Antony Beevor's Blog, page 3

Radio New Zealand Interview

Listen to Antony giving an interview with the Sunday Morning show on Radio New Zealand. Here he discusses what he’s learnt about conflict and wars as well as his appearance at the Auckland for the Writers Festival in May.

Melbourne Writers Festival Talk — Part 1

Antony Beevor delivers a talk at the 2009 Melbourne Writers Festival about his vivid and engaging opus, D-Day.

Melbourne Writers Festival Interview

A look back to this interview from 2015. In this conversation with Robert Manne, he discusses his research, writing and passion for history.

Meet the Writers

Listen to Antony interviewed by Meet the Writers on SoundCloud

Antony appears on History Hit with Dan Snow

Antony was interviewed on stage by Dan Snow at the National Army Museum on Royal Hospital Road in London for HistoryHit. The event on Tuesday 22May was a sell-out and broadcast on Facebook Live.

The Duff Cooper Prize

Antony was in attendance at the Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize yesterday evening. Here he is pictured with the Ambassador of France M. Jean-Pierre Jouyet and General Mark Carleton-Smith.

The annual prize has celebrates the best in non-fiction writing since the first award was made in 1956. This year is was awarded to Anne Applebaum for her book Red Famine.

Order of Battle: Operation Market Garden

Allied

First Allied Airborne Army

Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton, USAAF

British I Airborne Corps

Lieutenant General Frederick Browning; also deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army

 

1st Airborne Division – Major General Roy Urquhart

1st Parachute Brigade – Brigadier Gerald Lathbury

1st Parachute Bn – Lt Col David Dobie

2nd Parachute Bn – Lt Col John Frost

3rd Parachute Bn – Lt Col John A. C. Fitch

1st (Airlanding) Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery – Major

William Arnold

1st Parachute Field Squadron, Royal Engineers – Major Douglas

Murray

16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps – Lt Col E. Townsend

4th Parachute Brigade – Brigadier John (Shan) Hackett

10th Parachute Bn – Lt Col Kenneth B. I. Smyth

11th Parachute Bn – Lt Col George H. Lea

156th Parachute Bn – Lt Col Sir Richard Des Voeux Bt

2nd (Airlanding) Anti-Tank Battery, RA – Major A. F. Haynes

4th Parachute Field Squadron, Royal Engineers – Major Aeneas

Perkins

133rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps – Lt Col W. C. Alford

1st Airlanding Brigade – Brigadier Philip Hicks

1st Bn Border Regiment – Lt Col Thomas Haddon

2nd Bn South Staffordshire Regiment – Lt Col W. Derek McCardie

7th Bn King’s Own Scottish Borderers – Lt Col Robert Payton-Reid

1st (Airlanding) Light Regiment, Royal Artillery – Lt Col William F. K. Thompson

1st Forward (Airborne) Observation Unit, Royal Artillery – Major Denys Wight-Boycott

9th Airborne Field Coy, Royal Engineers – Major John Winchester

181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps – Lt Col Arthur T. Marrable

Divisional Troops

21st Independent Parachute Company (pathfinders) – Major Bernard Wilson

1st Airborne Divisional Signals – Lt Col Tom Stephenson

1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron – Major Frederick Gough

261st (Airborne) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers

250th (Airborne) Light Composite Company, Royal Army Service Corps

1st (Airborne) Divisional Field Park, Royal Army Ordnance Corps – Major Cecil Chidgey

1st (Airborne) Divisional Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

1st (Airborne) Divisional Provost Company, Corps of Military Police – Captain William Gray

89th (Parachute) Field Security Section, Intelligence Corps – Captain John Killick

Glider Pilot Regiment – Lt Col George Chatterton

No. 1 Wing – Lt Col Iain Murray

No. 2 Wing – Lt Col John Place

Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade – Major General Stanisław Sosabowski

1st Parachute Infantry Bn – Lt Col M. Tonn

2nd Parachute Infantry Bn – Lt Col W. Ploszewski

3rd Parachute Infantry Bn – Major W. Sobociński

Anti-tank company

 

82nd Airborne Division

Brigadier General James M. Gavin

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Colonel Reuben H. Tucker

505th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Colonel William E. Eckman

508th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Colonel Roy E. Lindquist

325th Glider Infantry Regiment

376th Parachute Field Artillery Bn

319th Glider Field Artillery Bn

320th Glider Field Artillery Bn

456th Parachute Field Artillery Bn

307th Airborne Engineer Bn

80th Airborne Antiaircraft Bn

82nd Airborne Signal Company

307th Airborne Medical Company

82nd Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment

782nd Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company

407th Airborne Quartermaster Company

82nd Parachute Maintenance Company

101st Airborne Division

Major General Maxwell D. Taylor

501st Parachute Infantry Regiment – Colonel Howard R. Johnson

502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment – Lt Col John H. Michaelis

506th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Colonel Robert F. Sink

327th Glider Infantry Regiment

1st Bn, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment

321st Glider Field Artillery Bn

377th Parachute Field Artillery Bn

463rd Parachute Field Artillery Bn

907th Glider Field Artillery Bn

81st Airborne Antiaircraft Bn

326th Airborne Engineer Bn

101st Airborne Signal Company

326th Airborne Medical Company

101st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment

801st Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company

426th Airborne Quartermaster Company

101st Parachute Maintenance Company

IX Troop Carrier Command

Major General Paul L. Williams

50th Troop Carrier Wing (C-47) – Brigadier General Julian M. Chappell

439th Troop Carrier Group

440th Troop Carrier Group

441st Troop Carrier Group

442nd Troop Carrier Group

52nd Troop Carrier Wing (C-47) – Brigadier General Harold L. Clark

61st Troop Carrier Group

313th Troop Carrier Group

314th Troop Carrier Group

315th Troop Carrier Group

316th Troop Carrier Group

53rd Troop Carrier Wing (C-47) – Brigadier General Maurice M. Beach

434th Troop Carrier Group

435th Troop Carrier Group

436th Troop Carrier Group

437th Troop Carrier Group

438th Troop Carrier Group

38 Group RAF

Air Vice Marshal L. M. Hollinghurst

190 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

196 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

295 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

299 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

620 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

644 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)

Squadron RAF (Albemarle)

Squadron RAF (Albemarle)

Squadron RAF (Halifax)

644 Squadron RAF (Halifax)

46 Group RAF

Air Commodore L. Darvall (Dakota)

Squadron RAF

271 Squadron RAF

Squadron RAF

Squadron RAF

437 Squadron RCAF

21st Army Group

Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery

British Second Army

Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey

VIII Corps

Lieutenant General Richard O’Connor

11th Armoured Division – Major General G. P. B. Roberts

3rd Infantry Division – Major General L. G. Whistler

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division

4th (Armoured) Brigade – Brigadier R. M. P. Carver

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade – Colonel B. Piron

XII Corps

Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie

7th Armoured Division – Major General G. L. Verney

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division – Major General C. M. Barber

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division – Major General R. K. Ross

XXX Corps

Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks

2nd Household Cavalry Regiment

Guards Armoured Division – Major General A. H. S. Adair

5th Guards Armoured Brigade

2nd (Armoured) Bn, Grenadier Guards

1st (Armoured) Bn, Coldstream Guards

2nd (Armoured) Bn, Irish Guards

1st (Motorized) Bn, Grenadier Guards

32nd Guards Brigade

5th Bn, Coldstream Guards

1st Bn, Welsh Guards

3rd Bn, Irish Guards

2nd (Armoured) Reconnaissance Bn, Welsh Guards

Divisional units

15th/19th Hussars [attached from 11th Armoured Division]

64th Medium Regiment, RA [attached from Second Army]

55th (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

153rd (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA

21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

94th Light Anti-Aircraft, Regiment Royal Artillery

14th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

615th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

148th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers

11th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division – Major General Ivor Thomas

129th Infantry Brigade

4th Bn, Somerset Light Infantry

4th Bn, Wiltshire Regiment

5th Bn, Wiltshire Regiment

130th Infantry Brigade

4th Bn, Dorsetshire Regiment

5th Bn, Dorsetshire Regiment

7th Bn, Hampshire Regiment

214th Infantry Brigade

1st Bn, Worcestershire Regiment

5th Bn, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry

7th Bn, Somerset Light Infantry

Divisional troops

43rd Reconnaissance Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps

8th Bn, Middlesex Regiment (Machine Guns)

94th (Queen’s Own Dorset Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA

112th (Wessex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

179th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

59th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

110th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

204th Field Company, Royal Engineers

260th Field Company, Royal Engineers

553rd Field Company, Royal Engineers

207th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers

13th Bridging Platoon, Royal Engineers

16th Airfield Construction Group, Royal Engineers

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division – Major General D. A. H. Graham [Division joined VIII Corps on 18 September]

69th  Infantry Brigade

5th Bn, East Yorkshire Regiment

6th Bn, Green Howards

7th Bn, Green Howards

151st Infantry Brigade

6th Bn, Durham Light Infantry

8th Bn, Durham Light Infantry

9th Bn, Durham Light Infantry

231st Infantry Brigade

1st Bn, Dorsetshire Regiment

1st Bn, Hampshire Regiment

7th Bn, Devonshire Regiment

Divisional troops

2nd Bn, Cheshire Regiment (Machine Gun)

74th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

90th (City of London) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

124th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

102nd (Northumberland Hussars) Anti-Tank Regiment,  RA

25th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

233rd Field Company, Royal Engineers

501st Field Company, Royal Engineers

505th Field Company, Royal Engineers

235th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers

8th Armoured Brigade – Brigadier E. G. Prior-Palmer

4th/7th Dragoon Guards

13th/18th Hussars

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry

147th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery

12th (Queen’s Westminsters) Bn, King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Royal Netherlands Brigade Prinses Irene – Colonel A. de Ruyter

van Steveninck

Jedburgh Teams

1st Airborne Corps headquarters

One Dutch, Captain Staal, two American officers and two British

Team Claude: 1st British Airborne

Captain Groenewoud Netherlands

Lieutenant Todd US

Sergeant Scott US

Lieutenant Knottenbelt Netherlands

Team Clarence: 82nd Airborne

Captain Bestebreurtje

Lieutenant Verhaeghe US

Sergeant Beynon US

Team Daniel: 101st Airborne

Lieutenant Dubois Netherlands

Sergeant Fokker Netherlands

Major Wilson British

Sergeant Mason British

[Jedburgh Teams TNA HS 7/275]

First Allied Airborne Army Casualties and Statistics

Killed wounded missing total

1st Airborne 322 240 6424 6986

1st Polish 34 142 207 383

82nd Airborne 336 1912 661 2909

101st Airborne 573 1987 378 298]3

Total 1265 4281 7670 13216

[Casualty figures, First Allied Airborne Army NARA RG331/Entry 254/Box20]

20,190 troops were dropped by parachute, 13,781 landed by glider, and 905 airlanded on a strip prepared by airborne engineers. A total of 34,876 landed out of 36,228 despatched from UK. Altogether 3,520.8 tons of supplies were dropped by parachute and 278 artillery weapons. Gliders delivered 1,259.1 tons of supplies and equipment, 1,689 vehicles and 290 artillery weapons. 451 tons of supplies and 258 vehicles were landed by aircraft. Total deliveries came to 5,230.9 tons of equipment and supplies, 1,927 vehicles, and 568 artillery weapons.

[First Allied Airborne Army statistics, NARA RG331/Entry 254/Box20]

Wehrmacht

Army Group B

Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model

Generalleutnant Hans Krebs

II SS Panzer-Korps

Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich

506. Schw. Panzer Abteilung (15 Königstiger)

Flak Brigade v. Swoboda (623 officers and men; 24 ×

88mm, 26 × 20mm)

9th SS Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen – Obersturmbannführer Walter Harzer

9th SS Panzer-Regiment (without tanks, north of Arnhem)

19th SS Panzergrenadier-Regiment (in Zutphen)

20th SS Panzergrenadier-Regiment (in Rheden)

9th SS Artillery Regiment (without guns, Dieren)

9th SS Reconnaissance Bn (in Hoenderlo)

9th SS Panzerjäger Battalion (near Apeldoorn)

9th SS Engineer Battalion (Hauptsturmführer Möller)

9th SS Flak Battalion (4 × 20mm Dieren)

9th SS Signals Bn

In west Arnhem and Oosterbeek area under command 9th SS Panzer

Kampfgruppe Spindler

Kampfgruppe Krafft (when reinforced, 939 officers and men; 4 × 88mm, 2 × 80mm mortar; 3 × 37mm Pak, 3 × 20mm)

Kampfgruppe Möller (9th SS Pionier abteilung)

Bataillon Köhnken  (573 officers and men; 7 × 80mm mortars, 3 × 37mm Pak, 4 × 20mm flak)

Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 280 (424 officers & men; 10 × assault guns)

SS-Werfer-Abt.502 (173 officers & men; 12 × mortar, 2 × Pak 38)

Division von Tettau – Generalleutnant Hans von Tettau

Kampfgruppe Lippert (SS-Unteroffiziersschule Arnheim)

Kampfgruppe Helle (SS-Wach Bataillon Nordwest)

Kampfgruppe Eberwein

Kampfgruppe Worrowski (Ausbildung und Ersatz Regiment

Hermann Göring Division – Oberstleutnant Fritz Fullriede)

Panzer Kompanie 224 (16 Renault tanks)

Festung M.G.Bataillon 37.

Schiffs-Stamm Abteilung 14. (2 × Soviet Pak)

Fliegerhorst Bataillon (from 3. Fliegerdivision Deelen)

10th SS Panzer-Division Frundsberg

Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel

10th SS Panzer-Regiment (3 × Mk V Panther)

21st SS Panzergrenadier-Regiment

22nd SS Panzergrenadier-Regiment

10th SS Artillery Regiment

10th SS Reconnaissance Battalion

10th SS Antitank Battalion

10th SS Engineer Battalion

10th SS Flak Battalion

10th SS Signals Battalion

Arnhem Bridge then north-eastern Betuwe

Kampfgruppe Brinkmann (1,506 officers and men total)

SS Panzer Aufklärung Abteilung 10. (3 × 20mm; 1 × 37mm and 1 × 75mm anti-tank guns)

SS Panzergrenadier-Regiment 21.

SS Flak Battery 102 (8 × 20mm, 2 × 37mm flak)

Kampfgruppe Knaust

Kp. Mielke (8 Panzer Mk III and Mk IV)

Kampfgruppe Gerhard (1,913 officers and men total)

Kampfgruppe Gräbner (remains of 9 SS Pz Aufklärung Abteilung)

Bataillon Schoerken (12 × 80mm mortar)

Flak-Kampfgruppe Ladewig (12 × 88mm, 8 × 20mm)

Flak Bttr. Krüger (5 × 20mm, 4 × 88mm)

4. Luftwaffe Werft. Abt. 119/XI

SS Sicherungs Kompanie

Artl. Regiment.191 (1,363 officers and men; 26 × 105mm, 3 ×

150mm)

Feldgendarmerie Kompanie

In Nijmegen, north bank of Waal and Pannerden

Kampfgruppe Henke (assorted companies under HQ of

Fallschirmjäger training regiment Henke, incl. 88mm and 20mm flak guns in situ).

Kampfgruppe Reinhold from 10th SS Panzer

SS Artillery Training Regiment V (north bank of Waal)

SS Panzer Artillery Regiment 10 (Pannerden)

SS Battalion Euling (SS Pzg Regiment 22, Hunnerpark & Valkhof)

SS Panzer 10. Flak (Pannerden)

SS Panzer 10. Engineer company (Valkhof)

SS Panzer-Regiment 10. (3 Panther Tanks, Lent)

[9th SS Panzer-Division order of battle, BArch-MA RS3-9, pp.3-4]

First Parachute Army

Generaloberst Kurt Student

LXXXVI Korps

General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder

Kampfgruppe Walther

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment von Hoffmann (2 battalions)

Panzerjäger Kp 11 × Pak

Luftwaffe Ersatz Abteilung

6th Fallschirmjäger-Regiment (transferred to LXXXVIII Korps)

Division Erdmann – Generalleutnant Wolfgang Erdmann (7th Fallschirmjäger-Division)

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Menzel (2 battalions)

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Grossmehl (2 battalions)

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Laytved-Hardegg (2 battalions)

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Greve (2 battalions)

Fallschirmjäger-Regiment Hübner (2 battalions)

Panzerjäger Abteilung Grunwald (16 × 75mm Pak)

712th Infanterie-Division

 

LXXXVIII Korps

General der Infanterie Hans-Wolfgang Reinhard

 

59th Infanterie-Division – Generalleutnant Walter Poppe

245th Infanterie-Division

719th Division – Generalleutnant Karl Sievers

Kampfgruppe Chill – Generalleutnant Kurt Chill (remains 85th Infanterie Division)

18. Flak Brigade

107. Panzer Brigade Major Freiherr von Maltzahn

Kampfgruppe Koeppel (Eindhoven)

6th Fallschirmjäger-Regiment (Oberstleutnant v.d.Heydte, from Division Erdmann)

Kampfgruppe Jungwirth (3 battalions)

Korps Feldt General der Kavallerie Kurt Feldt

3 Luftwaffe ‘Fortress’ battalions

406th Division, Generalleutnant Gerd Scherbening

Abschnitt Kleve (512 officers and men, 1 × heavy, 2 × medium, 4

× light mortars)

Abschnitt Goch (461 officers and men)

Abschnitt Geldern (671 officers and men)

Abschnitt Kaldenkirchen (2,856 officers and men)

Division Raessler

Abschnitt Erkelenz, Oberst Freiherr v. Nagel (2,697 officers and men, 7 × heavy, 11 × medium mortars)

Abschnitt Jülich, Major Münniger (1,299 officers and men, 14 × 122mm Pak)

Division Schmidt (from 20.9.44)

Fl.Ausb.Rgt.53 (101 officers and men)

Abschnitt Goch

Abschnitt Geldern

II Fallschirm-Korps

General der Fallschirmjäger Eugen Meindl

Assorted units from 3., 5., 8. and 9. Fallschirmjäger Divisions

Interview on VPRO Books about Arnhem

The first half of the programme features Katja Happe discussing her book ‘Much false hope – The Jewish persecution in the Netherlands 1940-1945’.

Antony’s interview begins at 17 minutes.

Antony to appear on History Hit with Dan Snow

Antony will be appearing with Dan Snow at the National Army Museum for an exclusive book launch and talk. Signed copies of Arnhem will be available on the night.

World War II and Lessons From The Past