Sword Beach to Bremen., A Veterans tale. Sapper

Regardless, I have always enjoyed this one thread, especially to Sapper's tales of the war.

 

Thank you very much for your kind words. sadly there are very few of us left to bring the sacrifices of my generation back into the publics awareness..... But I try.
Cheers
Sapper

 

Sapper,
I believe you are successfully educating the current and future generations about the face of war. I thank you most sincerely in helping to liberate Europe and rid the world of German Nazism. Thank you for your devotion to duty and sacrifices that made the world I and my children live a much, much better and safer place. And, I have been catching up on your entries in this thread over the holidays and must say there are outstanding!

 

I must say reading everything is just making shivers run up and down my spine! I am from canada and I come from a fighting family (navy & Air force) but my relatives dont really want to talk about it (understandibly) I just want to thank you very much for being so willing to talk to us. I am born of the quiet generation (1990) with everything done and no real struggle for many people my age we tend to loose our respect for men like you, my grand - father even my father (veteran peace keeper and Afghanistan) ,but I thank you very much for restauring the values in me at least that my generation has lost!

Your trully
Kyle Lloyd Plumadore
Royal Canadian Air Cadet
Flight sergeant

 

Couldn't agree more. This is one of the best threads ever made.
Sapper, ever thought of making your forum posts into a book? It's a great story and I'd love to buy it.

 

Dear Sapper
I'm a new member here, and have been reading and enjoying your on going remembrances posted here.
You sir have justified the invention of the computer and the existence of the Internet. How lucky are we to live in the shadow of men like you? I admire your humility, but in reading your reflections of those day's of bloody fighting you survived it is hard for me not to think of you as anything other then a hero.
Can you talk to us about the feelings you had as a survivor of these terrible battles watching other teenagers pay the ultimate price would have been a burden for the battle tested veterans. How does a 19 year old cope?
Thank you, and God Bless.

 

I must thank all of you for the kindness you have shown me, and that you enjoyed reading the war times of a young man.

The question was asked (and it is very valid) how do you deal with losing your mates that fall around you. The answer to that is. "You just turn off" I have lost some very dear and courageous friends. If you were to mourn them all, you would become a doleful liability in the field of battle. You cannot let that happen. The area North of Caen was a battlefield of some depth. The stench of death never ever left you.

I mourn them now. I have never returned to the scenes of the fighting. One ...I feel terribly guilty for not paying my respects. Two... I would have to travel from Sword Beach to Bremen to visit them all. For they fell by the wayside on that long journey. Now I am far to old, and far to severely injured to make it anyway.

I am in the process of putting together the story of the Third Divs last battle in Europe. When done, I will post it here
In the mean time...Best wishes and take care everyone.
Sapper

 

Thank you again, Sapper, for sharing all of your stories with us here. Always good to hear from you and well wishes from "across the pond." Looking forward to the new stuff you are compiling!

 

The Battle for Bremen.
The Bridge at Kattenturm.
A classic Sapper operation.
Taken from the RE document “The Way Forward” This was a document explaining what happened. And why. This was also, the last battle of the Third Division. The battle for Bremen. While it was taking place, I was back in the UK, covered inplaster from head to foot, a mummy! being cared for by pretty nurses.
This operation is well worth recalling, as it seems to me to be a classic RE Field Company under fire. And between ourselves,. It showed the great courage and tenacity of the Sappers when faced with almost insurmountable difficulties.

The stage was set by the 20th of April. There were three and half days for final planning and preparation for the assault. These days were invaluable, because the problem was most involved, and, because the results were so successful that the story is laid out here in some detail

Bremen was surrounded by a belt of flooded country being defended by SS troops, who having come from Holland, were experienced in flooding country. The lock gates of the canal had been heightened, and in addition, the flood banks of the Wesser had been breached.
The country was intersected with deep ditches giving the water a maximum depth of between 6 to 8 feet and while the general depth was about 4 feet the were patches of ground above water. This precluded the use of assault boats and wading.

The width of the flooded belt varied between a quarter to one mile. The only approaches were on the right though Dreye and Arsten. In places, only a causeway, and believed to be blocked under a railway bridge. In addition a bridge of very limited capacity and condition.
(If any of ther place names are wrong?) Blame the translation of the war time document, written on an old clapped out army typewriter. I am sure you have seen them?

I will add more later as I manage to Make sense of the document that is almost undecipherable in places.
TBC.
Sapper

 

And on the left was very adequately covered by a pill boxes, on the perimeter of the airfield.
One dOn the left was the main road from Brinkum to Bremen which was wholly on a causeway emolition was visible on this road, and further along there was a very substantial road block. Finally from the map, there was a bridge of considerable span over a canal at Kattenturm…There were no other alternatives.

Before the final plans could be made, many patrols had to be carried out to at night to gather the information, As the whole area was completely open to observation these had to be done at night. By day officers studies the ground by air Op. A daily flight was made
to watch the floods and the vital bridge at Katenturm. There was some doubt to begin with whether this bridge was demolished or not, it was difficult to see from the air because of the trees and houses in the immediate vicinity.
Eventually it was concluded that the bridge was intact, and about 80 feet long. It had, however, some considerable excavations at the far end which were obviously housing the usual bombs. At our end there were some very large concrete blocks.

The first patrols reached the first demolition which was only partial. A concrete culvert with two large holes blown in it, and the structure considerably weakened; however there was still about eleven feet of very doubtful road between the two holes. The span was about 20 feet and the depth of water below about 15 feet.

There were a pile of stones set on the top, which made classification of the remnants very difficult, so the night before the operation these were removed, or at least the majority bearing in mind the need for concealment.

Another patrol from 246 Field Company was directed to the next road block and they reported that it was a most substantial affair constructed with timber stockades and sand filled and three in number. One being in the middle of the 30 feet of road and one each on each verge. The passage in between was obstructed by 11’ by 9’ RSJs. This patrol having done the job without interference, they decided to try and reach the Kattenturm bridge. They got quite near and confirmed the existence of the concrete road blocks. (although the bridge itself could not be seen)
There were a number of Germans talking in the houses nearby.
More deciphering Later .
Sapper

 

Getting back to the bridge at Kattenturm. After the previous patrols. More information was needed. So the third and fourth patrols supplied by 17th Fd Co RE were asked to deliver the depth of water on either side of the causeway,, and to report the width and the state of the of the banks of the canal with a view to putting buffaloes across.

The patrol on the left was led by Lt Bridgeford, whose calmness and courage extricated them from a particularly dangerous situation when they, having crossed the canal by the lock gates, found that a German patrol had seen and got behind them at the lock gates. They all returned safely and brought back the required information. The water was too deep to wade with the assault troops and assault boats were of no value because of the raised ridges.
There was however a raised path now submerged along which the left hand patrol passed. The canal and its banks were rather doubtful obstacles to the buffaloes but it was considered that they could reach the far bank and discharge their loads. On the right the canal was no obstacle.

The final plan was now made. The assault North of the Wesser was to be done by (52) (L) Div. Both operations being carries out concurrently.
A deception plan was organized and put into practice by (51) (H) div to give the impression that the Attack was being launched from Delmenhorst. This subsequently proved to have been completely successful .

On the right,185 Brigade supported by 17th Fld Co RE, a squadron of 4/7 Dragoon Guards in Sherman’s, Crocodiles, and AVRE were to attack along the axis Dreye-Arsten-Habenhausen-Bremen. with 1 battalion crossing the flooded area in Buffaloes and landing between the railway and Arsten.

On the left 9 Brigade were attacking on the right of the Brinkum Katenturm road with the RUR crossing in buffaloes. and taking Katenturm in the rear. This principle task being the capture of the bridge intact. When the road was opened, KOSB would pass through them and into Bremen, Their objective being the barracks.

The supporting progamme included practically everything….First of all 700 Lancasters “Doctored” the part of Bremen North of the river. Followed by medium bombers on the barracks, and a wonderful display by the Typhoons on Kattenturm bridge. The artillery of 51 (H) div, our own, and sundry medium Regiments and a pepper pot of LAA and 2 EX were to give continuous fire in the neighbourhood of the airfield. Finally a smoke programme was organized just in case the airfield might give further trouble.

The Engineer plan was difficult and complicated. First of all the Buffaloes routes had to be cleared as far as possible, including the wire fences in the flooded areas. On the right 17th Fld Co with a AVRE assault Bridge to open the right hand axis with a particular reference to the railway bridge whish was reported to be “Concreted up” And the doubtful bridge. The attack by 8 brigade was supported by 253 Fld Co who were to open the Buffaloes routes and to provide a special party that was to go with the Ulsters and “delouse” the charges on the bridge at Kattenturm. .

The Vital causeway road was the sole responsibility of 246 Fld Co (mine) with the help of a troop of AVREs and an Arty FOO. It was this road that was the Top Priority for the Div axis …But if that was impossible then the Dreye road was to be used.


The plan then for opening this causeway road with its collection of obstacles was as follows;

As much as possible was to be done under cover of armour,because of the open left flank, and the fact that no infantry were out in front.

Two Skid Bailey’s were built, and prepared in Brinkum and were to be towed into position, The first past the semi demolished bridge, if necessary using the bridge to give passage to the towing tank and the armored dozer required for the road block and finally to go into position at Kattenturm if that bridge was blown.

A quantity of Bailey equipment was to held in sledges to be towed by Kangaroos with Sappers, just in case a greater length of bridge was required. The second Skid Bailey was for the first semi demolished bridge. The complication being it is impossible to get one Skid bailey over another.
The road block was to be dealt with by General Wade charges prepared beforehand, and the concrete ones at Kattenturm by Petards by the leading AVRE.

At dusk on the 24th of April, the battle started and about 21 hrs the Skid Baileys started off from Brinkum. But not before the troop commander of the AVRE was wounded in a “Stonk” He however, carried on. A very careful check of the road was being carried out by 246 Field Co. for mines.
The first AVRE and its Skid bailey got across the first bridge between the holes with a bit of creaking and complaint from the bridge. A party of Sappers went forward to put the charges on the road block, The mine clearing found something they had never found or seen before…Three very large Naval magnetic mines very well concealed and connected to batteries in the verge. They did what they thought was a “good thing” and the OC pronounced them safe.
In the mean time the second Skid Bailey was in position and a safe passage was ensured over the first obstacle at least.

The charges on the road blocks were fired and the timber caught fire and caused some reaction from the enemy. So far as we knew the bridge at Kattenturm was still intact and the infantry were having difficulty in reaching the place. It was decided to have a shot at getting to the bridge with the few Sappers as the enemy was now awake to the situation, and it was obvious the bridge was going to go up, unless something was done quickly.

They got to the bridge and a Sgt from 246 Field Co actually crossed it when 7 figures appeared out of the darkness advancing menacingly towards him. He withdrew to the cover of the concrete road blocks, not knowing if these were enemy or our own infantry. One of the 7 then lay down in the road and started doing something, The Sappers challenged them, but as there was no reply they were driven off with a few bursts of Bren fire. This started a bit of a shooting match, some of it from the houses on our side of the bridge.

The Sappers where then told to withdraw, because the infantry having trouble had called for fire on the bridge. This was done though no fire came down, as the Ulsters had reached Kattenturm,

Sgt Lomax of 253 Field Co and his littler party of Sappers, disregarding the small arms fire rushed the bridge and pulled out the leads. It was then discovered that the German lying in the middle of the road was just connecting the firing circuits to the junction pointy…So the bridge was intact….
TBC Sapper

 

Great, thanks!
Can't wait for the next part.

 

It was now nearly light and the causeway road was most uncomfortable! It was a question of going fast enough to be missed by the tracers that whistled across the road.
A very nasty line in airbursts, was also being concentrated over the bridge site. However an AVRE successfully demolished the concrete road blocks with Petards, the work being completed by the armoured Dozer, Our Coles Crane came to an unusual end when lifting the magnetic mines from their holes….It got hit by an 88 !

So the causeway was opened to those that could move fast enough to use it. At the cost of 4 wounded, an AVRE, and a Coles Crane knocked out.

On the right however, 17th Field Co had got 185 brigade and its tanks almost to Arsten. The railway bridge not an obstacle, but the weak bridges was certainly “Weak” and more magnetic mines had been found. All tanks were held up by the weak bridge because no other rout existed, and there was no possible bridge site. The acting CO was scratching his head when the CRE arrived to scratch his. Together they decided to “TRY” a Sherman, the lightest tank there. It got across and was followed by the rest of the Squadron with the bridge wobbling and creaking alarmingly..

Having succeeded so far, and having grown in boldness, The “Crocs” went across.
The bridge was then closed to everything over class 12.

The last battle was now won, and the Div marched into Bremen without further difficulty.

So ends this little narrative. It was a battle of great Courage and ingenuity. Now? Its a long time ago, and forgotten. But it does serve to show why other Regiments at times referred to the RE as …….. “Those Gallant Sappers”
Sapper

 

Sapper
Great story, I really enjoy reading them. I a question. Did you ever serve alongside the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry because my grandad was in them.

 

Hi Certainly did the KSLI part of the third div. 185 Infantry Brigade 10 MCs and 16 MMs
Sapper

 

Dear Sapper
I am currently reading through your postings which I find very interesting! I have always wanted to meet a veteran of the second world war. This is the next best thing. Well maybe the best because I think that if I actually met one, he probably wouldn't have the time to be able to tell me all the things that you can by your posts which you may write when you like or have the time. I thank you for taking time to educate us younger generations on your experiences for I find that there isn't anything better than an eyewitness account. Thanks for your posts, I enjoy them very much. J. Richmond

 

Hi J Richmond!
Sapper

 

Sapper

I found this website only a few days ago in my thirst for knowledge about WWII and have spent the last few days readling all 28 pages of this thread. I just want to thank you for sharing your experiances with us youngsters. So many accounts of what happened in WWII are from an officers point of view or a general overview of a battle, it's great to hear from a regular soldier as accounts from the rank and file seem all too rare. I thank you again for sharing your memories with us.

 

Hi Mullet94

 

Your stories should be published for the entire world to see; not just us.