By C/PFC Nathaniel Griffis

2D Brigade Warrior Battalion

Wiesbaden High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps

WIESBADEN, GERMANY — On March 24, 2022, World War II veterans unveiled a monument near Wesel, Germany, to honor the men who gave their lives during Operation Varsity. Over 140 guests attended the event. Forty cadets from the Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion, who helped with the planning and provided the color party for the ceremony, were also present.

On March 24, 77 years ago, more than 16,000 paratroopers fell in and around Wesel, Germany. The mission, known as Operation Varsity, was the first and largest Allied paratroop operation in Nazi Germany. Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery devised a plan, named Operation Plunder. This plan would allow Allied forces to cross the Rhine, which separated Allied-controlled Germany from Nazi-occupied Germany at the time.

Operation Varsity was developed as a support operation to avoid a massive death toll. The objective was to capture the Rhine and its surroundings to allow ground troops to cross safely. It would comprise the combined forces of the British 6th Airborne Division and the US 17th Airborne Division and involve over 1,700 carriers and 1,000 fighter aircraft.

As the plane approached its targets, the green light came on and the soldiers exited the plane. When asked what he thought before the jump, Oliver W. Harris of 17th Airborne Division Headquarters Company said, “I wasn’t thinking exactly. I just wanted to survive.

As groups of paratroopers descended from the sky, fighter jets and bombers whizzed overhead. P-47 Thunderbolt pilot Edwin Cottrell of the 493rd Fighter Squadron said that while flying his plane during Operation Varsity, “I was alone in my plane. Our main mission was to drop bombs on tanks and railroad tracks and relay information about troop movements.

Although the 17th had never experienced a combat jump before, each echelon of airborne soldiers was able to quickly and systematically clear their designated area within hours of landing. Although over 2,500 Allied soldiers and over 70 aircraft were lost, the combined forces of the US 17th Airborne Division and the British 6th Airborne Division were able to open a landing path for the thousands of Allied soldiers who would cross over late the Rhine.

The unveiling ceremony for the new monument began as cadets from the Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion stood in formation behind loudspeakers. The event, hosted by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jon Ring, Mr. Michael Johnson, Mr. Andrew Biggio, Mr. Jeff Schumacher, and several other attendees, began with JROTC Cadets Kayla Pham and Theresa Carballo singing the American and German national anthems.

Lt. Col. Pinkie Fischer continued the ceremony with a prayer in which she said, “They did not jump in thinking they would make history for the Airborne community, but rather their courageous actions marked the lives of the people forever. pages of time.” Johnson, the property manager of the site on which the monument was placed, said in his speech: “I would like to personally thank the respect and courage of 17, because without them I don’t know if I would be here today.

President of the 17th Airborne Division’s Descendant Association, Scions of the 17th Airborne Division, Schumacher remarked, “Where would the world be today without you? We will honor you forever and ever.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ring of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment delivered the closing speech. Throughout his remarks, Ring thanked the members of the 17th for their service, saying, “Thank goodness for the men of the 17th Airborne Division and their hand in liberating this area from the Third Reich.

When the four veterans of the 17th Airborne Division removed the World War II-era parachute covering the monument, the project was revealed. Standing over six and a half feet tall and weighing nearly five tons, the Belgian bluestone memorial, which stood for over five months, bears the insignia of the 17th. The column stands as a mark of the sacrifices made by the soldiers of Operation Varsity.

In the closing moments of Johnson’s speech, he captured the thoughts and feelings of all present: “Seventy-seven years ago a war was raging. These veterans descended from heaven to fight for eternal peace. For that, we can all be grateful.