Kronenberg Netherlands: Stirling 1942

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I was advised by my Air B&B host to go see this roadside memorial just a short drive from where I was staying. On October 2, 1942 a British Short Sterling R9167 (call sign OJ-N) Bomber crashed in the woods, right where this memorial stands. None of the 7 crew members survived the crash. The aircraft belonged to the RAF’s 149th Squadron and was shot down by a German Messerschmitt Bf110 night fighter. It was loaded with phosphorus incendiary bombs. It was on its way to Krefeld Germany. After the crash the aircraft burned for days. This monument was erected on October 7, 2017.

The monument was designed by artist Ruud van der Beele. The Stirling 1942 is shown resting on top of a grenade launcher. The plane crashed in the Groove Velt near Kronenberg Netherlands. The names of the  men can be found inside the monument as welll as a shiny steel rose which is made from a section of the plane’s fuselage.

For the Fallen. “They shall not grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemned, at the sun set and at the sun rise we will remember them.” – Robert L. Binyon  September 21, 1914. The translation of this might be off by a bit.

As I was sketching this memorial a woman parked on the road behind me and placed fresh flowers inside the memorial and lit the candles. It is amazing that after more than 80 years, the site is so sacred and well cared for.

This crash happened a year before Arthur Thorspecken began his military training, so it doesn’t relate directly to the movements of the 75th Infantry Division thorough Europe. But it shows that these types of memorials are everywhere in Europe. You don’t see this level of remembrance in America. Arthur spent the rest of his working life after the war designing gyroscopes for aircraft and aero space.

The crew:
1 Squadron Leader Pilot: William Roy Greenslade, R.A.F. (DFC-AFC-MiD)
(Youngstown Alberta, Canada) Age 25.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.3 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

2 Flight Sergeant Air Gunner: William Orange, R.C.A.F.
(Bedlington Morpeth-UK) Age 27.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.8 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

3 Sergeant Flight Engineer: Marshal Kenneth Smith R.A.F.
(Cambridge-UK) Age 21.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.6 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

4 Sergeant Wireless Op./Air Gunner: Frederick Leonard Hughes R.A.F.
(Shoreditch, London-UK) Age 21.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.7 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

5 Sergeant Wireless Op./Air Gunner: Ernest Leslie Moore R.A.F.
(Leicester-UK) Age 20.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.4 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

6 Sergeant Air Gunner: Benjamin Frederick Goldsmith R.A.F.
(Prestwick Lancashire-UK) Age 22.
Jonkerbos War Cemetery 20.D.5 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

7 Flight Sergeant Air Observer Robert Francis McIntyre R.C.A.F.
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Age 25.
Jonkersbos War Cemetery 20.D.9 Nijmegen – The Netherlands

American Sherman Tank

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The only thing my father, Arthur Thorspecken ever told me about World War II was that a bullet hit a tank rather close to his leg. I was less than 10 years old at the time, so I might not be remembering that correctly. The tank he would have been standing next to would be the Sherman Tank. This Sherman tank was right in front of Winter Museum 1944 in Gingelom Belgium.

1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin of the 75th Infantry Division remembered Belgium. “There were a series of hills up there in Belgium. I saw in the spring of 1945 a farmer plowing a field, and shells were going both ways. This guy’s got to get his crops in. I mean that is his urge. He’s got to get his crops in, so he can eat. Now that’s another war, a real war.”

Someone had the brilliant idea of mounting huge bright spot lights on top of Sherman tanks. The thought was that the light would blind the enemy, and make it easy for the 75th Infantry soldiers to pick off the Germans at night. The problem was that the spot light was an easy target for the Germans to shoot out. And it negated any form of camouflage. The same tank with the huge light mounted on it tried to cross a bridge, but the weight of the tank caused the bridge trusses to give out. They managed to back out of the situation without loosing the tank.

The 290th, 75th Infantry Division, C-Company was assigned to the Ninth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to the British Second Army for operations and the British VIII Corps for administration. The Air Force launched OPERATION CLARION, which blocked German transportation from the Ruhr. The targets were bridges, communication centers, dikes, and railroad yards. 42,000 flights dropped 5000 tons of high explosives. Not all bombs found their targets so there was plenty of cilvilan damage.

The 75th Infantry relieved the 6th British Airborne Division. The 75th occupied a 24 mile stretch along the West Bank of the Maas River. They mostly had to deal with harassing mortar and artillery fire from the Germans on the opposite bank of the river.

Poker

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There were moments of levity and even leisure between military engagements. This sketch was done in Gingelom Belgium after the Americans had won the battle re-enactment. This isn’t a location that 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have been at. I went to see Museum Winter 44 to get more of an overview of what happened in Belgium during the war. The museum is close to where the Battle of the Bulge happened. The 75th Infantry was in that battle but Arthur arrived in Europe after those dates.

The helmet on the table held the bets for the cards that had been dealt. This moment felt the most like history was coming alive. War isn’t always about big explosions and heroic deeds. It is more often about passing the time and waiting for what may come next.

This is the courtyard at Museum Winter 44. It had started to rain. The poker players were under a giant Coke umbrella, but I wasn’t. The sketch is covered with tiny explosions from the rain hitting the watercolor. Most rain I had experienced in Belgium was sporadic and light, never fully committed to a downpour, so I kept sketching. I would just lean over the sketch while I worked.

It  had been a long day of sketching and I was famished. After the game of poker was over and my sketch was complete, I ordered some spaghetti and pulled up to the table. I couldn’t follow all the Dutch conversations, but several  soldiers were kind enough to speak to me in English. One wanted to know all about the 75th Infantry. He was looking for a bit of information I had not provided. I finally realized he wanted to know that the 75th infantry was part of the 290th Infantry Division. It turns out he collects books about American Infantry divisions and he had several history books that took him years to find. This reminded me that I have the broad strokes of where the 75th Infantry went during WWII but for the specifics of actual battles I have very little information. I have several written memoirs from 1st Lieutenants from the 75th Infantry, but those PDF documents are on a laptop that died in the Netherlands. I think I will be doing much more research once this sketch journey is complete.

My main goal is to get a feel for each place as I sketch. That goal I feel I am accomplishing. Sometimes pure luck or providence steps in and I find I am sketching the exact same place that a 75th Infantry war photographer took a photo of. I can never be sure that any location I sketch is exactly where 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken might have been. Troops were usually spread out along a wide front.  But I am getting to know each town, city and village by walking the streets. The damage and devastation is gone but the spirit of the place remains.

February 19, 1945, Kessel Netherlands: The Maas River

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On February 19th 1945 the 75th Infantry arrived at the Maas River in the Netherlands. Right to the west of Panningen Netherlands is Helden Netherlands where the 75th Infantry had improvised facilities for billeting. The Heidenweg road from Helden leads straight south west to Kessel on the Maas River. The 75th occupied a 24 mile stretch of the river. That is where I got to hike along the Maas River and do a sketch. 75th Infantry Division troops held this as a defense area from February 15th to February 23rd when OPERATION GRENADE began,

The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Nativity, was right on the Maas River with a staircase down to the waters edge. There was a walking trail all along the banks. It was a beautiful spot. Walking down those stone steps, I saw the Maas River for the first time. It is rather wide, maybe 100 yards or so. The river flowed swiftly. Ducks flapped their wings taking a bath.

Just 25 yards up river from the staircase there was a destroyed casement made of cement and stone. A couple sat on a bench next to the destruction and ate lunch. I sketched with my back to the Maas River and looked up at the church tower. I had a pear to eat, so the couple didn’t get spooked that I was staring at them.

The Dutch 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Company of the Netherlands 41st Infantry was tasked with defending this area before WWII. Along the river there were 16 of these casements constructed of steel and porcupine light reinforced concrete. Each had 3 port holes for a field of view of 190 degrees. This casement was number S76.

The port holes are made for machine gun placements. The casements were often referred to as spider head because of the large protruding hooks used for attaching camouflage netting. This casement was built starting in March 1939 and completed in August 1939. The machine guns could fire 450 rounds per minute.

Three soldiers manned the casement. When war broke out on May 10, 1940, this casement was destroyed from a direct hit from a German anti tank gun. The shell went right into one of the portholes. Two of the soldiers inside were seriously injured. 8 Dutch soldiers and 6 German soldiers were killed on May 10th between Kessel and Kessel-Elk. After midnight, the last casement was attacked from behind by the Germans and destroyed.

As Germans retreated back across the Maas River in 1944 they destroyed the Parish Church of our Lady of Nativity. They didn’t want the Allies to have the advantage of using the bell tower to view German encampments on the opposite side of the river. Locals speculate that the Germans melted the Bells to make more weapons.

At the end of November 1944, Panningen, Helden, Maasbree, Kessel and Barlow Netherlands were liberated by the Allies. The devistation as the Allies pushed the Germans back east was immense. Many buildings and churches were destroyed by bombs. Families had to flee their homes.

This casement would have stood where it is, in its destroyed state when the 75th infantry set up to defend the West Bank of the River Maas

Museum Peel & Maas, Helden Netherlands

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After assembling in Panningen Netherlands, the 75th Infantry troops were then transported to Helden Netherlands, near the Maas River. Translated, Helden means “Hero’s”. The 75th took up defensive positions on the Maas River to keep the Germans from crossing over. The 75th was under the command of the British Second Army’s VIII Corps, 21st Army group under Field Marshall Montgomery.

1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin outlined the situation, “We wound up in Holland right next to the British. There was harassing mortar fire and artillery from across the river. There was intensive training on assault boat techniques. C-Company was again at full strength due to replacements and returns from hospital stays.”  1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was one of the replacements Sassin was referring I sketched the Peel and Maas Museum since it had an exhibit on World War II. The building was constructed in 1929 as a Roman Catholic a parish of Saint Lambertus Helden. It was built for the sisters of Divine Providence who settled in Helden in 1879. The building would have been here when the 75th Infantry was assigned to defend the country.

After the invasion of Normandy, on June 6, 1944, people in the Netherlands hoped that freedom would come in a matter of weeks.  They would have to endure 5 more months before complete liberation. On October 8, 1944, a month before liberation, the Germans captured 2000 men and boys on the West Bank of the Maas during Sunday services. Men tried to hide in between the pipes of the organ. During the following week, another 1000 were captured. Of these ca-turned men 836 were from Peel and Mass. In the years 1940 to 1945, 299 residents of Peel and Maas lost their lives due to the war, and the bombing destruction that accompanied the war.

Frits Bruijnen remembered… “It’s foggy at Christmas. We are on the train going towards Watenstedt and the Herman Goring Works. At factory Aktion 88 I usually at night had to stack shells on train wagons without rest. So we stack hundreds every night. The shells were likely fired at Limburg our home Provence. In Watenstadt there was little to live for. Every week we got 1200 grams of bread that needed to last the week. After being liberated, I walked home. My mother asked ‘who are you?’ She didn’t recognize me.”

February 20, 1945: Panningen Netherlands

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The 75th Infantry troops probably didn’t enter Panningen Netherlands, but instead they would have had an assembly area and camp outside of the city. This is probably where 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken first met the soldiers he was to command from C-Company. They were battle hardened troops who probably didn’t appreciate an academic officer who hadn’t been through the Battle of the Bulge or the Colmar Pocket. It would have been a challenge to gain the trust of such seasoned soldiers.

Nazi occupation in Panningen brought a host of atrocities, including the persecution of the Jews, resistance fighters and other perceived enemies. There were thousands of civilian casualties during the war. Many roads, bridges and other infrastructure were destroyed in the fighting.

The liberation of the Netherlands began in September 1944 with operation Market Garden by Allied forces but the whole country wasn’t liberated until May or 1945. Panningen was occupied by the Allies when the 75th Infantry assembled there. Any fighting would occur along the Maas River which was about 4 miles west of the city. The 75th would have moved into position along the Maas River rather quickly, so they would not have been in or near Panningen for long.

I sketched the Rooms Catholic Church in Panningen Netherlands. Arthur Thorspecken was raised Catholic, even going to Catholic School in the Midwest and NYC. However he married Elvira Corr who was Methodist. I was told he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church but haven’t found evidence to support that yet. Arthur married Elvira in North Carolina while he was still training for the military. Several other officers were his best men and witnesses. The couple had their first child in 1943 while he continued his military training. He had every reason to want to get back to the United States alive.

 

 

February 20, 1945: Panningen Netherlands

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February 20, 1945 was the beginning of the VENLO, LIMBURG + NETHERLANDS CAMPAIGN. The 75th Infantry was sent to an assembly area near Panningen Netherlands to relive the British 6th Armored Division. I am fairly certain that 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have joined C-Company here or the next town they were moved to.

1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin explained the move this way, “ We’re going to move in at night. They are going to move out. We aren’t under fire.” The 75th infantry division was to operate under the command of the British Second Army’s VIII Corps, 21st Army Group under Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. The division was to take up a defensive position along the West Bank of the Maas River. German troops were well entrenched on the East bank. The river is about 100 yards wide at the location I saw. Germans would often fire harassing mortar rounds to the far shore of the Maas River.

Panningen played a significant role in the closing stages of World War II. It became a defensive position for the Allies along the West Bank of the Maas River. Nightly patrols across the mass were a critical cactivity for the troops stationed in Panningen.

I decided to sketch the Monument Deportation Everlo. It is a memorial in remembrance of the fallen and missing residents from Panningen. In the autumn of 1944, over 1,000 boys and men in the region between the Maas and Peel rivers were rounded up by the Nazis in raids and deported to Germany for forced labor. These events cost the lives of 120 men and left lasting scars on survivors and those left behind.

There were also three metal plaques that had engravings of the names of Canadian and Royal Air Force Pilots who had crashed in the area. Also listed were names of soldiers who had died from the 15th Scottish Division, the 49th West Riding Division, the 51st Highlands Division. In all, the names of 54 soldiers were listed as fallen hero’s to the town of Panningen Netherlands.

The trip to Panningen Netherlands for the 75th Infantry troops was accomplished in weather that had turned for the better. The box cars were not a hellish ride. 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have been taking a similar ride on his own or with other replacements to join the 75th Infantry troops in the Netherlands.

Saint Martin’s Church Weert Netherlands

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With each new town I stop at I go to the downtown market to see which buildings might have been standing in 1945. In Weert Netherlands I decided to sketch Saint Martin’s Church built starting in 1456. Construction lasted for more than 100 years. The tall church tower was completed in 1887. The church was badly damaged in an Allied bombing raid in October 1944. The tall church tower remained standing, The Germans used the surviving tower as an  observation post.

The tower collapsed after a second WWII Allied bombing and damaged the nave below. It took years of hard restoration work to bring the building back to its former glory.

The 75th Infantry Command Post was in Weert as troops were assembled in the Netherlands. If 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken reported here before joining his C-Company he would have seen the highly damaged Church.

As I was doing this sketch I noticed a young man watching me from one of the tables at the left of my sketch. When I finished, he came over and let me know that he was sketching me at work. unfortunately I finished my sketch before he could complete his sketch. He could speak English rather well and invited me for a bite at the restaurant he was sitting in front of.

That restaurant, which is just out of view in my sketch, was MacDonalds. He told me it is the most  American of restaurants. So, I had a Big Mac, Coke and fries in Weert. Actually fries are very popular in every European country I have gone to. My goal now it to find restaurants that to not show fries on their online menus. I went to an Indian restaurant today just to avoid French Fries.

The young artist showed me his sketchbook and he had a wonderful sketch of the Saint Martin’s Church. He managed to catch all the horizontal variegated brick work which I had ignored in my rush to complete my sketch. We became instagram buddies. He had to help me locate a couple of the buttons on my iPhone needed to complete the task. Though my focus is in trying to unearth some of the history from 80 years ago, people keep introducing themselves to remind me that looking towards the future is just as important.

Of  course the artist asked me about the current United States president. I explained that having a wanna be dictator in the White House is part of the reason I am looking at the World War II past. Someone else told me that America has no history compared to Europe.

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” –Winston  Churchhill

“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce”. –Karl Marx

Windmill near Weert Netherlands

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Weert Netherlands was a command post and headquarters for the American 75th Infantry Division after the Battles of the Colmar Pocket in South West France. It is possible that 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken could have reported here before joining his C-Company troops in Panningen Netherlands. The 75th Infantry was to set up- a defensive line along the West Bank of the Maas River. German troops were on the East bank of the river and the 75th needed to keep them from advancing back into the Netherlands. The Netherlands surrendered to Germany in May 15, 1940, after a five day invasion. The entire country of the Netherlands was liberated by Allied forces by May 5, 1945.

1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have arrived 9n the Netherlands shortly after February 17, 1945. That means German forces still occupied some areas of the country. Weert managed to escape-e major bombing destruction, although areas around the city were a battlefield. The most fighting the 75th saw in the Netherlands was in Roermond.

I like that in the Netherlands they train trees to grow only in tight horizontal Boxes. It started to rain very lightly as I sketched. I leaned over the drawing and waited for the rain to stop.  A fellow walking his dog stopped to see how the sketch was going. He asked if he could take a picture of me holding the sketch and l was happy to pose. This particular windmill has been around for 150 years, so it would have been here in 1945.

I walked towards the entrance of the mill, but it was not open. A pear tree had dropped ripe fruit next to the mill. The tree was on a neighbors property, but the fruit had dropped over a fence by the mill. I picked up a few pears since Seacoast Bank was still denying me access to the finds I had put aside for this trip.

when I went back to my car, I was about to get in and the fellow who had been walking his dog waved and called my name. I had parked right in fr0nt of his home. He invited me into the back yard for a coffee and we talked politics and about his job selling medical equipment. His home was lovely and they had a gorgeous garden. That is true of most homes in the a Netherlands, they love have lush gardens.

It is hard to imagine that this was a war torn country back in 1945.

Nazi Barracks Ambiorix Tongeren Belgium

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In Tongeren Belgium I decided to search for a former Nazi barracks. It was a real challenge to find the buildings since they are far off the road and the gps coordinates must have been off. I used it as an excuse to have a nice long hike. In World War II these buildings were known as Barracks Ambiorix Tongren. The buildings were largely completed in 1939 but after Belgium surrendered in May 1940, the buildings were seized by the invading Germans who added to the structures.

The site was used to train machine gunners and snipers. German sniper training emphasized meticulous marksmanship, an emphasis on camouflage and technical skills like staking and position selection. Training involved 2-3 weeks of courses. Curriculum included theory, tactical exercises and of course shooting. Solders were trained in scope use, and taking into account wind, temperature and breathing techniques. I have noticed that when I sketch, I forget to breathe for long periods of time. Somehow the building were spared being bombed by the allies.

When Germany surrendered, this ending WWII,  the buildings were used as a hospital by the Allies. There were about 1000 beds for the injured.

Later, when the site was used as a prison, there was overcrowding. A boarding house in Tongeren was also used to handle the overflow.

In November 1956 after a failed Hungarian uprising against the Soviet Union, the buildings were used as a shelter for Hungarian refugees. The Belgian government established five refugee camps in former military barracks. Caritas Catholica Beligica was assigned the camp at Tongren. The camp helped refugees with housing, finding jobs and restarting their lives.

It became clear as I was sketching that the building today is being used as an elementary school. Children and their parents exited the building and drove off in their cars. Other buildings at the former barracks are being converted into office spaces. I walked around a bit after finishing the sketch. There were some very old stone walls in what was once the central training yard. Bricks had been dislodged and support columns fell over. Wire fencing denied access to most of the central yard. There was something spooky about the place.  It was strange hearing the shouts of children in a place that  once trained men to kill. I wondered if these walls were once used to support sniper rifles or machine guns. Many of the buildings are still abandoned but it seems that they might be offered new life in the future.