12th Battalion Devonshire Regiment

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by lineman, Feb 13, 2011.

  1. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    I know this thread is 12th Bn Devonshire but I have been working on some info regarding those units that reached Wismar on 2nd May 1945, and I understand that 3 Para arrived there (Advance to the Baltic | ParaData) as did the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (1st (Canadian) Parachute Battalion | ParaData)

    The battalion then advanced to the Baltic with the rest of 6 Airborne Division ending the war at Wismar on 2 May 1945.

    I believe their route would have taken some of them via Hohen Viecheln, so there may be details in their respective War Diaries as well

    TD
     
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  3. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    7 Para were in Kletzin and Moidentin. That’s pretty close to that village. As far as I know, they were officially the furthest East at the time.

    Alex
     
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  4. princesspeach

    princesspeach Member

    Thanks for your fast reply. It’s definitely not Wöbbelin they both wrote about. Wöbbelin is about 70km away from there and this camp is totally known.

    Mr Salt wrote the correct villages name “Dorf Mecklenburg” and his information “5 miles away from village Hohen Viecheln” is also correct with regard of the location of Dorf Mecklenburg to Hohen Viecheln.

    But absolutely no one ever heard about a concentration camp in Dorf Mecklenburg and our archeologists told me that it could be possible that it was forgotten because there was something that should be kept secret or maybe some accident with bombs or something happend in these last days.

    This is why I hope to find anything else that could help us to locate the camp.

    We don’t really belive that Mr salt had to much Phantasie and wrote things in his diary that were not real
     
  5. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Hi.
    You’re right, absolutely no reason to doubt him. I do have a book written by a 12 Devons man, I’ll check it tomorrow and see if they mention the camp.
    I have been to your area, following my grandads footsteps across Germany and ending up in Kletzin.
    I stayed in Wismar on my trip, what a beautiful place. I’ll update tomorrow, hopefully with some info.
    Alex.
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Liberation Route in northern Germany | Rough Guides

    Wöbbelin Concentration Camp
    On 2 May, units of the 82nd US Airborne Division and 8th Infantry reached the region. The guards left the camp around noon; in the early afternoon American soldiers stumbled upon Wöbbelin, which was not marked on any maps.

    TD

    For general interest in that area an Operation Eclipse -
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2021
  7. David Woods

    David Woods Active Member

    Malchow concentration camp

    Malchow was one of the numerous sub-camps of Nazi concentration camp: Ravensbrück, located in Germany, which is believed to have first opened in the winter of 1943. It was located at Malchow in Mecklenburg.

    Malchow as a transit camp

    During 1944, when most of the death marches were taking place across Europe, Malchow served as a transit camp for other prisoners arriving from other concentration camps. Eyewitness reports of many Malchow survivors say that a transport of about 1,000 concentration camp prisoners arrived at the camp on 24 November 1944. They had traveled on a death march for several weeks. There, at Malchow, they were brought to Wismar, and placed on barges that were sunk in the Baltic Sea or a nearby river.

    Liberation of Malchow

    On 2 May 1945, Malchow, and the rest of Ravensbrück was liberated by the Red Army.
     
  8. princesspeach

    princesspeach Member

    thanks so much. I’m looking forward to hear from you.

    Yes it’s really nice here around Wismar :)

    I never heard before that soldiers ended up in Kletzin (and to be honest I never thought about because there’s nothing but really few houses and a very bad street :) ) but I never stop learning about happenings around our villages and so it’s always exciting to find information:)
     
  9. princesspeach

    princesspeach Member

    thanks for your answer :)

    But it was not meant Malchow (Malchow is well known in German history and also some sub camps of Malchow)

    Mr Salt really described exactly that he meant the village “Dorf Mecklenburg “ which should belong to camp Malchow and Ravensbrück (it’s a little bit tricky with this camps. Ravensbrück was the main camp which had a lot of sub camps as Malchow. And most of the sub camps had also sub camps. And such a sub - sub camp is what Mr Salt described in Dorf Mecklenburg)
     
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  10. princesspeach

    princesspeach Member

    Thanks for the names of the other battalions! I clicked through every single name of both battalions on pegasusarchive.com but unfortunately no one has a detailed document especially about the last days as Mr Salt had.

    Could there be any other homepages with detailed diaries?
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    From looking into the units that 'liberated' Denmark (and hence in the proximity of the region you discuss) then there is still quite a long way to go in identifying those units who were actually there. My assumption is that they would be part of the 2nd British Army, but not sure which Corps even.

    I have no definite answers but only threw the information I have found onto to thread to maybe provide possibilities - I would guess that perhaps the answers lie in a units War Diary somewhere, but during that fast moving and chaotic few days in Northern Germany, Southern Denmark, but which one?

    TD
     
  12. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Whilst researching Officers from the DLI i have come across the following Officer who was Killed in action on the 24th March 1945 during Operation Varsity whilst attached to the 12th Bn Devonshire Regiment .

    Lt David Kenneth Johnston 172376 , Aged 24 , he is buried in the Reichswald but the previous location of his grave is shown as Hamminkeln . After enlistment and Commissioning at some point he was Adj of the 70th Bn DLI ( Young Soldiers Bn ) and was in the Middle east with one of the DLI Bn's but how he ended up with the 12th Devons is a mystery .

    If anyone has any information on this Officer and his service with the 12th Devons it would be much appreciated ,

    Regards

    Paul
     
  13. David Woods

    David Woods Active Member

    Lt. David Kenneth Johnston (172376).
    He is wounded on 08.11.1943 in North Africa.
    How seriously?
    Was he evacuated to the U.K?
    Whatever happened, he volunteered for Airborne Forces.
    The 12th Devons needed officers.
    That is the answer to your question.
    He is T.O.S.12th Devons 01.10.1944.
    Platoon commander 07.10.1944.
    He serves with the 12th Devons in the Ardennes and Holland.
    He sadly dies on Varsity.
    Wish I knew more, hope this helps!
     

    Attached Files:

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  14. PaulE

    PaulE Senior Member

    Excellent David that helps a lot , many thanks .
     
  15. mikebluebird

    mikebluebird New Member

     
  16. Gaynor

    Gaynor New Member

    Hello

    Please excuse I am new to this. I am trying to find out more about my Great Uncle George Albert Jones 14579828 who was killed in action, he was in the 12th Airborne Devonshires. I know that he landed at Sword Beach.
     
  17. David Woods

    David Woods Active Member

    Hello Gaynor.

    12th Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment
    'C' Coy.
    14579828 Pte. George Albert Jones W.I.A. 26.06.1944
    14579828 Pte. George Albert Jones D.O.W. 28.06.1944

    6th June,1944. (D-Day)

    (a) Main Seaborne element.

    L.C.I.s. sailed from the Thames estuary at about 0600 hrs in convoy with twelve cargo Liberty ships, escorted by two H.M. destroyers and two H.M. sloops.

    All convoys kept close inshore until off Portsmouth which was reached after dark.

    Except for shelling while passing through the straights of Dover, no enemy interference was encountered.

    About 2015 hrs main Glider force was seen passing overhead across the channel on its way to L.Zs in France.

    14579828 Pte. George Albert Jones was aboard L.C.I. (L) 3115 under command Major John Hawthornthwaite, O.C. 'C' Coy.

    7th June,1944.

    (a) Seaborne elements.

    L.C.I.s. beached at Queen Beach as planned, at 1000 hrs at Lion-Sur-Mer 0781. The landing was made in about 4½ ft of water in a moderate swell.

    Troops waded ashore assisted by ropes, but difficulty was experienced in getting handcarts and M/C's ashore.

    Except for sporadic shelling of the beaches and occasional a/c raids, no enemy interference was experienced while disembarking.

    At 1700 hrs, the Battalion moved into the area of Le Bas De Ranville to relieve 12th Parachute Battalion.

    Night 25th/26th June,1944.

    A raid (Lt. E. C. Strawbridge and 6 O.Rs) was planned in place of the one cancelled the previous night.

    The raid was to be a silent one to capture a prisoner, with artillery and Mortar support for covering the withdrawal.

    The patrol moved out from 'C' Coy position to 'B' Coy O.P.143738 from which they crawled through the long grass in the field to the North of the hedge. This all took about two hours.

    At 0300 hrs, after having confirmed the location of the post by hearing a sentry cough, the assault took place.

    Three O.Rs (Ptes. Jones, Wyatt and Hillier) covered the operation from a few yards away.

    Lt. E. C. Strawbridge and Sgt. Trebell each moved to respective flanks of the hedgerow and covered the dash forward by L/Cpl. Oliver and Pte. Oliver who had been detailed to secure a prisoner.

    The enemy reacted immediately with small arms fire (tracer) from rifles, M.G.s., and grenades.

    Sgt. Trebell accounted for three enemy, but when the time came to withdraw L/Cpl. Oliver and Pte. Oliver had not been able to secure a German.

    All enemy small arms fire appeared to be going high.

    The patrol withdrew to the O.P. which was being mortared by the enemy, but on the way L/Cpl. Oliver was hit by a grenade and his leg broken. He was evacuated to R.A.P. by the patrol.

    Believe 14579828 Pte. George Albert Jones was W.I.A. during this action and D.O.W. 2 days later.

    It seems likely that 14579828 Pte. George Albert Jones was evacuated to a British or Canadian hospital in Douvres-la-Délivrande.

    Which would explain why he was buried there and not at Ranville.

    Hope you find this information has been helpful.
     

    Attached Files:

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  18. Gaynor

    Gaynor New Member

    Hello David

    Thank you so much for the swift reply. Does this mean that he was part of the action at Pegasus Bridge? Please excuse my ignorance? Also do you know where I can find a picture of him if possible.
     
  19. Fallinghunter

    Fallinghunter Member

    I've been doing quite a bit of work on RAF Rivenhall research lately and studying this footage. The CN on the glider is actually 148. Is there evidence as to how we think this is A Company?
     
  20. David Woods

    David Woods Active Member

    To the best of my knowledge, glider Chalk No.148 belonged to 'C' Coy, 12th Devons.

    6 gliders of 'A' Squadron, Chalk No's 147-152, took off from Rivenhall, carrying 'C' Coy, 12th Devons, landing on L.Z 'P' at 10.33.

    Their task to clear the Divisional HQ L.Z and concentration area. To also cover the forming up of Divisional HQ.

    Two references.

    A report by Lt. Col. P. Gleadell, 12th Devons.

    War Diary No.1 Wing, The Glider Pilot Regiment
    Appx. E to 1 GLIDER PILOT REGT. OO NUMBER 6.
     
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