Operation Varsity- The Death Knell of German Army in the West
Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of WW 2. Involving more than 16,000 British and American paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day in the war.
Varsity was part of Operation Plunder, the Anglo-American Canadian assault under Field Marshall Montgomery to cross the northern Rhine River and from there enter the Ruhr region of Germany. Varsity was meant to help the surface river assault troops secure a foothold across the Rhine River in Germany by landing two airborne divisions on the eastern bank of the Rhine near the village of Hamminkeln and the town of Wesel.
The British 6th Airborne Division was ordered to capture the villages of Schnappenberg and Hamminkeln, clear part of the Diersfordt Forest of German forces, and secure three bridges over the river Issel. The US 17th Airborne Division was to capture the village of Diersfordt and clear the rest of the Diersfordter Wald of any remaining German forces. The two divisions would hold the territory they had captured until relieved by advancing units of 21st Army Group, and then join in the general advance into northern Germany. Operation Varsity - Wikipedia
The third phase of Operation Varsity was 240 B-24s from the 8th Air Force to drop bundles with ammunition, ordnance, grenades, rations, blankets, medical supplies, etc. Half the bundles were for American troops and half for British use with the drop zones about four miles apart.
Operation Varsity - Crossing the Rhine 24 March 1945: C-47 transport planes release hundreds of paratroopers and their supplies over the Rees-Wesel area to the east of the Rhine. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. Some 40,000 paratroops were dropped by 1,500 troop-carrying planes and gliders.
The mission for the 392nd BG was to drop these supplies at the American Wesel zone for the US paratroopers. Lt. Alfred Cohn and the other pilots were instructed to fly at the altitude of 500 ft to ensure surprise. The pilots were warned not to exceed 150 mph indicated air speed at time of dropping lest parachutes be destroyed, and the supplies lost. Bundles were to be released from a height of 300-500 feet. Pilots could use 10–15-degree flaps as needed, but wheels were not to be lowered.
Bomber crews were also given intensive instructions on loading and ejecting bundles. Loads would be dropped from the bomb bays, the ball turret well, and the emergency escape hatch near the tail. Bundles in the bomb bay had a static line attached to the bomb shackle so that a parachute would be deployed when the cylinder was released.
After the pods were dropped, a crewman would have to go into the bomb bay and pull the static lines back into the airplane so the bomb bay doors could be closed. Bundles at the other two locations would have to be pushed out by gunners. Deano was on the hook to push out multiple bundles making sure the static line did not catch his feet. To land in the drop zones, all bundles had to leave the plane in less than 20 seconds.
Photos of supplies being dropped at Wesel, Germany. From the 392nd Bomb Group site.
National Archives NextGen Catalog - US Air Force Reference Number: 116089AC
Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day and in one location.
Varsity was part of Operation Plunder, the Anglo-American-Canadian assault under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross the northern Rhine River and from there enter Northern Germany. Varsity was meant to help the surface river assault troops secure a foothold across the Rhine River in Western Germany by landing two airborne divisions on the eastern bank of the Rhine near the village of Hamminkeln and the town of Wesel.
The plans called for the dropping of two divisions from U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, under Major General Matthew B. Ridgway to capture key territory and to generally disrupt German defenses to aid the advance of Allied ground forces. The British 6th Airborne Division was ordered to capture the villages of Schnappenberg and Hamminkeln, clear part of the Diersfordter Wald (Diersfordt Forest) of German forces, and secure three bridges over the River Issel. The U.S. 17th Airborne Division was to capture the village of Diersfordt and clear the rest of the Diersfordter Wald of any remaining German forces. The two divisions would hold the territory they had captured until relieved by advancing units of 21st Army Group, and then join in the general advance into northern Germany.
The airborne forces made several mistakes, most notably when pilot error caused paratroopers from the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, a regiment of the U.S. 17th Airborne Division, to miss their drop zone and land on a British drop zone instead. However, the operation was a success, with both divisions capturing Rhine bridges and securing towns that could have been used by Germany to delay the advance of the British ground forces. The two divisions incurred more than 2,000 casualties but captured about 3,500 German soldiers. The operation was the last large-scale Allied airborne operation of World War II.
Supply drop for "Varsity" 1945 | Page 7 | WW2Talk – See posting by EKB on B-24 Windmill photograph. The flying B-24 is listed as B-24 serial 42-50650, 576th BS (CI-E) piloted by 2/Lt. Robert K. Crowell. Return trip from Varsity supply run, believed to be passing over the Netherlands. Possibly photographed from the B-24 flown by 2/Lt. Alfred Cohn. The landmarks are distinctive, with a big windmill and promenade and what looks like a church spire within the triangled road junction. Does anyone know the location?
Operation Varsity Low Level Resupply WWII Footage (youtube.com) – This video contains footage on the 392nd Bomb Group loading supplies for the Wesel, Germany drop zone.
This memorial plate at the town hall in Hamminkeln, Germany, honors the men from the 2nd Air Division who lost their lives during Operation Varsity. Peter Loncke was the driving force behind this memorial, and he was present when it was dedicated on 19 September 2001.