At the beginning of February 1945 Dick was still at Izegem in Belgium, billeted with the lovely Sintobin-Anne family. The Regiment he had fought with in France, Belgium and the Netherlands was in process of disbandment after separation from its Division, the 50th Northumberland (now a training unit back in England) and a brief 'reprieve' to fight the German Ardennes offensive.
Gradually some of his comrades left on leave or to other units. Tony Rampling, a gunner in Dick’s No 5 Troop, who had landed in Normandy with him, joined his brother in the 4th Armoured Division (the tanks of the ‘Black Rats’ were famous for their fighting in the Western Desert). Exceptionally, all Dick’s troop had survived since D Day and the loss of that comradeship forged under fire was a bitter experience.
In Eric Postles’ 10 troop only six of the eighteen originals who had landed in June 1944 survived to February 1945. Eric was sent back to 'the Island' to join the 49th Division wearing the white rose of Yorkshire - and him a Lancashire man!
Dick and the rest of his troop were assigned to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment with five other officers and nearly 150 ‘other ranks’ from 61st Recce. The 52nd ‘Lowland Scottish’ Division ironically wore a mountain symbol and had been trained for mountain combat to invade Norway and then an airborne role in Operation Market Garden. 52nd Recce arrived separately in France in September 1944 to form part of the ground troops in Market Garden, working with the 101st Airborne (and 61st Recce) to defend 'Hell's Highway' and reach ‘the Island’ next to Arnhem. Re-joining the Division they contributed to the vital work of First Canadian Army clearing the Scheldt Estuary and restoring access to the port of Antwerp. In December 1944 52nd Lowland were at Schinveld (close to the German border, north-east of Maastricht) defending the right flank of British 2nd Army during the Ardennes offensive. Then in January they advanced into Germany as part of Operation Blackcock to clear the Roer triangle (between the Maas/Meuse and the Roer rivers, south of their confluence at Roermond) and take the German town of Heinsberg, before returning to Schinveld. On 7th February they moved north to Boxmeer, near the German border south of Nijmegen, where Montgomery was assembling his forces ready for Operation Veritable.
from 52nd (Lowland) Division's souvenir map of the North-West Europe campaign
The 61st Reconnaissance Regiment officially broke up on 5th February 1945. Since landing on D day, or soon after, the Regiment had accounted for at least 5,000 of the enemy, taking 4,000 as prisoners. The Commander of 50th Division, Major-General Graham, wrote to thank them: “They have been simply magnificient, and although their battle history is not long…it has been glorious… When much that has happened in this war is forgotten, the memory of your deeds will remain.”
On 6th February Dick at last managed to see his brother Bryn at Bourg Leopold/Leopoldsburg in Belgium, while en route to meet his new regiment. He sent a brief letter to Chotie, trying to arrange leave, and arrived at Boxmeer to join the 52nd on Wednesday 7th February. Operation Veritable began the next morning with “the largest artillery barrage yet laid down in the NW Europe campaign” (Carl Shilleto in ‘The Fighting 52nd Recce’, Eskdale Publishing 2000).
Monty’s plan was for the Canadian 1st Army, including British XXX Corps, to advance south and east from Nijmegan and Boxmeer to take the Reichswald Forest area between the Meuse/Maas and the Rhine in 3 or 4 days. Meanwhile in ‘Operation Grenade’ the US 9th Army was to cross the Roer River and swing north, capturing German forces in a pincer movement with Operation Veritable. The British and Canadians met firm and bloody resistance from the German Field Parachute Army (the elite Fallschirmjäger), rapidly re-inforced by veteran panzer forces from the Ardennes, while the Americans' Operation Grenade was delayed for two weeks when the Germans released water from the Roer river dams to create an impassable flood. The city of Kleve/Cleves (east of Nijmegan), reduced to ruins by RAF bombing, was finally captured in Operation Veritable on 12th February.
Initially 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment were held at Boxmeer. Dick was placed in ‘C’ Squadron at Sambeek (immediately south of Boxmeer) and had an “Easy time with vehicles. Nothing much doing". Sandy Handley returned from home leave in Dover to join Dick’s new No. 15 Troop and became Dick’s batman (soldier-servant). He was also a Gunner/Operator in a heavy Daimler armoured car while Don Aiken became a Driver/Operator in a two man light armoured Daimler (the Daimler Scout Car or ‘Dingo’).
On 13th and 14th February the 52nd Recce area suffered some spasmodic shelling. Patrols were carried out in assault boats due to the local flooding. Dick wrote to Chotie on a page of lined paper on Wednesday 14th February:
‘C’ Squadron.
52nd (L) Div Recce Regt, BLA.
Wednesday Feb 14th
Chotie Darling,
Sorry I have to write on this stuff, but it’s all I have at the moment. I hope to get some more writing-paper tomorrow. I received two letters from you yesterday, dated the 2nd and 8th respectively – both very welcome. Reference the photos, I think you must be losing your sense of proportion – the moustachio effect, probably being a chiaroscuro* trick, I expect.
I’ve just rushed out to see a dog-fight that’s going on overhead. You should bring your gun** out here – there’s plenty to shoot at. 109’s*** have been milling around here all day.
This regiment isn’t too bad on the whole – most of the Other Ranks being Scots, but happily most of the officers are English. I can’t discuss how I happened to come here in writing but will give you the griff on my leave (always provided you can make it yourself.) The date still stands at March 1st or a little later.
I’ve had two letters from the Sintobins since I left. They’re a wonderful family. Change pens! They also sent a tin of marvellous biscuits, a speciality of theirs. I hope to get another photo of the whole family from them shortly.
I’ve also got a photo of all the officers of my old crowd which I’ll let you have – but it’s not worth sending from here seeing that I’ll be home in a fortnight or so.
After some four months trying I managed to contact Bryn on my way to join this regiment. We managed a night together at an Officers Club. Very pleasant as you can well imagine. He’s altered a lot and seems much quieter – though perhaps it was just my idea.
Well, my darling there’s no news to tell you. Please write soon to let me know whether you can make it for the 1st or 2nd.
Auf wiedersehen, Liebling,
(which means ‘So long, baby’)
All my love
Dicker
*the use of strong light and dark in two-dimensional art to achieve a sense of volume and depth.
**a reference to the anti-aircraft gun Chotie was responsible for siting on targets.
***German fighting aircraft – the Messerschmidt Bf 109.
© Chotie Darling
The next day 52nd (Lowland Reconnaissance Regiment) joined the advance of Operation Veritable, crossing the Meuse/Maas and arriving at Gennep on the 16th. Dick’s ‘C’ Squadron moved south towards Afferden but were held up at a road block – a large crater with flooding either side, defended by four machine gun posts. Sergeant Walter Everson was killed when the Germans opened fire. ‘C’ Squadron patrolled all night but the enemy withdrew so they moved into Afferden to secure the road running east from the town. Here the regiment was held up by a flooded anti-tank ditch, a western arm of the Siegfried line (Germany’s famous Westernwall defences), guarded at the east end by a Dutch castle, Kasteel Bleijenbeek. The Recce were ordered to clear enemy resistance here but astute patrolling revealed the area was heavily populated with German troops and Captain Hathaway of ‘A’ Squadron resisted the order averting heavy losses. Subsequently two Divisional attacks were sent in but failed to cross the ditch or take the Kasteel.
52nd Recce, now responsible for Afferden, were stuck here subject to mortars, shells, snipers and counter-attacks until the end of February. Casualties mounted steadily and communication between the squadrons and frozen, dirt-covered troops sheltering in their fox-holes was often lost. Amazingly the Padre, Captain Bradley and a Salvation Army truck driver made it to the front-line bringing tea and cigarettes. Between the dug-outs it was “Crawl or RIP” in the areas constantly under observation. It must have reminded Dick and his troop of Briquessard but much colder with fog, floods and mud all round instead of dust.
On 21st February skies cleared and the RAF bombed the Kasteel, reducing it to a ruin (in the end it had been manned by just 15 paratroopers). XXX Corps captured the remains of the city of Goch, east of Afferden and Gennep, the next day. On 23rd February the floods along the Roer had receded sufficiently for the US 9th Army to cross the river and proceed with Operation Grenade. The Canadian Army began a fresh attack along the Hochwald Forest ridge towards Xanten (Operation Blockbuster). Operation Veritable had taken two weeks to achieve its initial objectives at a cost of 6,000 casualties.
Dick, however, was out of the fighting for a while – at last he had home leave. He arrived at Bourg Leopold on Monday 26th, spent a couple of days with Bryn and headed for Calais to cross the Channel. This was his first time back in England since June 1944. His diary entry for 28th February simply says “Arrived home on leave.” Chotie received a telegram from his father “RICHARD AT PAGHAM”.
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