ABOVE
General Allan
Adair's Cromwell
enters Brussels in
September 1944.
THE TANK MUSEUMLEFT
Civilians wave to
a column of 2nd
Welsh tanks as
they advance.
THE TANK MUSEUMTHE ORIGINAL THUNDER RUN|ARNHEM
Fusiliers and all the
Grenadiers’ mortars.
That bombardment
proved sufficient to evict the Germans,
the assault meeting little resistance,
and by mid-afternoon the road was
clear again.BLOODY SCRAP AT
VOLKEL
The Coldstream Group – which had
followed the Grenadiers – was ordered
to clear the village of Volkel and a
nearby airfield before making for Boekel
and Erp, disposing of all threats to the
axis from the east.
On September 23,
No.1 Company/3rd
Squadron, under
Majors Lord Long
and the Hon H R
Allsop was directed
on Volkel, with
1 Squadron then
securing the far side.
Supported by
artillery, the group
soon reached the
outskirts of Volkel
only to encounter
tough opposition.
The leading Sherman was knocked out
at close range, Lord Long was killed
and the only remaining officer in 1
Company had already been wounded.
Into the breach stepped Company
Sergeant Major Francis Farnhill. He
took command and, in the subsequent
fighting, earned the Distinguished
Conduct Medal, his citation read, acting
‘by his ability and example’. He kept
pressing the attack home, determinedly
so and to a successful conclusion. By
the time a new company commander
arrived, CSM Farnhill had already
re-organised the company for anyeventuality. It
took time and
many casualties to
secure the Volkel
and for a minor
engagement the
cost had been very
high.
This fighting
also involved
101 st Airborne,
while 7th
Armoured Division – the Desert
Rats – was advancing to clear the
area to the west. Further tasks were
assigned to the Guards Armoured,
the Coldstream Group deploying on
the 25th to protect the area in which
the centre-line met the road from
's-Hertogenbosch before turning right
to Grave. No.2 Squadron was sent to
Oss where a company and troop were
already in place. This proved timely
as that evening Oss was attacked by
a strong force of German infantry
with a brisk battle ensuing before the
intruders were beaten off.As the battle at Oss was raging, the
recce troop of the 2nd Grenadiers
probed a road from Uden via
Nistelrode to Heesch. As they
completed their route, the lead tank
was struck by anti-tank fire and small-
arms fire came in from all directions.
The Grenadier patrol was seemingly
surrounded, but the recce men were
joined by a second patrol, from the
King’s Company/No.2 Squadron
Group, although they too lost a tank
in Heesch.
Re-organising in Nistelrode that
evening, the two patrols were joined
by most of the Grenadier Group.
Plans were made for an attack
next day. Under cover of fire from
25Pdr and mortars, both the King’s
Company/No.2 Squadron and No.4
Company/No.1 Squadron Groups
launched a two-pronged attack
in which the noise was said to be
shattering and the expenditure of
ammunition enormous. The ‘shock
and awe’ of the attack overwhelmed
the Germans who returned very little
fire. Grenadier losses were two dead
and four wounded. No tanks were lost
and 170 prisoners were taken with
many Germans killed or wounded.
In spite of this late success, the
Guards Armoured Division had still
not reached Arnhem. On the night of
September 25/26, the survivors of 1st
Airborne Division had been evacuated
across the Neder Rijn under cover of
a heavy artillery bombardment and
the 4th Dorsets of 43rd Division had
crossed the river to the airborne side
to assist in protecting the flanks.
Once again, 2HCR had played a
significant part. A patrol under
Lieutenant David Corbett, later a
senior officer in the Royal Ulster
Constabulary, reached Driel via backMarket
Garden40 http://www.britainatwar.com"“Those who blame
XXX Corps and
Guards Armoured
for being sluggish
perhaps lack a full
appreciation of what
was happening”"34-41 THUNDER_RUN_ARNHEM BAW SEPT2019.indd 40 8/14/2019 5:14:39 PM