Amherst, the last Allied airborne operation of WWII

[Gungnir]

In April 1945 a remarkable but now as good as forgotten airborne operation took place in the Northeast of the Netherlands: 2 French paratroop regiments are dropped to prepare the Allied, in this case mainly Canadian, liberation of the area.
The exposition commemorating operation Amherst took place in the Oosterbeek Airborne Museum Hartenstein in 1945.

This is the Internet page of the exposition: http://www.airbornemuseum.org/agenda/amherst/airborne_museum_amherst.htm

Below is a translation of the main parts of the text:
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Amherst, the last Allied airborne operation

Early April 1945 two Canadian infantery divisions, a Canadian and a Polish tank division plus a Belgian regiment of the Special Air Service are poised at the (province of) Drenthe border to liberate the North of the Netherlands.
To confuse the Germans and to secure the main bridges in Drenthe for the Allied offensive it is decided to drop two regiments of French paratroopers behind the lines. They are to take the airfields of Steenwijk, Eelde and Leeuwarden, stimulate and organise the local resistance and supply information to the Canadians. The code name of this action is AMHERST.

During the night from 7 to 8 April 702 French paratroopers of the 2e en 3e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, parts of the British Special Air Service, are dropped, divided into 47 sticks, near Meppel, Beilen, Westerbork, Gieten-Borger, Appelscha (Frisia) and Assen. However, the paratroopers land spread out over all of Drenthe and even in Frisia.

The French ambush, assisted by the resistance, Germans all over Drenthe and Frisia during the next days. Isolated groups often merely attempt to survive, and have to hide, helped by the local population.

Only of a few of the action pictures have been saved. This exposition highlights mainly those actions.

During the fighting, 33 French and 33 civilians are killed. During the liberation and through German actions more civilians die, a few dozen is the estimate.

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IMO, this action has everything in it for a great wargame. Troops are dropped with a variety of orders, but often land in wrong spots and have to try and survive, and execute alternative actions in stead.

Will they encounter German opposition before they can contact the resistance? What targets can they find?

And much more, as you can see.

And last but not least, let’s make sure that the men who made the final sacrifice during this last airborne cooperation will never be forgotten.
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[Big Dave]

I'd never heard of it, interesting stuff.
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[Etranger]

Good find Gungnir - there's very little in English about these very late war operations & even less about the French SAS operations.

Although not parachute borne, the airlift of paratroop formations to Norway to disarm the Germans & into French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies to disarm the Japanese are probably the actual last airborne operations of the war.
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[Duck Crusader]

Huah! A salute to my furrrin fellow turf torpedoes.

Good find mousie.
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[cpstu]

I though tthere was a later drop in the far east though.....?

Can't remember the details though

stuart

[Gungnir]

The claim is not mine, but the Oosterbeek's museum. My knowledge of the Far East is much patchier than Europe - and that's not complete either!
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Handle every stressful situation like a dog.
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[brian horrocks]

Stu i think it was a mission to free some American POWs that were in danger of being killed by the japs i did read about in a copy of 'Mayfair' so i was not really doing historical research I did know about the dutch mission but i didnt realise it was the French SAS that carried it out
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[Jon Suth]

Gungnir - I'd never heard of this until you mentioned it. Trawled the Internet for extra info on it. Very tempted to do a book proposal on this one and see if anyone is interested, I can't find an English language book on the operation at all - is there one?

[Gungnir]

Not to my knowledge, Jon, but I think the best places to ask would be the Oosterbeek museum, and the Delft army museum.

I sent the lin to a French friend, a former teacher, and he had never heard of the operation either.
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Handle every stressful situation like a dog.
Pee on it and walk away.

[cpstu]

[Big Dave]

[brian horrocks]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_at_Cabanatuan this is the one i was on about my memory got a bit fogged or my eyesight went one or the other its a ready made scenario though isnt it (the raid not me reading Mayfair) It pre dates the Dutch mission
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[cpstu]

It's probably the one I'm thinking of.....

(painting selous scouts at the mo, so what do I know)!

stuart

[Big Dave]

I think the film is called The Great Raid or Last Raid.
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[Motorway]

[Gungnir]

Talked about this with daughter in law yesterday, she's from Appelscha, and she has seen French veterans visit the town every five years or so, the march from one bridge to the next, cross the canal, and march back again.

Her father, who is retired, operates several of the area bridges during the Summer boating season.
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Handle every stressful situation like a dog.
Pee on it and walk away.