Monty's Highlanders : 51st Highland Division in the Second World War

298 Pages·2007·7.99 MB·English

Monty's Marauders
51st Highland Division in the Second World War
Patrick Delaforce
First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Tom Donovan Publishing Ltd
Reprinted in 2000 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd
Published in this format in 2007 by
Pen & Sword Military
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright © Patrick Delaforce
9781783460731

The right of Patrick Delaforce to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.

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available from the British Library
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
1 - Monty’s Highlanders 51st Highland Division
2 - Early History WW1: “Valiant Scots lying on soil of France”
3 - Outbreak of WW2 “No pants under the kilt”
4 - With the BEF in France: “Entente Cordiale?”
5 - Re-forming: “51st was the Division”
6 - All at Sea: “a stinking old ship”
7 - North Africa at Last “Tahag was a hell-hole”
8 - “Going up the Blue... tinkers carts”
9 - Preparing for the Battle of El Alamein: “a new philosophy”
10 - Operation Lightfoot “bayonets gleamed in the moonlight”
11 - Operation Supercharge The Second Battle of Alamein
12 - Pursuit: “Sand treacherous as treacle”
13 - El Agheila “Mines and booby traps - a nightmare day”
14 - Advance to Contact Buerat, Homs and the coastal road
15 - ‘Edinburgh Castle’ Corradini and the capture of Tripoli
16 - The Battle of Medenine: “a cheerless spot”
17 - The Battle of Mareth “confusion reigned everywhere”
18 - The Battle of Wadi Akarit “infantry had a gruelling time”
19 - A Last Lap: “hopes were high”
20 - Algeria: Preparing for ‘Husky’ - the Promised Land?
21 - Operation Husky Battles of Vizzini and Francofonte
22 - A Bloody nose on the Catania Plain Sferro and Gerbini
23 - The Battle of the Sferro Hills “Running and Dodging”
24 - The General’s Farewell “Jocks reacted with amazement”
25 - Limbo in Sicily: “prayer for the dead”
26 - Homeward Bound “solid half crowns, water-taps and baths”
27 - The Killing Grounds in the Normandy ‘Triangle’ - June
28 - The Normandy Bridgehead: July - the 24 hour raid
29 - Morale and the Leadership Crisis
30 - Breakout in August: Operation Totalise- “hammer and tongs”
31 - Return to St Valéry
32 - Operation Astonia: Capture of Le Havre
33 - More Channel Ports: Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk “swanning days are
over”
34 - Operation Colin: 23 October-1 November
35 - Operation Guy Fawkes
36 - Operation Ascot: 14th - 21st November “real heroes of war”
37 - On the Island: Operation Noah 27 November - 4 December
38 - The Ardennes: Christmas and the New Year
39 - Operation Veritable “Hitler Youth fighting like demons”
40 - Preparation for the Rhine Crossing Operation Plunder
41 - Across the Rhine “Rennie was a great leader”
42 - The Last Swan: Operation Eclipse
43 - Victory in Europe
Envoi
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index
1
Monty’s Highlanders 51st Highland Division
Shortly after the end of WWII Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery addressed
many of the senior officers of 51st Highland Division:
“After St Valéry another Highland Division was formed. This Division I got
to know very well. In fact it did the whole of its fighting in World War Two
under my command, and I do not suppose there is anyone more qualified to
speak about it than I am. As far as I am concerned that re-born Highland
Division will always be linked with the name of Douglas Wimberley. If ever a
General laboured to turn his division into a first class fighting formation,
Douglas Wimberley did. And he succeeded. I am proud to tell you that of all the
many fine Divisions that served under me in the late war, none was finer than
the Highland Division - none. When I arrived on 13th August 1942, to take
command of the Eighth Army, the Highland Division had also just arrived. It
was not with the Eighth Army, but back in the Delta, digging trenches round
Mena House Hotel, putting the bar at Shepherd’s in a state of defence and
planning the defence of Cairo. I knew very well that the safety of the Delta and
its cities lay in holding the Alamein position. I knew that well, and so I got the
Division sent out from Cairo to join the Eighth Army in the Desert. I feel it was
then that my education in matters Scottish began. My tutor was Douglas
Wimberley. Until that moment, I had never been to Scotland in my life. That is a
dreadful thing to say. My education was taken in hand, as was the education of
practically everyone in the Eighth Army. That very fine Division merely wanted
to be properly launched in battle and given a fair ‘do’, and the rest was certain. I
put the Division into battle; it received its baptism of fire in the defensive battle
of Alam Halfa, which began on 31st August. Then came Alamein. I sensed in
the Division before Alamein a very definite anxiousness; no lack of courage; it
was an anxiousness to do well and avenge the tragedy of St Valéry: but it never
had any cause to be anxious. I put the Division into battle between two veteran
Divisions, the 9th Australian and the 2nd New Zealand. It has always been an
interesting thing to me how the Scottish soldier very quickly makes friends with
the Dominion soldier. It may be because both of them are slightly uncivilised. It
does pay, though, to know that fact in battle, and when you put the Division
alongside two Dominion Divisions, you need not bother about it. The Division
advanced to the attack in the bright moonlight of the Desert at Alamein in
October 1942, to the skirl of the pipes. St Valéry was avenged, well and truly, I
believe that night. The re-born Highland Division had found its soul. From that
day, the Division never looked back. Led by Douglas Wimberley, it went from
success to success, and never made a mistake. Tripoli on 23rd January 1943 -
three months to a day after Alamein. The Gordons were first into the city, riding
on the tanks, and early in February I staged a ceremonial parade for Mr
Churchill, who came to visit the Eighth Army. As long as I live, I will never
forget the Highland Division on parade that day in Tripoli. Officers and men had
the pride of victory in their eyes; every man an emperor. After Tripoli came the
Mareth battle, and then Wadi Akarit, where the Division fought one of its finest
battles. Then came the end in Africa, in Tunisia.

The Division played a leading part in Sicily. Then Douglas Wimberley, or
‘Big Tam’, as he was called by his men, left the Division to go as Commandant
of the Staff College. Then came Normandy; and as we advanced across the
Seine, I gave instructions that the lay-out of the battle was to be such that the
Highland Division would be directed on St Valéry, so that it could liberate that
place. This was done; but I always feel that St Valéry, 1940, was avenged at
Alamein, 1942. Then, the Division was gallantly led from Normandy to the
Rhine by Thomas Rennie another very fine officer, and under him they fought
that magnificent fight in the Reischwald Forest and suffered severely in officer
casualties. Then Thomas Rennie was killed. However, the Division was ready
for that great day in March, 1945, when we crossed the Rhine, the Black Watch
being the first over the river. Some hard fighting followed, but the end was in
sight, and it came on 5th May, on Luneberg Heath, when I had the pleasure of
taking the surrender of some two million men of the once renowned German
Army.
I regard it as an immense honour to be asked here tonight. I know very well
how, in Scotland, things revolve round the clan and the family, and I suppose