General ‘Boy': The Life of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Browning by Richard Mead

Author:Richard Mead [Mead, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Modern / General / Military Biography
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2011-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Tragedy (24 September–9 October 1944)

Charles Mackenzie had left his meeting with the two corps commanders at Airborne Corps HQ feeling that they did not understand the gravity of the situation and the urgency of relief. It is much more likely that by then, albeit very belatedly, they understood it only too well, but knew that the resources necessary to engineer a significant reinforcement of 1 Airborne’s bridgehead just did not exist. Sufficient boats were not even available for a crossing in brigade strength, as Boy admitted to Sosabowski, so the single battalion from 43 Division, together with the 1st Polish Parachute Battalion, was the best they could provide.

Sosabowski subsequently criticized Boy for not making one final effort to get across the Lower Rhine in strength, but it was Boy, not he, who was in full possession of the facts; these did not allow for such an operation to be mounted in time to save what was left of 1 Airborne, which was becoming Boy’s overriding priority. Although he went along with the agreement reached at the Valburg Conference, he already favoured withdrawal, as Sosabowski suspected, and it might reasonably be supposed that this carried weight with Dempsey. Urquhart could only be thankful that he did: ‘Horrocks remained optimistic to the very last about the possibility of effecting a crossing to the west of the perimeter. In this I think he was being unrealistic; it is as well that Browning and Dempsey insisted that we came out when we did.’1

Boy’s anguish was conveyed in a letter to Daphne written on the day of the Valburg Conference. ‘We have had a very tragic time the last few days’, he wrote, ‘as we’ve been unable to reach the 1st Division in time to prevent their annihilation –its been a combination of weather, stiffening resistance and appalling country. I’ve got a major battle on me hands to keep the corridor open and hold the Boche on me southern flank,’ going on to say later that he was ‘worried as hell about the 1st Division although the latter is not now my battle but a matter for 30 Corps who are trying to reach them. Apart from the latter the thing has been a great success, but the whole thing is overshadowed by the tragedy in the north.’2

Boy’s priority was given greater momentum by a message received on the Phantom net from Urqhuart on the evening of 24 September. ‘Must warn you’, wrote the beleaguered GOC, ‘unless physical contact is made with us early 25 Sep. consider it unlikely we can hold out long enough. All ranks now exhausted. Lack of rations, water, ammunition, and weapons with a high officer casualty rate … . Even slight enemy offensive action may cause complete disintegration. If this happens all will be ordered to break towards bridgehead if anything rather than surrender. Any movement at present in face of enemy NOT possible. Have attempted our best and will do so as long as possible.’ If this communication

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