Sword Beach to Bremen., A Veterans tale. Sapper

Sommer.......thanks, I'll refer to a couple of my maps so I can continue following along.

Brian, as always thank you from the bottom of my heart and I think the rest on this forum would reply with same. We the younger generation need to know, and although this is quite painful ( I can sense this in your writings ), you are doing us a great service as well as giving yourself a clensing during this time of written memory.

thanks !

Erich

 

I can only support Erich's words to the full.

I have not been to either place but have seen the area around Nijmegen thanks to last year's - no, this year's - Nijmegen march.

 

Hi Everyone.
Overloon and Venraij are in the Limburg area of Holland, near the Maas river. I am not upset or need to talk about my times there, it is just that we lost so many fine young men, and that I look back on as a complete waste of young lives.

As you will see later when I describe the battles, it was a real horror, a place of death and human misery, if you dug a hole to get down out of the shell fire, it immediately filled with water, and freezing water at that. The Dutch people named the battle as the "Engineers tragedy". for we lost many men there. many that were blown to smithereens, so that there are no graves, they were actually blown up and disintegrated, so that not a fragment remained.

As you will see later, we were living in a shelled "Dutch Youth SS training center" Near Venraij.
I wonder if that little boy remembers that young soldier that give him what could be seen as a mans weeks wages. I would love to know. like all these things I will never know.By the way, for those of you who have never heard the name of the Molen beek. it took a terrible toll of life. But again more of that later.
My very best regards to you all.
Sapper

 

Oh! and one other thing, Andreas and Erich.
You may well think? this bloke seems to have been everywhere. To a certain extent I did . As you will read later I shot over Nijmegen bridge just after it had been taken. Dont ask me why I get myself into all these situations, but I did. All my life I seem to have gotten into things .many times against my will.

Erich asked about dates when things occured. I have just come across my old companies history and nearly all the dates with brief desriptions of the actions are all there. Pity. it is rather late now. Oh! and one other thing. Thanks to all of you for the very kind things you have written about me. Does it help? You bet your bibby it does! especially when the war catches up with me.it has this week, and things have been rough.
You really are a friendly lot.
Sapper.

 

Thank you Sapper and Sommecourt....

Sapper, is it possible that you might have a picture of your certificate? I was only wondering at what one of those would look like.

Also, I found out prices on the MM and other award. Between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds. However--I know where one can go to get a medal bar made.

 

Hi Carl.
To tell you the truth I never seen one, nor do I have the faintest idea of what they look like. I had not even been aware that such a thing even existed before I was told that one was coming my way
There is one very interesting thing about the Third British Infantry division. The Sappers had the highest number of action awards amongst all the companies, I cannot be sure. But if my memory serves me well, it was about 43 medals awarded.
sapper.

 

Thank you Sapper, and sorry about you and the others not getting your rightful awards.

I wonder if there is an address that some of us forum members here can write to--on your behalf? maybe that could help?

Lately, here in the USA, there have been many many cases of servicemen who have just recieved some medals owed them.

Recently in Corpus Christi, there was a vet who recieved his Silver Star--about 59 years after he was supposed to get it--he said he never knew he was even considered for one and never knew anything about it.

 

Its a geat morning here the Sun is shining for a change. The certificate? I am waiting a reply from the services folk. that depends on what was written in the company diaries. from waht I have seen many of them were nevr filled out when I got hold of them there were many empty pages where they had been too busy.

Linden. Holland.
Ahead, the German Forest.

The company had now moved up through the Eastern side of Holland to Helmond and stopped at Linden, near the town of Mook. On the 1st of October we prepared and made ready ready for the invasion of Germany across the Mass river and opposite the Reichwald forest.

This was an operation that we all dreaded, fighting in a forest against prepared positions was going to be a blood bath and there would be few that would survive the coming battle. At night, and in the distance, we could see the flicker of continuous shellfire and the rumble of distant guns as the Airborne suffered a fierce onslaught from the Enemy, it was possible to feel the ground vibrating from the heavy shell fire at Arnhem.

At that time, the company had run out of everything, food, fags, petrol, ammo, everything, the road behind us had been cut by the Enemy, just a single road heading North, and all our supplies had to be transported all the way from Normandy, because the Germans fought hard to hold, and deny us the use of the channel ports.

Food and something to smoke now filled our thoughts, the captured German food kept us from starving, we all had to live on these rations, we had captured a German supply base with tons of the stuff. Horrible. Horrible, that is the only way to describe the food, tins of German herrings that looked like anti-tank mines from the outside, and tasted like nothing on earth inside. German cigars, they were just cabbage leaves with the outside leaf being tobacco, they tasted what they were, cabbage leaves. Our food was bad but the Germans was awful, after smoking his cigars we searched around and found some home grown tobacco hanging in a outhouse, curing, we tried that and by wrapping the tobacco leaves in toilet paper to make a roll-up and some sort of cigarette. Cough splutter, it was even worse.

On our way North, still in the east of the country, we had travelled through terrain that was all pine forests and sandy soil, I remember that as the battle grew ever closer how the fear of battle had again started to invade our souls.

Just before we arrived at Mook and Linden we had stopped at a small village and a young Dutch girl had invited me to sleep that night in her home, she took all of my filthy clothes and washed all of it, then showed me were I would be sleeping, they had a small bungalow that had been divided into two sections, one for them to live in, the other, was for the pig, it was spotless and that is where I slept, in the pigs room!

I shall never forget that bloody awful stench of pigs to the day that I die. I found it impossible to sleep, and when the morning came, thankfully, we set off immediately for the North again, me, well I was left clutching a large bundle of soaking wet clothes that I slung into the back of the transport and probably never used again. The village was near Nijmegen, there we came across a clearing in a pine wood where the paratroopers had landed, the clearing was covered in bright yellow silk recognition scarves, a peculiar sight.

Next; My lonely trip to the The Island between Nijmegen and Arnhem.
Sapper

 

Thanks sapper always interesting and I look forward to each of your postings. Thanks for keeping the history alive.

 

Cheers Greg.
Although there is quite a lot to come, for me time is getting short. I had got away with being blown up by an S Mine, it was only a matter of time before the odds caught up with me.

It does not matter what you do in these circumstances. Sooner or later, the averages of chance, that predict that you will fall by the wayside, will eventually come into effect. Sod It. it had to happen.
sapper

 

Hi Friends.
Scared on this trip? You bet! It was one of those times when I sallied forth entirely on my own, and into an unknown area, heavily defended. YUK!

The Island.

Its quite remarkable how quickly one is looked on as an experienced and war wise veteran, even at the tender age of nineteen, it may have had something to do with all the fresh young faces that had joined the company, inexperienced newcomers.

The land between Arnhem and Nijmegen was known as the Island, it was an area of land with two rivers running round it, a particularly nasty and unpleasant place at that time. One of our officers called me in and told me to get a motor bike and get out as far as possible on the Island, towards Arnhem, then find a place to harbour the company.

Setting off, I soon came to the Nijmegen bridge, big, grey, and long, an infantry man stopped me saying "do you have to go further mate? jerry keeps floating sea mines down the river hoping that one will collide with the bridge and blow it up" He pointed upwards to where there were infantry men up in the girder work, armed with rifles and machine guns waiting to fire on any mines seen floating towards them. Orders is orders! I revved up the bike and set off at speed to join the headlong rush. Early in the morning it had been cool and misty, later as the Sun came out, it became a beautiful warm September day.

Stopping to look at my map case one would not have known there was a war on, except for the sound of gunfire ahead (Where I was going) and we had got used to that by now. Now well into the into the Island and quite near Arnhem, I continued until the roads became very dangerous, now and then shell fire straddled the road.

Searching about, I found an Engineering factory, I think the name of the place was Schmit Engineering workshops, or something like that, (Not very good at Dutch) I do remember it had a very nice concrete hard standing, just right for our heavy vehicles, half tracks and carriers, just the job, marking the location on my map with some explanatory notes to make it easier to find, I set off back, quite pleased with my efforts. Arriving back at the company harbour area, only to find that they were loading up ready for another move, this time in a South Easterly direction, all my efforts near Arnhem forgotten, orders had changed.

Third British Infantries task now, was to protect the eastern flank and advance where possible. Off we went, heading for Overloon and Venraij towards a battle that caused the highest casualties that "Monties Ironsides" had suffered in a seven day period.

While there, at night, we had the galling experience of watching the V2 rockets being fired at Britain, looking towards the Enemy lines they would appear in the distance and I was always surprised to see how shallow the trajectory seemed to be. I hope you will not mind me quoting a little poem that I read in one of the accounts of the battles in Holland, for it sums up my feelings entirely about the war in Holland.

Sapper. Next the battles for Overloon and Venraij. And, my eventual demise. YUK!

'Onward led the road again
Through the sad uncoloured plain
Under twilight brooding dim
And along the utmost rim
Wall and rampart risen to sight
Cast a shadow not of night,
And beyond them seemed to glow
Bonfires lighted long ago.
And my dark conductor broke
Silence at my side and spoke,
Saying 'You conjecture well;
Yonder is the gates of hell.
A.E. Housman.

 

Hi Friends.
Time is beginning to run out for me, though I did not know it at the time. for what follows is in my mind, the very worst of war.

Misery.
The Merciless War.

The poem by A.E. Housman sums up my feelings about Holland, far, far, better than I ever could. The names of Overloon and Venraij will not be forgotten in a hurry by those unfortunate enough to have fought there. This was a murderous and vicious battle, with no quarter asked or given, fought out in atrocious weather amongst the sandy tracks, mud, and pine woods that was so typical of this area in Limburg, Eastern Holland.

In the beginning, the American 7th armoured division had announced their intention to "sweep" down through Overloon and Venraij and then take the strategic town of Venlo. Oh Dear! Oh Dear! After being thrown back, suffering 452 casualties, dead, wounded and missing, coupled with the loss of 35 tanks and 43 other vehicles that the Germans had inflicted on them, they decided that the casualty rate was far too high, retired to the South never to be seen again.

All the while Third British Infantry had been watching this inept performance with more than a little misgiving. Their apprehension was soon to be justified. The Division was given the job where the Americans had failed. We slid into the forward positions in a heavy rain storm, the roads covered in mud as we slowly slithered into the line.

The weather matched my foreboding, code named ‘Aintree’, this was to be a bitterly fought battle with every element of modern warfare. Fierce artillery duels. Heavy mortar fire, Nebelwerfer and machine gun fire, no quarter given or expected. But from our point of view, the whole area had been sown with mines, like the legend of the Devils Teeth, when sown they multiplied a thousand fold. I have heard an estimate of a quarter of a million.

Casualties mounted steadily, at times the fire was drenching. One shell burst took out the section next to me, with dead and wounded scattered all over the place. For me this was the worst battle of the war. Whole groups of men were killed in this struggle. For not only was it fierce in the extreme, but it was also fought out under the most terrible conditions, sand, and mud, mines, and mortars, shell fire ripping through the tree branches, tearing both tree branches and human limbs. “Schu” mines taking a terrible toll of our young men. Machine gun fire that shredded everything, all the trees had been left as just a bare trunk, and about one third of its size. Utter and complete devastation. Even our fox holes filled with water, and freezing water at that.!

Overloon was flattened. Mine lifting had to be carried out under the most demanding conditions, we had to clear a path through for both the infantry and tanks. Eighth Brigade led off as usual, with 185 Brigade also involved, we cut paths through the mine fields, but it was a particularly horrible and dirty bit of war, and I hated every minute of it! After taking Overloon we had to reorganise and prepare for the next phase of the battle, to capture Venraij. Immediately we came up against the Molen Beek, this was as difficult problem to solve as anything we had come up against previously, it was a stream that ran between Overloon and Venraij, it had been mined everywhere, on the banks, in the mud, even under the stream itself.

All the approaches had been heavily mined, not only with anti-tank mines but also with anti-personal mines, some in deep mud making it even more trying, to top it off, he had the whole area covered with heavy artillery fire and mortar fire, completely covered!

Our job was to force a crossing under the most dangerous and severe conditions, to get the tanks and infantry across and while under fire, we got the infantry across the Beek, first with kapoc assault gear. But getting the tanks across caused a great deal of difficulty, some of them immediately got bogged down on the other side, making it even more difficult to get others across. We knew that the infantry men needed tank support, they would have been in deep trouble without armour, in the circumstances the R.E Field Companies gave everything they had.

Years later talking to a Dutchman, he told me that the Dutch people called it the Engineers Molen Beek tragedy. After the war they built a museum to commemorate the freedom from German rule by the Third British Infantry Division. Today, it is the National war museum at Overloon. Later, for many things got worse.

Next the cost of Overloon and Venraij.
Sapper

 

Morning everybody!

The next episode. Hope you find it interesting.

The Cost of Overloon and Venraij.
Hand to hand stuff.

Slowly the Germans had to give ground before our infantry, this was an old fashioned infantry battle where the Enemy had to be winkled out of the woods, buildings and prepared positions.

Between the 12th and the 18th of October Third British Infantry Divisions casualties were three times that of the Americans. But, by the 18th Overloon and Venraij lay safely in our hands. "Brutal and Murderous" are the words that spring to mind when trying to describe the battle, I remember all those brave men who fought and died there with great admiration. Hero's all. It seems to me that some battles are of such severity that a special medal should be struck and awarded to those who took part.

The taking of Overloon and Venraij in my opinion, would the foremost for an award. According to the Dutch war museum that was originally dedicated to the Third Div: the cost to those engaged in this battle was 2500 British dead, and a total of 3500 casualties leading up to the battles and after, that is the information given me by the Overloon War Museum.

The Dutch people tend the graves with great care and every year on the anniversary of the freeing of Overloon and Venraij the school children gather and lay flowers on every individual British grave. The people of Holland have never forgotten the sacrifice of all those young lives. The information officer at Venraij wrote and told me that there are 700 British dead who found their last resting place at Venraij and are interred in the war graves cemetery there, where the others are buried? I do not know. There is a huge German cemetery that contains 33,000 graves, equal to the population of Venraij. Later, I was also told that there is a British cemetery at Overloon.

While waiting to set off on another operation near Venraij, I ran into trouble with one of our own officers, the place had just been liberated and some of the local population began dragging out the women they considered collaborator's, they had shaved their heads and put them to work clearing water filled ditches, nearly up to their waist's in water. That was bad enough, but the man in charge was ill treating them. This young man, brought up in the countryside of Dorset, where we were always taught that men always looked after and cared for women folk, and women were to be treated with respect, was definitely not used to seeing young girls mistreated.

This young fellow watched for a while then took exception to the way the girls were handled, I then decided to take a hand and told the man in charge "lay off the girls! In such a manner that did not need translation. Angered by his attitude, I was going to clout him with my rifle butt, a stupid thing to do! Things got uglier and uglier, I got so angry, that this man was in much graver danger than he knew.

Then one of our officers came hurrying over, (Captain M Edwards) "Leave it Sapper, it's none of our business" He then ordered me leave, but did say "we cannot interfere, its none of our business, though, we can get in the way sometimes"

I do not, nor ever have, blamed the young girls for going out with the young Germans, there were some fine looking young men amongst them, if you stop to think, they had been there when the young girls had left school and for many they had known little else, for the war lasted years.
Sapper.

 

Sapper--happy Veterans Day.

Cheers--Carl.

 

We must remember that no matter how repugnant it seems to us that the mistreatment of women was, that the Dutch people were severely oppressed by the Germans and their occupation policies, and for a countryman to collaborate with the enemy can only bear retribution at war's end-to the Dutch, they were therefore the enemy, and as such, were believed to deserve such punishment...We would do the same thing I believe.

 

Hello again Forum.
Sapper has been rather busy, not bad for a old man!

Mine Clearing.
That's twice I ran over that German!

It was at this time, right in the middle of the battles for Overloon and Venraij, that we first encountered a new type of German anti-tank mine. We called them Rigler mines, or R mines, something like that. Long rectangular boxes, sandy coloured, with a lid that fitted snugly over the top. One of our officers called me in and told me to get a motor bike and give him a lift down the sandy tracks, through the pine woods, to where an officer, two Sergeants and a squad of Sappers of my platoon, number two platoon, were lifting these mines in a corner of Overloon.

Setting off through the woods with the officer on the pillion there were deep furrows in the sandy soil that the bike wheel could not get climb out of, on the way, I had to run over a recently dead German lying in the centre of the deep rut , I just could not avoid him, nor could I get past him. Squelch! In the corner of Overloon, hundreds of these mines had been lifted and stacked "criss-cross" everywhere, in ditches, on top the ground, all over the place.

While we were there Enemy mortar fire was coming down, a very dangerous place to be with mines stacked up everywhere. For the whole area was infested with mines and we were surrounded with high explosives. The officer with me, told the other officer, Lt Barnard to send a reliable man off on his own to try and take this new mine apart, we had no idea if they were booby trapped, or if they had any ' anti-handling devices' that the mines might have been armed with.

After talking the matter over for a while with Sgt Rees and Sgt Watts, I set off to take the officer back through the pine woods and had just run over the dead German again. "Squelch" When, from behind us, there was a huge explosion. We dragged the bike round and set off back, only to find that all the mines had blown up, and everyone with it. We did not know if the officer and N.C.O.s had decided to investigate the mines themselves, or if they had been hit with a mortar bomb. ( I am convinced a mortar dropped on the mines) When we arrived at the scene they were all dead. Killed instantaneously. They would have known nothing about it, for it must have been very sudden, and catastrophic.

The Company history “The Route forward” suggested it was an accident. I do not think so, having just been talking to all those there, minutes before they died. The mines they had been lifting were everywhere, after lifting, there was no place to put them where they could be kept safe, except in ditches etc. Any mortar dropping there, would have set them off, and that I believe, and convinced, is what happened. For all those Sgts, and the Officer were experienced men, and were not likely to do something that would cause this explosion. We buried then in the corner of Overloon and put wooden crosses on their graves. Sadly more of the original company had departed, for now, we were very few familiar faces
Sapper Brian.

 

Out of interest, Sapper's comrades who died in this action are buried in Overloon War Cemetery:

BARNARD, Lt Jack Kitley. 246th Field Coy Royal Engineers. 14th October 1944. Age 25. Son of Sidney George and Elsie Barnard; husband of Peggy Ina Barnard of Cheam, Surrey. BsC (Mining), ARSM, MIMM.

REES, Sgt Edward Herbert. Mentioned in Despatches. 246th Field Coy Royal Engineers. 14th October 1944. Age 24. Son of John and Constance Rees of Cardiff; husband of Doreen May Rees of Cardiff.

WATTS, Sgt Thomas James. 246th Field Coy Royal Engineers. 14th October 1944. Age 25. Son of Leonard Charles and Lillian Watts of Cardiff; husband of Megan Noreen Watts of Cardiff.

 

Hi Everyone.
Thanks for that Sommecourt.
This week a young lady got in touch with me having seen the "cameos of war" articles and read that her Grandfather had served in my company. She told me that her Mother, Sgt Rees daughter, knew very little about her father, having been 14 months old in 1944. It gave me very great pleasure to write and tell her a little about her Father, and, what a heroic band of Brothers that company was. I must also admit to a little emotion having to recall the death of those men 58 years ago. especially as I had been talking to them minutes before they were killed. and as he was my platoon Sgt. He, Sgt Rees, took part in the vital tasks of opening up a path from the beach to the road beyond, as part of the highly trained assault teams. Something the Americans singularly failed to do, and paid a terrible price on Omaha. The importance of the opening up the beach to the road, can hardly be over emphasised. IT was absolutely vital, And earned the company a mention in the R.E.history, we will be remembered long after we have departed.

Gave a lecture to the local museum on Friday, it went marvelously well, with much applause. There was some talk of filling a theatre to hear it again later?
Keep you ammo dry.
Sapper Brian

 

Is that what Sgt Rees' "mention" was for then? D Day?

How strange and wonderful one of his relatives was in touch.

Glad your talk went well - I am sure there is a few of us who would love to hear you!

 

Hi Sommecourt.
Do you know, I have not them faintest idea how Sgt Rees got his mention. Though there should have been more awards for the service that was never recognised. The war gets dirty from now on, for me time is running out, the continuous fresh young faces made it only to obvious that I was running on borrowed time. Thing is after being wounded once we thouight that we had our share, and that lightening never strike twice.
Oh Lord! How wrong can you be?
Sapper Brian.