May
| PLACE | DATE | HOUR | SUMMARY OF EVENTS AND INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIGGIA | 1 | Blitz and 3 patrols in CHIOGGIA. Maintenance and re-grouping. | |
| 2 | L/Cpl. Sonley in charge of 'B' Patrol | ||
| PADOVA | 3 | Blitz and Patrols move from CHIOGGIA to PADUA and are joined by the Heavy Section coming up from PORTO CORSINI. | |
| 4 | CQMS Davies AW appointed 'B' Patrol Commander. Capt. JMC Caneri MC left PADOVA to go on PYTHON Leave and returns to HQ PPA FLORENCE, taking along with him unit Italian personnel for leave and dispersal to their homes. | ||
| 0900 | Main HQ Eighth Army signal PPA to report to Main 5 Corps for instructions re further ops. | ||
| 1600 | Blitz and 3 patrols left PADOVA for UDINE to report to Main 5 Corps. Slept en-route at PORTOGRUARO H 1087. Major V Peniakoff DSO MC interviews War Correspondents and released the story of PPA. Capt. JEW Rickwood assumes duties as 2 i/c vide Capt. JMC Caneri. | ||
| 5 | 0700 | Blitz and Patrols left PORTO GUARO for UDINE C 4119. | |
| UDINE | 0845 | Major Peniakoff and Capt. Rickwood report to Main 5 Corps for order. | |
| 1830 | Major Peniakoff goes to 5 Corps for conference. PPA is placed under cmd 6 Br Armd Div. | ||
| 6 | Lt. Wallbridge (Cmdr 'R' Ptl) goes to 6 Armd Div HQ to arrange interview with Maj-Gen. MURRAY GOC 6 Armd Div. Recce by 'S' Patrol (Cmdr. Capt. JD Campbell MC) to GEMONA C 3343, make contact with Fld Sqdn RE 6 Armd Div and reported Germans withdrawing. 'R' Ptl recce UDINE CAPORETTO Road (Route 54) contacted fwd tps who were held up by demolitions. | ||
| 2130 | Informed by 5 Corps that PPA comes under cmd 61 Inf Bde | ||
| 7 | 0600 | Capt. JEW Rickwood report to 61 In Bde HQ. Informed that there in no job present for PPA owing to 78 Div Recce Regt having come into TOLEZZO C 2457 from west and gone north doing work which was planned for PPA. | |
| 0700 | Major V Peniakoff met Bde Cmdr at TAC HQ (GEMONA) asked to find out what was happening at TOLMEZZO and recce two rds going east from RESIUTTA C 4056 and RACCOLANA C 4757. 'S' Ptl to TOLMEZZO and returned to TAC HQ at 1900 hrs with information that 20,000 Cossacks were retiring north followed by 2 Sqdns of 78 Div. 'B' Ptl recce rd from RESIUTTA to STOLVIZZA C 5053 and report clear. 'R' Ptl to STRETTI C 5756 and ACQUAFREDDA C 6765 and enter TARVISIO C 6768 at 1700 hrs at request of German Commander to protect hospital against Partisans. 'S' Ptl sent to join 'R' at TARVISIO. Blitz and 'B' Ptl move up to CHIUSAFORTE C 4757. German surrender is announced at 1800 hrs. | ||
| 8 | 0530 | Blitz and 'B' Ptls to TARVISIO and join S & R Ptls. | |
| 0730 | Blitz and 3 patrols leave TARVISIO and cross ITALIAN-AUSTRIAN border at 0845 hrs together with 'B' Sqdn 27 Lancers and go on to VELDEN D 0179. Blitz and 'B' Patrols remain in VELDEN. 'S' and 'R' Ptls recce rds from VELDEN to ROSEGG D 0277 LEDENITZEN C 9775 WOROUTZ C9774 and St.PETER D 0374 WEIZELDORF D 1872 where first elements of TITO's Army were encountered. 'R' Ptl returns to VELDEN. 'S' Ptl split in two groups. Cap. Campbell with 3 Jeeps to FERLACH D 2371 and Sgt. Sizer with 3 Jeeps to EISENKAPPEL D 4667. Object is to contact TITO's forces and establish good relations. | ||
| VELDEN | Sgt. Sizers party at ABTEI D 3674 fired on by TITO Partisans and 5381327 Pte. A White is wounded. S Patrol returns to VELDEN. Major V Peniakoff reported to 5 Corps for order. Blitz and 3 Ptls moved to billets at ROSEGG. | ||
| 2359 | Major V Peniakoff returns from 5 Corps with orders to go to GRAZ XB 8560 in support of 'B Sqdn 27 Lancers on morning of 9-th, the object being to contact the SOVIET forces. | ||
| 9 | 0700 | Major Peniafoff with 'S' and 'R' Ptls leave ROSEGG and join 'B' Sqdn 27 Lancers, and proceed together along route No.333 in the direction of GRAZ. Beyond WOLFSBERG X 6506 found roads blocked by 3 German Divs withdrawing in confusion before the RUSSIANS. In consequence progress was slow and made only with difficulty. | |
| 1900 | ROSENTHAL was reached (XB 600550), on the outskirts of this village contact was made with 5 Russian Tanks under cmd Major LIKOV and Major DIEMITSHEV being the advance elements of the 84th Inf Div (GOC Major-Gen. BUNIASHIN) of 5 GUARDS CORPS (GOC Lt. Gen. DREIER) of 57 ARMY (GOC Col.Gen. SHAROKHIN) of 3rd UKRANIAN FRONT (GOC Marshal TOLBUKHIN). By agreement the Russian forces withdrew to VOITSBERG XB 6554 and the BRITISH Forces to ROSENTHAL. | ||
| KOFLACH | 10 | Maj.Gen. CA SERGEIEV is entertained to breakfast by Major V Peniakoff, along with several of his officers from 61 GUARDS DIV. Subsequently Major Peniakoff is entertained by them to a second breakfast. At Russian request conference is arranged between Lt.Gen. DREIER GOC Soviet 6 Corps and Lt.Gen.Keightly GOC Br 5 Corps at 1630 hrs. It was decided at this conference to fix the boundary for the Soviet forces East of ROSENTHAL and for the British forces West of KOFLACH XB 570565, leaving an unoccupied zone of approx. 2 kilometers. PPA move back into billets at KOFLACH. Russian dinner follows conference. | |
| 11 | 0500 | 'R' Ptl. to JUDENBURG XB 240650 and contacted SOVIET tps. | |
| 1100 | Major V Peniakoff goes to JUDENBURG and arranged with Russian Comdr that British tps should occupy JUDENBURG the Russians withdrawing over the River MUR. 'S' Ptl rest at KOFLACH. Capt. Rickwood moved from ROSEGG to KOFLACH. | ||
| 12 | 'R' Ptl to SALZBURG WZ 9725 to contact AMERICAN tps. Contact made at RADSTADT XA 3382. Reports of HIMMLER in area. Ptl joins in search but have no luck. Ptl Cmdr gave interview with BBC Broadcasting Van and American War Correspondents. Major Peniakoff Capt. Rickwood and Capt. Campbell attend conference at JUDENBURG between Maj.Gen. WEIR GOC 78 Br Inf Div and Commander 30 Soviet Corps, at which details of boundaries are fixed. | ||
| 13 | 'R' Ptl returned to KOFLACH. Unit is informed that Pte. White A has died of the wounds he received, in UDINE. Lt Col. PRONIN OC 187 Gds.Regt and his officers hold a party at ROSENTHAL for officers of PPA and 27 Lancers. | ||
| 14 | 'B' Ptls and Workshops Section move from ROSEGG to KOFLACH. 27 Lancers give party for Russian and PPA Officer. | ||
| 15 | Lt. Wallbridge left KOFLACH for RADSTADT with 3 Jeeps from 'R' Ptl and 2 Jeeps from 'S' Ptl to try and catch HIMMLER. Major V Peniakoff and 2 Jeeps from 'B' Ptl go through to VIENNA XX 4095 via GRAZ - BRUCK - WEINER NENSTADT. Night spent at WALDHOF XX 3344. PPA Base installations under cmd Lt. Derrett arrive at ROSEGG from FLORENCE. | ||
| 16 | Major Peniakoff returned from VIENNA via BRUCK and JUDENBURG, where he was cheered by Russian tps. Lt. Wallbridge returned to KOFLACH having failed to catch HIMMLER. | ||
| 17 | Rest and Maintenance. | ||
| 18 | Rest and Maintenance. PPA gace dinner for 12 Russian Officers of 187 Gds Regt and 5 from 27 Lancers. | ||
| 19 | 1600 | Major V Peniakoff leaves KOFLACH for Base and Army HQ. | |
| 1845 | Cpl. J Snape accidentally shot at Base HQ. | ||
| 20 | Rest. Practice football match to pick a team to play the Russians of a future date. | ||
| 21 | Rest and Maintenance. Major V Peniakoff returned to Base from Army. Capt. Rickwood returns to Base to hold Court of Inquiry on accidental shooting of Cpl. Snape - RAC. President. Capt. Rickwood. Members: Lt. Robinson and CSM Moss. | ||
| 22 | Major V Peniakoff and Capt. Rickwood go to 5 Corps to discuss future role of PPA. Later returning to KOFLACH. | ||
| 23 | Major V Peniakoff pays further visit to 5 Corps. Practice football match. | ||
| 24 | Rest and Maintenance. Unit is informed that Cpl. Snape J has died as a result of wounds received in the accidental shooting. | ||
| 25 | Rest and Maintenance. | ||
| 26 | CSM Moss and CQMS Davies go to KOFLACH to check all unit controlled stores and vehicles. | ||
| 27 | Football match with Russians cancelled. Played 27 Lancers Lost 4-1. | ||
| 28 | Football match versus 58 Med Regt RA. Lost 3-1 Major V Peniakoff goes to 5 Corps, and receives orders for PPA to move Patrols and Blitz to ROSEGG as Corps Reserve in the event of trouble on YUGOSLAV border. | ||
| 29 | Blitz and 3 patrols to ROSEGG. | ||
| 30 | Maintenance and checking equipment. | ||
| 31 | Rest & Maintenance. |
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- Previous article in the series 'No.1 Demolition Squadron': No.1 Demolition Squadron 1944
