Operation "Varsity"

[Gregory]

I found interesting quasi-video/photo presentation related to the US glider pilot service and his participation in Operation "Varsity". Video description is the following:

 

In special recognition to Lt. Roland B. Minot of the 74th TCS, 434th TCG, Ninth Air Force, and to all Glider Pilots of World War II. This presentation (the pictures displayed in sequential order) begins with Lt. Minot's early glider training at Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. As a former glider instructor at South Plains Army Air Field in Lubbock, Texas, Minot received his combat training at Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base in North Carolina. In December of 1944, Minot was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in England with the 434th TCG stationed out of Aldermaston RAF Base. In March of 1945, many of the 434th troop carrier glider pilots were transferred to A-48, France (an airfield south of Paris), to fly glider infantry troopers of the 17th Airborne Division into Germany during Operation Varsity, the last and greatest glider and paratrooper airborne operation in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Attached to the 435th TCG, Minot's combat trained unit (the 435th Combat Team) earned the distinction as the only company of Air Corps pilot officers to hold part of the 17th Airborne Division's defensive roadblock position against German forces. Glider Pilot Lt. Roland Minot armed with an M-1 rifle and bazooka participated in the action near the crossroads at, "The Battle Of Burp Gun Corner." It was at this location that elements of the 435th Combat Team (reinforced with an airborne manned 75mm howitzer flown in by CG-4A glider) decisively repulsed a company of well-armed German troops who were attempting a breakout from the ancient German town of Wesel. This is Roland B. Minot's World War II story as shot through the lens of his camera.

 

 

Video

 

If somebody wants to discuss about Operation "Varsity" -- I invite because I am interested in its history.

[Gregory]

In Operation Varsity history of interest is the fact that at the beginning US Army Signal Corps doubled number of airborne troops taking part in operation. They informed about 40,000 airborne troops behind the Rhine.

 

Here is gliderborne assault photograph and its original description with 40,000 figure.

[pathfinder505]

In Operation Varsity history of interest is the fact that at the beginning US Army Signal Corps doubled number of airborne troops taking part in operation. They informed about 40,000 airborne troops behind the Rhine.

 

Here is gliderborne assault photograph and its original description with 40,000 figure.

 

Just a note. I know the guy pictured in front and he told me the reason he was on his knees in the pic was because he was trying to hook up an antenna for the radio set.

[Gregory]

Just a note. I know the guy pictured in front and he told me the reason he was on his knees in the pic was because he was trying to hook up an antenna for the radio set.

Wow, thank you very much! I like this photo and I have always thought what this man does and why he looks like in the church on his knees in rather not military position.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[pathfinder505]

Wow, thank you very much! I like this photo and I have always thought what this man does and why he looks like in the church on his knees in rather not military position.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

 

He said the antenna had broken off the radio set in the landing and he took one from a walkie talkie and finally got it to work. The glider he landed in was behind the one shown in the pic.

[pathfinder505]

Another story about that landing I forgot to mention. He said they landed in a plowed field and hit a pile of potatoes. They couldnt open the front of the glider until they removed all the potatoes.

[MrSheepy]

I live in Wesel and know a lot about Operation Plunder and Varsity. I also own a metal detector and try to proof the Books right by finding some relicts of the Battles. And you find a lot there! If you can read German, try to get the Book "Krieg vor der eigenen Haustür" or "Jugend im Krieg". Real good ones. I have spoken to a lot of Farmers in the Landing Zones, fist to get their Admission to search their fields an second to find out what they know about troops and fightings in the Area.

 

Here are some Storys I got from them, some are also mentioned in the Books above:

 

A group of three 2cm Quad Flak had taken position near one of the Issel Bridges to cover Wesel against JABOs. When the Air Supply Bombers came in they had to fly low speed straight above this FLAK Unit. The Gunners saied they only had to aim up in the Air, and fire all barrels cause there were so much Planes. They fired so much rounds that the Carriage got stuck because the Shells blocked it.

 

My father in law has his house directly within the Glider Landingzone in "Blumenkamp / Butenfeld". He told me that his father and the Neigbours moved out at night to plunder the Gliders and the Supplies for Food or other usable things like Metal or Wood. This went so far until more then half of the Gliders has vanished completly! The US Troops then send out Guards to cover the remaining Gliders.

 

A lot of troops were seperated due to bad weather or High speed flying pilots on the landing day. So I found a complete Parachute look with belt holders and some Buttons from the First aid or .45 Ammo pouches more than 1 KM away from the normal landing zone in a small field ditch.

 

A Farmer told me there were 3 German Soldiers on his Farm when a single wounded Airborne Soldier landed nearby and made his way to his house. The Germans moved out and put up their hands to a totaly perplext Airborne...

 

If you like to know something more just ask!

 

P.S.: The picture must have been taken in the Hamminkeln Landing Zone.

[101combatvet]

I stayed in Wesel in 1979... I remember the bridge where the Germans hide their aircraft or so I was told. Nice area.... I need to go back someday. I have many photographs of the gliders that landed there.

 

I live in Wesel and know a lot about Operation Plunder and Varsity. I also own a metal detector and try to proof the Books right by finding some relicts of the Battles. And you find a lot there! If you can read German, try to get the Book "Krieg vor der eigenen Haustür" or "Jugend im Krieg". Real good ones. I have spoken to a lot of Farmers in the Landing Zones, fist to get their Admission to search their fields an second to find out what they know about troops and fightings in the Area.

 

Here are some Storys I got from them, some are also mentioned in the Books above:

 

A group of three 2cm Quad Flak had taken position near one of the Issel Bridges to cover Wesel against JABOs. When the Air Supply Bombers came in they had to fly low speed straight above this FLAK Unit. The Gunners saied they only had to aim up in the Air, and fire all barrels cause there were so much Planes. They fired so much rounds that the Carriage got stuck because the Shells blocked it.

 

My father in law has his house directly within the Glider Landingzone in "Blumenkamp / Butenfeld". He told me that his father and the Neigbours moved out at night to plunder the Gliders and the Supplies for Food or other usable things like Metal or Wood. This went so far until more then half of the Gliders has vanished completly! The US Troops then send out Guards to cover the remaining Gliders.

 

A lot of troops were seperated due to bad weather or High speed flying pilots on the landing day. So I found a complete Parachute look with belt holders and some Buttons from the First aid or .45 Ammo pouches more than 1 KM away from the normal landing zone in a small field ditch.

 

A Farmer told me there were 3 German Soldiers on his Farm when a single wounded Airborne Soldier landed nearby and made his way to his house. The Germans moved out and put up their hands to a totaly perplext Airborne...

 

If you like to know something more just ask!

 

P.S.: The picture must have been taken in the Hamminkeln Landing Zone.

[MrSheepy]

By the Way,

 

i´m looking for Aerial Recon Photos or detailed maps of the Wesel and Hamminkeln Area. For this Exspecaliy Air recon maps/pics regarding FLAK or Artillierie Emplacements are interesting. Also i´m starting resaerches regarding the approach to the Ruhrkessel on the Dinslaken - Dorsten Trail. Here the US Armored Div. had hard fights through the forests.

 

Pictures or Recon maps are hard to find here in Germany, so if anyone has some scans or else please let me know.

 

@101combatvet:

 

This was no normal Hiding. The Bridge was used as Hangars for the Field Airstrip. It was just an emergency Field for Bönninghardt and another Emergency Field was in Hamminkeln. The Gliders an Paras droped on the Hamminkeln Airstrip! Today the Airstrip is used by a civilian Airclub and they also use the Bridge remainings as Hangars.

 

Heres a Link, but not very interesting: http://www.lsf-wesel.de/index.php?size=1024&seite=index

[101combatvet]

Yes, the arches under the bridge.... some of the doors had the gull proficiency insignia on them. BTW, I stayed there for a few days at a hotel that was owned by an Olympic bronze medalist.... I believe he was a bicyclist and won in Helsinki, Finland.... 1952…. a very interesting stay for me.

 

By the Way,

 

i´m looking for Aerial Recon Photos or detailed maps of the Wesel and Hamminkeln Area. For this Exspecaliy Air recon maps/pics regarding FLAK or Artillierie Emplacements are interesting. Also i´m starting resaerches regarding the approach to the Ruhrkessel on the Dinslaken - Dorsten Trail. Here the US Armored Div. had hard fights through the forests.

 

Pictures or Recon maps are hard to find here in Germany, so if anyone has some scans or else please let me know.

 

@101combatvet:

 

This was no normal Hiding. The Bridge was used as Hangars for the Field Airstrip. It was just an emergency Field for Bönninghardt and another Emergency Field was in Hamminkeln. The Gliders an Paras droped on the Hamminkeln Airstrip! Today the Airstrip is used by a civilian Airclub and they also use the Bridge remainings as Hangars.

 

Heres a Link, but not very interesting: http://www.lsf-wesel.de/index.php?size=1024&seite=index

[MrSheepy]

Oh, I think the View has changed a litte sice then... A new big Hotel now stands directly at the Rhine river near the old Bridge and a new Brigde is build to replace the old Iron Bridge. Fortunally all remains of Fort Blücher and the old Bridge are not destroyed. Last Spring there must be a litte Anniversary show around the Landing Zones, but I didn´t notice anything of it. Must have been very little...

 

A friend of mine and I just found the location of one of the bigger MedEvac places and will start some resarch on Thursday. Hopefully we will be aloud by the Farmer to search the field with our Detectors. I will post the results here.

[101combatvet]

Iron? The bridge I saw with the hangars was made of brick. Someone told me they could flood the airstrip with water from the Rhine to conceal it from attack when needed.

[MrSheepy]

Thats right the whole Airstrip could be flooded. The Destroyed Original Railway Bridge is made of Brick, but I mean the "new" Rhine crossing build in 1953 a litte upwards the river. This Metal Brigde was build on the remains of the "Rheinbabenbrücke" which was a Car Bridge. Many people didn´t know there were two Brigdes until 1945! The Railway Bridge and the Car Bridge. When the Wesel Spearhead was evacuateted the "Rheinbabenbrücke" was blown up on 10 March 1945 just a few Hours before the much older Railway Brigde was also destroyed. Today you can visit the remains of the Railway Bridge on the left Rhine Side. There is also an Airshelter build between two Pylons. Here are some German Sides about the Brigdes, but with good Pictures.

 

Montgomery watched the Attack from the remains of the Railway Bridge until some Germans spotted them standing on the Pylons and Motar fire wounded Men from his staff and destroyed one of their Cars.

 

Rheinbabenbrücke

 

Railway Bridge remains

[101combatvet]

I guess those doors in the archways under the bridge have been removed.

 

Thats right the whole Airstrip could be flooded. The Destroyed Original Railway Bridge is made of Brick, but I mean the "new" Rhine crossing build in 1953 a litte upwards the river. This Metal Brigde was build on the remains of the "Rheinbabenbrücke" which was a Car Bridge. Many people didn´t know there were two Brigdes until 1945! The Railway Bridge and the Car Bridge. When the Wesel Spearhead was evacuateted the "Rheinbabenbrücke" was blown up on 10 March 1945 just a few Hours before the much older Railway Brigde was also destroyed. Today you can visit the remains of the Railway Bridge on the left Rhine Side. There is also an Airshelter build between two Pylons. Here are some German Sides about the Brigdes, but with good Pictures.

 

Montgomery watched the Attack from the remains of the Railway Bridge until some Germans spotted them standing on the Pylons and Motar fire wounded Men from his staff and destroyed one of their Cars.

 

Rheinbabenbrücke

 

Railway Bridge remains

[posse]

One of my original (British press photo) Varsity pics...

 

17th troopers being transported by the British 6th Guards. I'll post my others too this week... Thought the Varsity-fans might like to see this...

 

 

rgds

Bart

[MrSheepy]

Nice! Please continue I like to see more!

 

By the way, we got the confirmation to search the MedEvac Zone! It took some time cause the Farmer told us everything he knew for more the an Hour! My friend did a fast run on the field an came back with US, British and German Buttons, a Handful of 25 PDR cases, also a lot of Glider parts... And he were out there only for 20 minutes. Lets see what it will be on Thursday, as promised I will put the Pictures in here.

[posse]

Mr. Sheepy, I sent you a PM!

 

Here's a pic of a glider being town towards his LZ near Wesel... The Glider Pilot took this pic enroute (and gave it to me 63 years later ).

Mind the communication line between the C47 and the Waco Glider...

 

 

rgds

Bart P.

[MrSheepy]

Yesterday the farmer worked on the field we liked to search on. So we had to move to another location where, as we were told, a Horsa Glider crashed down and catched Fire. A lot of rotten Wooden parts an molten Lead on the field. The pictures shows the parts that were not completely trash... Can anyone Identify what the the Plastic cap was for? I found an alloy 2 Francs Vichy coin from 1943, so at last it was worth the work.

 

The Bullet is flatten so you can´t get the right caliber. Must be from a small Pistol maybe a 7,63mm it´s defenitly smaller than a 9mm Bullet.

[glenm]

That's an access hole inner piece from a CG-4A "Waco" Glider. It mates with a grey plastic ring to gain access to places on the glider from the outside (hence the "open" and "lock" instructions on it).

 

Cheers,

Glen.

[Gregory]

Mind the communication line between the C47 and the Waco Glider...

In both British and American gliders this system of communication was not a hundred percent reliable. If you directed a glider into slipstream, or there was a turbulence, or towing pilot performed anti-flak sidesteps then WT-1/U communication wire was broken off. I hated slipstreams when I was glider pilot. I can imagine how heavy work was recovery of CG-4A into smooth air.

[TomV]

Hello Gregory,

 

thanks for the invitation .

It is nice to know that you have a great knowledge of Operation Varsity.

Well, I have a big interest in the 17th Airborne Division too. I have to admit that I do not know as many details, as you do...

 

My interest for the 17th AB Div started after I adopted the grave of a soldier who served with this division, at the American War Cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands.

I wanted to know more about this soldier in particular and this is where an interest for this (sometimes) "forgotten" division, developped itself.

 

Like to hear from you again,

 

Tom

[Gregory]

Hi Gents,

 

Welcome to re-opened discussion on Varsity. Below I collected our posts from the other thread to begin next step of debate here.

 

Operation Varsity was another one of those fiascos hailed as victories by the generals who planned them. More US glider pilots were killed in that operation than any other. Losses to parachute troops were also appalling. Whoever cooked up Varsity should have been court-martialed. Today the operation is hardly mentioned, and when put under scrutiny almost ranks with The Hurtgen in terms of incompetent leadership on the allied side.

:thumbsup: I agree.

Kirk B. Ross in his "The Sky Men" book described it very well.

Best regards

Greg

Thanks for bringing this Thread back to attention.

It seems that you also have a great interest in the 17th, Gregory.

What got you interested, if I may ask?

 

regards,

Tom

I have just read a book (Christmas gift) I only discovered the existence of: The Last Drop, by Stephen L. Wright, Stackpole Books, 2008.

 

My report: It gets a B, maybe a B+.

 

Why not higher? Because it is NOT definitive or comprehensive or exhaustively researched; it is not "scholarly" or even footnoted. Either the authoring or the editing or both are flawed. The maps are much less helpful or well-done than they could have been. Photos are all old and much-used AND poorly reproduced.

 

Its STRENGTH is that it brings together extracts from several rather obscure sources. Almost entirely anecdotal --based on veterans' personal recollections -- it gives short shrift to official, archival accounts/info.

 

In methodology, it is in large part a "cut and paste" job, relying in the main on quoting passages from previously published works, some unpublished manuscripts/journals and (by implication only) some interviews (in-person?).

 

Many EXPECTED sources are not cited, and possibly remain unknown to the author. He is (apparently) British and his lack of familiarity with US forces can be painfully obvious. The British story gets twice the space of the American story.

 

The pros and cons, lessons-learned of VARSITY are scantily dealt with in a very brief epilogue. Surely there is more to say!

 

MODERATOR: Perhaps this post belongs in with the MILITARY HISTORY DISCUSSION cited by Gregory.

For the Polish military press I interviewed Stephen L. Wright about this book. I have the author's permission to post this interview at USMF.

Hello Gregory,

 

thanks for the invitation .

It is nice to know that you have a great knowledge of Operation Varsity.

Well, I have a big interest in the 17th Airborne Division too. I have to admit that I do not know as many details, as you do...

 

My interest for the 17th AB Div started after I adopted the grave of a soldier who served with this division, at the American War Cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands.

I wanted to know more about this soldier in particular and this is where an interest for this (sometimes) "forgotten" division, developped itself.

 

Like to hear from you again,

 

Tom

 

Well, when we discuss about Varsity it would be good to start from the roots -- from counter-intelligence protection of this operation, if such protection existed. I am afraid that the Allies felt so powerful that they forgot about a primer of military operations. Let's look at quotation:

 

1st Lt David Harvey, navigator on Capt Blickensderfer's Number 10 plane leading the second flight, had turned in to Radio Berlin. Axis Sally -- known as "The Bitch" -- was on, and she made an astounding announcement: Germany was aware that the 17th Airborne Division was marshaled at Troop Carrier airfields all over France. "Men of the 17th Airborne Division", she declared, "we know you are coming. We are waiting and ready for you on the Rhine. You won't need your parachute", she continued, "the flak will be so thick you can walk down."

 

Kirk B. Ross

The Sky Men

Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen 2000

ISBN 0-7643-1172-7

page 290

 

And Axis Sally was right. Flak massacred airborne armada as never before.

[J_Andrews]

The Germans' knowing where and when the Allied airborne was coming was not due to a failing in counter-intelligence.

 

It was pretty obvious, in a general sense. That is -- as with the Normandy landings -- analysts in Berlin could look at maps and weather forecasts and nominate one or two likely places and narrow down the When to a period of 10 to 15 days.

 

Unlike Normandy, there was no great effort at disinformation or deception, but such an operation would have leaked like a sieve by that stage in the war and given the relatively short geographic distances between, for example, Allied bases and airfields and the Reich.

 

The problems in VARSITY were of the "Fog of War" variety -- literally! Because of the unexpected visibilty issues from the miasma of smoke and dust, aviators and artillery observers simply could not see. Secondly, the density of LIGHT flak (20mm) was key to Allied losses. Though 37 and 88mm's were present and in use, there were many more 20s -- single mounts, double mounts and, worst of all, Vierling SPs. These were what savaged aircraft -- gliders, tugs, resupply Liberators and even fighters. The great numbers of implaced/concealed rifle-caliber MGs joined in against aircraft, then turned on the LZ/DZ targets.

 

Even greater as a factor was the miasma of smoke and dust that surprised all manner of aviators and "queered the deal" for the planned very close air support. If the provided air cover had been able to SEE targets -- especially the Vierlings -- and if the forward air control teams (glider-borne) had NOT been shot down or had their equipment wrecked/lost, the flak story might have been quite different.

 

Various planning assumptions did prove valid and successful. The notion of NOT arriving in darkness, and NOT preceding the amphibious affort, DID throw off the Germans and DID result in siphoning away at least parts of the heavy reaction forces. The notion of heaping all possible strength, early, on the objective DID inflict "shock and awe" on the defending infantry and Volkssturm; rather than counter-attack, in UNexpected, multiple directions, many surrendered or hid.

 

Something that has always impressed me and is little discussed in accounts is how well the basically GREEN (that means inexperienced, not ecologically sensitive BTW) Airborne troops did. On the US side, only the 507th PIR had jumped in combat before -- and it had suffered great losses in Normandy, so perhaps 50% of its men were NOT OVERLORD vets. In the Troop Carriers, I suspect only about half of the personnel/crews had made combat drops against flak (ANY drops, ANY flak) before. And the training to prepare specifically for VARSITY, of aircrews and ground units, ran from sparse to none.

 

Years past, I socialized with many 17th and GP vets (now, alas, nearly all dead and gone) and from their tales (of their Bulge "fun" as well as VARSITY) I think a movie should be made. Somewhere between "Kelly's Heroes", "1941" and "Band of Brothers" -- lots of gallows humor, wild characters, and selfless valor.

[Gregory]

Thank you very much for your post. In the days to come I will try to write more but for the moment I will answer this:

 

The problems in VARSITY were of the "Fog of War" variety -- literally! Because of the unexpected visibilty issues from the miasma of smoke and dust, aviators and artillery observers simply could not see.

This is interesting episode related also with the US GPs training in the ZI. I have read somewhere (I forgot now where) that the WASP were hired to simulate for the GPs low visibility conditions during approach. During training, when the CG-4As were freed from towing ropes, the WASP flew in front of the gliders and they (WASP) piloted then light planes equipped with smoke generators. They smoked landing zones to simulate for the GPs battlefield conditions. As it seems to me this element of the US GPs training was an advantage over their British colleagues from the GPR. I have never heard that the British student GPs were trained in such unfriendly (but very good!) manner. The USAAF was better and closer to battlefield realism in the GPs training.

 

This week I will add something to your information about flak because I have Allied inteligence map of German flak positions before Varsity with information when and where flak was placed.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[Gregory]

In the meantime very hard to find information (taken from wartime XVIII Abn Corps document) that may be useful for today's lovers of military archeology -- where were marshalling areas of the 17th Abn and, simultaneously, from what IX Troop Carrier Command airfields in France the US armada took-off for Varsity.

 

50th Troop Carrier Wing

439th Group - A.39 Châteaudun, France

440th Group - A.50 Orléans-Bricy, France

441st Group - A.40 Chartres and A.41 Dreux/Vermouillet, France

442nd Group - B.24 Saint-André-de-l'Eure, France

Pathfinder Group - A.40 Chartres, France

 

52nd Troop Carrier Wing

313th Group - B.54 Achiet, France

314th Group - B.44 Poix, France

 

53rd Troop Carrier Wing

434th Group - A.80 Mourmelon-le-Grand, France

435th Group - A.48 Bretigny-sur-Orne, France

436th Group - A.55 Melun, France

437th Group - A.58 Coulommiers, France

438th Group - A.79 Prosnes, France