WO 171/1658 - 612 Field Squadron - November 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: 612 Field Squadron R.E.
Month and Year: November 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Major R.F.N. Anderson, RE

Place	Date	Hour	Summary
BANKERT	1		Weather, dull & misty, some shower Work:- 1 Tp. and 3 Tp. rd. maintenance. 2 Tp. mine clearance area of orchard E.706180 - job completed
	2		Weather clear and cold Work: - 1 & 3 Tp. rd. maintenance 2 Tp still supplying firing partis on br. prepared for dem. Mine clearance area of X rds. E.720218. 8 R-Mi 43 removed. X rds. previously cleared of mines twice. Enemy clearly laying them at night. Booby traps laid in anticipation of futher attempts.
	3		Weather:- dull & cold. Raint at night. Work:- 1 Tp. rd. maintenance. 2 Tp. Firing partis in br. Also laid A. Per. minefield at night in area E.729266. 19 mines laid. 3 Tp. rd. patrols. Laid A. Per. minefield in area E.7118 80 mines laid. One fatal accident whilst laying.
	4		1 Tp:- rd. maintenance 2 Tp:- Sqn. Reserve 3 Tp:- Log road maintenance patrol, 30 logs replaced.
	5		Weather:- very strong wind. Heavy rain during night. Work:- Whole Sqn. rd. maintenance.
	6		Weather:- Strong rain and heavy rain during night. 1 Tp. task over br. prepared for demn's […] 2 Tp. Remainder of Sqn. road maitenance. Mine lifting party sent out from 1 Tp. to 15/19 H. encountered no mines.
BANKERT	7		1 Tp.:- firing parties in 60 prepared for demolition and road maintenance. 2 Tp.:- Rd. maintenance. 3 Tp.:- Rd. maintenance. RO2 Camed out demn. of 80 R.Mines previously lifted. O.C. & Mine party searched area E.702185 for mines. None found.
	8		1 & 2 Tp. rd. maintenance 3 Tp. day off.
	9		Weather:- cold & wet - some […] in morning Whole Sqn. employed on rd. maintenance DEURNE - VEULEN
	9	1730	Two patrols of 1 N.C.O. & 4 men sent outs with 1 Here to search for minefield belts on following tracks:- First E.744209 - E.756204 - E.786197 Second x tracks E.757216 - E.765205. No mines found by either patrol. Tasks completed in good time.
	10		Weather:- considerable rain during day. Work:- 1 Tp. rd. maintenance on rd. DEURNE-VENRAY 2 Tp. day off. 3 Tp. Rd. maintenance with 1 Tp. removal of charges from br. E.707181, and preparation work for lowering bridge flush with ground.
	10	1730	Night patrol by 1 Tp. with 1 Here. 1 N.C.O. and four men with 2 N°4 detectors. Task:- track E.756204 to E.765205 No mines found.
BANKERT	11		Weather:- morning clear & sunny, clouding later. Work:- 1 and 3 Tp. rd. maintenance GRIENDTSVEEN towards AMERIKA E.7716. 3 Tp. lowering br. at E.707181. 2 Tp. maintenance of VEULEN divercion
	12		1 & 3 Tps. rd. maint. GRIENDTSVEEN 707180. 2 Tp. rd. maint. on divercion to VEULEN. Continuous bad weather had made this an unprofitable job.
	13		1 Tp. day off. 3 Tp. completed rd. maint. 707180 - 710179. 2 Tp. constructed tank crossing over wide ditch at 752214; also experimented with duck-boards as surface for diversion to VEULEN - this was a failure. Inf. Bde. now accept the fact that vehs. must use the log road to VEULEN built by this unit in October; weather prevents us from keeping open the diversion.
	14		1 Tp.:- Rd. maintenance GRIENDSVEEN area. 2 Tp. training with Bailey Mobile Bridge. 3 Tp. day off.
	15		1 Tp:- Rd. maintenance at GRIENDSTVEEN 2 & 3 Tp. Bailey Mobile Bridge.
	15	1430	5 vacancies allotted this unit at demonstration of new methods of clearing Schu Mines.
	16		Weather: hard frost during night - cold and clear. Work:- as 15th
	17		Hard frost during night Work:- as 15th
	18		Weather:- Much […] South wind. Work: 1 & 2 Tps. Mobile Bailey Bridge 3 Tp. rd. maintenance.
	19		Weather mild. Work:- 1 Tp. rd. maint. on Div. centre line. 2 Tp. unloading stores for Bailey Mobile bridge in GRIENDSTVEEN. 3 Tp. rd. maintenance in morning and establishing dumps in village of GRIENDSTVEEN in afternoon
	20		Weather:- mild but some rain. Work:- originally planned as a day for internal organisation of Tps.
	20	1100	C.R.E. arrived with orders to build Bailey Mobile Bridge
	20	1210	Tps. arrived on site
	20	1345	Br. complete except ramps
	20	1445	Br. complete
	21	0930	C.R.E. held lecture to all offrs. on forthcoming operation Nutcracker. Div R.E. Op. O. N°6 rec'd.
	21		Tps. (less Echs.) and Tac. H.Q. moved forward to concentration area for Op. Nutcracker. All units in area HANENBERG E6618.
	22	0715	"H" Hour for Op. Nutcracker Allotment of Tps.:- 1 Tp in sp. of 1 Here. on right flank; 2 Tp. assisting launching of Mobile Bly. Br. and Assault Br. Guides; 3 Tp. sweeping rd. GRIENDSVEEN towards AMERIKA. Weather:- hard continuous rain all day. Thing did not go well. Nature of ground so bad that tank got bogged and prevented use of M.B.B. and Assault Br. All four grps. on rd. to AMERIKA had to be bridged by Bailey eqpt. Two br. done by 2 Tp. - 30 SS & 50 SS. Sweeping a road […] on all day many 'R' Mines and Schu Mines found - 3 casualties:- injured 1 Tp. went right road & through AMERIKA.
	23		Rain continuous all day. 2 & 3 Tp. rd. maintenance. 1 Tp. built 60' SS By. Br. in AMERIKA
	24		Whole Sqn. engaged in rd. maintenance. GRIENDTSVEEN to AMERIKA. Conditions very bad, contact rain.
	25		Some improvement in weather - occasional rain. 1 Tp. engaged on dismantling M.B.B. and using eqpt. to build br in AMERIKA - 604 D/S.
	26		Whole Sqn. rd. maintenance.
	27		Whole Sqn. rd. maintenance.
BANKERT	28		Sqn. less echelons. moved to METERIK E 8118. 3 Tp. employed on lifting A-Per. mies previously laid by them. News received of award of M.C. to Lt. D.K. Mackay R.E. formerly of this Sqn. & now in convalescent hospital in England. Mackay, D.K.
METERIK	29		Rest of Squadron moved and whole unit now concentrated in METERIK. Day spent reorganizing. News received of award of M.C. to Maj. R.F.N. Anderson R.E. and of M.M. to Cpl. L.W. Anscombe. Anderson, R.F.N. Anscombe, Leslie William
	30		1 and 3 Tps:- rd. maintenance along supply routes for inf. bns. depending line of R.Maas 2 Tp. in sp. 3 MONS in attack on BROEKHUIZEN E. 9022. Attack successful, but heavy inf. casualties from shelling etc. from far bank. 2 Tp. had one O.R. killed and one missing.

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Source: 11th Armoured Division.

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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