RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by stolpi, Nov 23, 2013.

  1. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Can't answer this - maybe the following helps:
    Staffs Yeo WD.png
    The plan very likely was to send them where help was needed... The brigades decided accoringly. My theory.
    Staffs Yeo map.png
     
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  2. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    That does help, thank you very much. I agree, the brigades were probably in control of where the tanks needed to go, but this assignment by brigade is really what I needed!
     
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  3. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Here`s part of the war diary of 8th Armoured Bde:
    8 Armd Bde WD.png
     
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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Perfect: 'C' Squadron was the one that was sent to cross at 02:00 but was delayed. 'C' Squadron was the one assigned to 154 Brigade, which had the job of taking Speldrop and Bienen. So, if everything had gone according to plan, the brigade would (I think) have had tank support and thus 1st Black Watch would have had tank support when they were attacked at 06:00.

    Which is not to say I blame Staffs Yeo, just that the difficulties in the crossing actually had a knock-on effect on the battlefield.
     
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  5. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    From the top of my head. The road to Klein Esserden (along the Mooshövel Farm) was not yet cleared of mines, which impeded an early engagement of the Staffs DD tanks (as well as the heavy infantry weapons). Once the tanks were able to assist the 1st Black Watch, Speldrop had already fallen to the German counterattack. The Staffs tanks came under AT-fire when attempting to pass the bund at Klein Esserden in the afternoon attack. Some tanks were lost.

    This is what the 1st Black Watch plan looked like (from the account written by Col J A Hopwood (CO 1st Black Watch)):
    Same account reports the axis to Klein Esserden cleared at 10:00:
    Initially 'C' Sqn (with one Tp of 'A' Sqn) were sent to support the 1st Black Watch. In the afternoon 'C' Sqn supported the 7th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in their advance to Bienen. 'A' Sqn, initially attached to 153 Bde, was directed to support the HLI of C in retaking Speldrop; the DD tanks of 'A' Sqn were of little use in the rubble filled streets of Rees.
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2022
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  6. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Ten DD-tanks of the Staffs Yeo were lost on the east bank due to enemy action on March 24th and 25th - this is based on:
    8th Armoured Brigade, Tank Casualties, 1945
    combined with my research.

    To this we may add one tank of the 4th/7th Dragoons which was knocked out at Bienen on March 25th.
     
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  7. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I decided to save these images to disk so had another look here. Isn't the map here a little out of sync with reality? It wasn't really possible for 154 Brigade or the Germans to bypass Bienen to the west, was it? I might be reading too much into that.

    But it also seems to accord a little bit with the divisional anti-tank regiment HQ having set up on the very left of the bridgehead.
     
  8. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Yes - it is a very rough sketch. What it is trying to show is this: 154 Bde had the job to open a path to the north - and that meant along the major road No. 8 leading to Emmerich and the Netherlands. And through Bienen. That's why Bienen was defended so stubbornly. West of Bienen there's just meadows and fields near the Rhine - no terrain for a mechanized army to advance on.
     
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  9. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Chris - The area to the west of Bienen is a dead-end, it is cut off by the Bienener Altrhein. There is no passage over the old river arm.
     
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  10. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Tank support certainly helps - but the Germans in that area had a good number of Jagdpanzer IV - SP guns.
    Question: Reading the reports regarding the fight for Bienen and Groin I get a feeling that the normal Shermans were a bit careful when confronted with these German AFVs - was there a certain reluctance to engage them directly?
     
  11. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Alberk - The Shermans definitely were at a disadvantage. The lurking German SPs had better guns, the attacks were mostly frontal, due to the restricted terrain and the ground was very open. These adverse effects could only be eliminated by the cover offered by darkness or smoke screens.
     
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  12. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Oh, I just realized how right you are. The SPs had the same long 75mm gun as the Panther.
     
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  13. alberk

    alberk Well-Known Member

    Chris - there is another reason why the map, or rather sketch, is not quite realistic:
    At Bienen, only one troop of DDs was involved in the fighting, later supported by a troop of 4th/7th Dragoons.
    At Groin, only one troop was committed.
    At Speldrop - one troop was sent there.
    Between Speldrop and Groin there was a large complex of tile works which were attacked by 152nd Bde on March 24th. Four DDs were lost there, which suggests that probably two troops were committed.
    DD-tanks were also sent to Rees but they were not of much use in the rubble of the city. Therefore, 153rd Bde decided to bring mountain guns into the city for fire support.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2022
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  14. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    These Shermans were committed in support of the morning attack of the 5th Queens Own Cameron Highlanders against the brickworks. This area, called Im Lohr or Mittelburg, sat on the main road to Isselburg and was defended by units of the 104. Pz Gren Regt, also supported by SPs. The losses clearly demonstrate how vulnerable the Shermans were when attacking over open, flat ground; in general it was the same terrain as at Speldrop and Bienen.

    For a description of this action see: RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2022
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  15. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hi guys,

    I see now that my first post when I was trying to figure out Lieutenant Anderson's Archer-related actions in the night of 25-26 April in Bienen was quite confused. As I mentioned, there is a reference to the Archers getting shot at by something as they headed into the village, but I realize now that that must be quite totally disconnected from the rest of the events. Having the NNSH war diary and seeing the map that alberk posted helped get this a bit more sorted out in my mind.

    Here's what I know/suspect:

    C Company NNSH made an attack into WING in the evening with armoured support, ran into Jagdpanzers, and both sides pulled back but not before one Sherman was lost.

    NNSH C Coy.jpg

    I think I have read a suggestion that the infantry knocked out one of the SPs.

    A Company's report says that the Archer action was in the C Coy area, and before HLI arrived. So I think this was still in WING - C Company didn't totally withdraw back to A Coy?

    NNSH A Coy.jpg

    We then have the citation report of Sgt Hudson.

    Hudson.jpg

    I think that together this indicates that the tanks which supported C Company were Staffordshire Yeomanry. Were they using troops of 4 tanks? I am guessing so, and suggest: We know they lost one tank in the firefight and we know the troop commander was killed, so I think we can assume it was his tank that was brewed up. Sgt Hudson's tank had engine trouble, leaving two. One of these two Shermans got brewed up by "Panthers" i.e. Jagdpanzer IV/L70s.

    It was at this point that Sgt Hudson went back for help and got the Archers to come up. Lieutenant Anderson's report talks about talking to a section of the North Novas who were pinned down by the German SP, and that an "English tank" - the one in Hudson's report - was still on fire. Phew!

    Does this make sense, and do we have any info on the exact location of the Staff Yeo tanks lost in Bienen? I looked in that 8th Armoured Brigade thread, but I didn't see anything to match.
     
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  16. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Hi Chris - attached the pertinent pages from the War Diary of 4/7 Dragoon Guards; to make things even more confusing?

    Unfortunately there are no separate Squadron reports attached to the War Diary.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 4, 2022
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  17. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    It is definitely hard to sort out, particularly when one looks at the 4/7 DG war diary there. It does make me look at the NNSH war diary again and make me question what I reconstructed, above.

    If you went by the 4/7 DG war diary the attack at 14:30 on 25 March was by 7A&SH with the 4/7DG in support (only, one might assume?). But we know that's wrong. The NNSH war diary makes it clear that both 4/7DG and Staffs Yeo were there. "In support 'C' Company had the troop of Shermans while 'D' Company had the DD tanks."

    But the NNSH war diary talks about Shermans being knocked out in the evening (not DD tanks, which the war diary distinguishes earlier). Plus this was in support of 'C' Company, so, attacking my own theory, that seems to make it seem that 4/7 DG tanks were involved in that exchange. So maybe that is not connected.

    The mention of relieving the Shrops Yeo in the Bienen area seems at odds with Sgt Hudson's citation. On the other hand, the 4/7 DG war diary entry about that... "The Regt relieved Staffs Yeo entirely of their responsibility with the 9 Cdn Bde, this involved "B" Sqn sending another troop to the Cdn HLI at Speldrop." I think this suggests that while they did write this, a troop of Staffs Yeo tanks could have stayed in Bienen until actually relieved by 4/7DG. And it seems like this additional 4/7 DG troop went with HLI who only arrived at 23:30.

    I'm even... looking at the timing of things based the NNSH war diary, again. Sorry, I'm running out of energy to type all this. According to the regimental entry, A Company was sent to clear the creamery at 22:00 I think. A Company's report says "two German SPs moved into 'C' Company's area at this time, of which one was knocked out by an SP 17-pounder." Do they mean in WING, which had been C Company's objective (unlikely) or behind them in CLAW?
     
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  18. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Fragment from "The First and the Last - The Story of the 4th/7th Dragoons, 1939 - 1945"

    Dragoons 1.jpg 20220704_190607.jpg
     
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  19. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    So, without Sgt Hudson's citation it all seems clear and 4/7th DG were supporting NNSH that night. We know that the date written on his citation is wrong (27 Mar) - maybe the time of day is, too. If you set aside "on the night" as well - the citation continues "Sgt HUDSON immediately took charge and supported the NORTH NOVA SCOTIA HIGHLANDERS into BIENEN." Maybe this took place earlier in the day, and bringing up the troop of SPs just led to them, well, holding the position as it says in the citation. I guess I'd better read everything again :)
     
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  20. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    On the subject of Archers again. (Incidentally, I feel a bit badly about nattering on about Archers in stolpi's thread. Should I appeal to have the more recent discussion split off?)

    I have a bad habit of gathering sources and not looking at all of them. One of them is the war diary of 94th Anti-Tank Battery RCA which gives us some more information. The thing was hand-written so I transcribed it (attached). The relevant bits are these. (I had trouble reading the map ref for Schottenhöf.)

    24 Mar 25 – Very fine and warm
    H and I Tps landed at approx 1800 hrs and moved into Bty conc at Schottenhöf (043534 or maybe 043834). The SDGs were passing through and the area was heavily shelled and mortared. I Tp moved up to join the NNSH at 2300 hrs at MOSHÖVEL (053532). H Tp remained deployed in the Bty conc area in liaison with SDG’s.

    25 Mar 45 – Very fine and warm
    At 0800 hrs H tp was ordered under command NSR.
    ...
    I Tp moved up toward Bienen with the NNSH. This battalion launched two attacks on the town meeting very heavy resistance. They had heavy casualties. The HLI’s were to come up from Speldrop and pass through Bienen after the NNSH’s had cleared it, but owing to the heavy resistance, had to assist SDG’s to take the town before pushing on.​

    It's at this point that there is a short description of the action involving Lieutenant Anderson which incidentally has some details not elsewhere:

    The NNSH “A” Coy had two platoons pinned down by an enemy SP so they called for I Tp. Lieut Anderson led the SP into posn at MR 058564 and were fired on by the enemy SP. Sgt Comeau placed the enemy’s posn roughly by observing his MG tracer and was about to open fire when two platoons of the NNSH moved into his line of fire. Shortly afterwards Sgt Comeau heard the SP moving and followed the sound. When the infantry moved from his line of fire he fired and felt sure he had k.o’d the enemy. There was nothing further heard from him that night and in the morning a recce proved that the enemy SP was k.o’d. I Tp thus became the first Canadian to take toll of enemy armour east of the Rhine.​

    I'm not sure I can make sense of that map reference - I think it's near the creamery but I just do not see how the two sides could have engaged each other from those positions.

    I want to comment on Sgt Hudson's citation but I think I will save it for a second post lest I do something and lose the whole thing.
     

    Attached Files:

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