War Diary: 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment

Month and year: September 1944

During the No. 2 Wing Glider Pilots Regiment September 1944 war diary, the unit participated in Operation "MARKET," a large-scale airborne operation in Holland in support of XXX Corps of the 2nd British Army. On 17 September, the 1st Lift landed elements of 1st British Airborne Division on landing zones in the area of ARNHEM, with Wing Headquarters establishing itself at Wolfhezen. Over the following days, the wing engaged in intense combat around Arnhem and Wolfheze, facing superior German forces supported by self-propelled guns. After suffering considerable losses, the remnants of 1st Airborne Division were evacuated across the river to DRIEL on 25 September, then transported to NIJMEGEN. The unit continued by transport to LOUVAIN in Belgium, before evacuation by air from BRUSSELS airfield to England on 29-30 September

National Archive Reference: WO 171/1235

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WO 171/1235 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment

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Page 1 of 4

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
BROADWELL	31 Aug		Operation "LINNET" planned, but later cancelled.	Op Order less traces att: "A"
	1 Sep 2
	3 4
	5 6
	7 8		Operation "COMET" planned, but later cancelled. During this period, operations were continually being planned,	Op Order less traces att: "B"
	9 10		postponed, then cancelled. Owing to the swift advances of the Allied Armies, it proved exceedingly difficult to time an Airborne Operation
	11 12		exactly. As a result, all pilots of 2 Wing were almost continually on tenterhooks, planning and preparing for an operation, finding it
	13 14		postponed, sometimes 2 or 3 times, and eventually suffering the disappointment of having it cancelled.
	15
	16
	17		Operation "MARKET", a large-scale Airborne Operation in HOLLAND in support of XXX Corps of 2nd Br Army.	O.O. attached. "C"
	17	1315	The 1st Lift of 2 Wing, THE GLIDER PILOT REGIMENT landed elements of 1 Br Airborne Div on L.Zs in the area of ARNHEM. Flak very light and
			landing successful.
		1415	"F" Squadron assembled and moved to hourses 657807, followed by Wing	All map references refer
			Headquarters which established itself at X rds 659810. "E" Squadron arrived and pushed down rd towards X rds 666806. "C" Squadron was ordered	to map sheets Holland 1:25,000, sheets 6. NW 388
			to make for WOLHEZEN and est posns on the two rds leading in from the SOUTH.

Page 2 of 4

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
ARNHEM	17	1600	Wing Headquarters moved forward to house at approx 662808, while NEW
			Squadron moved to wood at 672804 watching East. "E" Squadron moved to WOLFHEZEN guarding the approaches to SW ("on left of HCH Squadron).
		1800	Wing HQ moved into WOLFHEZEN to a house at 665805. 14 Flt acted as def platoon. Little opposition was met during the day by No: 2 Wing.
	18	0800	"E" Squadron moved to wood at 667807 facing NW - NE. Wing Headquarters moved to house at 666805.
		0830	"F" Squadron moved EAST to wood at 678803 linking up with Recce Squadron and protecting area LZ the on high ground. Desultory mortar fire was encountered.
		1415	The 2nd Lift of No: 2 Wing carrying further elements of 1 AIRBORNE DIV arrives on the same L.Zs. The landings were good. Flak much heavier and
			number of aircraft were shot down.
		1500 onwards	Pilots of the 2nd Lift arrived and joined their Squadrons.
		1800	Advance Party moves off to recce new posns near clearing 692790
		1900	2 Wing marches off, in order "E" "C" Wing HQ "F" Squadrons, to new posn. Route :- X rds 679784 - X rds 692784 thence NORTH track.
		2000	2 Wing arrives and takes up posns as follows:- "E" Squadron on line 688790 - 692793 - 693793 facing NORTH and WEST.
			"C" Squadron in wood 694792 facing EAST. "F" Squadron in area 691788 facing W & S. Wing HQ est in house 693792. It
			was a disturbed night with considerable firing coming from direction of railway line, but no attack developed.
	19	0900 0930	"C" Squadron moved to park at 694778 to protect 1 A/L Bde H.Q. Wing HQ moved to a house at 692787, going via high ground at 689789 where
			several Messerschmitt 109s carried out a 30 min strafe.
		1100	Urgent message from Div, "F" Sqn moved to E edge of wood 700786 with
			standing patrol at 702784. There was desultory mortar fire throughout the day,

Page 3 of 4

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
ARNHEM	19	1600	The 3rd lift of No: 2 Wing, carrying elements of 1 Polish Para Bde Gp arrive. Intense flak. The L.Z. too was under fire.
		2030	The situation for the first time appeared a little difficult, and orders were issued for a fairly small perimeter to be held by the Div. "E" Sqn
			were ordered to hold from 693793 - 689794 facing NORTH, linking up with the Ind Para Coy on the right, and with the KOSB in front up to the
			rly line. The Bde Cmdr released 30 men from "C" Squadron who joined with 30 pilots of No: 4 Wing who had been temporarily lost after landing
			on the 2nd Lift and had not met up with us in the darkness. This composite body were ordered to hold from 689794 down track to 689787, linking up with
			"E" Squadron an the right and a coy of the Border Regt on the left.
	20	1000	A day during which enemy pressure greatly increased. During the morning
			"F" Squadron were forced out of their wood by a much superior force of SS tps supported by SP guns, They retired with considerable losses to
			Div HQ. Heavy pressure also forced us to relinquish our hold on the high ground at 689789, "E" Sqn withdrawing into wood 694792 joining with the
			Independent Para Coy and the composite body moving SOUTH to join with the BORDER Regt.
		1500	The remmants of "F" Squadron moved into wood 692787 to fill the gap between "E" Squadron and the Borders. A 6-pdr A/Tk gun and a Vickers
			M.G. helped to stiffen the "F" Squadron front.
		1800	Wing HQ moved to the next house.
	21	0330	The Div perimeter was contracted. "F" Squadron stayed in the same posn., but "E" Squadron moved from their wood back into area 690787 on the left
			of "F" Sqn, with the Border Regiment on their left. On our right were the KOSB holding posns in the houses.
	21		Thursday was a day of continual attack in our sector. The enemy brought down an S.P. gun into the wood at approx 690788. In the afternoon "F"
			Squadron counter attacked the infiltrating Germans in the wood and drove them back. Mortaring was severe and we had considerable casualties.

Page 4 of 4

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
ARNHEM	21		The night was fairly quiet, but desultory mortar fire kept all on the alert
	22		A message from the Brigadier "We're up agin it". Heavy mortaring and shelling throughout the day, but our posns were held intact. Continual
			casualties caused our line to become dangerously thin.
		1900	Wing H.Q. moved to a house at 693786. Another 6 pdr was obtained and put in the "E" Squadron sector.
	23		Intense shelling and mortaring. Stocks of food and water very low. Many casualties.
	24		In the afternoon, a combination of shelling, mortaring, S.P. guns and
			a Flame throwing Tank forced us to abandon the wood. The survivors took up posns in the houses across the rd covering the exits from the wood. No reinforrcements
			could be obtained.
	25	1400	Bde O Gp. Orders for the evacuation of the remants of 1 Airborne Div across the river to the SOUTH bank were issued.
		2100	2 Wing vacated its posn in the Houses and moved in small parties to the
			river bank, suffering considerable losses through shelling on the common at 693786. The crossing was made under fire in assault boats.
	26 27	1700	We marched to DRIEL 6875 where tpt conveyed us to NIJMEGEN. Lt. Gen. F,A.M. Browning, C.B., D.S.O. addressed the survivors of the Div
	28		at NIJMEGEN. Move by tpt to LOUVAIN in BELGIUM.
	29 30		Evacuation by air from BRUSSELS airfield, to England.
	31