| Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence
Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1.
and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages
will be prepared in manuscript. |
WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY |
Army Form C.2118 |
| Unit: 15th/19th Hussars | ||
| Month and Year: October 1944 | (Erase heading not required). | Commanding Officer: Lt Col A.D. Taylor, DSO., MC. |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Orders received during the night for the Regt to support 1st Herefords in an adv with objective capture of YSSELSTEYN 7222. 7 U.S. Armd.Div. had established a small br.hd. over the canal at 702233 and a bridge had been built over this during the previous night. Plan for the operation was for 2 Coys Herefords supported by 'B' Sqn to adv astride the road to about 730240 and there form a firm base. Remaining Coys of Herefords supported by A' Sqn to follow, turn South down the tracks in 7223 and capture the objective. 'B' and 'A' Sqn carried leading 2 Coys of Herefords as far as the canal leaving the harbour area at 1030hrs. On reaching the area of the bridge the leading Coys were heavily shelled and mortared and found it very difficult to move fwd. The leading Tps of 'B' Sqn, 3rd Tp - Capt. M. Jennings followed by 2nd Tp - Lt. R. Payne were therefore ordered to adv up the road hoping that when they got fwd a little the Infantry would follow. The country was boggy on either side of the road and it was impossible to get off the road. The verges were reported to be mined and A/Tk guns were reported from air photographs and various other sources to be covering the road. The situation of the leading Tps was therefore distinctly unpleasant. In spite of this 3rd Tp adv well up the road. Capt. Jennings' tk received a direct hit by enemy shell fire early on which damaged it and wounded his operator. He changed into the leading tk and contd the adv. The area of the bridge and road beyond it contd to be heavily shelled and mortared and a number of casualties were incurred particularly by the Inf. On reaching about 714235 Capt. Jennings' tk was hit 3 times by 75mm from somewhere to the South. Capt. Jennings was wounded and received serious burns but in spite of this gave 1st Aid to two other members of his crew under fire from enemy Inf in the area and then came back to report the situation to his Sqn Ldr. The Inf were now getting on quite well and the 2 rear Coys moved up North just East of the canal and then Eastwards and turned South onto the main road again at about 720237. Meanwhile 1st Tp 'B' Sqn - Lt. S.R.M. Fraser had moved on past 3rd Tp and the Sqn pushed onto their objective. |
Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Mia Litjens.
Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.
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