80 years on.

Just another minor battle in another war (regarding previous postings).

21st September 1944 the enemy were in strength opposite the 2nd North Staffs at Marradi in the Lamone Valley.

The leading Artillery, the 67th Field Regt were supporting 2 North Staffs at Biforco.
Here they were under constant observation by the enemy but could not move as there was no other suitable ground. The weather was atrocious, cold, wet and the river flooded. Gun pits filled with water and the ground under some of 446 Battery’s pits fell into the river. It was impossible for vehicles to leave the road and every round had to be manhandled to the guns. Worse was the incessant mortar and Artillery fire.
Every Battery had casualties daily but they were supporting both 1st Division and the 8th Indian Division infantry.
The enemy were firing six guns into 265 Bty area onto both troops without let up for four hours.
Four of their seven guns in use at the time were damaged. “A” Troop Command Post suffered a direct hit.
Most of the limbers caught fire and ammunition began to explode, eventually the Battery had to retire to nearby railway tunnels.
BSM Andrews, Sgt Oakley, Sgt Howes and Sgt Packer were all seriously wounded, plus others with minor injuries.
446 received all the rounds that went over 265 but 266 were able to keep firing.
265 moved out under cover of darkness returning to A Echelon for food, rest and repairs.
Marradi fell to the 2nd North Staffs on 24th September but further progress was hampered by the weather and a new enemy Division rushed to the area to stop the Allies advance.
On the 28th the Gordons took Mt Gamberaldi, to the east the Loyals Mt Grizzano.
The rain swamped every gun pit to knee depth and every battery had casualties daily.



Advancing through Marradi (Averill Family Collection)


Mt Gamberaldi under fire (Mennell Family Collection)



View attachment 392436
Signpost Marradi (Hartridge Family Collection)


Sketch from "A History" by PM

Railway Tunnel before Biforco 2019 (Hartridge Family Collection)

 

somehow my new Laptop jumped to the 21.September

The US air force bombed Manila, and
German troops left the Pelapones in Greece.

Stefan

 

RAF article about 700 paratroopers from various countries who did a parachute drop on 21st September 2024 to commemorate 80 years since the Battle of Arnhem, aka Operation Market Garden.

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/article...-a400m-marks-80-years-since-battle-of-arnhem/

 

A 99 year old veteran of the Battle of Arnhem travelled to Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery to lay a wreath.

99-year-old WWII Operation Market Garden veteran lays wreath at 80th anniversary Arnhem commemoration

 

Meanwhile in Llandudno:
D-Day: Knitted life-size tank goes on show in Llandudno

The knitted tank is on show at Victoria shopping centre from Saturday until 2 November, and the Longest Yarn between 2-28 October.

 

103 Squadron Lancaster ND861 PM-H took off from Elsham Wolds at 1424 on the 4th January 1945 on a training flight. Shortly afterwards, it crashed during blizzard conditions into the River Humber near Hull; all six aboard were fatalities and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
P/O C J Weight
P/O G E Widdicombe
F/O M D Pickersgill
Sgt H G Backway
Sgt C F Hillier
Sgt C Lloyd

They were remembered yesterday:
Hull: Ceremony in memory of lost WW2 Lancaster bomber crew

Additional detail is at:
4th Jan 1945 – 103 Sqn RAF Elsham Wolds - Avro Lancaster III - ND861 – P/O C J Weight RAFVR and crew - Training

 

To absent friends.

 

Bit more than 80, but it rings through the centuries.

“From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”
― William Shakespeare, Henry V

BTW,
Timothée Chalamet
(Paul Atredies in "Dune")
has a movie called "The King" which concerns Henry V's victory there.

 

A Day late with this, a ceremony took place at the Up + Coming New Museum to be, at Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire yesterday.



384th Bomb Group History

 

Just say "nyet".

 

Liberation of Bergen Belsen

Bergen Belsen: Eighty years on, survivors and families remember camp's horrors

 

The war in Italy ended 80 years ago today, when German Army Group C surrendered to the Allies.

 

On this day (3 May 45) 80 years ago at HQ 7th Armoured Division in Steinbeck north-west of Buchholz in der Nordheide, south of Hamburg:



https://britisharmyingermany.com (under construction)

 

The sinking of the Cap Arcona, Neustadt, 3 May 1945

'Our [H Company, 8th Rifle Brigade] route took us up the Baltic Coast and just before we got to Neustadt we saw our Typhoons sweeping down on two ships* which were lying at anchor in the bay below us. The rockets hit the ships and it wasn’t long before one of them was well ablaze and sinking… We hadn’t been there long before we found out that the ships had been full of political prisoners, and that most of them had been killed. But those who hadn’t died… were all in a very bad way and our job was then to try and give them something to eat. 15 platoon had a very busy time organizing the political prisoners and beating up their S.S. guards...'

*): one of these ships was the Cap Arcona, on which some 5,000 got killed. About 2,000 more got killed on the other vessel.

 

Master of the Battlefield!

 

These two recordings by officers of 5th Recce both include their eye witness accounts of the aftermath of the sinking, what they witnessed. Nasty stuff.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80008183

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80008025

It’s also discussed in this thread: