WEBVTT

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Six weeks after the Rhineland campaign began,
Allied armies stood poised on the banks of

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the Rhine - Germany's mythical barrier had
become the last line of defence for its exhausted

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troops.

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The combined forces of the British, Americans
and Canadians were now ready to force their

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way across the river in the final, decisive
battle of WW2 in the West.

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After the bloody fighting on the west bank
of the Rhine, Montgomery was not taking the

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crossing of the famous river lightly.

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21st Army Group would take nearly two weeks
to prepare for Operation Plunder, which would

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begin March 23.

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Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey's British
Second Army would carry out the main crossing,

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and included many of the divisions previously
assigned to First Canadian Army in Veritable.

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The British, with one Canadian Brigade alongside
them, would cross between Rees and Wesel.

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The US 9th Army would conduct a smaller crossing
to the south.

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On the morning of the 24th, the Allies would
also launch an airborne attack, Operation

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Varsity.

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US General Matthew Ridgway's XVIII Airborne
Corps would drop British, American, and Canadian

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paratroopers just east of the river.

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It would be the largest airborne operation
in a single day in the history of warfare

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- 16,000 men.

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Allied planners did not want to repeat the
mistakes at Arnhem, so for Varsity, the drops

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would be relatively close to the river.

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Christoph Bergs: Varsity was no less ambitious
than the airborne operations in Sicily, Normandy,

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and Market Garden - in fact in terms of
men, material, and equipment, it outstripped

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them.

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However, it also benefited from the experiences
gained in these earlier operations.

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First, the units in Varsity landed in a smaller
area and in one giant wave, rather than being

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broken up in time and space, like in Normandy.

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In total, the anticipated landing area was
barely more than 10 by 10 kilometers.

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Second, the landing zones were close to their
objective - and except for powerlines, a

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railroad and a few windmills, the drop zones
had no landing obstacles as the Germans did

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not expect an airborne assault.

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Third, the landing zones were very close to
the Allied lines who had already launched

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their own assault, and thus could link up
quickly with the paratroopers, in stark contrast

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to what had happened at Market Garden.

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Forth, to reduce the complexities of the operation
and not run the risk of missing a drop zone,

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a daytime jump was prepared.

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Allied planners also assumed that German night
fighters posed a larger threat than German

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AA defenses.

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By jumping in the day, this threat was circumvented.

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Fifth, to prevent a repeat of many earlier
incidences of friendly fire on transporters,

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like for example during the landings in Sicily,
a whole corridor was created in which AA defenses

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were temporarily prohibited from firing their
guns.

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This would allow the transporters to pass
in peace.

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Finally, the force would benefit from dedicated
support of Allied fighter-bombers, and, as

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the paratroopers landed close to the Allied
lines, they could at times call in their own

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artillery support.

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Additionally, supply drops were to be made
directly after the landings, in the hopes

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of providing some immediate supply for the
troops on the ground.

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Jesse Alexander: The paratroopers and glider-borne
infantry were expected to seize the high ground

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around the drop zones behind Wesel, take bridges
over the Issel river, and link up with the

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ground troops to speed up the breakthrough.

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In all, 1.2 million Allied troops, 5000 guns,
and the largest air force in Europe would

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be involved in the crossing and subsequent
breakout towards northern Germany and the

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Ruhr.

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Facing them were less than 85,000 men of the
worn out First Parachute Army, supported by

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about 1000 guns and fewer than 200 tanks . Some
units had been moved south to seal off the

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bridgehead at Remagen.

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Along the river where the Allies planned to
cross, there were no more than 12,000 German

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defenders, with two depleted Panzer Divisions
in reserve.

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But not all Allied leaders fully realized
the Germans' weakness, and Montgomery has

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been criticized for overestimating the enemy
and taking too much time to prepare.

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Eisenhower thought Monty would not act until
he was absolutely certain of success, and

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others have argued that the British general
was afraid of another defeat like Arnhem the

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previous fall.

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Monty's defenders argue that the British
armies he was leading were in no shape to

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risk an unprepared crossing after the heavy
losses they'd suffered in previous months,

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especially amongst NCOs and officers.

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The delay turned out to be a welcome one for
General Patton, as he managed to once again

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beat Monty across the river as he began an
unplanned crossing in boats on March 22nd,

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one day before Plunder began.

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The 12th US Army Group communique even mentioned
that they'd managed "without the benefit

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of aerial bombing, ground smoke, artillery
preparation and airborne assistance."

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(Hastings 424)

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In Montgomery's 21st Army Group Allied troops
and engineers put the time they had to good

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use.

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The soldiers practiced crossing other rivers
behind the lines and a dedicated training

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center was set up in Belgium.

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Not only the infantry trained but also the
men who would be piloting the boats driving

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the amphibious vehicles, directing traffic
and laying the bridges.

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David Willey: One of the great advantages
the Allies had for the Rhineland battles,

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was the 79th Armoured Division.

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This was a unit put together in Britain comprising
a number of different regiments that were

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going to be using specialized armor.

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They see action from D-Day onwards.

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And they contain a number of types of vehicles
that are perfect for the terrain and for some

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of the problems thrown up by the German defenses.

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And of course the Rhine river itself.

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Now one of these vehicles that was being used
by 3 regiments or actually 4 regiments by

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the time of Operation Plunder is the Buffalo.

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Landing Vehicle Tracked, and for British forces
the LVT-2 and the LVT-4, there was about 600

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of them in service.

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And they are used extensively, not only earlier
in Operation Veritable to fairy troops around,

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to get them across flooded areas, but for
the actual Rhine crossing itself, for Operation

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Plunder, these are going to be some of the
first vehicles that actually cross the Rhine.

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The idea behind them, they can take up to
40 troops, so the LVT-4 has got a door on

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the rear of it, that can be lowered.

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It can take a Jeep, it can take one of the
lighter armored bulldozers.

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So they are going to be part of the initial
wave to deliver troops to the far side of

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the Rhine.

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And then they are going to be a force where
at least four of them for each of the areas

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would be carrying over an armored bulldozer.

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Some of the matting that they roll off the
back of the vehicle will then be staked into

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the ground on some of the banked areas of
the Rhine.

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This is where the DD-Sherman tanks, when they
cross, will be able to exit out of the river.

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The Buffalo, originally invented in America
in the 1930s by Donald Roebling.

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He actually comes up with the idea, it's going
to be a vehicle to be used in places like

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Florida, the Everglades, as a rescue vehicle.

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But the military sees potential.

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Roebling to start with is not particularly
keen on seeing it used by the military.

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But when the war comes, he then, as part of
his company, they start making these in large

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quantities.

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It goes for a number of models.

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By the end of the war, about 18,000 LVTs of
different sorts are made.

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They are really important because they float,
they are amphibious and they are tracked.

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The tracks going around have these scoops
on them.

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That scoops up enough water that propel the
vehicle across sometimes choppy water but

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inland waterways no problem at all.

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Being tracked also means, it can cross softer
ground.

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It's got good traction and it's got a good
load carrying capacity, around 4000 pounds

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of loading.

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As I mentioned a Jeep or up to 40 troops.

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There are a number of these, they call them
"specials" for Operation Plunder, they've

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got, on the top here you can see a 20mm Paulsten
cannon.

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It's basically a simplified version of the
Oerlikon cannons that many armies are using.

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They give them 50 caliber machine guns.

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They are descriptions of some of them actually
having light machine guns added or even a

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PIAT carried on of them.

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So they are being used as assault vehicles,
not just for ferrying the troops.

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By the end of Operation Plunder, they've actually
done over 3,800 crossings of the Rhine.

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So a very important vehicle, very useful for
the terrain, and really essential for making

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sure the Rhine crossing is the success that
it was.

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In preparation for Operation Plunder, 79th
Armoured Division opens a number of schools,

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or they call them wings.

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To test and to experiment and to train the
troops that are going to take part in that

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Rhine crossing.

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G-Wing particularly looks at the problems
of how to do what could be a river assault.

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It's the first major river assault that they
are going to take place in the European campaign.

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What happens when it's a defended far bank?

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And knowing that they are going to take part
in assault at night, how are the vehicles

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gonna find their way across the river and
find their way back?

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Actual navigation issues.

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They look at gyroscopes for compasses, they
look at a system similar to the bombers where

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two 19 radio sets actually set up a beam.

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And the vehicles that are crossing the Rhine,
like the Buffalo, follow that beam to make

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sure they get safely to the far side.

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And when they are returning back across the
river, they issue a number of the Buffalos

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with what's called the TABBY infrared set.

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An infrared light which is not visible to
the naked eye can be seen by the crews using

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one of these infrared vision aids as they
are heading back, so they are going to the

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right place.

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A number of experiments are taking place with
G-Wing.

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Some of which is about how the vehicles are
going to exit, what's the best way of crossing

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the Rhine?

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Sending the Buffalos first, sending them over
with bulldozers to help prepare exit routes

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from the river across the banks.

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To get inland and also to be able to deploy
matting from the backs of some Buffalos to

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actually allow vehicles to spread their weight
over the soft banks.

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This is all experimented with with G-Wing.

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And then the training of the infantry that
are familiar with the vehicle that they are

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going to go forward with.

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The DD-Shermans tanks that are going to be
used to float across.

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The timing is put together, so that this becomes
an operation where each element knows exactly

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what part it's going to be fitting in with.

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And how it's going to be deployed most effectively.

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Jesse Alexander: That attacking force would
include 1100 assault boats, 124 landing craft,

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2500 outboard motors, 6000 bridge floats,
hundreds of oil burners for the 10 day long

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smokescreen, and material for 60 bridges (Atkinson
547).

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They even planned to use rafts to ferry men
and vehicles across until proper bridges could

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be put up.

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The ultimate success of the operation, of
course, depended on those bridges.

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For a river as wide as the Rhine, floating
bridges were required, like the floating Bailey

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Bridge, the Heavy Ponton, and the Steel Treadway,
which could take loads of over 25 tons.

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One company of the 17th Armored Engineers
even received a Presidential Unit Citation

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for its bridge-laying work in Germany.

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PLUNDER
Operation Plunder began the evening of March

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23, and Allied leaders took in the historic
occasion in person.

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Eisenhower, Brooke, and Churchill watched
the crossings from a hill just outside of

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Xanten.

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Churchill was particu larly enthusiastic,
and even suggested that he ride into battle

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in a tank.

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That didn't happen, but admitted his imagination
did run wild while awaiting Plunder: "I

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should have liked to have deployed my men
in red coats on the plain down there and ordered

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them to charge.

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But now my armies are too vast."

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(Atkinson 562)
The artillery supporting those vast armies

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kicked off the attack with a four-hour artillery
bombardment.

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German artillery officer Oberst von Peller
und Ehrenberg was near Rees when the first

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shells hit: "[...] We were sitting around
a bottle of cognac, which was the only thing

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that could somewhat calm our nerves, which
were stretched to breaking-point.

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Suddenly there was a crash and then all hell
broke loose, and without saying anything we

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all knew the time had come.

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[...] Unbelievably heavy fire was falling
on the little town.

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Even though we had to lay low due to the unrelenting
enemy fire, we began firing onto the bank

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opposite Rees.

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This success earned us even more enemy shells
on my positions, and soon the batteries reported

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their first losses."

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Berkel 96
On the receiving end of Von Peller und Ehrenberg's

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return fire were the Scots of the 51st Highland
Division, the first Allied unit across.

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The men did not know what to expect once they
reached the other side, and many feared the

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worst.

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Corporal Alistair Trewin confided his feelings
to his diary just before getting into the

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Buffalo: "Today I will die.

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I have no doubt about this and am ready for
it.

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Please God, make it quick."

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(Clark 291) Corporal Trewin survived, despite
the stiff fight put up by German paratroopers

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defending Rees.

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General Blaskowitz wasn't convinced this
was the main landing, but still committed

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15th Panzer to the fight, as Montgomery had
hoped.

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By the end of March 24, the British had cleared
Rees but lost popular General Tom Rennie,

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who was killed by mortar fire.

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Just north of Wesel, 1800 men of the 1st Commando
Brigade crossed in Buffaloes.

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Their task was to capture the town, which
by now was a rubble-strewn field of craters.

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The landing took place just north of the blown
railway bridge, since the German defences

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there were weaker.

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They didn't have heavy weapons with them,
but the Royal Air Force provided the firepower

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just before the Commandos went in.

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Heavy Lancaster bombers armed with giant Blockbuster
bombs pounded the ruins of the city as journalist

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00:18:17.860 --> 00:18:22.860
Alan Moorhead watched from across the river:
"The Lancasters fill[ed] the air with roaring

219
00:18:26.260 --> 00:18:31.260
and at last the cataclysmic, unbelievable
shock of the strike...

220
00:18:32.510 --> 00:18:37.510
Buildings and trees and wide acres of city
parkland simply detached themselves from the

221
00:18:38.260 --> 00:18:43.260
earth in the formation of a fountain [then]
a violent wind came tearing across the river."

222
00:18:46.410 --> 00:18:51.410
(de la force 112)
The commandos moved into the inferno.

223
00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:59.700
German resistance was uncoordinated, but the
going was still difficult since the craters

224
00:19:00.080 --> 00:19:04.500
blocked movement difficult and rendered maps
of the town useless.

225
00:19:04.500 --> 00:19:09.500
Lieutenant Bryan Samain recalled a dangerous
German tactic: "There were a lot of supposedly

226
00:19:12.370 --> 00:19:17.370
dead Germans lying about [when one of them]
suddenly rose to his feet and fired a Panzerfaust

227
00:19:18.830 --> 00:19:20.559
at point-blank range.

228
00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.429
[...] Two men were killed and Colonel Gray
wounded in the arm.

229
00:19:25.429 --> 00:19:30.429
[...] Feeling very angry, we emptied a magazine
of Tommy gun bullets into the German soldier,

230
00:19:30.950 --> 00:19:35.800
and into every subsequent 'corpse' we
saw lying around."

231
00:19:35.800 --> 00:19:40.800
(Dela force 120) General Friedrich Deutsch,
who had led the defence of the city, was killed

232
00:19:42.270 --> 00:19:45.530
in his bunker headquarters.

233
00:19:45.530 --> 00:19:50.530
Meanwhile Corporal Hans-Dieter Steets and
two other Germans had been trapped in a cellar

234
00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:54.400
by collapsing rubble during the bombing.

235
00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:59.400
He recalled the moment when they were finally
able to dig themselves out: "We exited into

236
00:20:01.630 --> 00:20:05.299
a world that I did not recognize.

237
00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:10.299
None of the buildings that had been standing
were more than shells, fires burned brightly

238
00:20:10.760 --> 00:20:14.120
and the streets were full of enemy troops.

239
00:20:14.120 --> 00:20:19.120
We raised our hands as soon as we saw them
- and I was relieved.

240
00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:24.440
One of the Tommies smiled at me and nodded
towards a line of prisoners that was forming

241
00:20:24.520 --> 00:20:25.600
nearby."

242
00:20:25.600 --> 00:20:30.600
(Clark 296) Within a few hours, the Commandos
had taken control of the most important positions

243
00:20:31.570 --> 00:20:35.620
in Wesel, and drove off a weak German counter
attack.

244
00:20:35.620 --> 00:20:40.620
The piles of brick and dust that had been
Wesel were now in Allied hands.

245
00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:46.890
In the wee hours of the 24th, the 15th Scottish
Division crossed at Xanten, and the US 9th

246
00:20:48.372 --> 00:20:50.470
Army south of Wesel.

247
00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:55.470
The German defences facing the Americans were
sparse, and were in no condition to resist

248
00:20:55.710 --> 00:21:00.710
the barrage of more than 1000 shells a minute
which fell on their positions for over an

249
00:21:02.150 --> 00:21:04.420
hour.

250
00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:09.100
The US 79th and 30th Divisions crossed using
the tracer rounds fired above their heads

251
00:21:09.100 --> 00:21:13.580
as a guide, and encountered few Germans on
the east bank.

252
00:21:13.580 --> 00:21:18.580
Only 30 Americans casualties were taken, including
those who died of hypothermia when their assault

253
00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:23.480
boats overturned.

254
00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:28.480
According to one infantry officer, the light
losses were thanks to the guns: "There was

255
00:21:30.290 --> 00:21:34.960
no real fight to it, the artillery had done
the job for us."

256
00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:39.960
(Prefer 166)
By the afternoon, there was no organized resistance

257
00:21:40.060 --> 00:21:42.640
facing the 30th Division.

258
00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:47.640
What was important now was getting heavier
bridges across the Rhine to allow supplies

259
00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:52.960
and tanks to get across to begin encircling
the Ruhr from the north.

260
00:21:53.760 --> 00:21:58.760
Armored engineers quickly got to work on the
bridges, including emergency repairs after

261
00:21:59.080 --> 00:22:04.080
a loose ferry loaded with a tank smashed nine
sections.

262
00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:09.220
The first truck in 30th Division's sector
drove across the 350m span just 9 hours after

263
00:22:11.520 --> 00:22:12.830
construction began.

264
00:22:12.830 --> 00:22:14.570
Sergeant One of the engineers working on the
railway bridge at Wesel was Sergeant Ralph

265
00:22:14.570 --> 00:22:15.570
Hamilton, who operated a heavy crane.

266
00:22:15.570 --> 00:22:19.600
The Allies had achieved the long-awaited crossing
of the northern Rhine, and it was proving

267
00:22:19.600 --> 00:22:22.890
far easier than they'd expected.

268
00:22:22.890 --> 00:22:27.890
By the end of the first day, the Anglo-American
bridgehead was 40km long and more than 10km

269
00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:31.640
deep.

270
00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:36.640
And the Allied troops on the ground were not
the only force driving the Germans back - the

271
00:22:37.450 --> 00:22:42.450
world's largest airborne assault was coming
down on them from above as well.

272
00:22:54.050 --> 00:22:59.050
Operation Varsity began around 10:00AM as
an armada of transport planes and towed gilders

273
00:22:59.450 --> 00:23:04.450
arrived over the Rhine: 1700 transport planes,
1348 gliders, and 900 fighters to escort them

274
00:23:09.040 --> 00:23:10.040
(Clark 300).

275
00:23:10.040 --> 00:23:14.540
Churchill was said to have gotten visibly
excited as they flew past, and American officer

276
00:23:14.540 --> 00:23:19.540
Gordon Griffin was just as impressed, as he
wrote to his wife Sallie: "Judging the morning

277
00:23:21.260 --> 00:23:25.890
through the smoke screen over the great river
watching the landing craft ply their units

278
00:23:25.890 --> 00:23:30.890
at ferry sites, seeing the ant-like engineers
swing their pontoons out into the slip stream,

279
00:23:32.360 --> 00:23:37.360
gaping at the endless parade of C-47s forging
in with their cargoes of paratroopers and

280
00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:43.210
gliders, rocking about in the concussion of
volley after volley of murderous allied artillery

281
00:23:43.310 --> 00:23:48.310
fire - war in the modern moment - old Mars
himself must have sat back and marvelled at

282
00:23:50.290 --> 00:23:52.700
the [maneuver]-like precision and perfections."

283
00:23:52.700 --> 00:23:57.700
Christoph Bergs: Among the paratroopers, the
airlanding contingent of Varsity operated

284
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.590
a great number of gliders - which offered
various advantages.

285
00:24:04.590 --> 00:24:09.590
For example, they kept a unit together and
thus reduced the risk of scattering men on

286
00:24:11.750 --> 00:24:13.380
the ground.

287
00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:18.380
Additional equipment could be carried, like
ammunition and supplies, jeeps, machine guns

288
00:24:21.290 --> 00:24:26.290
and even small artillery pieces - which
was not possible for the paratroopers.

289
00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:31.440
But this came at a cost, the more weight you
loaded into them - the more difficult and

290
00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:35.600
precarious the glider's handling became.

291
00:24:35.600 --> 00:24:39.390
However, there are some complexities involved
with gliders.

292
00:24:39.390 --> 00:24:44.390
First off, from an organizational standpoint,
planes must be reserved to tow the gliders.

293
00:24:45.419 --> 00:24:50.419
Furthermore, once released, the gliders only
have a limited time to find their landing

294
00:24:51.910 --> 00:24:56.910
zone - since, as the name implies, they
glide rather than fly on their own power.

295
00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:02.799
Release too high, and the gliders might be
stuck in the air for some time, where made

296
00:25:04.350 --> 00:25:07.370
very tempting targets for German AA gunners.

297
00:25:07.370 --> 00:25:12.370
In fact, of the gliders of the 6th Airlanding
Brigade, more than half were damaged by German

298
00:25:14.620 --> 00:25:19.620
AA - with the consequence of casualties
on board.

299
00:25:19.919 --> 00:25:24.919
At the same time, release too low and the
gliders might not have enough time to find

300
00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:32.210
a good landing spot.

301
00:25:32.210 --> 00:25:37.210
Collecting all the required men, material
and planes for Operation Varsity presented

302
00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:41.690
a real challenge, and even resulted in the
plan being downscaled at one point.

303
00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:46.000
To gather the requisite number of paratroopers,
some men who had already completed their tours

304
00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:50.950
were called back for the final operation.

305
00:25:50.950 --> 00:25:55.950
Overall, more than 1,600 planes and 1,300
gliders took part - escorted by another

306
00:25:58.360 --> 00:26:00.210
1,000 fighters.

307
00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:05.210
The Americans took off from bases west and
southwest of Paris, whereas the British and

308
00:26:07.410 --> 00:26:09.990
Canadians departed from the southeast of England.

309
00:26:09.990 --> 00:26:14.990
It took a full two hours for all planes and
gliders to be airborne.

310
00:26:16.450 --> 00:26:21.450
After taking off from different airfields,
the formation would slowly come together at

311
00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:27.900
designated waypoints.

312
00:26:28.070 --> 00:26:33.070
The Americans, British and Canadian forces
then rendezvoused near Brussels, from where

313
00:26:34.190 --> 00:26:39.190
it would continue together towards the drop
zones, following the predesignated navigational

314
00:26:39.929 --> 00:26:44.929
corridor in which Allied AA defenses were
forbidden to fire.

315
00:26:45.080 --> 00:26:50.080
That the entire operation came together at
all gives credit to the organizational planning,

316
00:26:54.430 --> 00:26:58.720
but also to the skill of the crews involved.

317
00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:03.720
Flying towards the German lines, the formation
was perhaps one of the most impressive aerial

318
00:27:05.040 --> 00:27:10.040
displays of the war, a formation that stretched
over 320 kilometers, taking 40 minutes to

319
00:27:12.350 --> 00:27:13.880
cross a single point.

320
00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:18.880
On the ground, Major-General James Gavin,
commander of the 82nd Airborne Division called

321
00:27:22.919 --> 00:27:27.440
it 'an awesome spectacle'.

322
00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:32.440
When dropping paratroopers into a designated
zone, pre-jump checks commence well before

323
00:27:33.179 --> 00:27:34.960
the actual jump.

324
00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:39.960
Once completed, the soldiers wait for the
signal, then jump as fast as possible to minimize

325
00:27:41.169 --> 00:27:45.910
the spread of the unit over the ground.

326
00:27:45.910 --> 00:27:50.720
Meanwhile, the plane decelerates as much as
possible to assist.

327
00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:52.520
Timing was crucial, and an average drop speed
was developed, based around the altitude and

328
00:27:52.520 --> 00:27:53.520
speed flown.

329
00:27:53.520 --> 00:27:57.559
As the drops occurred from relatively low
altitude, this further reduced the risk of

330
00:27:57.559 --> 00:28:02.559
soldiers becoming spread out and decreased
their time in their air, during which they

331
00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:06.200
were defenseless.

332
00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:11.200
Nevertheless, the risk of missing a drop zone
was always present and occurred during Operation

333
00:28:14.171 --> 00:28:16.120
Varsity.

334
00:28:16.120 --> 00:28:20.370
The drop itself took the Germans by complete
surprise and began nearly as soon as the planes

335
00:28:20.370 --> 00:28:25.370
had crossed the Rhine.

336
00:28:27.120 --> 00:28:32.120
A preliminary artillery bombardment, to suppress
German defenses and AA was cut short, as the

337
00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:40.309
British and Canadian planes came in a few
minutes early.

338
00:28:40.309 --> 00:28:45.309
By this point, the river crossing was in full
swing and smoke that had been deployed to

339
00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:48.520
cover it.

340
00:28:48.520 --> 00:28:53.020
This acted to partially obscure the landing
zones.

341
00:28:53.020 --> 00:28:58.020
Nevertheless, within minutes, the 3rd and
5th Parachute Brigade had landed and secured

342
00:28:59.650 --> 00:29:02.630
their position.

343
00:29:02.630 --> 00:29:07.630
Next were the Americans - who were less
fortunate than their British and Canadian

344
00:29:07.650 --> 00:29:09.490
counterparts.

345
00:29:09.490 --> 00:29:14.490
By now German AA defenses had become more
active and fired wildly at the incoming planes

346
00:29:17.370 --> 00:29:22.370
- causing more casualties in the air than
in the earlier wave.

347
00:29:23.230 --> 00:29:28.230
However, as the planes had passed and dropped
their men, German AA defenses quickly switched

348
00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:35.440
over to the more tempting targets: the gliders.

349
00:29:35.890 --> 00:29:40.890
British, Canadian, and American paratroopers
and glider-borne infantry landed in ten tightly

350
00:29:43.441 --> 00:29:48.441
drop zones around the village of Hamminkeln,
along the high ground above the river Issel.

351
00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:55.940
But even before they'd reached the ground,
German anti-aircraft fire began to take its

352
00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:58.179
toll.

353
00:29:58.179 --> 00:30:03.179
Fighter pilot Wallace King had a front-row
seat to the spectacle: "The sky was filled

354
00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.160
with flak...

355
00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:13.160
But the wave of cargo planes continued like
giant caterpillars crawling toward the raging

356
00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:15.960
inferno.

357
00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:20.960
From my position, it seemed like a horrendous
failure."

358
00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:25.960
(Fenelon 202) German Lieutenant Otto Leitner
observed the scene unfolding above him from

359
00:30:28.100 --> 00:30:33.100
his 20mm anti-aircraft battery on the ground:
"With so many aircraft it was difficult

360
00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:37.340
not to hit something.

361
00:30:37.340 --> 00:30:42.340
I ordered my men to keep firing in the hope
that by filling the sky with metal, some of

362
00:30:43.460 --> 00:30:45.240
it would do some damage."

363
00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:50.240
(Clark 307)
And some of it did.

364
00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:57.039
Although most of the troops landed close to
their objectives, dozens of planes were lost

365
00:30:57.130 --> 00:31:02.130
and some of the aircraft crash-landed with
devastating results.

366
00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:10.900
Harry Clarke of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Regiment recalled a gruesome scene: "At

367
00:31:13.090 --> 00:31:18.090
the front of one burning aircraft was its
pilot, still wearing his headphones, arms

368
00:31:18.740 --> 00:31:23.740
outstretched and forming the shape of a crucifix
in the flames."

369
00:31:23.780 --> 00:31:28.780
(Hastings 428) The fighting was small-scale
but intense, as evidenced by the two Medals

370
00:31:30.190 --> 00:31:34.990
of Honor and Victoria Cross won on this day.

371
00:31:34.990 --> 00:31:39.990
Like many others, the commanding officer of
the Canadian Parachute Battalion was killed

372
00:31:40.520 --> 00:31:44.500
when his parachute became hung up in a tree.

373
00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:49.500
US General William Miley landed under fire,
and got a machine gun into action before moving

374
00:31:51.360 --> 00:31:53.970
off to assume command.

375
00:31:53.970 --> 00:31:58.970
One of the gun's surprised crew remarked:
"We sure as hell had some goddamned high-price[d]

376
00:32:01.830 --> 00:32:02.830
help today."

377
00:32:02.830 --> 00:32:07.830
Fenelon 210
Once the Allied troops had gotten organized,

378
00:32:09.780 --> 00:32:14.490
they were usually able to overwhelm the outnumbered
German defenders.

379
00:32:14.490 --> 00:32:19.419
It helped that they'd brought an arsenal
of weapons with them in the gliders: jeeps,

380
00:32:19.419 --> 00:32:24.419
trucks, bulldozers, Bren Carriers, motorcycles,
mortars, anti-tank guns, a new anti-tank rifle

381
00:32:27.110 --> 00:32:31.299
, and even the M22 Locust light tank.

382
00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:36.299
Matthew Moss: US Airborne troops jumped into
the Rhineland armed with both the fixed stock

383
00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:42.750
M1 Carbine and the M1A1 with its folding stock.

384
00:32:42.750 --> 00:32:47.750
There had been calls for a folding stock version
of the M1 Carbine as early as the beginning

385
00:32:47.750 --> 00:32:48.750
of 1942.

386
00:32:48.750 --> 00:32:53.200
Once the M1A1 entered service its compact
size quickly made it popular with the airborne

387
00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:54.710
troops.

388
00:32:54.710 --> 00:32:59.039
Paratroops could jump with the carbine secured
in either a jump holster worn on the leg or

389
00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:01.520
a padded carbine drop pouch.

390
00:33:01.520 --> 00:33:05.400
The carbine could be carried with a magazine
loaded and as soon as troops landed they could

391
00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:07.920
take out the weapon, deploy the stock and
engage the enemy.

392
00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:12.900
Stuart Stryker of the 513th Parachute Infantry
Regiment was awarded the Medal of Honor for

393
00:33:12.900 --> 00:33:17.900
helping to rally his platoon when their attack
on a German defensive position began to flounder.

394
00:33:18.030 --> 00:33:22.690
His platoon was being badly raked by enemy
machine gun fire and unable to push forward.

395
00:33:22.690 --> 00:33:26.960
His Medal of Honor citation reads:
"Pfc.

396
00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:31.960
Stryker voluntarily left a place of comparative
safety, and, armed with a carbine, ran to

397
00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:34.420
the head of the unit.

398
00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:38.490
In full view of the enemy and under constant
fire, he exhorted the men to get to their

399
00:33:38.490 --> 00:33:40.659
feet and follow him.

400
00:33:40.659 --> 00:33:44.620
Inspired by his fearlessness, they rushed
after him in a desperate charge through an

401
00:33:44.620 --> 00:33:49.140
increased hail of bullets"
He charged forward, firing his carbine as

402
00:33:49.140 --> 00:33:53.600
he ran inspiring the men around him, but was
cut down by enemy fire before he reached his

403
00:33:53.600 --> 00:33:54.600
objective.

404
00:33:54.600 --> 00:33:59.600
The carbines were carried by paratroops, artillerymen,
drivers and even generals - with 17 Airborne

405
00:34:00.360 --> 00:34:04.429
Division's commander Major General William
Miley carrying one, which he put to good use

406
00:34:04.429 --> 00:34:07.500
when his jeep was ambushed on the night of
the 24 March.

407
00:34:07.500 --> 00:34:12.500
While its small calibre ammunition limited
its range compared to the M1 rifle, the handy

408
00:34:13.990 --> 00:34:17.649
M1A1 became an iconic weapon of the US airborne
forces.

409
00:34:17.649 --> 00:34:22.649
Jesse Alexander: The town of Hamminkeln fell
relatively easily, but tragedy struck all

410
00:34:23.089 --> 00:34:28.089
the same when the church where the British
had gathered local residents was hit by German

411
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:31.859
artillery and several were killed.

412
00:34:31.859 --> 00:34:36.859
One of the toughest fights in the British
zones was Landing Zone O, where the Ox and

413
00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:42.119
Bucks Regiment came under intense pressure
after taking a bridge over the Issel.

414
00:34:44.169 --> 00:34:49.169
General Blaskowitz sent in his last armored
reserve, the 116th Panzer Division, and the

415
00:34:50.409 --> 00:34:54.519
Brits had no answer to the German tanks at
first.

416
00:34:54.519 --> 00:34:59.519
They even ended up blowing the bridge they
had just captured hours before, as the German

417
00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:05.099
tanks drove straight through the Landing Zone
shooting up the stranded gliders, many of

418
00:35:05.749 --> 00:35:08.460
which still had wounded men inside.

419
00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:13.460
A neighbouring unit eventually knocked out
the tank, and it wasn't until the next morning

420
00:35:14.609 --> 00:35:17.829
that the British were able to regain full
control.

421
00:35:17.829 --> 00:35:19.970
Matthew Moss: During Operation Varsity U.S
airborne forces brought with them a pair of

422
00:35:19.970 --> 00:35:20.970
formidable new anti-tank weapons: The Recoilless
Rifle and the Bazooka.

423
00:35:20.970 --> 00:35:22.640
During Operation Varsity U.S airborne forces
brought with them a pair of formidable new

424
00:35:22.640 --> 00:35:27.200
anti-tank weapons: The Recoilless Rifle and
the Bazooka.

425
00:35:27.200 --> 00:35:31.809
The Bazooka - or Rocket Launcher - initially
entered service in 1942, it used a rocket

426
00:35:31.809 --> 00:35:35.809
to deliver an explosive warhead which could
penetrate enemy armour.

427
00:35:35.809 --> 00:35:40.650
This is an improved version, the M9A1, which
could be broken down into two pieces to make

428
00:35:40.650 --> 00:35:42.430
it easier to carry.

429
00:35:42.430 --> 00:35:47.430
It had an optical reflecting ring sight and
could fire its 2.36in rocket up to 275 metres.

430
00:35:48.660 --> 00:35:52.260
But you had to hit the tank in the right place
for it to have the desired effect.

431
00:35:52.260 --> 00:35:56.110
Like all of the anti-tank weapons used by
the infantry on both sides, it could also

432
00:35:56.110 --> 00:35:59.539
be used against buildings and defensive positions.

433
00:35:59.539 --> 00:36:01.319
During the Varsity landings SSgt.

434
00:36:01.319 --> 00:36:05.890
Victor Miller, of the Glider Pilot Regiment,
was taking cover in a shell crater and was

435
00:36:05.890 --> 00:36:09.069
surprised to see a soldier stood over him
with an unusual weapon - he wrote later:

436
00:36:09.069 --> 00:36:13.481
"He was carrying a long tubular weapon over
his shoulder... it struck me... it was one

437
00:36:13.481 --> 00:36:16.489
of the American paratroopers with a Bazooka."

438
00:36:16.489 --> 00:36:20.450
Miller was pinned down by fire from a nearby
farm, the American with the rocket launcher

439
00:36:20.450 --> 00:36:23.440
worked his way within range of the barn - Miller
recalled:

440
00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:27.509
"I saw him aim the unwieldy contraption
at the building.

441
00:36:27.509 --> 00:36:30.059
Next second came a roaring explosion.

442
00:36:30.059 --> 00:36:32.099
Smoke and flame enveloped the outhouse.

443
00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:36.670
The building burned steadily and soon I heard
the crackle of exploding small arms ammunition..."

444
00:36:36.670 --> 00:36:40.869
The enemy fire from the building ceased and
the advance of the allied airborne troops

445
00:36:40.869 --> 00:36:41.869
continued.

446
00:36:41.869 --> 00:36:43.519
U.S. paratroops also brought with them another
new anti-tank weapon - the Recoilless Rifle.

447
00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:48.519
This example here is a 75mm M20, this along
with its little brother of the 57mm M18 - were

448
00:36:50.469 --> 00:36:53.009
used for the first time during Varsity.

449
00:36:53.009 --> 00:36:56.890
On seeing the recoilless rifles demonstrated
for the first time the 17th Airborne Division's

450
00:36:56.890 --> 00:37:00.809
commander Major General William M. Miley was
said to be impressed and extremely anxious

451
00:37:00.809 --> 00:37:05.809
to get as many of the guns to his men as possible
before the drop.

452
00:37:10.460 --> 00:37:15.460
Jesse Alexander: While the British were capturing
their objectives in the northern landing zones,

453
00:37:25.670 --> 00:37:28.060
American units were landing to their south.

454
00:37:28.060 --> 00:37:33.060
None of the fierce actions on March 24 was
more dramatic than the storming of Diersfordt

455
00:37:33.609 --> 00:37:38.609
Castle by the 507th US Parachute Infantry
Regiment.

456
00:37:40.599 --> 00:37:45.599
The 507th had been assigned Drop Zone W, just
south of the Diersfordt Forest, and things

457
00:37:47.710 --> 00:37:49.990
did not start well.

458
00:37:49.990 --> 00:37:54.990
At 9:48AM, 1st Battalion jumped from their
C-47s.

459
00:37:55.859 --> 00:38:00.859
Colonel Edson Raff described his first moments
on German soil: "I landed in the chicken

460
00:38:03.589 --> 00:38:05.680
yard behind one of the homes.

461
00:38:05.680 --> 00:38:09.989
There were no chickens, since they had all
been eaten.

462
00:38:09.989 --> 00:38:14.989
The loneliness was numbing as there wasn't
another paratrooper in sight."

463
00:38:18.710 --> 00:38:23.710
The men quickly joined into two groups and
overcame the German defenders.

464
00:38:24.339 --> 00:38:29.339
But after interrogating freshly taken prisoners,
the Americans realised they were about 2.5km

465
00:38:30.349 --> 00:38:35.349
away from one of the regiment's objectives,
the Diersfordt Castle.

466
00:38:37.180 --> 00:38:42.180
Raff had identified the chateau as a likely
German command post, and now he resolved to

467
00:38:42.710 --> 00:38:47.130
take it on the way to meeting up with the
rest of the regiment.

468
00:38:47.130 --> 00:38:52.130
The first priority was a nearby German battery
of 105mm guns that was firing on the Scots

469
00:38:54.289 --> 00:38:56.549
who had crossed the river.

470
00:38:56.549 --> 00:39:01.549
The Americans were able to sneak up on the
German gunners and scatter them in minutes.

471
00:39:01.690 --> 00:39:06.690
They then dropped phosphorus grenades down
the barrels to put the guns out of action

472
00:39:06.950 --> 00:39:10.069
for good.

473
00:39:10.069 --> 00:39:15.069
After ambushing a squad of Germans approaching
them on bicycle, Raff's force moved along

474
00:39:15.170 --> 00:39:18.530
the edge of the forest towards the castle.

475
00:39:18.530 --> 00:39:23.530
A Company captured a German 81mm mortar position
on the edge of the wood where they could see

476
00:39:24.359 --> 00:39:26.530
Diersfordt Castle.

477
00:39:26.530 --> 00:39:31.530
But the intense defensive fire from the castle
stopped them, and destroyed their only machine

478
00:39:32.150 --> 00:39:33.150
gun.

479
00:39:33.150 --> 00:39:38.150
Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had dropped right
on target at Flürenfeld , although 17 men

480
00:39:38.911 --> 00:39:43.911
were killed when one transport plane was shot
down.

481
00:39:44.229 --> 00:39:46.559
The Hegmanns family lived on the edge of the
field where the Americans were landing.

482
00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:51.249
The family took shelter in the basement, while
German officers used the house as a command

483
00:39:51.249 --> 00:39:52.249
post.

484
00:39:52.249 --> 00:39:53.249
Young Bernhardine and Maria recalled the tension:
"[The Captain] said to our mother: 'Mrs.

485
00:39:53.249 --> 00:39:54.249
Hegmanns, if you come up I'll have to shoot
you.'"

486
00:39:54.249 --> 00:39:56.440
(Nitrowski 281) Within minutes, the Americans
had secured the field -- Private George Peters

487
00:39:56.440 --> 00:40:00.859
posthumously received the Medal of Honor in
this action for storming a machine gun post

488
00:40:00.859 --> 00:40:05.859
on his own . The Americans also occupied the
Hegmanns home, where they found eight US paratroopers

489
00:40:07.079 --> 00:40:12.079
in the yard, each shot in the back of the
head.

490
00:40:12.089 --> 00:40:17.089
3rd Battalion was dropped about 450m east
of their target, and had to fight its way

491
00:40:19.390 --> 00:40:23.749
west, since it was originally supposed to
take the castle.

492
00:40:23.749 --> 00:40:28.749
As the men moved through the forest, a dug-in
German tank fired on them but they were able

493
00:40:29.230 --> 00:40:34.230
to knock it out by putting a mortar round
through the thinly-armored turret hatch.

494
00:40:34.369 --> 00:40:39.369
They reached the castle just after 1st Battalion's
A Company had been turned back in their first

495
00:40:40.459 --> 00:40:44.099
attempt at taking the castle.

496
00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:48.519
The castle was defended by Grenadiers of the
84th Division.

497
00:40:48.519 --> 00:40:53.450
Even though the castle was built more for
show than for defence, it was still a challenging

498
00:40:53.450 --> 00:40:57.390
objective for a force lacking heavy weapons.

499
00:40:57.390 --> 00:41:02.390
It was surrounded by open fields on two sides,
and by a shallow moat.

500
00:41:03.290 --> 00:41:08.290
The manor and church were protected by several
sturdy outbuildings, one of which blocked

501
00:41:08.380 --> 00:41:10.219
the approach from the forest.

502
00:41:10.219 --> 00:41:15.219
Still, an embankment on the edge of the wood
was the best starting point to launch the

503
00:41:15.709 --> 00:41:20.709
attack against the complex, which was now
partly on fire.

504
00:41:21.779 --> 00:41:26.779
As the Americans were organizing around noon,
the German fire intensified, and a lone German

505
00:41:27.920 --> 00:41:29.839
tank appeared.

506
00:41:29.839 --> 00:41:34.839
Private Ivey Hutchison rushed towards it and
knocked it out with a British Gammon grenade,

507
00:41:35.119 --> 00:41:38.390
forcing the crew to bail out and surrender.

508
00:41:38.390 --> 00:41:43.390
A second tank then drove out, but it too was
destroyed in the first-ever combat use of

509
00:41:45.250 --> 00:41:48.890
the M18 recoilless anti-tank rifle.

510
00:41:48.890 --> 00:41:53.890
The crew tried to run back to the castle but
were mown down by American machine guns.

511
00:41:56.490 --> 00:42:00.289
At 1:00PM, the final attack went in.

512
00:42:00.289 --> 00:42:05.289
A Company provided covering fire, while two
companies of 3rd Battalion moved in around

513
00:42:06.459 --> 00:42:09.369
the northeast corner by the church.

514
00:42:09.369 --> 00:42:14.369
The attack was a success, and within minutes
only the main castle remained in German hands.

515
00:42:17.160 --> 00:42:22.160
One wall of the church collapsed, and luckily
did not harm the 60 civilians sheltering in

516
00:42:23.270 --> 00:42:24.599
its cellar.

517
00:42:24.599 --> 00:42:28.660
One of the two Polish forced laborers who
had worked there began screaming at her former

518
00:42:28.660 --> 00:42:32.170
employer that his time had now come.

519
00:42:32.170 --> 00:42:37.170
The Count who owned the castle had ordered
white flags hung from its windows but the

520
00:42:37.380 --> 00:42:40.359
German officers inside ignored them.

521
00:42:40.359 --> 00:42:43.490
Sergeant Ricky Richards led the storming of
the main building: "The German position

522
00:42:43.490 --> 00:42:44.490
was pretty hopeless and it wasn't long before
they were surrendering.

523
00:42:44.490 --> 00:42:45.490
But not all gave up easily.

524
00:42:45.490 --> 00:42:46.490
[...] A couple of Germans drove our guys off
a stone stairway with Schmeisser fire, dodging

525
00:42:46.490 --> 00:42:47.490
from behind columns to let rip as we tried
to get up to them."

526
00:42:47.490 --> 00:42:50.039
(Clark 320) Soon only the tower remained in
German hands.

527
00:42:50.039 --> 00:42:55.039
The Americans now sent in the Count, and then
local resident Herr Tinnefeld, to negotiate

528
00:42:56.059 --> 00:42:59.700
a surrender, but the defenders opened fire.

529
00:42:59.700 --> 00:43:04.700
US Sergeant Bill Consolvo recalled what happened
next: "One of our paratroopers jumped out

530
00:43:07.160 --> 00:43:12.160
from his position and threw a white phosphorus
grenade into an open window.

531
00:43:12.539 --> 00:43:17.539
A German Colonel who was in command of the
castle suffered severe burns.

532
00:43:18.540 --> 00:43:23.239
Now that their commander was out of the fight,
the German soldiers didn't fight as hard

533
00:43:23.239 --> 00:43:25.220
and soon surrendered.

534
00:43:25.220 --> 00:43:27.490
The castle was ours."

535
00:43:27.490 --> 00:43:32.490
(Nitrowski 286) Other sources say the surrender
was forced by American artillery fire the

536
00:43:35.130 --> 00:43:40.130
paratroopers called in, but in any case the
Stars and Stripes were flying above the ruined

537
00:43:41.029 --> 00:43:42.829
chateau by 2:00PM.

538
00:43:42.829 --> 00:43:47.829
Allied troops were now firmly across the river,
and the airborne attack had achieved its objectives

539
00:43:49.599 --> 00:43:50.599
as well.

540
00:43:50.599 --> 00:43:55.599
Although Varsity had done what it set out
to do, it has had its critics.

541
00:43:55.740 --> 00:43:59.400
Some have questioned whether the heavy losses
had been worth it.

542
00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:04.400
The paratroopers, glider infantry and aircrew
certainly suffered: nearly 3000 killed and

543
00:44:06.539 --> 00:44:11.539
wounded, 51 transport aircraft lost, 400 damaged,
and 15 heavy bombers shot down while dropping

544
00:44:15.940 --> 00:44:18.270
supplies.

545
00:44:18.270 --> 00:44:22.359
Most of the gliders used ended as wrecks (Hastings
425 and Chris).

546
00:44:22.359 --> 00:44:27.359
Losses were increased because many American
pilots had never flown with paratroopers before,

547
00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:33.559
and the drop was in broad daylight, which
made easy targets of the aircraft and men.

548
00:44:35.750 --> 00:44:40.750
Historian Charles Macdonald wrote that Varsity
helped, but was not necessary: "Although

549
00:44:42.529 --> 00:44:47.450
the objectives assigned the [airborne] divisions
were legitimate, they were objectives that

550
00:44:47.450 --> 00:44:52.450
ground troops alone under existing circumstances
should have been able to take without undue

551
00:44:53.569 --> 00:44:58.069
difficulty and probably with considerably
fewer casualties."

552
00:44:58.069 --> 00:44:59.579
(Prefer 179)

553
00:44:59.579 --> 00:45:04.579
Others, including General Eisenhower, have
defended the operation, arguing that the drops

554
00:45:05.160 --> 00:45:10.160
were more accurate than in previous airborne
battles, new technology employed proved its

555
00:45:10.529 --> 00:45:14.069
worth, and that the troops were successful.

556
00:45:14.069 --> 00:45:19.069
General Ridgway was convinced of his paratroopers'
contribution to the victory: "The airborne

557
00:45:21.250 --> 00:45:26.250
drop was of such depth that all enemy artillery
and rear defensive positions were included

558
00:45:27.799 --> 00:45:32.799
and destroyed, reducing in one day a position
that might have taken many days to reduce

559
00:45:34.440 --> 00:45:35.979
by ground attack alone."

560
00:45:35.979 --> 00:45:40.979
(Prefer 179) The debate remains: Varsity has
been called a waste of airplane fuel; and

561
00:45:44.339 --> 00:45:49.339
it has been called the greatest airborne operation
in history.

562
00:45:49.410 --> 00:45:54.410
Once Allied troops had gained a solid bridgehead
across the river, weak German counterattacks

563
00:45:54.680 --> 00:45:59.680
could do nothing to threaten it.

564
00:46:00.739 --> 00:46:05.739
British and Canadian ground forces linked
up with the airborne troops on March 25, and

565
00:46:06.359 --> 00:46:09.309
pushed north and east.

566
00:46:09.309 --> 00:46:14.309
Churchill insisted on crossing the River himself
as soon as possible, even though it was still

567
00:46:15.099 --> 00:46:18.140
in range of German guns.

568
00:46:18.140 --> 00:46:23.140
After a brief walk on the east bank, a shell
exploded in the area, which caused nervous

569
00:46:23.519 --> 00:46:28.519
officers and aides to urge the Prime Minister
to return to safety.

570
00:46:29.150 --> 00:46:34.150
General Alan Brooke remarked on Churchill's
mood while under fire: "I honestly believe

571
00:46:36.109 --> 00:46:41.109
that he would have liked to be killed on the
front at this moment of success.

572
00:46:41.369 --> 00:46:46.369
He had often told me that the way to die is
to pass out fighting when your blood is up

573
00:46:46.769 --> 00:46:48.339
and you feel nothing."

574
00:46:48.339 --> 00:46:51.660
(Hastings 431)

575
00:46:51.660 --> 00:46:56.660
The vast majority of Allied soldiers, on the
other hand, had no wish to die, especially

576
00:46:57.400 --> 00:46:59.880
now that the war was nearing its end.

577
00:46:59.880 --> 00:47:04.880
By March 28, the Germans were only able to
offer isolated pockets of resistance and Allied

578
00:47:07.029 --> 00:47:11.349
troops and tanks were moving steadily north
and east.

579
00:47:11.349 --> 00:47:16.349
British intelligence was convinced the end
of the war in the West had come: "This is

580
00:47:18.589 --> 00:47:20.319
the collapse.

581
00:47:20.319 --> 00:47:25.319
The enemy no longer has a coherent system
of defence between the Rhine and the Elbe.

582
00:47:25.739 --> 00:47:30.739
It is difficult to see what there is to stop
us now."

583
00:47:32.180 --> 00:47:37.180
(Atkinson 567) 19-year-old German prisoner
of war Paul Gerber agreed: "Didn't the

584
00:47:42.749 --> 00:47:47.749
generals realize what we were facing, that
we could not win the war?

585
00:47:48.259 --> 00:47:52.670
The Rhine had been crossed and, by the look
of things, the British were in a position

586
00:47:52.670 --> 00:47:54.880
to carry on to berlin!

587
00:47:54.880 --> 00:47:59.880
I already knew that we would lose the war,
but now I knew that we would lose it very

588
00:48:01.660 --> 00:48:02.660
soon."

589
00:48:02.660 --> 00:48:03.660
(Clark 302)

590
00:48:03.660 --> 00:48:06.310
With a mixture of speed and caution, Allied
and Soviet armies moved to complete the conquest

591
00:48:06.310 --> 00:48:07.310
of the once-mighty German Reich from east
and west.

592
00:48:07.310 --> 00:48:08.310
The last town on the Lower Rhine to fall was
Emmerich, taken by the Canadians - my grandfather

593
00:48:08.310 --> 00:48:09.310
among them.

594
00:48:09.310 --> 00:48:10.940
They then moved into German-occupied Holland,
while the British advanced through Hamburg

595
00:48:10.940 --> 00:48:14.209
to cut off Denmark from the Red Army.

596
00:48:14.209 --> 00:48:19.209
The Americans encircled the Ruhr, then continued
through central and southern Germany.

597
00:48:19.450 --> 00:48:24.450
Simpson's 9th Army ended up establishing
a bridgehead across the Elbe at Magdeburg

598
00:48:25.190 --> 00:48:30.190
in relative distance to the Soviet Berlin
operations that had just begun..

599
00:48:32.209 --> 00:48:37.209
For Dutch civilians, the end of the Rhineland
campaign meant liberation after five years

600
00:48:38.269 --> 00:48:39.720
of Nazi rule.

601
00:48:39.720 --> 00:48:44.720
Louis Venhorst had previously been a forced
labourer, but was at home in Megchelen when

602
00:48:45.930 --> 00:48:50.930
Allied troops arrived March 28: "Five German
soldiers had crawled into our basement.

603
00:48:53.439 --> 00:48:58.079
[...] Herman (Who?) decided to go over to
the English soldiers and tell them there were

604
00:48:58.079 --> 00:49:00.059
Germans in our cellar.

605
00:49:00.059 --> 00:49:04.769
He took a stick, put the white curtain from
our front door on it and [walked over to the

606
00:49:04.769 --> 00:49:09.769
Englishmen]....Herman came back and told the
Germans they should follow him and were expected.

607
00:49:12.809 --> 00:49:17.390
The German commander said 'It's over,
we're quitting," and they climbed out

608
00:49:17.390 --> 00:49:22.390
of the cellar [...]Then some Canadians came
and set up a field kitchen in our yard.

609
00:49:23.809 --> 00:49:26.630
Then, we had enough to eat."

610
00:49:26.630 --> 00:49:28.910
(Stichting Dwangarbeiders Venhorst)

611
00:49:28.910 --> 00:49:33.910
The final defeat of the Germany army in the
West that had begun in February in the Reichswald

612
00:49:34.049 --> 00:49:39.049
was now complete, and millions of German soldiers
became prisoners of war - far more than

613
00:49:40.979 --> 00:49:44.549
the Allies could handle at once.

614
00:49:44.549 --> 00:49:49.549
American authorities kept about 1 million
Germans in 17 Prisoner of War Transient Enclosures,

615
00:49:52.199 --> 00:49:55.799
known in German as Rheinwiesenlager.

616
00:49:55.799 --> 00:50:00.799
For up to 9 weeks, prisoners were held in
muddy, open fields enclosed with barbed wire

617
00:50:02.630 --> 00:50:05.969
before being transferred to proper camps.

618
00:50:05.969 --> 00:50:10.969
The men lived in holes in the ground, food
and water were in short supply, and disease

619
00:50:11.499 --> 00:50:12.650
was rampant.

620
00:50:12.650 --> 00:50:17.650
Oberstleutnant Kurt Nacken was there: "It
was an endless field, surrounded by barbed

621
00:50:20.390 --> 00:50:22.170
wire.

622
00:50:22.170 --> 00:50:27.170
Everywhere there were holes in the earth,
out which rose the bluish smoke of campfires.

623
00:50:27.709 --> 00:50:32.709
The [new prisoners] stood in deep mud, wearing
sacks on their heads, and just stared blankly

624
00:50:35.900 --> 00:50:37.719
at their surroundings.

625
00:50:37.719 --> 00:50:40.969
I think my heart stood still.

626
00:50:40.969 --> 00:50:45.969
I didn't think I would ever survive such
a thing; I had never been so hopeless in my

627
00:50:47.920 --> 00:50:52.920
life."

628
00:50:53.509 --> 00:50:58.509
Before long, improvements like tents, better
medical care, and more food were put into

629
00:50:59.739 --> 00:51:04.739
place, but for the Germans in the enclosures
the experience had been harrowing.

630
00:51:05.289 --> 00:51:10.289
According to available statistics for 6 of
the camps, about 1% of prisoners died.

631
00:51:13.140 --> 00:51:18.140
One prisoner asked an American officer why
they were being treated this way, and received

632
00:51:18.999 --> 00:51:23.999
a brief answer: "So you never feel like
playing soldiers again."

633
00:51:31.160 --> 00:51:36.160
Most of the Allied troops had had enough of
soldiering , and wanted to get home as soon

634
00:51:36.349 --> 00:51:37.849
as possible.

635
00:51:37.849 --> 00:51:42.849
For now, a tense co-existence with German
civilians would have to do - perhaps this

636
00:51:44.559 --> 00:51:49.559
was on the minds of the American paratroopers
who left a note in the Pastor's guest book

637
00:51:50.130 --> 00:51:55.130
in Diersfordt: "Thanks for your hospitality,
sorry for the plunder."

638
00:51:55.910 --> 00:52:00.910
(nitrowski 285).

639
00:52:01.470 --> 00:52:04.479
Under the message was a V for victory.

640
00:52:04.479 --> 00:52:09.479
As the fighting came to a close, many men
could finally think about what came next.

641
00:52:10.210 --> 00:52:15.160
As one Canadian officer put it: "When you've
seen your friends blown to bits around you

642
00:52:15.160 --> 00:52:20.160
it makes you think that the post-war world
... better be good!" (cook 403) One of the

643
00:52:22.300 --> 00:52:27.300
first things my grandfather James did when
he got home was visit the family of a friend

644
00:52:27.599 --> 00:52:32.599
who'd been killed, so I imagine he felt
the same way as that Canadian officer.

645
00:52:33.180 --> 00:52:38.180
His life was one of the millions changed forever
by the last battle of WW2 in the west, the

646
00:52:40.150 --> 00:52:41.079
Battle of the Rhineland.