Info request: first names of SAS men active in Holland

Hi Tom,

Did not know about the SAS plan and Hacket! Very interesting..

But I'm very interested in files related to Keystone and Amherst. Let me know what you can find!

 

Gentlemen,

This page starts with the name of a P.E. van Beek on a list of SAS personnel that took part in Operation Keystone. On the nominal roll however of this operation his name is J. van Beek. In a newspaperclipping his name is W.F. van Beek. What is the correct name of the Dutch SAS-man who took part in Operation Keystone?
The nominal also names a A. Kuypere. On this page his name is suddenly sergeant H.A.C. Kuipers. Who knows what the correct names are and how to verify?

 

TomTas could you please contact me?

 

Operation Keystone was mentioned at the Veluwe-Holland. Four Stirling bombers of 190 Squadron,loaded with Jeeps,arrived near the DZ at Vosselt near Apeldoorn. There were no signs of the '' reception party '', so the bombers return back to base.
On the night of 12/13 April 1945, 17 SAS were dropped at the Appelsche Heath between Putten and Voorthuizen.
One stick at DZ - Bertus ( 9 men - Capt.R.J.Holland ) and the other stick East of the Nieuwe Voorthuizerweg ( 8 men - Capt. U.J. Wardley )The commander of the Dutch Resistance, Rein Hogeboom took care of both sticks. They were bought to a sheep-shet, one mile from the DZ.

Jaap Vermeer

 

Jaap
Some apparent confusion over dates and locations. An advance party (Captain Stuart, Lt De Stoppelaar and Pte Herring-Sweet) dropped on the night of 3/4 April to reconnoitre the area and select suitable DZs. On the night of 11/12 April the bombers loaded with the jeeps, under command Capture Smith, arrived over DZ Fox but could not drop because there was a firefight taking place with some Germans who had arrived on the scene. These aircraft returned to base and the plan to drop jeeps from aircraft was subsequently abandoned and Major Druce drove up from near Arnhem with his section of 10 jeeps. Captain Holland's report states that on the night of 11/12 April when his party arrived over DZ Napier there was some hesitation as white lights were displayed on the DZ (at 518038) whereas the pilot had been briefed to expect the normal SF series of coloured lights. After discussion Capt Holland and his stick jumped at 00:15 hours and were taken to a sheep barn at 519040.

 

NAME: Frank L Herring-sweet
SPOUSE: Catherine Willmott
MARRIAGE: Sep 1958 - Bromley, Kent

NAME: Frank Louis Herring-sweet
BIRTH: 28 Sep 1920
DEATH: Aug 1994 - Kensington and Chelsea, London

Royal Hospital Chelsea
Book of Remembrance
Frank Louis Herring-Sweet
DOB DOE DOD Regiment / Corps
28/09/1920 09/03/1981 17/08/1994 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards)
Book of Remembrance

 

Horsa, in the Putten files I found this : In the night of 11 / 12 April 1945 there was a dropping at DZ Napier in the Putten vicinity.
The Keystone Ops took place 2/3 April 1945 at the DZ- ''36 Bunder '' called Vosselt Heath.
DZ Napier is 5 miles from were I live. In 2007, 15 Para-Commandos jump at the same DZ as in 1945 as an remembrance of the SAS who jumps there in WWII.

De Stad Nijkerk - 2-5-2007 - Page 21
De Stad Nijkerk - 9-5-2007 - Page 29

On June 2nd 2018 there will be another Crashsite Remembrance Tour to the DZ in the Nijkerk-Putten-Voorthuizen area with
Military vehicles. There will be also an Para dropping by 20 Para-Commandos at DZ-Napier.
The Dutch Army and Dutch Airforce will be there to.

To honor these brave men,so we can live in Freedom.

Jaap Vermeer ( Member of the Dutch Empire )

 

Jaap
I'm afraid that, once agin, there appears to be some discrepancy between the official SAS report and what you have posted. You state that the advance party landed on 2/3 April at Vosselt Heath yet the SAS Report states that they landed on DZ Rolls Royce (516023). According to the larger scale map included with the report this location is just North of the village of 't Woud which is about 20 kilometres West of Vosselt. The nearest major village to DZ Rolls Royce is Voorthuizen, the attached maps show the difference between the two locations

 

It would appear that the DZ at Vosselt was DZ Fox, the intended DZ for the jeeps on the night of 11/12 April. The jeeps could not be dropped because there was a firefight taking place on that DZ. As a result of this fight there were two Dutch Resistance casualties, one of them a German fighting with the resistance. His grave appears to be unique in the Netherlands as all other German graves were transferred to Ysselsteyn at the end of the war.

 

You right about DZ FOX ( Vosselt ) also called DZ 36 Bunder. You right about the whole story,only the data is different.
Ops Keystone / Whimper you mentioned , 12 April 1944 with the Stirlings of 190 Squadron. Stirling aircraft with F/Lt. Bogarty,F/O.Atkinson,
S/Ldr. Fisher and W/O.Dickson. There was no reception party,so all aircraft return to base. Probably your right so I shall look for more information.
And thanks for your information about Ernst Camlott. I don't find eny sources about DZ Rolls Royce.This name appears in some books, but I found no other information about this. At the Appelsche Heath you had DZ Bertus 1 and on the other side of the road
Veldhoefweg was PODEX III. I received from a farmer,now living on DZ Napier, 8 dropping containers.

Search will continue,thank you for your search,

Jaap

 

Boekbespreking : Operatie 'Keystone' - Onafhankelijke Defensiebond

 

Jaap

The best source of information about the SAS operations is in their war diaries from whence most of my information has been obtained. These reports are contemporaneous so I have no doubts as to their accuracy. It is also very interesting to cross refer these reports with the very detailed SAS message logs, which often adds yet further information.

 

Are you living in Holland or in England,because your knowledge seams a Dutchmen

 

I live In England but am a regular visitor to Holland with many Dutch friends (mainly authors) for whom I undertake research. This often takes me into areas, in great depth, that I would not otherwise spend a lot of time looking at.

 

There's a Robin Stuart in the index of this book, but rank is Major, not Captain.
British Special Forces

 

So you probasbly know Arie-Jan van Hees,Frans Ammerlaan and Huub van Sabben,all SD Experts.

 

I certainly know Arie-Jan but primarily for his excellent work on the Aircraft and Gliders to Arnhem and he continues to provide much valuable assistance on this subject. Last time I was in contact he told me that he is now heavily involved in providing tours and researching the American casualties at Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. I know of Frans Ammerlaan and Huub van Sabben by name but they are not amongst my contacts who are mostly Arnhem based.

 

Hi Tom, slightly off topic but do you by any chance have anything relating to Operation Apostle in Norway 1945? Kind regards, Tim