WO 171/1349 - 3 Monmouthshire Regiment - December 1944

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
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 3 MON
Month and Year: December 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt.Col. W.P. Sweetman

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
Area HORST	1		During night 30 Nov/1 Dec, enemy patrol of 30 strong got into D Coy lines and were thoroughly shot up. Some prisoners were taken.
	1	0900	Reps for recce arrive. Change over takes place throughout the day.
	1	2000	Change over completed without any undue incident.
Area HORST	2		Bn settles down in new area, and are now in Bde Reserve. Proceed with re-fit and training. Major RC Thomson, (Yorks & Lancs) arrives to take over duties of 2IC Bn. Ma jor L.H. Yates (R.W.F.) arrives and takes over comd of "A" Coy.
	2	2100	Lt. Col W.P. Sweetman (N. Staffs), previously 2IC Bn, returns to take over command. Lt. ROWSELL, "B" Coy, takes over duties of I.O. 10 O.R. Reinforcements arrive.
Area HORST	3		Bde Comd visits Bn and lectures A and C Coys, bring out points of the attacks on KASTEEL and BROEKHUIZEN.
Area HORST	4		No event of importance. Refitting and training. Weather extremely cold and frequent heavy showers of rain. Div institutes an "I" Course at HORST, and Lt Rowsell, Bn I.O., attends.
Area HORST	5		No event of importance. Bad weather prevails.
Area HORST	6		Bn relieved by 8 R.B.	Ref D No 4
	6	0900	Recce parties arrive. Captain P.K. Kempson (WELCH), Capt C.E. Hill (WELCH) and 91 O.Rs arrive as reinforcements. Hill, Christopher Eustace
	6	1000	Bn moves to new location. Captains Kempson and Hill assume appointments of 2IC of A and C Coys respectively. Hill, Christopher Eustace
	6	1600	Bn arrives at new location. In this area, reorganisation and intensive trg will be carried out.	Ref A
Area HORST	7		Bde Adm Order issued (No. 3). Bn Training Area being prepared. 4079889 CSM I. Edwards (B Coy) granted Immediate Emergency Commission as 2/Lt (SWB) and posted to A Coy. 5 O.Rs arrive as reinforcements.	Appx H, Ref J No 2
Area HORST	8		Bn Training area completed and ready for use. Bn Training Programme issued.	Ref J No 1
	8	0900	G.O.C. 11 Armd Div inspects Bn at training, visiting all sub-units.
	8	1130	All Offrs and Pl Comds attend a short talk given by the G.O.C. (He specially commented and praised the Bn record during the campaign, and he also extended the congratulations of the Corps Comd on the success of the last op).
Area HORST	9		All Coys engaged on training, HQ and Sp Coys dealing mostly with maintenance. Maj A.B. Irwin (BORDER) arrives and assumes comd of "A” Coy. Maj Yates to SP Coy. Weather very cold and wet. First very slight fall of snow was experienced during the night.
Area HORST	10		Day devoted to administration within Coys and voluntary Church Parades.
	10	1900	80 Reinforcements arrive, incl 7 offrs, from 1/6 Queens. Offrs posted as follows:- 2/Lt F.J. Turner (Buffs) to B Coy; Lt H.W. Ingraham (Canadian) to C Coy; Lt D.B. Bangham (Queens) to C Coy; Lt N. Spencer (Canadian) to A Coy; Lt A.G. Woodbury (Canadian) to B Coy as 2IC. Slight improvement in weather, but still very cold.	(Canadian) to Sp Coy (Mortars); Lt. Marsh (Queens) to Sp Coy (Pioneers) and Capt E. Brown (Canadian) to B Coy as 2IC. Slight improvenent in weather, but still very cold.
Area HORST	11	0900	Bde Comd inspects and gives a short talk to the reinforcements arrived the previous evening. Rifle Coys spent the day on Pl and Sec trg; HQ and Sp on maintenance.
Area HORST	11		Defence Pl, consisting of 1 Sgt and 12 ORs, formed for defence of Bn HQ during ops.
	12		No event of importance. Trg still in progress.
	13		No event of importance. Trg continues.
	14		No event of importance. Trg continues.
	15		Trg continues. Notification received that Pte. Bensley (since wounded) awarded the B.E.M. for rescuing wounded driver from burning carrier during operation S.E. of CAEN in July.
	16		Trg continues. 159 Inf Bde Op Order No. 14 issued. 3 MON Movement Instr issued.	Ref E, Ref D No 19
	16	0745	Harbour party moves off.
HEEL	17		Move to new area carried out as per Op Order without enemy interference, in posn by 1330 hrs. Sister Bn, 2nd MON, remain responsible for sector until following morning,. Remainder of day quiet, though enemy air activity with Jet Planes. Weather exceedingly fine. During night 17/18 pl of C Coy relieve pl of 2 MON holding the Lock on the bend of the R. MAAS. This is known as the Lockforce, and is manned for 24 hrs. Relief can only be achieved by night owing to enemy observation. Special Instrs issued.	Ref D No 1
HEEL	18	1030	2 MON move out. Quiet day on whole. Rifle and Spandau fire prevalent.
	18	1000	4 enemy found hiding in a house in HEEL and were picked up. Identified as 6 Coy, 11 Bn. Hubner. Patrol activity on both sides during night 18/19.
HEEL	19		Quiet day. During night 19/20 1 Offr and 50 ORs were sent to cross to island on the MASS but owing to setting off of booby traps which brought exceedingly heavy Spandau fire were forced to abandon task. Other patrols nothing to report. Ground mist during day limited observation to 100 yards. Bde Comd visits Bn.
HEEL	20		Quiet throughout the day. Light Spandau and rifle fire coming from across the MAAS. During night 20/21 six patrols were sent out, four normal standing patrols and one each right and left flank protection, for the Lockforce, of which one of these (1 Sgt and 5 ORs of A Coy) became split and Pl Sgt and one man were killed. Div Comd visited Bn and toured round Coys and sub-units.
HEEL	21		No enemy activity during the day. Leave Ballot drawn for men with six months service in this theatre. Civilian brought in by "A" Coy on suspicion of being an enemy agent, suspicion proved correct by Higher Authority. During night, 5 patrols sent out. Nothing to report. Visibility limited to 300 yards due to ground mist.
HEEL	22		Instrs for signal security issued. Quiet day with no enemy activity. Weather throughout the day very fine, but extremely cold. Visibility improved to about 400 yards. During night 22/23 six ambush patrols were set along line of R. MAAS. No incidents reported except for Spandau fire and slight mortaring around Lockforce.	Ref D No 2
HEEL	23		No enemy activity during the day. Weather very fine, but severe frost still prevails. 5 patrols out during night 23/24. Nothing to report.
HEEL	24		Quiet day. COs O.Gp. Bn HQ to move to new location. A Coy to come into reserve. First Christmas rations given out during the evening, every man receiving orange, packet of sweet, two cans of beer and cigarettes. Owing to Bn being in line, celebrations are confined to minimum, as 100% alertness must be ensured the whole time. Six patrols out during night 24/25, little to report. One reported singing on EAST Bank of R. MAAS, presumably enemy Christmas celebrations.
HEEL	25		R.E. personnel constructing dug-outs for Bn HQ in new location. If completed, Bn HQ will move today. A Coy move to new area to provide more depth for Bn defence. No enemy activity on Bn front during the day. No Christmas Dinner served to the men - Boxing Day has been decided upon. Owing to construction of dug-outs, Bn HQ will not move until tomorrow. 6 patrols sent out during night, one of these (1 Offr 6 ORs of C Coy) bumped into enemy patrol, who were fired upon and forced to withdraw. Evidence by recce patrol next morning showed signs of casualties inflicted on enemy. No casualties to our patrol.	Ref A
HEEL	26		Bn HQ move to new location. No activity on either side during the day. 5 patrols sent out during night 26/27; nothing important to report.
HEEL	27		Very quiet day. Bde Comd visits Bn. Maj Thomson (2IC) leaves Bn. Fine weather prevails; still severe frost. 5 patrols sent out during night 27/28; report considerable enemy activity on EAST bank of MAAS.
HEEL	28		No enemy activity during day. Inter-Coy relief programme issued. 4 patrols sent out during night 28/29; one of these (1 Offr 10 men of B Coy) saw six boats carrying 4 men in each attempting a landing on our side of the MAAS. These were shot up and casualties inflicted. Landing forestalled. Visibility still limited to 300 or 400 yards.	Ref D No 3
HEEL	29		Still quiet. Occasional Spandau, Mortar fire in Bn area, also shelling. 4 patrols, nothing to report.
HEEL	30	0700	Coy Comds of A and B Coys recce areas for change over, which is to take effect in afternoon.
	30	1500	Change over complete without incident. B Coy now in reserve area. O.O. issued for control of no man’s land. Quiet day. 4 patrols at night report no enemy activity. Weather fine, with improved visibility; frost.	Ref D No 5
HEEL	31		Today makes 14th day in line. Still rather quiet, but increased shelling and mortaring in the area. Carrier Pl HQ hit - no casualties. 4 patrols sent out during night; enemy activity reported by A Coy patrol of 1 Offr and 10 men. Three parties of enemy appeared to be laying mines. The weather during the last 24 hrs has been considerably warmer, and the severe frost which has prevailed has deteriorated to some extent. Visibility has improved, and on fwd O.Ps, we are able to observe to the extent of 400 or 500 yards on the enemy-held side of the MAAS. No signal log kept after the 21st Dec. 44.

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Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Hans Houterman.

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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