This is my first post on this forum and there is something which has been bugging me for some time. What was Operation Varsity all about, why did it take place? All I know is that the American 17th and British 6th Airbourne took part, and it happened during May 1945 in Germany, apart from that, I know nothing else about the operation. Some information about the operation would be great. Thanks.

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Hello Jet and welcome to the Forums ! Do please stick around for more....

'Operation Varsity' was the last major airborne operation of World War II. Nearly 4000 aircraft took part ; the objective was to capture key German defensive points East of the Rhine to support the US 9th and British 2nd Armies in their crossing of that river.

The operation was largely successful with troops being landed close to their objectives ( a lesson learned the hard way at Arnhem ) but there was still fierce fighting and quite heavy casualties.

'Operation Varsity' has since been largely overshadowed by the publicity and fame of 'Market-Garden'.

[ 09. January 2003, 12:12 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

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"By March 1945, the Rhine was the final barrier separating the Allies from the heart of Germany. Plans were underway to cross this barrier and capture the Ruhr, Germany's industrial heartland. With the capture of the Ruhr, Germany's war machine would eventually collapse. The area chosen by the Allies to make the amphibious crossing was between the German cities of Emmerich and Wesel. The 17th Airborne Division and 6th British Airborne Division assisted the crossing by seizing several important objectives in a massive a daylight airborne assault. The Operation was titled Varsity."

There is a personal account as well at

http://www.thedropzone.org/europe/Germany/hashway.htm

[ 09. January 2003, 12:13 PM: Message edited by: Doc Raider ]

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At 10 a.m., more than a million Allied and German ground troops in and around the Rhineland city of Wesel watch as the sky fills with aircraft: 1795 transports and 1050 tugs towing 1305 gliders. This is U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, an American-British formation commanded by General Matthew Ridgeway of the U.S. Army. They are executing Operation VARSITY, the biggest airborne assault in history and the key phase of the Allies' big push across the Rhine.

"Unlike previous Allied airborne operations, Op VARSITY takes place in broad daylight, timed to coincide precisely with the ground assaults.

Gen Ridgeway's audacious plan is to drop the Allied front line right into the heart of the German defences-about 6.5 km east of the Rhine, on a heavily defended, tactically crucial ridge abutting the river."

There are lots of good statistics at

http://orbat.com/site/data/historica...rsity1945.html

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Hehehe, you beat me to it, Doc...I had exactly the same link! BTW Doc, Are you close to Lafayette or Greenwood?

Jet, Welcome to the forums! If you go to Google and type in Operation Varsity, you get more info than you can digest on an empty stomach!

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Thanks you guys for all the information and the sweet links.

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One last little bit from the US Army website (every site seems to have some good info the others left out).

"Taking off from marshalling areas in France, the 17th dropped into Westphalia in the vicinity of Wesel, 24 March. Operation Varsity was the first airborne invasion over theRhine into Germany itself. On the 25th, the Division had secured bridges over the Issel River and had entrenched itself firmly along the Issel Canal. Moving eastward, it captured Haltern, 29 March, and Munster, 2 April. The 17th entered the battle of the Ruhr Pocket, relieving the 79th Infantry Division. It crossed the Rhine-Herne Canal, 6 April, and set up a secure bridgehead for the attack on Essen. The "Pittsburgh of the Ruhr" fell, 10 April, and the industrial cities of Mulheim and Duisburg were cleared in the continuing attack. Military government duties began, 12 April, and active contact with the enemy ceased, 18 April. The Division came under the XXII Corps 24 April."

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Stevin - I'm less than an hour away from Greenwood, and grew up even closer to it. In high school I had a girfriend who lived there. Lafayette is maybe 2.5 hours? away - I haven't been there in years.

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[ 09. January 2003, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: Stevin Oudshoorn ]

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Some pics here:

From the net...
With the conclusion of the German Ardennes offensive in January 1945 the allies could once again plan to cross the Rhine. The overall plan was code-named 'Veritable', the airborne element 'Varsity'. As a result of the lessons learned from the failure of Market Garden it was decided to build a landing strip in the Nijmegen area prior to the attack specifically to provide a base for the Typhoon and Tempest squadrons of 2nd TAF (164, 183, 198, 609, 33, 222 and 274 squadrons) that had been selected to provide flak suppression for operation Varsity. They were later to be joined by a detachment of Gloster Meteor jets of 616 Sqdn for their first continental deployment. A suitable site was selected close to Nijmegen and within a few days the 23 Airfield Construction Group had completed a new landing strip to be known as B-91, Kluis near Nijmegen (B = British).

Remagen:







Ludendorff bridge



http://www.onwar.com/maps/wwii/westf...ps/b27p98r.jpg



Later on the bridge collapsed

http://home-2.worldonline.nl/~cb008074/airstripb91.htm

http://www.onwar.com/maps/wwii/westf...s/b27p66am.jpg

http://campwhite.org/242_main.htm

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EXCELLENT!! My uncle saw the bridge collapse!! I have a great shot of him in his gear, holding a thompson and a smoke hanging out of his mouth with the collapsed bridge in the backgroudnd. He said they spent quite a while pulling the dead engeneers out of the river.

Before the collapse, he said they used to sit on the bank and shoot at "air bubbles" in the river. Often, after they did that, a german frogman would float up!

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Good job again Kai--you keep on amazing me with your finds.

Heh heh--I had to laugh at your last few sentences Doc--about shooting at the air bubbles and someties seeing a German Frogman come up.

There was a German saying--in Russian--something like: "Hey Russ--bul bul sdavaysa" (or something like that) in English its: "Hey Russian--you better quit blowing bubbles--or you will have to surrender." (Or something like that)

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I'll second that - great Remagen pics, Kai !

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That last but one, one...that is just plain spectacular....or is it a fake???

Great pics!

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I almost had to do a double take on the last link......that's my neighborhood some 18 miles to the east by Central point and the old Domicialry/Camp White which as a pretty nice museum as well. Got to make a run over there next time I am in the area. part of camp white's artillery men also served on the Italien front.

E

Great pics! But as Stevin asks, the second last one of the Dornier 335's heading for the bridge...Fake?? If not, that's one hell of a pic.

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Great posts all around-providing excellent accounts. Especially that frogman story!!!

Doc-would you be able to post that picture of your uncle that you mentioned?

Is everyone sure those planes are Do335s? They look like P-51s to me...

[ 09. January 2003, 09:33 PM: Message edited by: Panzerknacker ]

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Sorry guys but no Do 335's flew in operations against the Allies......

for Remagen the bridge head was bombed by Me 262's and Arado 234's. The Wesel bridgehead was attacked by the same as well as NJG 11's Bf 109G's at night with light bombs and 2cm weapons.

E

G'day

Maybe that picture is a fly-by??
But them are great pics

Popssssssssssssssski

[ 09. January 2003, 11:51 PM: Message edited by: Popski ]

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Some experimental P51's then, Panzer With props at their tails?

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Yes, must admit I don´t recall actually that Do 355´s had attacked the Ludendorff bridge...But neither did I rememeber any Arado´s do that...But I think now the Do 355 pic is a fake.

I wonder if anyone has better information on the attack on the Ludendorff bridge. So far I have found Me 262´s, Arado Ar 234´s, a group of frog men, 11 pieces of V2´s. What else?
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For 10 days from 7 March 1945 almost continuous attacks were made on this target until finally the bridge collapsed....

http://www.kotfsc.com/aircraft/ar-234.htm

On 15 March, twenty-one fast bombers attacked, but sixteen were lost. The new jet planes were sent also, but the Luftwaffe could not knock down the bridge. Next frogmen tried to bring explosives down the river on the night of 16 March. The first use of searchlights mounted on tanks blinded the swimmers and one by one, they were captured.

Hitler also tried a 17-centimeter railroad gun. It was difficult for the shells to clear the Erpeler Ley and so the greatest damage was to Remagen. The V-2 rocket was an inaccurate weapon, but Hitler ordered that they be used, regardless of the risk to the civilian population or friendly troops. About eleven V-2's were fired at the bridge, but all missed. The last V-2 hit the Remagen area on the morning of 17 March.

http://www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/etmcmull/REMAGEN.htm




Köln and the bridge



The Ludendorff bridge

Only one Luftwaffe unit, KG 76 (Kampfgeschwader or Bomber Wing 76), was equipped with Ar 234 bombers before Germany's surrender. As the production of the Ar 234 B-2 increased in tempo during fall 1944, the unit received its first aircraft and began training at Burg bei Magdeburg. The unit flew its first operations during December 1944 in support of the Ardennes Offensive. Typical missions consisted of pinprick attacks conducted by less than 20 aircraft, each carrying a single 500 kg (1,100 lb.) bomb. The unit participated in the desperate attacks against the Allied bridgehead over the Rhine at Remagen during mid-March 1945, but failed to drop the Ludendorff railway bridge and suffered a number of losses to anti-aircraft fire.

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..a large lettered sign went up on the bridge. It read: CROSS THE RHINE WITH DRY FEET-COURTESY OF THE 9TH ARMORED DIVISION.

[ 10. January 2003, 08:17 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

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Wow
Kai-Petri, you are amazing those pictures are just great.

__________________
And when he gets to heaven
To Saint Peter he will tell
One more soldier reporting sir
I have served my time in hell