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Day One.
Sunday 17th September 1944.
A thread about 6 Platoon of B Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.
Day One.
Sunday 17th September 1944.
A thread about 6 Platoon of B Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.
The 2nd Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Frost dropped on DZ X with the rest of the 1st Parachute Brigade at approximately 1350hrs and moved off from their RV point at around 1500hrs.
The 2nd Battalion took the lower route (highlighted in yellow), codenamed ‘Lion’, towards the Arnhem Road Bridge (circled in Pink).
The order of march was A Company leading and then B Company with C Company bringing up the rear. Major Dover's C Company was tasked with securing the Railway Bridge (seen here from 'Lion Route') and then moving east along the southern bank of the river towards the Road Bridge.
As 9 Platoon of C Company under Lieutenant Peter Barry approached the Railway Bridge it was demolished by the Germans. Lieutenant Colonel Frost’s plan for the capture of the Road Bridge from both ends was thwarted.
Returning to the map you can see circled in Black a Railway underpass at which point the 2nd Battalion met the first serious, organised resistance to their march east towards the Road Bridge.
The leading Company, commanded by Major Tatham-Warter came under machine gun fire from two 9th SS Panzer Division Sd.Kfz.250/9 half-tracks, both fitted with a 20mm gun as they cleared the underpass.
The first photo is taken on the road just ahead of where the half-tracks were firing on the 2nd Battalion. The second photo displays evidence that remains to this day of the level of fire Frost's men were subjected to at the underpass.
With A Company stopped in their tracks, Frost called forward support from Major Crawley's B Company following behind. 6 Platoon under Lt. Peter Cane were ordered to outflank the German position as seen in this map. The red line through the back gardens traces their exact route.
As you can see on the map they were going to loop north around what was the Oosterbeek-Laag station house which is now a private home as seen here in these photos.
One of the the men from the leading section of 6 Platoon was this man, Private Thomas Gronert. As his section went forward they encountered SS Soldiers coming down the railway line from the north towards them who opened fire.
Tommy Gronert was hit and fell on the Railway line. The following section were close behind and came under the same heavy fire. One of those hit was Lieutenant Peter Cane. Another was Tommy’s twin Brother, Claude Gronert (pictured), who was going to Tommy’s aid.
6 Platoon were pinned down under heavy fire until the Germans, having run out of ammunition were forced to withdraw. Lieutenant Peter Cane, Corporal Edgar Rogers and the Gronert twins, Tommy and Claude, lay dead.
Lieutenant Peter Cane is seated centre in this photo of 6 Platoon. The Gronert Twins are stood at the far ends of the photo. Claude at the extreme left and Tommy likewise to the right.
The rest of 6 Platoon withdrew under the cover of smoke. With an increasing level of return fire coming from the 2nd Battalion, the two half-tracks withdrew and with the road clear, the advance eastwards to the Road Bridge continued.
To this day the twins are not forgotten around the spot where they fell. The garden of the station house has since surrendered the evidence of the fighting on this day 76 years ago.
I was lucky enough to be invited in to the Station House along with a couple of friends who served with the Regiment in the Falklands War. At the Station House the men of 1982 paid homage to those of 1944.
Privates Thomas and Claude Gronert are buried today together at the immaculate @CWGC Arnhem-Oosterbeek Cemetery alongside Corporal Edgar Rogers. Their Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Peter Cane is just a few metres away from his men.
Remembered on this day.
#UtrinqueParatus
Remembered on this day.
#UtrinqueParatus
