ROUTE TO VICTORY VE65

[FAAA]

ROUTE TO VICTORY VE65

RAMSBURY

The event took place over three days to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the end of the 1939-45 War in Europe. The theme of the event was Operation Market Garden through to Operation Varsity the crossing of the Rhine and the final Route to Victory in the ETO. The event was organised and run by the Kennet Valley Area of the MVT, and the same team that organised the Route to Victory 2008 event.

 

The event was split into 2 days of convoys and a public display day on the Bank Holiday Monday The first military convoy was British Military Vehicle based and took place on the Saturday; the Sunday Convoy was American and Airborne themed.

 

On arrival back at the Camp on Saturday a street party was planned to celebrate the troops retuning Home after VE Day. This was followed other entertainments in the village concluded by a spectacular Wartime Searchlight Display in the centre of the Village. On Sunday evening there was 1940s Dance held in the Memorial Hall plus lots of other entertainments in the village including entertainment in the British Legion Club.

 

Finally on Monday there was the public day where the show was open to the public, this show was held at Camp Ramsbury the site of the WWII 506th PIR camp. Here on this show field there were displays including Firing Artillery, Tanks and Armour as well as some rare wheeled vehicles. The highlight of the event was without doubt the Victory parade through the Village where vehicles and troops marched and drove through the village and past the saluting dais, the salute being taken by Gulf War 7th Armoured Division senior officer Maj General Patrick Cordingley DSO and serving senior 82nd Airborne Officer.

 

With a major deployment to Littlecote House the weekend before this event it was obvious this event would be attended by a representative group from the FAAA only, however the group mustered 6 members to represent the 17th Airborne Division and provided the link between the Campaigns being remembered that may not have been there otherwise.

 

Originally this event was to be a Jeep raid, however it was decided that to be able to provide transport for all our troops attending and taking part in the airborne Convoy a single jeep would not be sufficient for the task, so it was decided to deploy with the Dodge which also gave us the extra stowage room and enabled us to take a little more display gear.

 

The weather predicted was not good anywhere in the country for the bank holiday weekend; however the Monday display day was to be the better day down in Wiltshire. The group’s plans were to attend for the Sunday and the Monday and leave the Saturday to the British element of the show. I have to say at 0400hrs on the Sunday Morning standing outside my house on the back of the Dodge trying to put the Canopy on the truck in the pouring rain it did cross my mind that this was perhaps a "Show too Far" and it would have been easier to have gone back indoors and back to bed. The thought again came into my head on arriving at Camp Ramsbury at 0730hrs when it was still raining and a caravan was parked in our allocated display area.

 

The third time this thought came to mind was in the beer tent at 0900hrs Saturday morning at the Convoy briefing as the rain was lashing it down and the tent was lifting off the ground with the wind, however listening to a small group of Brit Airborne reenactors saying they were sacking it and were leaving for home when the rain stopped made me think differently. We were here and here we were going to stay and make the best of it, which as a result of the good humour, good spirits and high moral of Gavin, Tom, Mike, Gary and Possum that is exactly is what we did.

 

 

Headquarters Detachment unload stores at the Regt CP

 

We decided with still part of the display to establish and all wanting a hearty Breakfast to start the day that we would drop out of the Convoy and run with the Dodge on our own tour. This we did taking in all the local areas of interest and visiting several memorials on route before heading into Aldbourne for a warm up by the open fire in the Crown Hotel.

 

 

 

After spending a couple of hours in the Crown we remounted the truck and headed back out to Camp Ramsbury. The weather had improved somewhat and we set about getting ready for the evening meal, It was at this stage that someone came up with the very good idea to sack the Tined crap and venture into the next village to get fresh rations in the way of Chicken and Pork which was then cooked over the roaring fire we had built, Bloody delicious it has to be said and we had plenty of it too.

 

 

 

 

After this had been devoured T5 Gavin Ware demonstrated that not only is he an expert maker of flam and explosions but he makes a damn good pancake too, I myself had 3 and was going for a fourth when the wind picked up a bit and it was decided to have a couple of last drinks and brush off the dirt from out Jump suits and boots, don our garrison hats and head into the Village of Ramsbury and the Pubs and clubs, well the British Legion anyway.

 

 

 

The Village was very busy, a dance was in “full swing” in the village hall and British and American troops were in the streets enjoying the dry evening. In the legion a quiz was underway and lots of banter and drinking was to be had, all in all a great social evening. On being booted out at closing time all headed to the end of the street to the village square where the local searchlight Battery were demonstrating the powerful lighting system which threw a beam of light hundreds of feet into the sky.

 

We had just caught the last half hour or so of this demonstration and very interesting it was too, what a fantastic feat of restoration to get this bit of kit working again. When the light was finally switched off we made our way back into camp Ramsbury to find our billet and beds. After a very long day, sleep came to us all quickly.

[FAAA]

At first Light we were greeted by a least dry weather, but it was cold and it took a lot to get us out of our pits, but this was again going to a busy day, with the parade muster at 0900hrs. We opted for only a brew once out of bed and used the time to prepare the Command post display ready for our return from the Victory Parade, we would have Breakfast on our return and a big breakfast was planned for.

 

Today was public display day and after the Victory Parade it would be in role representing the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division. We had decided to represent the 17th to fill the Gap in the route to victory theme, while much has been written about and more recently seen on film about the exploits of the 101st Airborne Division in this area, little thought is given to the time the 17th Airborne spent in this part of Wiltshire. Our unit choice had a direct link not only to the area but to the same Village the 506th made famous, Aldbourne. It was here that the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion who had fought as part of the 1st Airborne Task Force in Southern France arrived in November 1944, by then the 506th and the 101st had long gone. This Glider Trained Infantry Battalion would soon become the 3rd Battalion of the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment and incorporated into the 17th Airborne Division and would fight with distinction both during the Ardennes campaign and later during the Rhine crossing and the Operation Varsity.

 

 

The detail of our display would be the Regiments Command Post a few days into the Varsity campaign. Most of the hard fighting was over for a while and the vehicles of the Regiments Headquarters were across the Rhine and bringing up rations and supplies. Small patrols were sent out to secure the Regiment Command Post.

 

 

 

Glider Troops prepare to move out on Patrol

 

The display was very much open house to the public, no ropes or pickets and over the several hours we were displaying we had more than our fair share of visitors including General Cordingley who genuinely wanted to know all the details about rations, weapons and vehicles used by the Americans in WWII, he spent quite a bit of time with us before moving on to Wiltshire’s across the track, I was impressed to say the least.

 

 

 

194th HQ Troops deploy out on the perimiter

 

All too rapidly the day came to an end and it was again time to stow gear and bug out, this was done in quick time and at shows end we were ready to move out and hit the road, just in time as the rain returned as we headed across the field which 64 years ago had been an American Military camp full of young men preparing for action. We had done what we came here to do and now we were going home, so many of the soldiers who lived here in this field for nearly a year never had that chance. At times it was indeed wet, at others it was cold and windy, but we got to go home.

 

Regardless of the less than favourable weather we all had a cracking time and I have to thank all the group members who made some time for this one, it was a pleasure to be with you on the weekend and share some good times.

 

Lee

[jumpwings]

The event was split into 2 days of convoys and a public display day on the Bank Holiday Monday The first military convoy was British Military Vehicle based and took place on the Saturday; the Sunday Convoy was American and Airborne themed.

 

On arrival back at the Camp on Saturday a street party was planned to celebrate the troops retuning Home after VE Day. This was followed other entertainments in the village concluded by a spectacular Wartime Searchlight Display in the centre of the Village. On Sunday evening there was 1940s Dance held in the Memorial Hall plus lots of other entertainments in the village including entertainment in the British Legion Club.

 

Finally on Monday there was the public day where the show was open to the public, this show was held at Camp Ramsbury the site of the WWII 506th PIR camp. Here on this show field there were displays including Firing Artillery, Tanks and Armour as well as some rare wheeled vehicles. The highlight of the event was without doubt the Victory parade through the Village where vehicles and troops marched and drove through the village and past the saluting dais, the salute being taken by Gulf War 7th Armoured Division senior officer Maj General Patrick Cordingley DSO and serving senior 82nd Airborne Officer.

 

Nice Photos FAAA, would love to see some of the MV convoy, street party or those rare vehicles in the Victory Parade... :thumbsup: