Berlin at the end of the war

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by knickerbockerglory, Aug 10, 2017.

  1. knickerbockerglory

    knickerbockerglory Junior Member

    IMG_0457.JPG IMG_0458.JPG IMG_0454.JPG IMG_0457.JPG IMG_0458.JPG IMG_0457.JPG IMG_0458.JPG my Grandad was ' in Berlin at the end of the war' - that's all we were told by my Grandma ( he never spoke about it). I've been reading about the battle of Berlin but this seems to be the Russians - were British forces involved in this? I've hopefully attached a copy of his records for this time in the hope that someone can explain. We also have a couple of photos with 'Schoenberg' printed on the back - there are a number of places in Germany of that name. I don't know when these photos were taken. Also his records show the last entry as 15/3/46 - could he have been in Berlin till 1946?

    Any help, as always with this site, very very gratefully received

    Nicola
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2017
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    He may have taken part in the Victory Parade. As he was in 1 York & Lancs I'd look into what they were doing.
     
  3. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Nicola.

    1 Y&L were part of 15 Infantry Brigade who were part of 5 Infantry Dvision. They were known as The Globetrotters and not for nothing. Having fought in Madagascar, Sicily and Italy, they were moved to Belgium in Mar 45 and crossed the Rhine soon after.

    To have been in Berlin is quite likely.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  4. Bluebell Minor

    Bluebell Minor Junior Member

    Nicola

    Apologies for the delay in replying to your interesting question

    I am currently assisting my good friend, Historic Steve, construct a complete Order of Battle/Location Statement for the 21st Army Group from VE Day onwards. It is a challenging and complicated tasks which could take years to complete

    We do however have some information on the movements of 1st Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment (1 Y and L) in Germany.

    Firstly I can say the Battalion were definitely not involved in the final Victory Parade in Berlin in July 1945.

    My source is the G War Diaries for Headquarters 7 Armoured Division. These show that this Headquarters with elements of 131 Infantry Brigade under command and reinforced by the 8th and 11th Hussars (Armoured Corps Regiments) and 3 and 5 RHA (Gunner Regiments) were amongst the first British Troops to be garrisoned in Berlin and participated in the Parade. 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and a composite Battalion from the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division also participated in the Victory Parade.

    Regarding 1 Y and L, my sources are the G War Diaries for Headquarters 8 Corps for May 1945 (I have yet to investigate 5 Infantry Division in detail). The Division/Brigade/Battalion ended the war under command 8 Corps and were involved in the British thrust north across the River Elbe to the Baltic in early May 1945. The Division provided the first permanent British Garrison in the city of Lubeck and surrounding area. However their stay was brief and in mid June they moved East to the Wismar area in order to release 6 Airborne Division to return to the UK. They were then involved in a series of short moves with Soviet Forces ending up in the Brunswick area as part of a complicated series of moves as all four Allied Powers exchanged territory and ended up in the correct longterm Occupation Zones. According to my brief notes, Headquarters 15 Infantry Brigade was in the town of Schoenberg in the Wismar area for a short time, this may explain the photos.

    Finally Berlin, my source is the book, Berlin and its British Ally 1945-1990 written by Major General RJS Corbett, the last British Commander in Berlin. This includes as an Annex with an outline of the British Garrison over the years. This shows that 1 Y and L were stationed in Berlin from May to December 1947 after your Grandfather had left the Army and returned to civilian life. A possible explanation for his time in Berlin was that he could have gone there on short leave or on duty as a member of the Train Guard on the British Military Train which travelled overnight to and from Berlin.

    Hope this information is useful to your investigations and not too confusing.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2017
    Historic Steve and Owen like this.
  5. knickerbockerglory

    knickerbockerglory Junior Member

    Thanks so much to everyone for your comments. My question was quite vague and I wasn't expecting to get so much detail in return! Truly fascinating gives me lots to start looking at. Bluebell Minor good luck with your research, novices like me rely on people like you!
     

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