OPERATION AMHERST: French SAS in Holland, April 1945

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by stolpi, Dec 2, 2018.

  1. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

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  2. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Is there anyone who could provide me with a copy of the chapter 10 "From Varsity to Victory" from this book:

    Stirling.jpg
     
  3. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Finally got hold of the Ops Logs of Main SAS HQ, which contain the transcriptions of W/T messages transmitted by the French SAS units during the operation. Over the past weeks I've inserted some of these messages into this thread.

    With courtesy to Horsapassenger, who kindly provided the files.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
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  4. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Thanks Stolpi for laying a superb account of a little known operation which I was unaware of until I followed the article.

    I had a good understanding of the 1944 French 4th SAS operations in Brittany where the battalion was known as the Battalion of Heaven but did not realise that they were involved in Holland.

    However my interest and reference back to your article was the ATB Publication No 185 French SAS in Holland which has just been released and is a somewhat a mirror account of the thread.

    One thing I was surprised to learn is the loyalty to the Third Reich that the Dutch collaborators continued to have in these closing stages of the war.....NSB and NSB landwachters to the end or did they still think that the outcome was still favourable for the Third Reich.

    A French SAS survivor from Operation "Amherst" returns.

    Marc Loi. 97 year old veteran of the 3eme Regiment Chasseurs Parachutistes (3rd SAS),at the annual commemoration of Operation "Amherst" in North East Holland in April 2018.Here he stands at the SAS Memorial in the village of Zuidlaren (Andre Jans)

    French SAS in Holland 1945 001.jpg
     
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  5. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    French SAS in Holland April 1945.Santing Farm 001.jpg 8 April 1945.....A revisit to the Santing farm incident and the death of Dutch resistant Kees de Roos and 3eme RCP (3rd SAS) soldier Yves Loichot,twin brother of Raoul Loichot who attacked the farm and the NSB landwachter family after the death of his brother.
     
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  6. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Thank you for posting this Harry, very much appreciated.

    Kind regards,

    Jim.
     
  7. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Harry - Thank you for pointing out. I was unaware of the (pending) publication by ATB, though some of the people who contributed to the ATB article also assisted me, hopefully I do not have to revise my account much. I would be much obliged if you could send me copies of the pages of the magazine.

    Most of these people knew that the war was lost and were desperate; they had bet on the wrong horse, but also had nothing to loose.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2019
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  8. ecalpald

    ecalpald Chick LaPlace

     
  9. ecalpald

    ecalpald Chick LaPlace

    The ambulance that is shown in the background of the para & Cdn officer was likely from the 11 Cdn Field Ambulance. On 13 April, they had a CCP set up at MR 223986 (Vries). On 16 April, the 11 Cdn Fd Amb sent Major Bucove and a section to supervise the running of a hospital in Zuidlaren. (Source: LAC, War Diary of the 11 Cdn Fd Amb, RCAMC, RG24, Vol 15871)
     
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  10. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
  11. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    More good news (for the Dutchophones at least): another new book on Operation Amherst (in Dutch) written by Gert-Jan Westhoff, entitled "De laatste sprong" (The last Jump).

    The focus of the book is on the actions in the southern area of Amherst (Operation Zone A) and goes into detail about the actions of the sticks Bouffartigue, Baratin, Lagallarde and Sriber who landed near Staphorst, Balkbrug and Dedemsvaart. The attack on the bridge at Lichtmis on the main road to Zwolle is also described. Well illustrated and many maps.

    De laatste sprong voorzijde.jpg

    The book is in Dutch and available at: Home

    P.S. Westhof very decently mentions WW2Talk as his source .... another book that quotes the WW2Talk site ;)
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 18, 2020
  12. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Based on the information from the above book of G.J. Westhof, "De laatste sprong" (The last jump), I adjusted and added to the contents of post # 11 of this thread and added a couple of new pictures as well (See: Operation Amherst: French SAS in Holland, April 1945).
     
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  13. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    ....
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2022
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  14. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Jun 22, 2020
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  15. Mischa

    Mischa New Member

    Thanks alot for this information. I'm just new here and living in Assen. Very good job and very interesting. I'm trying to get some more information about the locations from the Picard Stick. I know the forests good but they are to big to get a exact location. Very curious where you found the war diarys from the french.
     
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  16. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Aug 1, 2021
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  17. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    In April 2021 another memorial was placed in Drenthe at the Mulder Farm (Oranjekanaal NZ 40 farm in Zuidveld). It commemorates Lieutenant Georges Taylor, who fought and died at the Mulder Farm along the Oranjekanaal on April 8th, 1945.

    Taylor.jpg

    For further details see: Operation Amherst: French SAS in Holland, April 1945
     
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  18. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Les fantassins du ciel (reportage sur les SAS Français - 1945)



    Note the heavy kit-bags in the closing scene.

    SAS : origine et combats



     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2021
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  19. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything


    Excellent Stolpi!

    Great to see at around the 10:20 mark a Patchett being issued (even if it was just for the camera on that day!)

    It sits well with your post here; What have you learned about WW2 recently?

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.

    Patchett Francais.jpg
     
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  20. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Le bataillon du ciel - époque 2 - Terre de France



    Another spectacular sight is the parachutage of Jeeps at 14:22

    Jeeps parachutes.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2021
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