World War 2 in your backyard

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Marcel said:
So the 'table' would have carried the machinegun?
Click to expand...

Yes, thats right. The village had Lewis guns and Lee Enfield rifles. They were later replaced with Bren guns and US P17 Enfields. I believe the roads going back inland had petrol fougasses, later IED type mines and Canadian pipe mines. The bridge had the explosive charges already in place.
 
So I have been to the Grebbeberg again. This time with a guide and he showed me things that I even did not know, although I have been there many times. It were traces of old trenches on the slope of the hill. Unfortunately they are difficult to see on photo, so you'll have to take my word for it.

For those who do not know, it was here where one of the major battles took place during our 5 days war. The Germans reportedly called this hill afterwards "der Teufelhuegel. For two days, 2500 Dutch soldiers fought against a superior force of SS and Wehrmacht. They lasted for 3 days.

Rebuild trenches of the "Stoplijn", the Dutch second line of defence. From here Major Jacometti tried to counterattack the Germans with 30 soldiers in the believe that there only were 150 German soldiers. He misjudged there were more than 5000.


Inside the trenches


A trench leading to the entrance of a pillbox. The german tactic was to penetrate the line with several small groups of soldiers. They would attack from the rear. This pillbox was taken in that fashion. The German soldiers came through this trench.


Another view on the steel door


The little river Grif of Grebbe, which gave the defence line it's name "Grebbelinie".


Het hoornwerk, 17th century defence works at the foot of the Grebbeberg. It should have hold the German advance, but it didn't. Many died here in man-to-man combat.


The Dutch "ereveld". 500 of 2500 casualties were buried here. It started as a combined German/Dutch cemetry, but the Germans are all re-burried in Ysselstein.


Also casualties of 320th (RAF) squadron were buried here. (Edit: should rely more on my memory)


Saw this Merlin on the way back, a memorial for a crashed Hallifax.
 
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Great pics and info Marcel. The grave of the airman shows that he would have been a crewman on a Mitchell, as 320 Sqn was formed from the Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation unit which came to Britain.
 
Yeah, well if I walk on the Grebbeberg, looking down, I wonder if they could not have done better. It's higher ground (+40m) and you can see quite far. The Germans had to fight uphill. Clearly the defenders had all the advantage.

On the other hand, the German soldiers were reasonably well trained. The average Dutch soldier was a 30 year old greengrocer having had his last training 10 years ago. They spend the months since september 1939 digging trenches instead of training. Typical Dutch greediness was also not a big help. Protecting communication lines was considered too expensive, so the lines hung on poles above ground. Needless to say, they were destroyed in minutes after the battle began. Artillery was scarce and usually taken from museums, the famous "12 staal gun", which was the main heavy gun, was build in 1878.
So maybe not surprising after all that it only took 3 days.
 
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Marcel said:
Oeps, did I really write RAF? It must be RN of course. You are quite right.
Click to expand...

No, you were quite right Marcel, it was '320 Sqn, RAF', even though it was formed from Naval Aviation personnel, some of whom, from memory, brought a couple of Fokker float planes with them (or Heinkel float planes ?). The '300 series' squadron numbers were reserved for units formed from 'foreign nationals', such as Polish, Czech etc., and generally wore RAF uniform, but with both RAF and their country's badges and insignia, and worked to RAF Rules Regulations - to an extent !
 
It were Fokker T-8W floatplanes. I was always under the impression that 320th was Navy, especially since they were the navy squadron flying Orions here in the Netherlands. I know they first flew in Coastal command with Hudsons, but when they switched to Mitchels, they were used as a tactical bomber unit in the TAF.

Edit: my 11 year old son tells me that coastal command also belongs to the RAF and 320th has been RAF all along, but for the Dutch they were "Marine luchtvaart dienst" (naval air service), so for the Dutch they were navy but for the British they were airforce. Very confusing, I am glad I have son who can explain that to his old dad
 
Yep, your son is correct !
Britain didn't have (and doesn't have) an equivalent Naval air arm - the Fleet Air Arm being part of the Navy, of course, but separate, and at that time, lacking 'heavy' or 'medium' aircraft types.
The role undertaken by the Kon Marine in the Netherlands (and Netherlands overseas territories) was, in Britain, the role of Coastal Command of the RAF, hence 320 Sqn at first being part of CC, and part of the RAF. A number of light and what had been medium bomber squadrons were transferred from CC to 2 Group, Bomber Command, most, if not all of which, became part of 2 TAF in mid to late 1943, tasked with support for the build up to, and eventual invasion of France and the Continent.
The book I sent you some time ago 'Flying Dutchman' (?) was about 320 Sqn and their Mitchell operations I believe.
 
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