The airborne soldiers were well suited to exploit the fluid situation that occurred following the collapse of the Rhine barrier defence. Short fierce actions were fought from the tanks of the 4th Tank Battalion of the Grenadier Guards and whatever transport could be purloined.
They advanced past Osnabrück, Minden, Celle and crossed the Elbe. The 3rd Parachute Brigade reached Wismar on 2nd May, racing just ahead of the Russians. Many soldiers had completed the 350 miles on foot. The Russians were deterred from entering Lubeck. On the 8 May 1945 the war in Europe ended.
During the journey to Wismar, the 6th Airborne Division had not always been in the lead. But on 2 May it became "the first allied division to reach the Baltic after a gallop of 30 miles in the day". Crossing Germany, a few notable leaps were recorded:
1. 3rd Para Brigade covered 23 miles in less than 24 hours between Coesfeld and Greven.
2. 6 Airlanding Brigade crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal and advanced 15 miles to capture Lengerich in 20 hours.
3. 3rd Parachute Brigade also advanced and captured Minden in a jump of 70 miles over 36 hours.
4. Finally, 5th Parachute Brigade advanced from the river Weser to the river Leine, a distance of 22 miles, on the 7th of April.
On April 30, the 1st Parachute Brigade landed at Copenhagen in Denmark to preserve law and order after outbreaks of fighting between Danish civilians and German troops. The last German garrison surrendered in Denmark on 16 May.
At the end of May the 6th Airborne Division returned to its bases at Wiltshire in England.
Latest Comments
There are currently no comments for this content.
Add Comment
In order to add comments you must be registered with ParaData.
If you are currently a ParaData member please login.
If you are not currently a ParaData member but wish to get involved please register.