which british paratrooper units jumped with the u. s. 513 parachute infantry regiment on 24 march 1945. anyone still around ?
Hi, welcome to the forum. I have gleaned the following information from 17th Airborne Division During WW II - Overview: Finally, on the 24th March 1945, taking off from marshalling areas in France in nearly perfect weather, nearly 4000 aircraft from the British 6th Airborne Division and the 17th US Airborne Division dropped fighting men behind enemy lines, into Westphalia in the vicinity of Weselon which was east of the Rhine River. Their mission was to capture key points and so assist the advance of the ground troops. Having learned the lessons from the Arnhem battle, the gliders and paratroops landed close to their targets and achieved total success. Operation Varsity was the first airborne invasion over the Rhine into Germany itself. On the 25th, the Division had secured bridges over the Issel River and had entrenched itself firmly along the Issel Canal. Moving eastward, it captured Haltern, 29 March, and Munster, 2 April. The 17th entered the battle of the Ruhr Pocket, relieving the 79th Infantry Division. It crossed the Rhine-Herne Canal, 6 April, and set up a secure bridgehead for the attack on Essen. The "Pittsburgh of the Ruhr" fell, 10 April, and the industrial cities of Mulheim and Duisburg were cleared in the continuing attack. If you look at The Rhine Crossing, it gives you the order of Battle of the 6th Airborne at the time of the jump. Looking at The Rhine Crossing will give you more information on Operation Varsity. More details on your brother and his unit would help to refine the information further. Mark
