Original WWII combat footage between British and German forces 1944 Netherlands, digitally enhanced.
Support my channel on Patreon: [ Ссылка ]
Also check out my main channel for informative videos about military history, vehicles and weapons: [ Ссылка ]
#wwii #combat #wehrmacht #netherlands
Footage has been:
- Researched
- Digitally restored
- Upscaled to FHD
- Edited
by Look in The Past channel.
Battle of 's-Hertogenbosch In the early hours of 24 October the 1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment and the 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment began their night march along the railway under Artificial moonlight. Whilst in s'Hertogenbosch the 53rd as a whole faced the veteran 712th Wehrmacht Infantry Division. Stiff opposition was met by the Inniskilling Dragoons of 7th Armoured Division, particularly at Middelrode, but in hard fighting the 53rd Division gained a first footing in 's-Hertogenbosch in the early hours. By 4:30am the leading elements had reached the north eastern edge of the city. They moved with speed against the Germans near the bridges over the small canals surrounding the city. They bridged the network of waterways many of which were still intact which intersected the old citadel. The troops moved in with Churchill tanks in support, in addition C Squadron of 79th Armoured Division with Crocodile flame throwers were also in support. The 1/5th Welch attempted to clear the northern part of the city and capture the River Dieze bridge. The latter ended up going awry. A leading platoon of B company got lost and although the bridge was found intact it was later blown leaving the men trapped. German self propelled guns then moved in and within twelve hours an intense battle was fought. One of the self propelled guns was knocked out by a PIAT but with ammunition having run out the trapped platoon were forced to surrender, roughly fifty men in all, some attempting to swim back across the river. As the rest of the brigade moved in the 1st Battalion the East Lancs had cleared the South of the river. They ambushed a German column that withdrew into the city from the east along the Hintham road. Tanks and armoured carriers of the Inniskilling Dragoons rode on top of the railway line – a bumpy and exposed ride but they had soon linked up with the infantry. Supported by these tanks the East Lancs attempted to capture the two bridges over the River Aa and Zuid Willems Vaart Canal in line on the road leading from Hintham. The River Aa bridge was taken intact, but the bridge over the Zuid Willems Vaart Canal was blown. The battalion then took up positions between the two canals then moved into the town. They pushed through the eastern side of the city and their leading two platoons neared the railway bridge over the River Dommel. After some fierce fighting they reached the bridge only to find that it had been blown. By nightfall, however, a nearby lock over the canal opposite the Railway Station was found to be intact. The following day the 7th Royal Welch under the cover of smoke and supported by mortar fire, tanks and Crocodile flame throwers managed to cross the lock and overcame a German post nearby. Their assault took the Germans by surprise and they captured 25 prisoners – the rest of the battalion crossed and a strong bridgehead was secured on the western bank of the Dommel. Further along a Bailey Bridge was constructed by the Royal Engineers and completed, following which the area North was cleared.[6] The 6th Battalion attempted to cross the canal by boats but after one was sunk they withdrew – the Germans had reinforced the area during the night. The East Lancs from the South continued to work their way northwards along the bank of the Dommel while the Royal Welch cleared the city to their west. The East Lancs linked up with the Welch at around 22:00 which meant all bridgeheads over the Dommel were thus secured. On October 26 the British worked their way northwards towards the Railway Station, which by this time was burning fiercely. The advance continued into the night. The German garrison resisted fiercely with heavy house to house fighting but gradually the British attackers wore them down and many key buildings were secured and prisoners taken. The German garrison's Commander, Major Riehl was later captured during a sweep of the North. By the evening of 27 October German resistance had largely ceased and the city was liberated. 160th Infantry Brigade relieved the 158th, less the 7th Royal Welch, in the area to the west of the River Dommel the latter Brigade moved into reserve to the east of the city. The battle had been hard won – 145 British soldiers and 253 Dutch civilians were killed during the battle and many more Germans.
