Italeri Stirling Mk IV. Saturday 23 September 1944, D + 6.

[Michael51]

A 38 Group Stirling Mk IV has crossed the Lower Rhine at 500 feet, tracking roughly north into the shrinking Oosterbeek perimeter. Overflying the Hartenstein Hotel, strop guard down, it is about to unload supply panniers onto the small triangular piece of open ground on the north side of the Utrechtseweg,  west of the Stationsweg, (the intersection of which formed the MDS Crossroads).

 

The Stirling, LJ 923, carrying the codes 5T E, is from 196 Squadron ( a code common with and perhaps an aircraft originating from 299 Squadron). This will be its last visit to the Oosterbeek area. Henry Hoysted, RAAF, is the pilot. This crew has already been to Arnhem at least three times since 17 September.

 

 

 

Hoysted piloted Stirlings towing Horsa gliders on the opening days of Tonga, Market Garden and Varsity. On each occasion, he towed the same glider pilot.

 

Henry Hoysted's ' personal ' Stirling was LJ 502 ZO-D ' Dog ' , a photograph of which appears below.

 

 

 

Hoysted is seen holding onto the antenna, just prior to Tonga . The operations tally is in the form of daggers for SOE work and bombs for bombing sorties. The nose art is an irreverent play on the RAF motto. This Stirling was damaged by flak in a subsequent re-supply sortie to the perimeter. The D + 6 sortie Stirling depicted at top was a replacement aircraft.

 

A back story to my not-so-good modelling efforts.

 

Michael

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Nice stirling and very interesting story 

[stevej60]

That's a great presentation and story Michael,great job.

[Michael51]

13 minutes ago, stevej60 said:

That's a great presentation and story Michael,great job.

Thanks,

 

Henry was a lovely chap and very determined. Lucky charms take various forms; his was to wear his pyjamas over his battledress on each operation. On one attempt to reach the Oosterbeek perimeter, the rear gunner emerged in the cockpit and tried to wrest control of the aircraft from the pilot. All aircrew were equipped with a .38 service revolver for such operations. To use his term, Henry 'quilted' the distraught rear gunner with his revolver before the gunner could use his.

 

Michael

[tonyot]

Brilliant,......and superb timing too,...... love the back story and the Hartensten and ground stuff isn`t too shabby either!

Here is a pic of myself and some mates outside the Hartenstein at the Oosterbeek crossroads in 1988 after we had jumped in,

 

Cheers

          Tony

[Michael51]

Hi Tony,

 

Now let me see.

 

That would put you on the south side of Utrechtseweg, outside the rebuilt Schoonord? Nice beer.

 

Behind you and just visible beyond the orange vehicle would be the building known as the Quatre Bras and on the north side of the street and out of view would be the Vreewyk? And if you turned back south down the continuation of the Statsionweg, you would have a short walk to the Tafelberg,?

 

We were there in 2006 and stayed, in all places, at the Dreyerood.

 

Very brave of you to jump out of an aeroplane like that!

 

Great photograph.

 

Michael

[celt]

Well tidy model and story,well tidy indeed.

[TheBaron]

Expert knowledge resulting in a vibrant exhibit Michael.

Bravo sir! 

Tony

[pheonix]

That is a very interesting and informative background and an unusual way of presenting the model. Thanks for the background.

 

P

[Michael51]

Thank you for the kind comments and Likes.

 

The photograph below depicts a mixture of RAF, RAAF and Glider Pilot Regiment personnel just before 5/6 June 1944. Things would have looked much the same just before Market Garden. There are at least two Australians in this portrait of 196 crew and their Glider pilots: Henry Hoysted, sitting at left at the door of the Horsa and Ron Minchin, another pilot, kneeling at right. Service revolvers galore.

 

Michael