Sergeant Peter Johnson

Sergeant Peter David Johnson, son of Arthur William and Alice Johnson, of Dartford, Kent, served with 20 Flight, B Sqn, Glider Pilot Regiment based at RAF Brize Norton, where he was the Second Pilot to S/Sgt Jim Hooper.

The Squadron was supported by 296 and 297 Squadrons RAF who both operated the Albermarle in the glider tug role. S/Sgt Hooper and Sgt Peter Johnson were paired with an RAF tug crew commanded by Sergeant Ted Flavell from 297 Squadron.  Much to their frustration Normandy passed 20 Flight by, they were held in reserve as part of 1st Airborne Division. The summer and autumn of 1944 was an extremely frustrating period for the whole of 1st Airborne Division. After a series of Airborne Operations were cancelled at the last moment the seventeenth operation – Operation Market Garden, was on!

S/Sgt Hooper was briefed to fly 13 Platoon of 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire to Arnhem. Due to the short range of the Albermarle, B Squadron moved south to RAF Manston.  This straightforward move did not go well for the Glider pilots and the aptly numbered 13 Platoon.

‘The troops of 13 Platoon embarked on what was expected to be a routine flight. Minutes later they were picking themselves out of the broken remains of a crashed glider at the end of a Brize runway. The Albermarle’s engines had failed on take off after the Horsa and its load had achieved flying speed'(1)

The next day, they tried again. This time the glider took off without incident and climbed over Oxfordshire to 2,000ft. At that point the tow rope snapped and S/Sgt Hooper was forced to make another emergency landing.

‘A safe landing touchdown in a hastily selected field was accomplished but although the yoke (tow rope) had fallen away unbeknown to the pilots it had fouled the nose wheel whilst landing was being attempted. The trailing rope caught up in the trees on approach resulting in the glider stopping abruptly immediately on touchdown. The Horsa started to cart wheel until checked but broke it’s back aft of the main planes in so doing.’ (2)

Injuries on board were miraculously light and everybody walked away from the wreckage. The South Staffs credited the pilots with saving their lives on both occasions but Battalion HQ elected to move 13 Platoon by road. The pilots finally to RAF Manston in an Albermarle, only to be instructed they would not be flying to Arnhem. A couple of days later S/Sgt Hooper was summoned by Maj Toler, and informed that he and Sgt Johnson had been reinstated for the mission. Also present was Major Cain the Company Commander of 13 Platoon, he had conveyed a request from the Platoon that this glider crew fly them to Arnhem.

On Sunday 17 September 1944 S/Sgt Hooper, Sgt Peter Johnson and 13 Platoon took off without incident from RAF Manston, towed by Sergeant Ted Flavell.  Horsa glider (Tail Number RN 646) joined the stream of gliders crossing the Suffolk coast then heading across the North Sea to occupied Holland. The flight went exactly as planned and the pilots delivered 13 Platoon (Chalk Number 299) onto LZ ‘S’ near Wolfheze. After landing S/Sgt Hooper and Peter followed their South Staffs to the B Company RV point and then occupied a two storey building close to the Wolfheze railway crossing. On Monday 18 September B Company were ordered into Arnhem to breakthrough to 2nd Parachute Battalion at the bridge. S/Sgt Hooper and Peter went along with his Platoon; the remainder of 20 Flight GPR were also in the column.

S/Sgt Hooper and Peter were involved in the fighting in Oosterbeek that forced the column off Utrechtsweg down onto the lower river road. In the early hours of the next morning, fighting alongside the South Staffs continued as they attacked along Utrechtsweg past the St Elisabeth Hospital toward the Municipal Museum – where they were halted by determined German resistance. The South Staffs and 1st Parachute Battalion positions were subjected to heavy fire from 20mm Flak guns, heavy Machine Guns and mortars. Casualties were heavy and both attacks were stalled well short of the bridge. The survivors of the attack were forced into houses on the north side of Utrechtsweg opposite the museum.  There was little respite, 13 Platoon was forced out of the burning building and into hastily dug trenches in the museum grounds. During the fighting Peter Johnson was separated from Jim Hooperand was subsequently posted as ‘Missing in Action’. Eventually a large German counter-attack spearheaded by self propelled guns and other armour overran the South Staffs positions, Jim and many others were taken prisoner.

Sergeant Johnson was never found and the official account records his death on 19 September 1944, aged 19 years old. He is now commemorated on the Memorial at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, near Nijmegen.

References

(1)Mike Peters & Luuk Buist, Glider Pilots at Arnhem by Mike Peters & Luuk Buist (2009) Pen and Sword Ltd.

(2)By permission of The Eagle magazine.