Airborne Assault MuseumArticle
Arnhem (Operation Market Garden)
1st Allied Airborne Corps, which included the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, was tasked to secure the main canal...
Private. Ralph Frederick Russell of 2 Platoon, ‘A’ Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.
Ralph Frederick Russell was born on the 10 August 1914, and in 1940 he was living in Dursley, Gloucestershire. [1]
He initially enlisted into The Dorsetshire Regiment on the 24 June 1940, but was serving with a Light Anti-Aircraft Unit, R.A. when he volunteered for Airborne Forces in late 1943. [2]
Ralph successfully attended Parachute Course 97 at RAF Ringway, which ran from the 3 to the 15 January 1944. His Parachute Instructors comments: ‘Confidence, reliable – cheerful – above average’. Upon completion he was posted to the Holding Company, Depot & School Airborne Forces at Hardwick. [3]
He was then posted to ‘A’ Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, at Easton Hall in Lincolnshire, where he was assigned to 2 Platoon, which was commanded by Lieut. John ‘Jack’ Grayburn VC.
On Sunday, 17 September 1944, he boarded a Dakota aircraft of the 314th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF at Saltby aerodrome to take part in Operation ‘Market-Garden’. He would jump onto DZ ‘X’ near Renkum in Holland and then make his way to Arnhem Bridge, where he was wounded in action and taken prisoner on Thursday, 21 September 1944.
Ralph was initially sent to Stalag XIIA at Limburg in Germany, where he was given the POW No. 89294. This was only a Transit POW Camp and he was then sent to Stalag IVD at Muhlberg-on-Elbe (Torgau). [1] He was then sent to a Working Camp at Halle, in Germany, from the 14 October 1944, to the 13 April 1945, where he worked as an outdoor labourer. [1]
He was eventually liberated by advancing Allied Forces in April 1945.
He was discharged from the Army on the 3 June 1946. [2]
NOTES:
[1] POW questionnaire. 25 April 1945.
[2] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer & Enlistment Book 14, page 95.
[3] Parachute Course Report. RAF Ringway. January 1944.
Researched and written by Robert Hilton.
Ralph's great grandson, Alex Russell added the following detail about ralphs experiences at The Arnhem Bridge.
"Ralph Frederick Russell, born 10th August 1914. He was wounded during the first bridge attack on the main road bridge at Arnhem alongside Lt. Jack Grayburn. He was wounded in the forearm and shoulder, with a bullet also grazing his neck by machine gun fire from the manned pillbox situation on the bridge. He spent some time in one of the cellars with other wounded soldiers before continuing to fight with the rest of A Company after the cellar had been blown out by tank fire. He surrendered on Thursday 21st and spent time at Limburg, Muhlbery on Elle and at Halle labour camp, where his duties included burying dead, digging air raid shelters and forestry. His POW questionnaire was signed on the 25th April 1945. Previous to Arnhem he spent time in North Africa with the 105th Light Anti Artillery unit, specifically in Tunisia, where at the end of operation torch, flew home and volunteered for The Paras. His company during Arnhem was led by the famous Digby Tatham Warter"
