“Operation Varsity - Crossing the Rhine”

Signed by Harry Hardy, Angus Scott, Ted Smith, Robert Spooner and Jim Wallwork

Typhoons attack during Operation Varsity to aid in crossing the Rhine river.

The Mighty Typhoon:

The Hawker Typhoon fighter/bomber was a replacement for the Hurricane which had been surpassed in performance by the Focke Wulf and other advanced German fighters. It was designed to be very strong and carry a powerful punch. Canadian Typhoons carried bombs and British Typhoons carried rockets. The Typhoon could carry 2, 1000 pound bombs (compared to very small 250 pound bombs carried by the Spitfire) and was also the fastest piston engine fighter at the time at low level. It had an amazing 24 cylinder Napier Sabre engine that produced 2,200 horsepower, had a maximum speed of 412mph and carried 4 huge 20mm canon! The Typhoon was a truly powerful fighter!

The Typhoon did experience some technical difficulties because of its complexity and high speed but the tremendous performance at low level was well appreciated by the pilots that flew those perilous missions at low altitude. Because of its close support role, losses were high and Typhoon pilots faced scary odds. Over 151 brave men were lost in the battle of Normandy alone. In all 666 pilots and 21 ground crew lost their lives in WWII.

The Horsa and Hamilcar gliders were a key part of this mission. Gliders carried troops or armored vehicles and were towed into the air by Halifax bombers. Horsa gliders could carry 25 troops and Hamilcar gliders could carry a tank. When within range of their objective they were released on a one way mission. It was then up to the incredible skill of the pilot and fighting strength of the airborne troops within to capture their objective and remain alive until the advancing front line arrived at their position. A scary prospect indeed!

The Mission:

Crossing the Rhine river was the last major obstacle for the Allies on their way to the defeat of Germany and the end the war. The mighty Rhine was a formidable barrier to any invader and operation Market Garden, the previous UK/CW attempt to cross the Rhine had been a complete disaster with thousands of Allied soldiers paying the ultimate price for the rushed attempt to reach Berlin.

Although the German air force was almost completely gone by this time, German ground defenses along the river were several miles deep and included thousands of gun emplacements. This made it very perilous for Allied airborne troops. On the second attempt to cross the Rhine named Operation Varsity, the Allied forces held nothing back. Operation Varsity was the largest single day airborne drop in history. Over 2,100 fighters including 400 Typhoons were sent on several missions each in one day to suppress German anti-aircraft guns. Two full divisions totaling 16,600 troops and 1,770 gliders were sent across the river on March 24, 1945 to capture key objectives. A 5,500 gun artillery barrage prepared the east bank for Marine landings. The attack was overwhelming to the tired German defense.

Operation Varsity was a complete success. The Rhine was crossed and the road to the end of the war was in sight. Berlin would fall soon after. The noise of the operation was truly intense and John Flintoft who had been shot down behind enemy lines earlier and was hiding in a barn could hear the attack and feel the vibration from a great distance. It was welcome news for him! On this operation air traffic was intense. Typhoon pilots stayed close together to concentrate their firepower so that gunners would not have time to recover and fire back before the next attack came. Also, they needed to reduce the chance of collision with other formations in such a busy airspace. They dropped cluster bombs to neutralize the anti-aircraft guns and then strafed targets until they ran out of ammunition. The cluster bombs and powerful 20mm canons which must have made this a terrifying experience for the gun crews on the ground.

Key features of the "Operation Varsity - Crossing the Rhine" artwork:

This highly detail depiction of the operation shows Canadian Typhoons attacking AA installations near the Wesel. The town of Wesel is burning in the distance and the railroad bridge has been blown out by the German army. Typhoon pilot Harry Hardy in Pulverizer IV was on his 96th and final mission and his signature can be found on the prints and original. Typhoon pilots Angus Scott, Robert Spooner and Ted Smith were on the same mission and have also signed the artwork.

Jim Wallwork is a famous glider pilot and airborne soldier that participated in 4 major operations including Normandy and Varsity. He was one of the very first soldiers to fire a shot in the Battle of Normandy to capture the Pegasus bridge. Varsity was his final mission in a glider. His glider can be seen in the top left and his signature is also included.

The four Typhoons in the foreground are strafing gun emplacements, four more are dive bombing in the distance and cluster bombs can be seen bursting on an 88 AA gun. Four more Typhoons on the right have circled around after their initial bombing and strafing attack and are on their final strafing run. Tracers were only used in the final rounds of ammunition to let the pilot know he was running low.

Thanks to the Typhoon actions, the gliders overhead had a chance to cross with minimal casualties and make a successful assault.

The bravery and skill demonstrated on this mission is something to remember.

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36"x65" Original SOLD

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Download Brochure of "Operation Varsity"

 

Harry Hardy, John Flintoft, Angus Scott and Len Krenzler during production.

Inspecting the original.

Visiting the legendary Jim Wallwork!