Achtung Panzer - Ede's liberator

The city of Ede in the Netherlands was liberated on April 17th, 1945. To commemorate this fact, a Sherman tank was placed at the outskirts of Ede as a memorial in 1990.

Cougar, shot with a Canon EOS-1 fitted with a 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens and loaded with Agfaphoto APX 400 black and white film.

The war diary of the OKW (Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht) [Armed forces high command, the supreme German military command and control staff during World War Two] reports on Monday, the 16th of April 1945: "Fortgang der kämpfe um die "Festung Holland"... an der Rheinfront noch Rühe" [progress on the battle of the "Citadel Holland"... quiet on the Rhine front]. In fact, that day the first Canadian tanks of the 1st Canadian Tank Brigade, part of the British 49th 'Polar Bear' Infantry Division roll towards Ede.

In the early evening of the 16th of April, 1945 the 147th Brigade of the 49th Infantry Division is tasked to liberate Ede. The brigade consists of three batallions: The 11th battalion 'The Royal Scots Fusiliers', the 1st battalion 'The Leicestershire Regiment' and the 7th battalion 'The duke of Wellington's Regiment'. The 147th Brigade is supported by the 1st Canadian Tank Brigade and A and C Squadrons, the 11th Regiment 'The Ontario Regiment' and A and C Squadrons of the 14th Regiment 'The Calgary Regiment' are tasked to support the drive towards Ede. Every Squadron consists of twenty Sherman tanks.

Canon EOS-1, 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, Agfa APX 400

Ede is but one of several targets in the Veluwe area and the task of capturing Ede itself is given to the Royal Scots Fusiliers and the supporting Squadrons from the Calgary Regiment. They leave Arnhem at 18:00 hours, C Squadron with their Sherman tanks in the lead. After a few skirmishes they stop at dusk, around 21:00 hours. The advance along the N224 highway to Ede will continue tomorrow.

Fuji GFX 100S II, 45-100mm f/4, Acros film simulation

The next day the war diary of the OKB reports on the British-Canadian actions: "Bei Arnheim erweiterte der gegner seinen Brückenkopf und gelangte über die Strasse nach Appeldoorn [sic]" [The enemy extended their bridgehead at Arnhem and reached Apeldoorn over the (N224) highway]. At 05:00 hours the advance towards Ede continues, again with C Squadron in the lead. At around 06:00 hours a small battle erupts at the Drieberg hill which overlooks the N224. This needs to be taken before the Royal Scots Fusiliers can advance further. After an artillery barrage Shermans from C Squadron roll up the hill and capture two German anti-tank cannons with their crews, members of the 34. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division "Landstorm Nederland "[34th SS volunteer Grenadier Division "Landstorm Nederland"], Dutchmen fighting for Germany. After taking the hill the allies advance over the Ginkelse Heide towards the Simon Stevin barracks just outside of Ede. Here they join battle with the 34th SS Division. C Squadron comes into action again, dispatching four Sherman tanks. Two of these are regular Sherman V tanks armed with a 75mm gun, the other two are Sherman IB tanks equipped with a 105mm howitzer gun. In the fighting at and around the barracks the Sherman IB's are in their element. 

After this engagement the tanks advance to Ede. As part of the N224 is blocked the tanks advance via the Arnhemseweg before they reach the N224 again. Now this part of the force splits up, one part follows the Arnhemseweg towards the centre of Ede, the other part follows the N224 before turning towards the centre of town. The first allied Sherman tanks roll into Ede.

Fujifilm GFX 100S II, 45-100mm f/4

It is at this location that we meet our Sherman tank 81 years later. Named Cougar, she looks brand new. She was fully restored in Delft in 2022-2024 and relocated from her old location at the roundabout on the N224 to her current location close by. 

This Sherman tank is displayed in the markings of a tank from C Squadron, 14th Regiment 'The Calgary Regiment'. It represents the tank used by Captain Davies and his crew. Davies and his crew drove a regular Sherman V tank. This tank however is an M4(105) 105mm howitzer equipped version. This tank was built by Chrysler with construction number 57562 and US Army serial number 30104244. The tank was part of the tank fleet of the Royal Dutch Army after the war and was stored at Soesterberg before it was donated to Ede. 

Fujifilm GFX 100S II, 45-100mm f/4

From 1990 to 2022 it was marked as T212125 with the number 13 in a green circle on the turret. It was however discovered that these markings were incorrect and it was decided to change her markings to 31 in a blue circle. It kept serial number T212125 and the name Cougar. Why Cougar? All tanks of C Squadron had a name beginning with a C, hence the choice for Cougar.

Click on the images to enlarge

Remembering the crew of Halifax B.II JB803

At 23:53 on the 30th of April, 1943 No 77 Squadron Halifax B.II JB803/KN-G piloted by Sergeant Gordon Watson took off from RAF Elvington. Its target that night was Essen, a German city in the Ruhr industrial area. The Battle of the Ruhr was in full swing.

The aircraft

The Handley Page Halifax was a four engined heavy bomber in use with the RAF from 1940 until 1952 and was broadly comparable to the more famous Lancaster bomber. The Halifax B Mark II was powered by the legendary Merlin engine of Spitfire and Hurricane fame. 1,966 Halifax B.II's were built, not only by Handley Page but also by other manufacturers. Later versions of the Halifax used the Bristol Hercules engine that proved to be a better match to the Halifax airframe than the Merlin. 

JB803 was an English Electric built Halifax B Mark II and was delivered from their Preston factory to the RAF somewhere between the 21st of February 1943 and the 1st of March 1943. After acceptance it was used almost immediately. Known missions of JB803 are:

11/03/1943    Stuttgart raid

21/03/1943    Essen raid

29/03/1943    Berlin raid

02/04/1943    Lorient raid

03/04/1943    Essen raid

04/04/1943    target unknown

08/04/1943    Duisburg raid

10/04/1943    Frankfurt raid

14/04/1943    Stuttgart raid 

16/04/1943    Pilsen raid

20/04/1943    Stettin raid

26/04/1943    Duisburg raid

27/04/1943    Mine laying

28/04/1943    Mine laying

30/04/1943    Essen raid

The crew

JB803 carried a mixed Royal Air Force/Royal Canadian Air Force crew of seven that night:

Pilot Sergeant Gordon Watson, RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1383608

Flight Engineer Sergeant Ian Douglas Crawford, RAF service number 634710

Navigator Flying Officer Arthur Edward Parsons, RCAF service number J/11636

Bomb Aimer Sergeant Leon Hannam, RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1383305

Wireless operator/Air Gunner Sergeant William Robert Louth, RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 1198324

Mid Upper Gunner Sergeant Raymond Shepherd, RAF Volunteer Reserve service number 929961

Tail Gunner Flight Sergeant Thomas Deuel Scarff, RCAF service number R/95040

The mission

Watsons crew was going back to the Krupp factory in Essen. After takeoff from RAF Elvington at 23:53 Watson steered JB803 towards Cottesmore Light and proceeded afterwards to North Walsham, Happisburgh and Egmond before heading to Essen. After reaching their target they would return via Egmond and Hornsea and land back at Elvington. It was their 13th mission as a crew (with the exception of Louth who was on his sixth flight with Watsons crew and Shepherd who was on his fourth). Their Halifax was loaded with two 1,000 lb general purpose bombs and thirteen incendiary bombs of two types.

After crossing the Dutch coast line they were intercepted by a Messerschmitt Bf-110 night fighter from 11./NJG 1 flown by Feldwebel Heinz Vinke, Feldwebel Karl Schödel and Unteroffizier Johann Gaa. Vinke and his crew were based at Bergen airfield on the Dutch coast that night. Vinke located the Halifax and shot it down. Vinke was a night fighter ace, racking up 54 kills before he and his crew themselves got shot down and killed whilst flying Bf-110G-4 werknummer 740136 by Flight Officer Hardy in a Hawker Typhoon on February 26th, 1944.

Watson ordered his crew to bail out and all but Scarff and Watson himself did so. They died when their bomber crashed and exploded at the Noordpolder near Muiden, the Netherlands at 02:26 on May 1st, 1943. The rest of his crew landed in the cold water of the IJsselmeer lake and never made it to shore.

Watsons crew lies buried at the Muiden General Cemetery with the exception of Sergeant Louth. His body was never recovered.

The memorial

The current memorial for the crew of Halifax B.II JB803 was erected at the Zuidpolderweg at the site where the Halifax crashed in 1943. It was unveiled on September 5th, 2020. Each year at May 1st the local community gathers at the memorial to remember Watson and his crew.

All photos shot with a Canon EOS 1000N fitted with a Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.4-4.5 USM lens, Agfaphoto APX 400 blackd and white film, developed in Adonal and scanned with an Epson Perfection V850 Pro.