Previously Held MOS AAF 748-Airplane Mechanic-Gunner
Service Years
1942 - 1945
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
What are you doing now:
Easy Co. 506 P.I.R. 101st Airborne
Other Comments:
WIA on December 28, 1944
MOS: 745
ASN: 36614595
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Rhineland Campaign (1944-45)/Operation Pegasus
From Month/Year
October / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Description Operation Pegasus (Night of 22/23 October 1944, 2100 – 0200) was a military operation carried out on the Lower Rhine near the village of Renkum, close to Arnhem in the Netherlands. Overnight on 22–23 October 1944, the Allies successfully evacuated a large group of men trapped in German occupied territory who had been in hiding since the Battle of Arnhem.
The fighting north of the Rhine in September had forced the 1st British Airborne division to withdraw, leaving several thousand men behind. Several hundred of these were able to evade capture and go into hiding, usually with the assistance of the Dutch Resistance. Initially the men hoped to be able to wait for the British 2nd Army to resume their advance and thus relieve them, but when it became clear that the Allies would not cross the Rhine that year the men decided to escape back to Allied territory. The first escape operation was a great success and over 100 men were able to return to their own lines, but a second operation was compromised and failed. Despite this the resistance continued to help the evaders and many more men were able to escape in small groups over the winter.
The figures of men involved in the battle are imprecise but it is believed well over 10,400 men fought north of the Lower Rhine. In Operation Berlin, between 2,400-2,500 men safely withdrew to the south bank, leaving some 7,900 men behind. Of these almost 1,500 were killed, 6,000 were in German hands and up to 500 were in hiding in the woods and villages near the river.
Major Digby Tatham-Warter had escaped a German hospital as early as 21 September and having lain low for a week was contacted by the Dutch Resistance who requested his assistance in Ede. In early October he was joined by Brigadier Gerald Lathbury and soon a ‘Brigade HQ in hiding’ was set up.[4] Tatham-Warter made contact with Lieutenant Gilbert Kirschen of the Belgian SAS who arranged supply drops of weapons, uniforms and supplies for the growing number of British hiding in the area.
Piet Kruijff, head of the local Resistance, had been organising the evaders into safe houses in Ede. Soon there were over 80 men in the town and it was becoming so congested that he began housing men in Reemst as well. By the time of the evacuation there were an additional 40 men here.[3] At first it was hoped that the Allied offensive would be quickly resumed thus liberating the men - Tatham-Warter even made plans to carry out operations against the Germans when the 2nd Army began crossing the Rhine. But in October Kirschen informed the Resistance that there were no plans to attack north of the Lower Rhine in the near future. As the presence of so many Allied evaders would place a great strain on the Resistance and expose the civilians hiding them to great risk, it was decided to evacuate the men as soon as possible.
The ‘HQ in hiding’ was in contact with 2nd Army’s escape organisation based in Nijmegen, and when Lt Colonel David Dobie, (commander of 1st Battalion), successfully swam the Rhine on the night of 16 October and reached Allied lines, he was able to make further arrangements. Dobie contacted the XXX Corps and the 101st Airborne Division who approved of the evacuation. He was also able to make contact with Tatham-Warter by telephone and together they drew up a plan that would hopefully allow all of the men in hiding to escape.
Dobie was able to suggest a suitable location on the river near Renkum to make the crossing (codenamed Digby). An RV and route to the river from the north were decided upon, and it was arranged that the men would be met on the north bank by Royal Engineers of XXX Corps escorted by men of the 506 PIR, 101st Airborne Division. To help guide the evaders the crossing point would be marked by tracer fire from a Bofors Gun. The American forces made patrols north of the river and tracer fire was sent over the bank for several nights to disguise the actual purpose of the operation when it came. The date was set for the night of 23–24 October.
