Operation Varsity

Alex1975UK,

Thanks for that you wouldn't happen to have the pages which give the other C/N for 620 Squadron would you. The days seems to get more confusing the more you look at it !
TIA

Steve

 

Thanks, I wish all the information cleared it up, but its seems to have muddied the water !

Steve

 

If you message me with your email I can send it (bit easier than trying to compress it for this page)

 

The "Stirlings in Action ..." book says the following about 'H:'

"Just over an hour later, all but one of the Dunmow Stirlings were away according to plan. The last few departures had been delayed because of an accident involving 190 Squadron’s LJ997 ‘H’, captained by Fg Off Lewis. On its take-off run, LJ997’s port outer engine had misfired badly and the aircraft swung, causing the undercarriage to collapse. The pilots in the Horsa it was towing were able to cast off and land safely, and everyone on board the Stirling was unhurt, apart from the navigator, Fg Off Weldon, who sustained a small cut. Lewis and his crew boarded another spare aircraft, ‘P’, and this time went on to deliver their glider successfully. Stirling LJ997 was so badly damaged that it was formally ‘struck off charge’ five days later. It was found that the spark plugs in its faulty engine were very oily, probably because of the long time the aircraft had been taxiing (it was number fifty-five in the queue of sixty aircraft)."

The ORB, however, doesn't have the Lewis crew manning 'P' which left earlier in the first 24 190 Sqn aircraft. Just something noticed.

Regards ...

 

This one's a real head scratcher. It's not helped by the fact that not all lifts are recorded in the ORBs for both 190 and 620 Squadrons, but taking information from those two ORBs and other sources such as the wonderful book Stirlings in Action with the Airborne Forces and the IWM Sound Archive, by looking at what happened to the gliders I have come up with the attached table which I believe throws some light on the confusion.

Air Gunner Arthur Batten's IWM interview can be found at Batten, Arthur (Oral history) reel 19

Just to confuse matters further Batten's fellow crew member Flight Engineer Malcolm Mitchell gives a slightly different account in Stirlings in Action with the Airborne Forces page 249 where he says their combination headed back to base and the glider was cast off over Great Dunmow. Mitchell also refers to 'Q' being the replacement for 'W'. See also Cee's post above.

The attached seems logical to me but I'm happy to be corrected if someone has alternative ideas!

Jenny

 

This doesn't add much but info on two of the gliders with broken tow ropes:

CN 401
A5 Horsa II
Lt Brownlow-Wray, L/Bdr Phillipson, L/Bdr Oswald, Gnr Wilson
(53rd WY Airlanding Light Regiment, RA)
Landed near Leicester
Did it Crash - No
Nose unloading - OK
Eqpt - Jeep, Trlr, lt wt m/c
Was eqpt written off - No
Remark - Tow rope broken. No cas

CN 378
4th Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery (2nd Airlanding Anti-Tank Regiment, RA)
Possibly "4 Bty HQ 1 - no trace" ...?

Regards ...

 

On reflection Mitchell may be have been referring to the first attempt.

Following on from my previous post, here's the Flash Report for Great Dunmow. Among other things it confirms 'O' suffered two failed attempts, first with CN 401 and second with CN 187. Source AIR 37/327 No 38 GROUP (38 WING): Operation 'Varsity': glider raid reports | The National Archives

Jenny

 

Gentlemen,

I am trying to research my fathers involvement in Operation Varsity
RAF Sgt Sydney Rowley 1605757
From his logbook 24 March 1945 he was 2nd pilot to S/Sgt Jenkins from Earls Colne in a Horsa
Any help or direction would be very appreciated, my father spoke little about the war.

Mark

 

Hello,

Sorry I have no specific information on your Father or his co-pilot. If he left from Earls Colne he would have been with 'B' Squadron GPR. Their disposition as shown in "The Last Drop" book:



Squadron CO, Major Toler, landed on LZ 'P'. His report is downloadable from here:

B Sqn GPR Varsity.zip - Icedrive

Regards ...

 

Great information

Thank you very much.
I will keep looking to see if I can find which glider he was in

Mark

 

Hi Mark,

Can you post a scan of the logboook page for Op Varsity here? It may hold some clues.

Many thanks
Jenny

 

Hello Jenny,

Unfortunately, not much information in Dad's logbook, I guess detail wasn't allowed.
But here it is.
Thank you for your interest.
Mark

 

Hi,

It doesn't add much but from what I can gather 296 Squadron RAF towed the gliders of Serial B12 and 297 Squadron RAF towed Serial B19.

Also there was a Staff Sergeant Norman Jenkins (10556149) of 4 Flight, ‘B’ Squadron who had previously participated in Operation Tonga and OMG. Possibly the same Jenkins as partnered to Sgt. Rowley on Varsity.

Regards ...

 

Hi Mark,

Thanks very much for posting the logbook entry extract. At the end of each month there is usually a summary which might indicate the flight he was in. If we can confirm this it might help narrow down which glider he flew.

Also do you know the date he commenced his glider training? If you are able to confirm this I'll check if I have any info in my files.

Jenny

 

Thank you Jenny and Cee,

From my Dad's logbook:

Glider Training:
12 Course at 5 GTS Hereford
Start 16/11/44
End 26/11/44

21 HGCU Brize Norton
Start 01/12/44
End 18/12/44

B Sqdn 1 Wing Earls Colne
Start 19/03/45
End 24/03/45 OPERATION VARSITY

Hope this helps

Mark

 

Summary of March 45 at Earls Colne
Signed by a F/LT O.C. 'Y' FLT

 

Mark: Looks like the name could be F/Lt K.L. Anderson, “Officer Commanding” Y Flight.

In post # 35, you have 19/02/45 and 24/02/45. Should this be 19/03/45 and 24/03/45 for Operation Varsity?

 

Thank you,

I will look into F/Lt K.L. Anderson.
Yes, quite correct, should have been March, my apologies.
Mark

 

Very good. You may be able to edit the post. That was just a guess in the O.C., BTW.
My dad was operational on 24-March-1945 on an op to bomb the Benzol facility at Mathias Stinnes (Ruhr). No fighter cover was provided because there were so many allied aircraft in the skies because of Varsity/Plunder. The weather was clear, BTW.

Jim

 

Hi Mark,

I'm seeing it as KL Ashurst? I'll check my files and get back to you. I have found a document in which both your father and S/Sgt Jenkins are mentioned and will post that here when I get a moment, most likely tomorrow.

Jenny