Cold Crocodiles

Operation Blackcock's plan was for 12th Corps to clear the German 176th and 183rd Infantry Divisions, well dug in with anti-tank guns, from a triangle formed by the rivers Roer, Wurm and Maas. The Division was on the left bank with 131st Brigade attacking northwards to secure Echt, Schilberg and …

1945-01-20

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Operation Blackcock's plan was for 12th Corps to clear the German 176th and 183rd Infantry Divisions, well dug in with anti-tank guns, from a triangle formed by the rivers Roer, Wurm and Maas. The Division was on the left bank with 131st Brigade attacking northwards to secure Echt, Schilberg and Susteren. The plan was then for 22nd Armoured Brigade to break through north towards Montfort and St. Odilienburg. After the normal problems with traffic congestion the 1/5th Queens advanced, supported by flail tanks and artillery. There then ensued several days of hard fighting across canal after canal, through village after village and at St. Joost, they came upon three Companies for German Paratroops, who inflicted heavy casualties on the 8th Hussars and Rifle Brigade. Crocodile flame-thrower tanks were used to help clear them out, but the village had to be taken house by house, with the enemy only withdrawing when the flames got too much for them.

Saint Joost, Holland

Operation Blackcock was an operation to clear German troops from the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard in the Netherlands and Heinsberg in Germany during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War.[1] It was conducted by the British Second Army between 13 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the rivers Roer and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps by three divisions: the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Lewis Lyne), the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Thomas) and the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division (Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith). The operation, named after the Scottish black male grouse, is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the Roer Triangle.

British

German

Scenario Type = Standard