Sgtleo Here

:evillaugh: :evillaugh:

Operation Varsity - The "Jump" into Wesel Germany

Prior to Operation Varsity when the 17th AB Div. jumped into Wesel, Germany we were pulled back to provide security and join them at one of their camps. Simple rule - Nobody comes in and Nobody goes out per Gen. Miley the CG of the 17th.

At one of the roads leading to the camp, we had set up a substantial road block that even obscured the road itself. We were roughly two miles from nowhere but there were farmers etc around and the CG didn't want them getting nosy. We were not even allowed to go into the town for any reason. We were told some of the locals had been very friendly with the Krauts.

One day a 1st LT. comes down the road in a jeep and tells us that he was going into town for a little fun with a wink-wink of his eye. I told him what the CG had said but he said as a Commissioned Officer he was excluded from this rule. Sorry he was told but if you try to go through you will be shot. Then the cussing started on both sides.

He was so angry he didn't see another jeep with a Bird Col. and driver pull up. Bird asks what is problem so I told him and he tells me that is what I had heard back at camp. Your threat of shooting him is to be carried out or if he gets out I'll shoot you Sgt. The 1st Lt. was ordered to follow the Bird back to camp like a pup with his tail between his legs.

The irony of this whole situation is that Axis Sally let it out that they knew about the 17th and we heard this so we knew that they knew an operation was in the offing BUT they didn't know when or where. They also didn't know that the Brit 6th AB Div. was to be part of the operation probably because they were back in the UK for refitting and remanning.

Some of our men got a ride on a C-47 practice run but when the Paras stood one of them in the open door of the plane and were just holding his arms all further offers were refused.

With these guys I know why the Krauts called them "The Devils with Baggy Pants"

At the dedication of the WW II Memorial in DC, we happened by pure chance to sit behind five on the 17th Vets so I leaned over and called them "Devils etc" and yelled their motto "Thunder from Heaven". My family sat and listened to us recall those days and one guy's granddaughter taped about an hour because she said they had never heard any of the things we were recalling. My wife said we been married over 50 years and I never heard any of that either so don't feel bad about it.

In my above posting,I had mentioned that my unit was pulled back to join and provide security for the 17th AB Div. when they were going to percolate in Operation Varsity and jump into the town Wesel,Germany in March of 1945. Our strict orders were that "Nobody is to go in and Nobody is to get out" and that is what we accomplished to the satisfaction of Maj. Gen.Wm. "Bud" Miley the 17th CG and the Intel hierarchy overseeing things.

The only glitch in our operation was so bizarre that it was almost out of a far-fetched novel. We had successfully shielded the 17th AB guys from the people in the nearest town that they had no idea that they were there. These people were getting back to a normal life because the war had passed through their area and they basically ignored us GIs --if and when anybody did go through town which wasn't often.

One evening about 10 o'clock we heard the sound of small arms and grenades but we took it to be the Paras so we continued our normal patrol in the area until we met one of the local Gendarme who was so excited he could hardly speak. I managed to slow him down and found out that some how "Krauts" were attacking the town and in particular their town hall where a celebration dance was going on. My Plt.was assembled and we approached the town to find that in fact there was a vehicle firing into the Town Hall and tossing grenades just about everywhere like confetti
In the darkness, it was difficult to see that it was an American half-track with four GIs in it. As we were closing in,they decided to enter the Town Hall through the front door naturally without bothering to open it and continued firing the .50 cal. wildly. The panic was incredible as the town's people tried to get out of the building. Before the building was totaled these four idiots dismounted and were sitting at a table drinking Calvados so they were secured easily. Three were rated as T3's and the other guy was a T4 so at some time they did have brain power.

It turned out that they were AWOLs from a vehicle maintainance unit and after a few days of living on practically nothing but Calvados they decided to have some "fun". Leavenworth was to be their next duty station was the word that we got. The AMG people came in to try to smooth the feathers of the town's people and make restitution for the damages which were extensive.

The "Drop" was made over a hill BEHIND the Krauts so while they were concerned with the troops crossing the river in front of them they suddenly realized we were coming at them from their rear so they were like that old saying "between a rock and a hard place". What burned our A***S was the fact that the Brits withheld the fact that the 17th AB was there for 4 days and they made it seem that the Brit 6th AB Div. had done it all alone.(they were good no question about it but Gen. Montgomery hated to praise and US unit(s).

Sgtleo

 

This thread was a surprise for me, thank you very much Sir!

Why isn't this great man identified as a Vet yet, per the forum tradition?

 

I hope(doubt) this was not posted before this

If my recall is correct and I believe it is, it wasn't until 2007 that this was declassified. Intel guys knew how to be quiet when they were told to be - I remember being told that a loooooooooog time ago

Mental Floss) -- Park Place, Boardwalk, and a hidden map with a secret escape route? For Allied POWs during World War II, Monopoly games came equipped with real-life "get out of jail free" cards.

During World War II, the British secret service hatched a master plan to smuggle escape gear to captured Allied soldiers inside Germany. Their secret weapon? Monoply Boxes.

The original notion was simple enough: Find a way to sneak useful items into prison camps in an unassuming form. But the idea to use Monopoly came from a series of happy coincidences, all of which started with maps.

Smooth as silk. Maps are harder to smuggle than you might think. They fall apart when wet, and they make a lot of noise when unfolded. Allied officials feared paper maps might draw the attention of German troops, so they turned to an unlikely source for help -- silk. Not only would silk maps hold up in all kinds of weather, but they'd also come with the life-saving benefit of being whisper quiet.

To produce these silent maps, the Brits turned to John Waddington Ltd., a company that had recently perfected the process of printing on silk and was already manufacturing silk escape maps for British airmen to carry. What else was Waddington known for? You guessed it -- being the licensed manufacturer of Monopoly outside the United States.

Suddenly, the popular board game seemed like the perfect way to get supplies inside German-run POW camps. At the time, the Nazis were hard-pressed to get provisions to their own troops, much less to the Allied soldiers they'd captured.

Wishing to hide this less-than-stellar upholding of the Geneva Convention, they happily welcomed Red Cross aid packages for POWs. So throwing Monopoly games into the care kits along with food and clothing was met with little scrutiny. Monopoly was already a well-known game throughout Europe, and the German guards saw it as the perfect way for their detainees to remain occupied for hours.

In 1941, the British Secret Service approached Waddington with its master plan, and before long, production of a "special edition" Monopoly set was underway. For the top-secret mission, the factory set aside a small, secure room -- unknown to the rest of its employees -- where skilled craftsmen sat and painstakingly carved small niches and openings into the games' cardboard boxes.

Along with the standard thimble, car, and Scotty dog, the POW version included additional "playing" pieces, such as a metal file, a magnetic compass, and of course, a regional silk escape map, complete with marked safe-houses along the way -- all neatly concealed in the game's box.
Even better, some of the Monopoly money was real. Actual German, Italian, and French currency was placed underneath the play money for escapees to use for bribes.

Also, because of its collaboration with the International Red Cross, Waddington could track which sets would be delivered to which camps, meaning escape maps specific to the area could be hidden in each game set. Allied soldiers and pilots headed to the front lines were told to look for the special edition game if they were captured. The identifying mark to check for? A red dot in the corner of the Free Parking space.

Get out of jail free
By the end of the war, it's estimated that more than 35,000 Allied POWs had escaped from German prison camps. And while there's no way to set an exact figure on it, more than a few of those escapees certainly owe their breakout to the classic board game.

But despite its brave and noble role in all of it, Monopoly's heroic war deeds would go unrecognized for decades. Strict secrecy about the plan was maintained during the war, not only so that the British could continue using the game to help POWs, but also because Waddington feared a targeted reprisal by German bombers.

After the war, all remaining sets were destroyed, and everyone involved in the plan, including the escaped prisoners, were told to keep quiet. In the event of another large-scale war, Allied officials also wanted to make sure the seemingly innocent board game could go back into action.

Sgtleo

 

Yes it has ya newbie LOL.

http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-general/24682-pow-editions-monopoly-wwii-included-escape-kits.html

 

Welcome, Sgt. Leo. It's an honour to welcome another Veteran of WWII to the Forum. It's been interesting reading your accounts of your WWII experiences. I hope your enjoy your interaction with us here and that you don't mind the many questions you will receive from us!

I looked a your post about the massacres and tragedies and thought you might read the post http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-today/24514-massacre-maill.html where we also referred to other links where such accounts are recorded. My Dad, a Canadian WWII Veteran, would speak of some of them - although he did not or rarely spoke of his own experiences. In the account where you spoke of giving your weapon to a Canadian "Bike" rider - I assume motorcycle - it made me wonder if Chartre was anywhere near where his unit was as along with being a gunner/signaller/driver - he was also a motorcycle despatch rider.

Take care and thank you for joining us.

 

Link to the Maillé thread I started on this forum

http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-today/24514-massacre-maill.html

oops sorry Michelle I just saw you also gave this same link.

 

Setember 28.2008

 

Macrusk

You are spot on. It was a Canadian Despatch Rider I gave my weapon to as he was the only one in the immediate area I trusted aside my own guys.

Was very happy he agreed to "cover my a** in that situation.

To us South of your border a motorcycle = a "bike".

Sgtleo

 

This is a photo of 5th ID with TD's from 818th TDB outside Fontainbleu on 23rd August.

Some things must have got confused.




Rennes was reached on 1st August but the initial attack by 4th AD was repulsed. 4th AD was then moved around Rennnes to try and contain it whilst Infantry were brought forward. By the 3rd The Germans realised they were going to be surrounded and thus early on the 4th they withdrew from Rennes and moved into St Nazaire.

There were no Tiger tanks in this area. The nearest Tiger was over 100 miles away at Caen.

 

m kenny:-

Thanks for the clarification.

If you read me post verbatim I said "can't remember the exact date". Remember I am reaching back some 64 years and at 84 years old I would never say my recall is 100% accurate".

It was a "Tiger" that the FFI had stolen somewhere. I know I was there!!
The FFI were very resourceful so we weren't surprised at it being there.

I never said that was my unit. The request was for WW II photos which I supplied and I meant what I said about them being bunched up and if they were in my unit you can bet your --- they would have been spread out. I also wanted to show the Kraut lying on the road being completely ignored by the "Grunts"

Sgtleo

 

Sarge -- You remember 64 years ago better than I remember 64 hours ago so I envy your 84 year old memory! And keep the stories coming! I really enjoy them.

Cheers!

 

gdmitchell:-

Thanks for the compliment and as I have said "I DO NOT LIE!!!"

My guess is that we have a Monday Morning Quarter Back.

At age 59 there is no way he can tell me what kind of a tank it was!!

Sgtleo

 

This is week late welcome but welcome from a fellow Massachusettser!

 

I can tell you that there is no possible way there was a Tiger tank anywhere near Rennes.
There were 3 Tiger Abteilung around Caen over 100 miles away. Tigers only served in seperate 'Schwere Abteilung' and thus there is no way-other than a 100 mile drive through German lines-that you saw one around Rennes.
It is a complete impossibility.

 

He was there- you weren't.

 

I will make it crystal clear for all those who have no undestanding of Tiger tank usuage.

In France in 1944 there were 3 Tiger Abteilung each of 45 tanks.
Another 8 served in a remote control demolition unit.
There were no Tigers in Panzer Divisions.
Tigers were very heavy and thus had to have special support/recovery platoons.
1 Tiger, on its own far from this support is not possible.
We know the movements of all the Tiger Units in France.
They all saw action in and around Caen.
The Furthest West they got was level with Villers Bocage .
Villers is still 75 miles from Rennnes.
The German Units in Britany had no Tiger tanks attached or supporting any of its actions.
To claim the FFI 'captured' one and drove it 75-100 miles to Rennes through German lines is completely absurd.

 

And official records are never, ever wrong. In fact, they're known to be particularly accurate in the middle of World Wars.

 

let me throw in a monkey wrench if I may.......

in re-reading what Leo proposed he said he heard a Tiger in the trees but he did not say he saw it with his own eyes ......

so ? if Leo would like to comment further it's his thread

 

You just show your lack of any understanding in this area.
Continue to argue the impossible because that's what it is. The Unit accounts for all the 3 Abteilung are available in English. They never left the Eastern flank and in fact no US Unit saw a Tiger until they moved East and closed the Falaise Gap.
Perhaps someone can explain how a lone Tiger transported itself 100 miles from home?

 

As I said, only one of you was actually there....