The Rhine Crossing - Newsreel - 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

With the 70th Anniversary of the Rhine Crossing fast upon us I thought this segment from Canadian Army Newsreel No. 67 might be of interest. Many of the scenes are related to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion's drop on Operation Varsity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1F_ldn79NE

Regards ...

 

Also Part 6 from the excellent documentary Victory from Above that covers the Canadian Parachute Battalion's Rhine Drop and the beginning of the drive into Germany.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0CBBuT-uiQ

 

Cee,
A thank you from across the pond.

 

good day cee,sm.yesterday.03:41pm.#1&2.re:the rhine crossing-newsreel-1st canadian parachute battalion.thank you for great links.regards bernard85.

 

Thank you Cee
A great find!
Although some of the footage is a bit random
There's a picture of my dad in the Normandy section
and he was neither 1Can or was he there.

 

Rob,

Well that's interesting. Can you point him out by part number and minute mark? Be prepared, however, to be disappointed or worse never really knowing for sure.

Regards ...

 

Yes,
the picture is in part 3 5.57 in
This picture is in the book "Go to It!"
My dad is kneeling on the back of the Jeep
The men are all Canucks , some could be 1Can para.
But I think it's a Varsity pic.

 

Rob,

I was thinking of another photo completely. I take it was you who submitted the photo to ParaData. It also shows up in a Maple Leaf Up thread. One of those men definitely has the Canadian Para wings on his left breast with the others hard to make out.



http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12225

I don't have the Go To It book so I'm not sure of the time period, if it's given there. There are also several other 2 FOU photos which claim to be shot in Germany at LAC. I don't see your Father, Granger, among them.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/results/images?form=images_simple&lang=eng&startRecord=1&sortBy=score+desc&digitalContentInd=1&query=forward+observation&mediaType=

A great photo to have of your Father!

Later ...

 

Rob,

Here's the source for the photo, which you may well be aware of. It was taken by Charles H. Richer on May 20th, 1945. Unfortunately they don't show a digital sample. The date seems off to me, unless the FOU men stayed behind a little later in Wismar?

http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3524466&rec_nbr_list=3524466,3524463,3224276,3224275,3224270,3225427,3630175,3592077,3592052,3589288

Later: According to the HQ RA war diary 2 FOU left Wismar on May 17th and were in Goch travelling to Louvain on May 20th. So either the date or location is wrong for all the photos taken by Charles Richer of 2 FOU (Wismar, May 20th) which would also include the 3 large group shots of all the Officers and ORs.

Regards ...

 

At the Marks Hall estate close to Earls Colne airfield here in North Essex the annual commemoration service was held this morning. There were notably fewer veterans this year in attendance. Johnny Peters and Jack Bruce, two that we knew well, sadly passed away last year.

Anyhow, it was a bit of cock up. The Fly Over by two Apache's occurred half way through the service and at one point the band started playing 'Jerusalem' when we were all ready to start singing 'I Vow To Thee My Country,' which was written in the Order of Service. We all sang the latter hymn eventually, but without the band playing as they didn't seem to know it.

I think someone probably got an ear bashing later today!

Some images from today:

 

Stan,

That's wonderful, thank you for your report and photos from Marks Hall Estate on the 70th Anniversay of the Rhine Crossings ...

Regards ...

 

I better not let the 70th Anniversary slip by without playing "We Cross the Rhine" ... :wink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2UgSQ6u1oU

 

Thanks for sharing your day Stan.

 

I cant explain the dates Cee,unless its a typo.
My favorite picture of my dad:



I think this must be the same photographer.
They look very smug with their (liberated in the cause of freedom,ahem!) Lugers
I have heard tales of kitbags full of Lugers going back to England where the GI`s would pay handsomely for them
I think it was taken close to the end of the war.
Note the curtains hanging from the window in the house,which apparently was a sign to troops that the owners had capitulated,so it had to be close to Wismar.
Also the very back of a jeep trailer loaded with radio gear.

 

Just for the record.
I believe the soldier in the picture shaking hands with the Russian is Wallace Mackenzie 3210996
and i think Wally may be in the group picture( far right) 3302130:

 

Rob,

Great picture of you Dad and pal hamming it up. He looks a bit like a gangster there - ha! I agree it does appear to be Wallace Mackenzie in both photos.

Regards ...

 

Thanks for putting the vintage footage on the thread.

I always think this photo from the front page of Picture Post 24.3.45 is interesting and thought provoking.

 

Stan,

If the war turned out differently it could have been a British boy with raised hands being passed by a column of German soldiers. It's depressing though how young people are inevitably caught up in conflicts.

Regards ...

 

Thanks for posting first time I seen these.

 

Local press report from Earls Colne