Wiltshire Arnhem
Commemoration
First Wednesday of October at 10.30 a.m.
at Marasingel 19 – Arnhem
Oct. 2nd 2024
10.15 a.m.
Marasingel 19
Arnhem
Public
Program
Lecture
See our invitation
10:15 a.m. Gather at farm de Buitenplaats
10.25 a.m. Joint walk to the monument
10.30 a.m. Commemoration
Soon available
Schuytgraaf in the early days of October 1944
In this area, just about 1,5 mile south of Arnhem, the 4th and 5th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment were involved in heavy fighting between 27 September and 6 October 1944. They determinately repelled attacks of German units under the command of the 9th SS Panzer Division, the 10th SS Panzer Division and the 116th Panzer Division. But at great costs…
The 4th and 5th Battalion of The Wiltshire Regiment, together with the 4th Battalion of The Somerset Light Infantry, formed 129 Brigade of the 43rd “Wessex” Infantry Division.
Both Battalions had disembarked in Normandy on 18 June 1944. Between 29 June and 27 August 1944 they had been continuously taking part in actions in order to take strategically important points, which would later be mentioned in the Regiment’s battle honours as: The Odon Box; The Capture of Hill 112; The Capture of Maltot, The Capture of Mont Pinçon and The Crossing of the river Seine at Vernon. The Battalions had suffered severely. Since the Normandy landings almost 250 casualties had been sustained.
On 17 September 1944 both Battalions were at Helchteren-Belgium, when Operation “Market-Garden” started. This operation intended to take a number of important bridges over the major Dutch rivers by the use of Airborne landings and subsequently send up ground forces (30 Corps) from Eindhoven in order to break their way through to the most northern bridge: the bridge over the river Rhine at Arnhem. From Arnhem, allied forces could head east and advance to the heart of Germany’s industrial zone (the Ruhrgebiet) and from there on to Berlin. With this operation, Field Marshal Montgomery wanted to end the war before Christmas 1944.
Wiltshire Arnhem Foundation
On 20 September 1944 the 4th and 5th Battalion of The Wiltshire Regiment crossed the Dutch border and moved up the captured road known as “the Corridor”. Two days later they arrived at the city of Nijmegen. On 23 and 24 September, 4th Battalion took part in the capture of Elst, where they dug in on September 25th. These flat polder lands between the rivers Waal and Rhine soon became known as “The Island,” because of its marshy character.
On 27 September the 5th Battalion arrived in the area north of Elst, in order to relieve the 5th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. An area consisting of nothing but fields and the occasional farmhouse. Unfortunately, in the mean time, the remnants of the 1st British Airborne Division had been forced to withdraw over the river Rhine. It had been proven impossible for the ground forces to break through from Nijmegen and relieve the Airborne troops in time.
Back in 1944, you could only find meadows, fruit orchards, scattered farms and farmhouses in the area now known as Schuytgraaf. The 5th Battalion took up positions at the following locations: Battalion Headquarters was stationed at farm Distelheuvel on “Grote Molenstraat”, A Company on the south side of the plot called “Schuytgraaf”, B Company at farm de Laar (which stood on the present site of the monument, destroyed during the fighting and rebuilt in 1949 approximately 100 meters further east, now the Buitenplaats), C Company on the north side of the plot called Schuytgraaf, D Company around the railroad crossing on “Laarstraat” (east side of today’s Stratenmakersveste) and S Company just north of the battalion headquarters on “Grote Molenstraat”.
On 20 September 1944 the 4th and 5th Battalion of The Wiltshire Regiment crossed the Dutch border and moved up the captured road known as “the Corridor”. Two days later they arrived at the city of Nijmegen. On 23 and 24 September, 4th Battalion took part in the capture of Elst, where they dug in on September 25th. These flat polder lands between the rivers Waal and Rhine soon became known as “The Island,” because of its marshy character.
On 27 September the 5th Battalion arrived in the area north of Elst, in order to relieve the 5th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. An area consisting of nothing but fields and the occasional farmhouse. Unfortunately, in the mean time, the remnants of the 1st British Airborne Division had been forced to withdraw over the river Rhine. It had been proven impossible for the ground forces to break through from Nijmegen and relieve the Airborne troops in time.
Back in 1944, you could only find meadows, fruit orchards, scattered farms and farmhouses in the area now known as Schuytgraaf. The 5th Battalion took up positions at the following locations: Battalion Headquarters was stationed at farm Distelheuvel on “Grote Molenstraat”, A Company on the south side of the plot called “Schuytgraaf”, B Company at farm de Laar (which stood on the present site of the monument, destroyed during the fighting and rebuilt in 1949 approximately 100 meters further east, now the Buitenplaats), C Company on the north side of the plot called Schuytgraaf, D Company around the railroad crossing on “Laarstraat” (east side of today’s Stratenmakersveste) and S Company just north of the battalion headquarters on “Grote Molenstraat”.
Thursday 28 and Friday 29 September 1944
All was fairly quiet in the Battalion area. Some enemy patrols were observed and an occasional shell landed. A few yards east of the level crossing an observation post (OP) was established in a house. The OP reported that German troops were establishing defensive positions in the eastern ramp of the railway embankment. A fighting patrol was sent out by D-Company, but was fired upon by machineguns and withdrew safely.
Saturday 30 September 1944
Occasionally the Battalion area was being shelled. British artillery and mortar fire successfully dealt with a number of enemy targets. C-Company and D-Company reported tanks moving up from the direction of the village of Elden. An A-Company patrol reported two tanks and some armoured vehicles east of the level crossing. These were subsequently attacked by British artillery.
Sunday 01 October 1944.
In the early morning D-Company engaged some enemy troops. Prisoners taken, were identified as Marine personnel. Around 10:00 hours, both D-Company at the strategically most important level crossing and B-Company at De Laar farm were attacked by enemy artillery. A large number of German infantry east of D-Company positions were successfully dealt with by Support Company’s mortars and had to withdraw in northern direction. Some enemy tanks were successfully attacked by artillery and anti-tank weapons.
Monday 02 October 1944
Around 03:30 hours, D-Company at the level crossing was attacked from two sides. The positions of the two most forward platoons had to be abandoned. These soldiers withdrew to B-Company positions at De Laar farm. But the remainder of D-Company stubbornly held their positions in a ruined farm house west of the level crossing, occasionally fighting hand to hand combat. B-Company sent out troops for a counter attack. Shortly after, German tanks moved up from D-Company area to De Laar farm. They met heavy resistance. At 05:15 hours the barn of De Laar farm was set on fire by enemy shelling. At 06:00 hours all German troops withdrew to the eastern side of the railway embankment. D-Company re-established their forward positions at the level crossing. At 14:00 hours it was decided to amalgamate D-Company and B-Company because of the heavy losses sustained. Around 23:00 hours German troops attacked once again. C-Company of 4th Battalion, which at that time was under the command of 5th Battalion, successfully stopped German troops infiltrating the lines to the south of the level crossing.
Tuesday 03 October 1944
Between 01:30 and 03:30 hours German troops again took the forward positions of D-Company. The Battalion commander ordered these important positions to be retaken. At 13:45 hours a major counter attack took place by the mixed force of B-Company and D-Company men, assisted by tanks. This counter attack was successful and at 14:30 hours all lost forward positions were retaken. At 21:00 hours 5th Battalion prepared to be relieved by 4th Battalion.
Monday 02 October 1944
Around 03:30 hours, D-Company at the level crossing was attacked from two sides. The positions of the two most forward platoons had to be abandoned. These soldiers withdrew to B-Company positions at De Laar farm. But the remainder of D-Company stubbornly held their positions in a ruined farm house west of the level crossing, occasionally fighting hand to hand combat. B-Company sent out troops for a counter attack. Shortly after, German tanks moved up from D-Company area to De Laar farm. They met heavy resistance. At 05:15 hours the barn of De Laar farm was set on fire by enemy shelling. At 06:00 hours all German troops withdrew to the eastern side of the railway embankment. D-Company re-established their forward positions at the level crossing. At 14:00 hours it was decided to amalgamate D-Company and B-Company because of the heavy losses sustained. Around 23:00 hours German troops attacked once again. C-Company of 4th Battalion, which at that time was under the command of 5th Battalion, successfully stopped German troops infiltrating the lines to the south of the level crossing.
Tuesday 03 October 1944
Between 01:30 and 03:30 hours German troops again took the forward positions of D-Company. The Battalion commander ordered these important positions to be retaken. At 13:45 hours a major counter attack took place by the mixed force of B-Company and D-Company men, assisted by tanks. This counter attack was successful and at 14:30 hours all lost forward positions were retaken. At 21:00 hours 5th Battalion prepared to be relieved by 4th Battalion.
Wednesday 04 October 1944
By 00:50 hours relief was complete. The heavily tried 5th Battalion marched back to the area just north of Elst, except for C-Company which remained in their positions under command of 4th Battalion.
During the day, 4th Battalion was heavily shelled by enemy artillery and mortar fire. D-Company engaged small parties of enemy troops east of the railway embankment.
Thursday 05 October 1944
During the night, German troops had successfully infiltrated D-Company lines. But these were forced off their positions at first daylight and a large number of prisoners were taken. British artillery had such control over the Battalion area that every following German attack was repulsed. Around 21:00 hours, 4th Battalion was relieved by units of the 101st US Airborne Division and marched back to Elst to recuperate.
After the battle
Though the Wiltshire men never lost their ground, the two Wiltshire Regiment Battalions had suffered a number of over 70 casualties in total. During the night of 03 December 1944 German engineers blew up the dyke of the river Rhine at Elden, and inundated “The Island”. In the spring of 1945 the area had fallen dry again. But after VE-Day, it turned out to be very hard for the British Graves Registration Units to trace the field graves of the missing soldiers. Obviously, because of the inundations, most grave markers had washed away. To this day, 18 soldiers of the Wiltshire Regiment are still unaccounted for. Two of them were recovered and identified by the Royal Netherlands Army’s Recovery & Identification Unit, when the area around De Laar farm was prepared for a new housing estate called “Schuytgraaf”. Some of them lie buried in graves marked “Known unto God” in Allied War Cemeteries in Oosterbeek and Nijmegen. The others have unmarked graves in Dutch soil.