The 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters in Norway April 1940

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by Steve Foster, Dec 13, 2011.

  1. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Thanks Olli, will translate and re-post

    Steve
     
  2. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    hi Olli,

    This is some of the translation which seems to show the 8th Foresters stopped the German attack for some time:

    The crews were briefed on the situation by the train drivers. It is against (...) l. MG and snipers fought, who are very well camouflaged in position on the road (and the) slopes and hold the infantry for a very long time. Wg. IV (...) shows some bullets of the tank rifles that were fired from the closest range. The Pz. Should take over the top (...) to clear the infantry. Individual tree blocks are to be bypassed since no booby traps have been found so far.
    (…) Item IV advanced. The opponent (...) The penetration reached a Ent - (...) before the infantry.
    However, it turned out that the infantry was unable to follow. (because the enemy) let the Pz pass and only fired every now and then (...), while at the moment the (infantry wanted to follow) he covered them with his machine gun and rifle (fire from the slopes).
    The vehicles had to go back to help (...). When fighting the machine gun nests, the unsuitability of the site was very noticeable. MG nests that lay on the rocks above the road (could not be fought by the tanks) because the vertical (leveling range) of the weapon was not sufficient.
    The tanks advanced a second time, during which (...) both cannons were fired by machine guns and tank gun shots (out of action). Two men from this crew left (…)
    The driver drove the vehicle back. Here (...) slipped off the street. It was no longer used that day. The two Pz. II also had to go back because the Inf. Could not follow again. The support (...) was not enough. Under the effect of the KwK, the (opponent) decreased. The two Pz. II advanced again. The opponent's (fire) grew stronger. About 1 km before Tretten, the opponent had built a strong defense (defense position) with MG and tank rifles on the right and left of the road. The weapons had been positioned at the (...) ditch. The top vehicle was showered with MG sheaves and tank shells from all sides. All Kinon blocks shattered in the car
     
  3. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Dave,

    I have replied to your photos in the POWs, Norway, April 1940 thread but will put it on here for completeness. Here is my understanding of the people in the photo:


    "Dave,

    Major TKL Roberts was the battalion 2 i/c and I have just re-read his diary. It states ":....The only way possible, and an extremely slender one at that, was to gain the road and make one's way north as best one could. On reaching the road at about 1800 hrs, we were seen and the CO, Capt Athorpe, two clerks and myself were taken prisoner by an enemy battalion HQ"

    With the above in mind, the officer on Col Ford's right smoking the pipe is Maj Roberts and the captain at the front of the photograph is Capt Athorpe, the battalion adjutant. I am not able to name the other five soldiers in the group but will work on it."

    I have attached a photo of some of the 8th Foresters officers as POWs in Spangenberg and Roberts and Athorpe are on the right of Colonel Ford, Also re-attached your original photo. Steve
    8SF POWs.jpg POWs RS.jpg
     
  4. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    OoB Kampfgruppe Pellengahr at Tretten

    2 Batallions Infanterie-Regiment 345: ea. 3 Inf. coys, 1 MG coy, 1 mortar Platoon,

    1 Batallion Gebirgsjaeger (IV./ GJR 138): 3 Inf coys - Major Hans von Poncet

    1 MG-Bataillon (MG-Btl. (mot.) 13): 3 MG coys, ea 16 HMG - Major Wilhelm Michalke

    1 AT Platoon (PzAbwAbt 233): 2 x 3,7-cm PaK, 3 x 2-cm Flak

    1.Staffel/4.Batterie/Artillerie-Regiment 233: 4 x 10,5cm leFH

    1. Kompanie/Panzer-Abteilung z.b.V. 40: 1 Neub.Fhz, 3 Pz II, 3 Pz I, 1 lPzBefW - Oberleutnant Preiss

    CAS by Me Bf 110 (ZG1 or ZG26)
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
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  5. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Thanks Oli, a complete picture of the forces attacking at Tretten, Steve
     
  6. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    1 - Neubaufahrzeug from 1./PzAbt 40 z.b.V.
    2 - Pz I from1./PzAbt 40 z.b.V.
    Somewhere between Lillehammer and Kvam, passing the Howitzers from AR 233

    3 - Major von Poncet leading IV./GJR 138
    4 - Major Hans von Poncet
    5 - Gen.Lt. Richard Pellengahr (2nd from left)
    Image1.png Image2.jpg GJR, Lillehammer.jpg von Poncet low resolution.jpg Pellengahr.jpeg
     
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  7. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

  8. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    1 - 3,7-cm PaK from PzAbwAbt 233 advancing
    2 - Pz II "612" who led the advance into Tretten
    3 - 10,5-cm leFH 18 from AR 233 (here at Kvam)
    4 - backlog of column MG-Btl (mot) 13 caused by the disabled Neubaufahrzeug (Nr 8) in the Background (compare with photo at page 11)
    5 - British PoWs marching into captivity (either Tretten or Kvam)

    pak 1.jpg pzabt40-3.jpg ari kvam 1.jpg backlog caused by tank.jpg Gefangen.jpg
     
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  9. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

  10. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Thanks Olli, between 10:10 and 10;56 it shows British POWs at Lillehammer and Tretten. I think they were Leicestershire Regiment troops as they have the white TRF triangle on their sleeves. The Foresters had darker Green and Red TRF.
     
  11. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    The "Panzermann" could be Oberleutnant Hans-Berenuto Preiss, leader of I./Panzerabt. 40 at Tretten
    Interesting background info: The documents captured at Tretten were shortlyafter presented by Reichsaussenminister v. Ribbentropp as substantiation for "Weserübung" as pre-emptive strike
     
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  12. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Thanks Oli, good to know the names. But where is the snow that all the diaries talk about??!!
     
  13. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    I dare to doubt it fled in panic of the allmighty Wehrmacht.....
    Nope. It was thaw and the mentioned snow was at the higher grounds. I know of several pictures where´s a fair amount of snow
    PA-2483764.jpg German_forces_under_attac_by_Fenrik_Kvaals_group.jpg
    Kampfgruppe Fischer some km to the west at the same time
     
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  14. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    This is the second page of the diary of Major Roberts who is in the photograph of the Sherwood Foresters HQ party being captured - he is the officer smoking his pipe. He talks about deep snow in the Rindheim field and no chance of climbing the Vardekampen behind them. Strange they are sitting in a dry field? Major Roberts 3.jpg POWs RS.jpg
     
  15. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    BTW - the Battle of Tretten caused an unfortunate aftermath for the tankers: Pellengahr told them "Mordbrenner" (close to marauders) due to their relentless firing on defended houses, causing all the devastation.
    The Kriegstagebuch mentioned a strict order from now on solely to shoot at houses with AT guns.
    This order was again revoked after the severe losses at Kvam, as the tankers made this order one of the main causes for them
    (1 Neubaufahrzeug + 1 Pz II write-offs, commander & driver killed, OLt. Preiss severely wounded)
    Nbfhz Nor 2.jpg tank kvam.jpg
     
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  16. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    As told: It was thaw and the lower grounds were already free of snow.
    As a child I spent a lot of time in the Harz mountains and know these circumstances

    EDIT: The aforementioned Bataillon-HQ was of MG-Battaillon 13, here commanded by Hauptmann Gerlach
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  17. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    Hauptmann Gerlach alongside General Dietl
    Scannen0052 (450x429).jpg
     
  18. planet.kirsty

    planet.kirsty New Member

    Hello, I'm new to the site and found this thread whilst researching my grandfather (Cpl. John Marshall) who was 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters as I discovered today!

    I just wanted to add a post to say thank you to everyone who has taken time to share information and document things. There's some amazing information on here and I've learned so much about a part of the war I'm ashamed to say I didn't know about until now.

    Unfortunately I don't have much I can share in return. The only documents I can share are a photo taken in Stalag XXA, and a British Casualty list I found on one of the ancestry sites listing.

    John Marshall is bottom left in the picture, there's no other info with this other than a note on the back with his PoW number, and the year - 1943. You never know though someone may recognize someone they know.

    20160703_185728000_iOS - Copy.jpg JC Marshall British Casualty list.jpg

    Thanks again for all the fantastic information
    Kirsty
     
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  19. tony bower

    tony bower Member

    Hi

    New to this and looking for information on my grandad Arthur Tomlinson who I have been recently told was in norway with the forresters and captured at tretten I believe, other than that no other info as rest of family have passed away. This is first resource I have accessed. Many thanks in advance Tony
     
  20. tony bower

    tony bower Member

    Apologies but his full name was Frederick Arthur Tomlinson born 1912 and died 1972 from chest problems from POW camps and believe it or not just found that out. Never talked about Norway ever to nobody
     

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