 9th Field Company, Royal Engineers 22.7%
2. 156 Parachute Batt. 20.5%
3. Glider Pilot Regt. 17.3%
4. Reconnaissance Squadron 16.6%
5. 11th Parachute Batt. 16.1%
But, lets not forget the RAF suffered grievously in the Market Garden operation in carrying and attempting to supply 1st Airborne Div. The squadrons of RAF 38 and 46 Group flew 1,339 sorties (12 para drop, 715 glider towing and 612 re-supply) and lost 68 aircraft (44 Stirlings and 24 Dakotas), all but 2 of these on re-supply flights. The number of aircrew/passengers killed numbered 368, in addition to 79 army air-despatchers. Along with the 27 USAAF aircrew killed, the airforce fatal casualties were equal to 40% of those suffered by the 1st Airborne Div…. 😮
By: Flood - 19th September 2004 at 17:53
Think there was an article in Flypast or Aeroplane a few months back about a chap who served in the Glider Pilot Regt; I believe that the pilots did fight initially on the ground after landing in Normandy but were swiftly taken back to Britain , althought this would have been much more difficult, of course, in the case of the Market Garden crews…
Flood
By: Arthur - 19th September 2004 at 17:42
No problem. And on behalf of people here in the Netherlands who feel just like me on matters like this: thanks for joining the commemoration Mogs.
By: Firebird - 19th September 2004 at 17:40
Moggy,
Your observation about the Glider Pilot Regt. losses is quite correct. Not having my large volume of Arnhem reference material to hand at the moment, IIRC the Glider Pilot Regt., may have actually suffered the highest percentage loss of all the units at Arnhem, I’ll check later.
There was never any intention of them being removed from the area after landing, that was a woosy think the Americans did 😉
All members of the Glider Pilot Regt. were foremost highly trained airborne infantry that merely had a second role of flying the gliders…. 😮
As for the re-enactors, well there will always be the ‘fancy dress’ brigade element unfortunately.
Obviously wasn’t one of my 1st Airborne Recce LHA collegues then, beer stained BD is worn with pride, just as they would have been 60 years ago… 😀
Our lot are usually ferrying around Recce veterens in our Jeeps to the various Recce units battle/ambush sites anyway, often much to the veterens families worry as they are not seen again for hours… 😀
Glad you enjoyed the immensly humbling experience that an Arnhem anniversary is.
Regards,
Graham
By: Moggy C - 19th September 2004 at 17:25
However, the current John Frost bridge at Arnhem is still the very same bridge as the one fought over by the Brits and Polish paras sixty years ago. It has been overhauled a number of times, but it’s still the same bridge which was built to replace the original one which was destroyed in May 1940 during the German invasion.
Ah! Apologies. I saw a picture of the destroyed bridge, but the caption was in Dutch and I assumed it was a picture taken after the Arnhem battle, when it was obviously before.
Looks OK today 🙂
Moggy
By: Arthur - 19th September 2004 at 15:50
Good read Moggy. Operation Market Garden is, and will be, well remembered here in the Netherlands. Large parts of the South owe their liberation to the plan, and if the plan would have succeeded it could have prevented a lot of suffering for the North of the country during the 1944-1945 winter.
However, the current John Frost bridge at Arnhem is still the very same bridge as the one fought over by the Brits and Polish paras sixty years ago. It has been overhauled a number of times, but it’s still the same bridge which was built to replace the original one which was destroyed in May 1940 during the German invasion.
For the rest, the whole area around the bridge has changed immensely of course. Arnhem wasn’t just damaged intensely during those september days. The bridge area was later also bombed, and the city was a battlefield again in the spring of 45 when Canadians finally took it.
By: allan125 - 19th September 2004 at 14:48
Hi Moggie – Glad you had a good time – 60 years ago tomorrow (20th) my father was part of the advance party of 125 Wing to move into B.82 Grave/Keent, which had only just been liberated by the Americans a few days earlier, so I have a kinship with the area – ref your comment about the Glider Pilots “My only thought was that since none of them could be extracted from the Oosterbeek pocket particularly, did they take-up arms as foot soldiers and suffer from their lack of training in that role?” our glider pilots were, in the main, fully trained soldiers, unlike their American counterparts who were speedily evacuated ours formed up into their own units and took part in perimeter defence etc. Having said that RAF aircrew were also part of the Glider Pilots at the Rhine op. in March ’45 because of the heavy losses at Arnhem, but I don’t know if they had the same infantry training as the soldiers. Take a look at http://www.gliderpilotregiment.org.uk/ for more information. cheers – Allan
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September 19, 2004 at 2:33 pm