The Irish Guards
The Irish Guards were part of the ground force of Operation Market Garde, Market being the the airborne assault, Garden the ground assault. The Irish Guards Group were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Joe Vandeleur. The Irish Guards because of their fighting reputation led XXX Corps in their advance towards Arnhem, which was the objective of the British 1st Airborne Division, the furthest from XXX Corps. The Corps crossed the Belgium-Dutch border, advancing from Neerpelt on the 17th of September, but met very heavy resistance from German forces prepared with anti-tank weapons. Most of the tanks in the initial troops were hit and destroyed. As a result the advance was a lot slower than planned. The Corps then at Valkenswaard. Early the following day recce units of the Guards Division made contact with the American 101st Airborne who had liberated Eindhoven, the rest of the Corps reached the city later that day. The Corps were now camped outside Son, while the Royal Engineers built a Bailey Bridge so that the Corps could cross the Wilhelmina Canal and advance to Nijmegen. The bridge was completed the following day.
Later that day the Guards Division, led by the Irish Guards, reached Nijmegen where the 82nd Airborne Division was located. Their advance had been halted, for the 82nd had not taken the bridge as intended. The bridge was finally captured in the evening of the 20th. On the 21st, the British Paras at Arnhem, heavily outnumbered and outgunned, had to surrender. They had fought on against all odds in an attempt to hold on to the bridge. Bitter fighting took place in the streets of Arnhem where the British Paras showed courage and herosim, but were eventually overwhelmed by German Forces. XXX Corps had been just an hour from the bridge at Arnhem but had to wait for the arrival of the 43rd Infantry Division. Further fighting took place until the 25th. It was at times a truly tragic campaign.
The Irish Guards saw further action in Holland until they were finally part of the advance towards, and into Germany, seeing much bitter action as they progressed in Germany. The Guards saw action during the Rhineland Campaign. On the 21st April, at a village known as Wistedt in Northern Germany, Guardsman Charlton of the 2nd Irish Guards, was a co-driver of a tank during the capture of the village by a small number of the Irish Guards. The Germans soon attempted to re-take the village with numerically superior forces, which largely consisted of officer cadets under the command of their very experienced instructor officers as well as two or three self-propelled guns. Three of the four tanks of the small Irish Guards force were badly hit, the fourth ( Charlton's ) being disabled by a complete electrical failure before the action started. When the tank was disabled Guardsman Charlton was ordered to dismount the turret 0.50 browning machine-gun and support the infantry. Charlton, as the Irish Guards became incresingly in danger of being over-run by the Germans, took the machine-gun from his disabled tank and advanced in full view of the attacking Germans, firing and inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans, halting the lead company and allowing the rest of the Guards time to reorganise and retire. He continued his attack, even when he was wounded. Charlton now only with one arm, carried on firing until he collapsed from a further wound and loss of blood. His courageous and selfless disregard for his own safety helped most of the Irish Guards to escape capture. He later died from the wounds he received. He was awarded the posthumous VC, it was the last Victoria Cross of the European Theatre, and the last, so far, of the Irish Guards. Unusually much of the citation was based on german accounts of the fight as most of his later actions were not witnessed by any of the Guards Officers or surviving Non-Commissioned Officers.
Later that day the Guards Division, led by the Irish Guards, reached Nijmegen where the 82nd Airborne Division was located. Their advance had been halted, for the 82nd had not taken the bridge as intended. The bridge was finally captured in the evening of the 20th. On the 21st, the British Paras at Arnhem, heavily outnumbered and outgunned, had to surrender. They had fought on against all odds in an attempt to hold on to the bridge. Bitter fighting took place in the streets of Arnhem where the British Paras showed courage and herosim, but were eventually overwhelmed by German Forces. XXX Corps had been just an hour from the bridge at Arnhem but had to wait for the arrival of the 43rd Infantry Division. Further fighting took place until the 25th. It was at times a truly tragic campaign.
The Irish Guards saw further action in Holland until they were finally part of the advance towards, and into Germany, seeing much bitter action as they progressed in Germany. The Guards saw action during the Rhineland Campaign. On the 21st April, at a village known as Wistedt in Northern Germany, Guardsman Charlton of the 2nd Irish Guards, was a co-driver of a tank during the capture of the village by a small number of the Irish Guards. The Germans soon attempted to re-take the village with numerically superior forces, which largely consisted of officer cadets under the command of their very experienced instructor officers as well as two or three self-propelled guns. Three of the four tanks of the small Irish Guards force were badly hit, the fourth ( Charlton's ) being disabled by a complete electrical failure before the action started. When the tank was disabled Guardsman Charlton was ordered to dismount the turret 0.50 browning machine-gun and support the infantry. Charlton, as the Irish Guards became incresingly in danger of being over-run by the Germans, took the machine-gun from his disabled tank and advanced in full view of the attacking Germans, firing and inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans, halting the lead company and allowing the rest of the Guards time to reorganise and retire. He continued his attack, even when he was wounded. Charlton now only with one arm, carried on firing until he collapsed from a further wound and loss of blood. His courageous and selfless disregard for his own safety helped most of the Irish Guards to escape capture. He later died from the wounds he received. He was awarded the posthumous VC, it was the last Victoria Cross of the European Theatre, and the last, so far, of the Irish Guards. Unusually much of the citation was based on german accounts of the fight as most of his later actions were not witnessed by any of the Guards Officers or surviving Non-Commissioned Officers.
NORTH AFRICA AND ITALY
In March 1943, the 1st Irish Guards, who had been based in the UK since 1940, landed in the North African country of Tunisia. The Battalion fought in the Medjez Plain area, seeing action at Djebel bou Aoukaz, or ' Bou ', during the bloody engagements to capture the area. Part of the area was took on the 27th April and further fighting carried on for a number of days with the Irish Guards suffering heavy casualties in the process.
During the action on the 28th, Lance-Corporal Kenneally of the 1st Irish Guards, charged down the forward slope of the ridge that his own company was positioned along, attacking the main body of a German company that was preparing to attac, firing his Bren gun as he did so, causing so much surprise and confusion that the Germans broke in disorder and began to retreat. The Lance-Corporal returned to his position unharmed, firing his Bren gun on the Germans upon his return. On the 30th April the Lance-Corporal repeated his brave actions when, accompanied by a Sergeant of the RC, charged the enemy who were forming up to assault the same position that the Lance-Corporal performed his daring feat. Both men charged the enemy, firing as they did so and inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans which resulted in the routing of the German force. The two men began to return to their position but as they did so, Kenneally was hit in the thigh. This however, did not stop him. He carried on fighting, refusing to relinquish his Bren gun and leave his position. Despite his wound he fought for the rest of the day and for his actions was awarded the Victoria Cross. The regiment's first of the war.
Sixty hand-picked men of the Irish Guards were part of the 14,000 strong British contingent that took part in the victory parade in the capital Tunis on the 20th May 1943. In December that year the 1st irish Guards reached Italy. The battalion took part in the Anzio Landings on the 22nd January 1944. The battalion saw muc action at Carroceto only a few days after the landing at Anzio where they repulsed a number of German attacks there. The battalion also took part in the attack on Campoleone, experiencing very firce fighting that sw the Irish Guards dwindle in manpower even more. A German counter attack was launched a number of days later. The battalion inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking Germans, but the following day, became surrounded with little support against the armour of the Germans, and so were forced to fight their way out which they did successfully, but suffering many casualties in the process. A few further actions took place for the battalion's companies but, by April, the battalion was severely depleted in manpower and returned to the UK where they would remain for the duration of the war as a training battalion.
During the action on the 28th, Lance-Corporal Kenneally of the 1st Irish Guards, charged down the forward slope of the ridge that his own company was positioned along, attacking the main body of a German company that was preparing to attac, firing his Bren gun as he did so, causing so much surprise and confusion that the Germans broke in disorder and began to retreat. The Lance-Corporal returned to his position unharmed, firing his Bren gun on the Germans upon his return. On the 30th April the Lance-Corporal repeated his brave actions when, accompanied by a Sergeant of the RC, charged the enemy who were forming up to assault the same position that the Lance-Corporal performed his daring feat. Both men charged the enemy, firing as they did so and inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans which resulted in the routing of the German force. The two men began to return to their position but as they did so, Kenneally was hit in the thigh. This however, did not stop him. He carried on fighting, refusing to relinquish his Bren gun and leave his position. Despite his wound he fought for the rest of the day and for his actions was awarded the Victoria Cross. The regiment's first of the war.
Sixty hand-picked men of the Irish Guards were part of the 14,000 strong British contingent that took part in the victory parade in the capital Tunis on the 20th May 1943. In December that year the 1st irish Guards reached Italy. The battalion took part in the Anzio Landings on the 22nd January 1944. The battalion saw muc action at Carroceto only a few days after the landing at Anzio where they repulsed a number of German attacks there. The battalion also took part in the attack on Campoleone, experiencing very firce fighting that sw the Irish Guards dwindle in manpower even more. A German counter attack was launched a number of days later. The battalion inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking Germans, but the following day, became surrounded with little support against the armour of the Germans, and so were forced to fight their way out which they did successfully, but suffering many casualties in the process. A few further actions took place for the battalion's companies but, by April, the battalion was severely depleted in manpower and returned to the UK where they would remain for the duration of the war as a training battalion.
1945-Present Day
With Army demobilisation, the 3rd Irish Guards was disbanded in 1946, the 2nd doing so the following year. In 1947 the 1st Irish Guards beployed abroad for the first time since 1944 heading for troubled Palestine to perform internal security ( IS ) duties there. After the British left Palestine in may 1948, the battalion moved to Tripoli, Libya and returned home in 1949. The battalion joined the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR) in West Germany in 1951, remaining there until 1953. After the battalion participated in ceremonial duty for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it was posted to the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt, remaining there until the British withdrawl in 1956.
In 1958, during the troubles in Cyprus when there was much tension, indeed violence, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and against British forces by EOKA, the regiment performed vital internal security duties. They returned to Britain in the closing months of that year. In 1961 it was back to West Germany. In 1966, the regiment moved to Aden, another colony experiencing violence. The Irish Guards returned home just before Aden gained independence from the British Empire in 1967. In 1970 the regiment was posted to the Hong Kong garrison, remaining there for two years until its return to the UK. In 1974 the regiment re-roled as a mechanised battalion, subsequently being posted to the BOAR.
They returned to Britain from Germany in 1977, being posted at Windsor Castle, and soon found themselves with supporting roles in several high-profile diplomatic and foreign policy events. In July 1978, they secured the grounds around Leeds Castle for a preliminary meeting between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan prior to the historic Camp David Accords. In 1980, they were part of the Commonwealth force dispatched to the former Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) to supervise that country's first internationally recognised elections as an independent country.
In between, from February to August 1979, they were posted to the Central American country of Belize for the second time. ( Their first was in 1973 after their return from Hong Kong ) That country ( which gained its independence in 1981 ) was threatened by Guatemala, which claimed its territory. Upon returning to the UK, however, " The Trouble " reached into central London when a bus carrying men of the regiment to Chelsea Barracks was subject to a ferocious attack by the IRA on September 10th, 1981. Twenty-three soldiers were wounded and two passers-by killed.
The regiment returned to the BOAR in February of the following year, just missing the Falklands War. In 1986, the regiment returned home, receiving new colours two years later from HM The Queen. They returned to belize later that year, before being posted to the British sector of West Berlin in 1989, their first and only deployment to the city. Ther regiment were present when the Berlin Wall fell that year. They left the newly united Berlin in 1992.
In 1958, during the troubles in Cyprus when there was much tension, indeed violence, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and against British forces by EOKA, the regiment performed vital internal security duties. They returned to Britain in the closing months of that year. In 1961 it was back to West Germany. In 1966, the regiment moved to Aden, another colony experiencing violence. The Irish Guards returned home just before Aden gained independence from the British Empire in 1967. In 1970 the regiment was posted to the Hong Kong garrison, remaining there for two years until its return to the UK. In 1974 the regiment re-roled as a mechanised battalion, subsequently being posted to the BOAR.
They returned to Britain from Germany in 1977, being posted at Windsor Castle, and soon found themselves with supporting roles in several high-profile diplomatic and foreign policy events. In July 1978, they secured the grounds around Leeds Castle for a preliminary meeting between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan prior to the historic Camp David Accords. In 1980, they were part of the Commonwealth force dispatched to the former Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) to supervise that country's first internationally recognised elections as an independent country.
In between, from February to August 1979, they were posted to the Central American country of Belize for the second time. ( Their first was in 1973 after their return from Hong Kong ) That country ( which gained its independence in 1981 ) was threatened by Guatemala, which claimed its territory. Upon returning to the UK, however, " The Trouble " reached into central London when a bus carrying men of the regiment to Chelsea Barracks was subject to a ferocious attack by the IRA on September 10th, 1981. Twenty-three soldiers were wounded and two passers-by killed.
The regiment returned to the BOAR in February of the following year, just missing the Falklands War. In 1986, the regiment returned home, receiving new colours two years later from HM The Queen. They returned to belize later that year, before being posted to the British sector of West Berlin in 1989, their first and only deployment to the city. Ther regiment were present when the Berlin Wall fell that year. They left the newly united Berlin in 1992.
