WO 171/838 - 4/7 Royal Dragoon Guards - September 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards.
Month and Year: September 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Lt.Col. R.G. Byron

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
	21	1430	Commanding Officer held O Gp. having attended at 8 Armd. Bde. for orders. Intention - 30 Corps to liberate the 1st British Airborne Div. who landed in the ARNHEM area on 17 Sep. This Division though still fighting was reported running short of supplies and coming under heavy enemy pressure. The Guards have captured NIJMEGEN and we hold the two Bridges and a small Bridgehead to the North of the WAAL about 1 mile deep. The 504 US Para. Bde. being in possession of this Bridgehead which the Guards are going to enlarge. There was extremely grim fighting for the road bridge at NIJMEGEN, but the American Paratroops after crossing the River in small boats succeeded in capturing the Bridge intact although the enemy had laid remote charges the night before, but the fuse wires to these had been cut during the night by a sapper party especially detailed for the job. We, with the 147 Fd. Regt. all under comd. 214 Inf. Bde. were to cross the River by the Railway Bridge, turn West after crossing the Bridge and then move North skirting ELST to the West making for ARNHEM. The SLI with “A” Squadron under commend and a Battery of the 147 Fd. Regt. and two sections of our Honeys were to form the advance guard of the Bde. Next were to come the DCLI Gp. and the Worcs. Gp. “B” and “C” Sqns. returning to Regimental command. The advance guard will not be allowed across the other side until sufficient space had been obtained by the Guards and Americans enlarging the Bridgehead.

Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com, transcribing: Hans Houterman.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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