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Operation Faust, 1945: the units and vehicles
Many people have heard about Operation Manna and Operation Chowhound. These were humanitarian food drops carried out to relieve a famine in German-occupied Holland, undertaken by Allied bomber crews during the final days of World War II in Europe. Far less people know about the ground-based relief operation named Operation Faust. On 2 May 1945, 360 Canadian and British trucks began delivering food to the city of Rhenen, behind German lines.
To commemorate this Operation which saved thousands of civilian lives, an event is being organised to recreate and remember Operation Faust by driving along the historic route from Den Bosch via Wageningen and Rhenen to Utrecht in May 2020. To better prepare this event, this thread is placeholder to research the units and vehicles involved in Operation Faust. If you have anything to add, please do! This Operation is not very well documented and we need to bring this back from oblivion. An essential part of the event in 2020 is to inform the public on what happened back then. This will include material for school kids to use for study, lectures and presentations. Thanks in advance! Hanno Organization Committee Operation Faust, Keep Them Rolling Association
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#2
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Here are some websites with partial quotes as reading material:
Operations Manna, Chowhound, and Faust - 29 Apr 1945 - 10 May 1945: Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#3
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Unit's Operation Faust
In the operation the following unit's took part;
From the CRASC;
From the RASC;
The depot's where most of the food came from where under the Britisch controle of the following unit's;
I have put in the attachement the rapport of the Canadian Army about the Surrender of the German Force's, which is my scource for the unit's that took part in Operation Faust. On page 42 of the rapport (in the pdf 47) the unit's are listed. The other pdf is a overview of the unit's with there unit serial's, that I have put together so far. The sources that used for the overview are listed below;
Greetings, Bram Member of the Organization Committee Operation Faust, Keep Them Rolling Association |
#4
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Excellent idea for the event, guys!
I am not sure if the pictures attached shows actual "Faust" vehicles, as the pictures dates and locations are not really precise. However they do show trucks with the white flag attached to the front......and the absence of weapons, national flags, troops hanging from the trucks and civilians chearing with flags, leads me to believe the pics might be taken just before the liberation(?). Pictures all taken in or around Utrecht. source: hetutrechtsarchief.nl Het utrechts archief also has some pictures marked as "operation faust"....however they don't show the white flag, so I wonder if they are pics of the liberation in stead. Alex
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#5
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Some pictures from the Gelders Archief. I am not sure where these were taken.
source: www.geldersarchief.nl/ Alex
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#6
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Couple from https://beeldbankwo2.nl
The first three are dated "may 1945", the last two may 6th 1945. Alex
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#7
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Two more from https://beeldbankwo2.nl
the first is dated "early 1945".....the second "may 1945"....flags are already hanging from the houses in the last picture, so I think this might be just after this town was liberated. Alex
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#8
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Thanks for the post's of the photo's, I found some of them during in my research the past year.
The photo's in your first post:
The photo's in your second post are taken in Wageningen in the Hoogstraat. The photo's in your third post;
On your last post:
Most of all thanks for research! Last edited by Bram G.; 14-01-19 at 18:03. |
#9
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#10
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Footage of Operation Faust
In the footage the Enka Factory, Wageningen and the Depot in the Nude are seen.
http://in.beeldengeluid.nl/collectie...536/false/true |
#11
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Unit; 6 L of S Sub Area??
While doing some further research I found the Order of Battle of the 1st Cdn Corps on the 7th of May 1945. Most of the unit's that took part in Operation Faust are in the order of battle. But depot unit's and 930 G.T. Coy are found under; 6 L of S Sub Area. Does someone know what kind of unit this is? And where L of C stands for? I believe that I have found it, L of C stands for Lines of Communication
I found the Order of Battle in WD of the 1st Cdn Corps, http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oo...c_mikan_133700 It's in microfilm: T-1848 ; Images: 2041 - 2054. Image 2051 contains the order of battle of the 6 L of S Sub Area. Also added the images of all the units that took part in Faust from the order of battle. Hope to hear from you all, Gr Bram Last edited by Bram G.; 16-01-19 at 15:32. |
#12
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Bram,
Thanks for commenting on the location of the pictures! Attached is another picture of the Dodges at of the Foodmarket in Utrecht. Source: https://nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl/ Alex
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Chevrolet C8 cab 11 FFW BSA Folding Bicycle |
#13
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Courtesy of Steve Guthrie:
“More from Operation Faust. A Dutch volunteer driver and RCCS Signalmen share some smokes. C15A is being used to lay lines for comms between the Canadians and the Germans” “Flower bedecked Dodge D60L, part of Operation Faust.”
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#14
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Recent post in another thread by Lang Kidby which gives some context to Operation Faust:
Quote:
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#15
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S&T Maintenance 1 Cdn Corps, Second Maintenance Plan Operation "FAUST"
Bram had found a reference to files pertaining Operation FAUST held by the NIMH (Netherlands Institute for Military History):
Source: https://proxy.archieven.nl/0/DF0E2A7...51D3A150C07CD4 3.1. First Canadian ArmyThese very interesting files have now been digitized which is why I share them here.
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#16
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Quote:
"Jimmy" Shipton was riding his Harley-Davidson WLC to guide the Ford F60L trucks delivering the food to the starving population of western Holland. This picture was most likely taken at Nude, halfway between Wageningen and Rhenen, 1 May 1945 (but I would be happily corrected by our resident FAUST historian Bram G.)
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#17
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Sorry, I have to correct you. Most likely its 2nd of May, as the first transports where made to the Nude starting at 7:30 AM on the 2nd of May.
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#18
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Hi
Co-incidentally from Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Faces of the Second World War: "A convoy of trucks of Allied food supplies moving into German-occupied territory along the road from Wageningen to Rhenan, Netherlands, 3 May 1945." http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discove...?IdNumber=357& regards Darrell |
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Hi
Another: "Major K. Henninger (centre), a German Army signals officer, speaking on a telephone linkup between Canadian and German forces, Wageningen, Netherlands, 5 May 1945." http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discove...x?IdNumber=11& regards Darrell |
#20
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We are still try to figure out to which unit these Ford's belong.
When you look at this picture and the one Hanno posted above, I might start to think it's the same unit. As of the black square on the door of the Ford. |
#21
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Op Faust 2020 | CFLA
See the webpage with extensive information on Operation Faust on the Canadian Forces Logistics Association (CFLA) website:
https://www.cfla-alfc.org/op-faust-2020/ Load of useful links! The CFLA is coming over to Holland in May this year, I look forward to meeting them.
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#22
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NMA CA Food Distribution Dordrecht
Bram, do you know if this is related to Operation Faust?
"Beschrijving: Een rij vrachtwagens met het opschrift NMA CA Food Distribution Dordrecht. Datering: 05-1945 - 1945" Source: https://hdl.handle.net/21.12133/FF99...DAC3ADD91503BC "Beschrijving: Padvinders helpen bij het overladen van Engelse voedselvoorraden. Datering: 05-05-1945 - 05-1945" Source: https://hdl.handle.net/21.12133/58B0...F790125830409F
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#23
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Footage on youtube
Short video describing the Operations Manna, Faust and Chowhound:
https://youtu.be/wbt4e87DvWc Short video on Operation Faust: https://vimeo.com/411396990 More historical footage: https://youtu.be/4c_vUopWKBA https://youtu.be/YDnTH86rAeE
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#24
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Curious........
Hi Hanno
Any details on the content of these metal cans/boxes......? were they normal army rations bulked shipped from North America...? or special containers intended for civilians........ Impressive that the allies had so much food and some areas of Holland starving..... there must have been food containers left over after the war..... as a child I remember meat tokens, bacon, butter, sugar was rationed well into the 1947-48....... I remember my dad walking from work by a hardware store and get his daily allotment of one bag of cement powder....about 80 pounds....walked about 8 blocks with a grin on his face..... now he could plan repairing the veranda...... paint was canary yellow or black one gallon at a time.....when available...... ...but we never went hungry!!!!
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Bob Carriere....B.T.B C15a Cab 11 Hammond, Ontario Canada |
#25
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Hi Bob,
The rations distributed by Operation Faust came from army depots so were regular army rations. The food supplied by Faust, Manna, Chowhound, by the Red Cross and by ship from Sweden was nowhere near enough to feed everyone properly, but the psychological effect was tremendous. Food was rationed here till well after the war.
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
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