Trip report - Operation Clusterfuck

[Deleted account 210901001]

I know it’s partly commercial, but I always get the feeling that the town remains genuinely grateful


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[Deleted account 210901001]

I hope we live our lives in a manner this chap would have approved of, having helped give us a good place to grow up in ....


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[Von Stolberg]

I don’t know if it shows up well but it was absolutely soaking all round.

A prize for anyone who can name this gas station and why it’s well known...........

I Dunno! Is it one one of those many Dutch/German border enclaves, with consequent fluctuating prices? Or did someone take out a Koenigstiger from there using a Piat and p51 tin opener? (Can happen!)

 

[Deleted account 210901001]

Anyway, off to bed.

I plan to do a long walk tomorrow visiting some of the maybe lesser known sites in and around.

Grab your gore tex and see you in the morning...…….

 

[Deleted account 210901001]

I Dunno! Is it one one of those many Dutch/German border enclaves, with consequent fluctuating prices? Or did someone take out a Koenigstiger from there using a Piat and p51 tin opener? (Can happen!)

Sorry no...……….

Although it does have a military kind of theme...…….

Prize fund goes up by 1 pfennig...……..

 

[Rich C]

Well I hadn't seen that coming.. (no pun intended) ..The tale end of this has been the strangest RR I've ever read... Was Max Mosely involved? Superb stuff!

 

[Deleted account 210901001]

Max was busy.

Being the clean living, GS riding, unsociable year I am I was tucked up in my room by 930 with a Bel Vita and coco

Oh and stolen mini toblerones from the Schwarzwald

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[Deleted account 210901001]

I really need to turn auto correct off on this new phone

Bought from here obviously ..


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[Deleted account 210901001]

Day 9

It’s damp but I don’t care as I’m pretty much off the bike today apart from honking it up to get the ferry later.

Luxurious bed demands a lay in so I surface, bimble down to breakfast at about 930.

In the mountain air I’ve been waking at about 6 so this is highly agreeable.

Normal demographic at breakfast, mainly tourists. A hell of a lot of fit women, but both the GSA and my war walk will see them disappointed.

There’s a fantastic Arnhem App. I can not recommend it highly enough. Various walks and commentaries. It’s great.

Grab your kit and fall in outside......,,


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[Deleted account 210901001]

It’s this one...........

Set to long walk and get going...........


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[Deleted account 210901001]

I won’t bore you (any further) but merely show a few highlights........

The famous bridge itself.

Now named after the boss of the unit who defended it.

Some local councillors opposed this but were shot down.

Councils, twats the world over ......


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[Deleted account 210901001]

So I’m sure you know that basically the allies tried to get a foothold by capturing bridges.

Due to some inept planning and bad luck, (Jerry decided to plonk a load of panzers in nearby woods for some maint and r and r), (we decided it would be a good idea to take radios provided by the lowest bidder and then use them incorrectly), it turned into some savage fighting....... a bit of a clusterfuck in the C2 department. (Command and Control)

Anyway......

All came good in the end. As usual due to individuals and teams acting in a gallant manner, rather than a cohesive and well thought out plan working.


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[Deleted account 210901001]

Well done everybody.

Spiffingly good effort........now where’s my fillet mignon......


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[Deleted account 210901001]

One of the company commanders got so hacked off with the lack of comms and int he decided to move right forward to see what the fuck was going on......

He ended up hunkering down as described above.......


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[Deleted account 210901001]

This is that very place..........

Rather like standing at the Great Escape tunnel, I feel like I’m standing inside history. What a privilege


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[Deleted account 210901001]

I follow the “low” route back towards the bridge.

Amazingly the companies who took this route encountered little resistance initially ......

Then all hell broke loose.....

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[Deleted account 210901001]

The museum near the bridge is quite small but very good.

There’s a cracking little cinema downstairs showing about a 5 minute film of the story.

V good.

The staff were fantastic. As I was a total spotter one chap spent 45 minutes going through the story.

I was v interested in the glider landings and happily he knew a lot about them.

The museum to the west, in the hotel which became the Allied HQ is v good also. See previous RR

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[Deleted account 210901001]

So on my bimble around today I spot a lovely 1150 GSA and another bike on British plates parked up.

Sure enough 4 folk appear in bike kit in the museum

We say hi and I notice the younger guy looking at me.

Sometimes it’s an incredibly small world.....

“We’re you serving in blah blah unit in the late 80s mate”

“Errrrr yes I was”

I’m now worried that I owe him money or that I stole his sleeping bag or whatever 30 years ago.

“Hi mate it’s xxxxxx, fuck me you haven’t changed a bit”

I’m taking that as a compliment.

I now recognise him immediately, apart from stubble he looks hardly aged too.

The 5 of us catch up and wish each other non voyage.

Blimey, in all the museums in all the world etc etc etc

The chances of that have to be very slim.

Anyway back to the real stars of the show....


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[Deleted account 210901001]

There are many amazing stories in there.......

I read this chaps one and think “that could have been me in a different era, I wonder if I would have been up to it “ ??

I hope so......


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[Deleted account 210901001]

The Glider Pilot Regiment have legendary status in many a soldiers estimation.

These guys pulled of astonishing feats of aviation.........

Then unstrapped, got out, and started fighting.......

Again I find myself hoping that I’ve lived my life in a manner befitting wearing the same badges as this man.

A very hard act to follow indeed.




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