Hello, does anyone have access to the War Diary for the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards for March 1945? (especially actions during Rhine crossing / Op. Plunder) Thank you!
Alberk - War Diary 4/7 Dragoon Guards March 45 send per We Transfer; I've also added to it 8th Armoured Bde, March 45.
Many thanks, stolpi! I am still trying to figure out what the burning Stuart is all about. Apparently the HQ squadron in a tank battalion had a few light tanks...
Recce Troop - 11 Stuart tanks in HQ Squadron... They had arrived a year earlier - March 1944... There are a few audio interviews that relate to the 4th7thRDG Recce Troop here... Oral History - RDG Museum Downloadable audio. The first (audio) has the 4th7thRDG recce troop Stuarts landing (it sounds a bit like after D-Day but this is perhaps not entirely clear) and joining their Regiment later on Point 103, so for the 4th7thRDG it seems to be similar to the situation with the SRY. I haven't listened to the second one yet* but with "move up through battle area" in the description that sounds like a match. * Listening to the second one, Mr Stewart Osborn, also covers landing but again hard to tell a date, then mentions "wandering" about for a few days before joining the Regiment. Mr Eric Johnston 4/7RDG 1942-1947 interviewed at his home in Aberdeen by John Speers on 18 September 2013. Topics covered; Joining RAC;Bovington;training in 58 Trg Regt;chose 4/7RDG;Maj Gen Hobart;DD tanks training;training for D Day, Studland Bay;Normandy landings;to recce tp on Stuart tanks;regimental casualties D Day;Hill 103;tank knocked out by bazooka;5 Panthers knocked out;DLI casualties;Operation Epsom;Gen Horrocks;crossing river;POWs;Guards Armd Div, Arnhem;Seconded to US 2nd Airborne:Nijmegen;Largest artillery barrage;Geilenkirchen;hits land mine;night in monastery;new Stuart tank;on to Rhine;travel on autobahns;Bremen - Becks brewery; German surrender;Bremerhaven. Mr Stewart Osborn 5 Innis DG 1942-1946 interviewed at his home in Gosport by Billy Walker on 24 May 2014. Topics covered: Introduction and career summary;training at Ludgershall and Barnard Castle;joining regiment;training;in recce tp;1943 moved to Northampton;Ex Spartan;incidents;at Kirkcudbright when informed of D Day;Norfolk;to Fareham Aug 44;ship to Normandy, pontoon onto beach;Stukas firing on beach;incidents;equipped with Stuarts;move up through battle area;bombed;Villers Bocage;ration packs from 1914-18 war;incidents;V2 sites; RAF Typhoons;Rhine;jaundice-hospitalised and evacuated;back to regt at DP camp at Brunsbuttel near Kiel Canal; incidents;demob 1946.
But they crossed later - which would mean that the Stuart/Honey was hit or fell victim to a mine at a relatively late stage... From the War Diary you just sent me I know that: 4/7 Draogoon Guards started crossing in the evening of March 24th 13/18 Hussars started crossing late at night on the 25th Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry crossed in the course of the 26th. The pictures that show the blazing light tank are from a series to be found here on Flickr: Crossing the Rhine, March 1945 | Flickr The guy who took the pict was probably in Royal Signals unit - and the destroyed DD-tanks and some other images suggest he was taking pics near the Rhine... What do you think, stolpi?
Bill Warhurst took these during Operation Plunder... Bill Warhurst - during Operation Plunder... https://twitter.com/NewsUKArchives/status/1507043908261498887?t=azDcQfgU2HH9r6nq7Si4-A&s=19
Agreed, it is always tricky - the comments I saw say Canadian, I only really find out much re. the 4th7thRDG when it impinges on something "to do" with former 24L or when there is some combination with the actions of the SRY. All the best, Rm.
Alberk - The fact that a Canadian truck is pictured, IMO indicates that the picture was taken later ... probably after the Canadian CL40 'Blackfriars Bridge' was completed ... which was on 28 March. The bridgehead at the time still was under occasional shellfire; it might have been a lucky hit or as you said a hidden mine.
Alberk - While browsing through my WW2talk thread on the Rhine Crossing I bumped into post #16. The pictures of Canadian Infantry of 9th Cdn Inf Bde crossing the Rhine on March 24th, 1945. They were in the second wave of the attack and therefore crossed in Storm Boats. The landscape and setting of the approach to the river much resembles the picture with the burning Stuart/Honey tank. Maybe the latter also was taken on the west bank of the Rhine? The sequence of the 9th Cdn Inf Bde crossing on March 24th was: 0425 : Highland Light Infantry of Canada 1100 : Stormont Dundas Glengarry Highlanders 1345 : Bde HQ 1600 : North Nova Scotia Highlanders
Hi stolpi, our lines were crossing - I am just at this moment writing on the tanks of 8th Armoured brigade in my thread "Bank Control on Rhine March 1945"
I would suggest that this photo with the burning "Stuart/Honey" was taken on the 25th or 26th... Canadian trucks bringing up stores or whatever while other infantry marches forward into the bridgehead... my working hypothesis...
Hello Ramiles, I would like to point out the photos I am referring to were not taken by Warhurst. He was in the same bridgehead at the same time but the photos discussed here were taken by a soldier of 1st The Royal Dragoons. I am giving more detail in this thread: Bank control on Rhine March 1945 | WW2Talk
Agreed, apologies if it looked ambiguous, I was merely referring to the link I posted in that prior post to the pictures that Bill Warhurst did take. Best regards, Rm.