In what would become the final European airborne operation of World War Two, RAF crews and British-led French SAS soldiers delivered a jaw-dropping mission that left the enemy reeling. On the night of 7th and 8th April 1945, 702 paratroopers were dropped into the German-occupied eastern Netherlands, facing near-impossible odds as they fought to disrupt Nazi forces in the region. The operation, known as Operation Amherst, was not only a daring display of military strategy but also a testament to the extraordinary skills of the RAF crews based at Essex and Suffolk airfields.
This remarkable mission, which saw the men dropped under fierce conditions with little visibility, is hailed as a pivotal moment in the war. According to local historian Chris Bullock, who has dedicated over a decade to researching the history of RAF Rivenhall, it was the RAF’s adaptability and expertise that turned the tide in this dangerous operation.
“The mission pushed both technology and bravery to the limit,” Bullock said. “It was the first time parachutists were dropped above cloud cover, and the RAF used a navigation system – Gee – that had never before been tested for live drops.” Gee, a transponder system that plots positions by picking up signals from various transmitters, was primarily used for coordinating airstrikes or dropping cargo. But in this case, it guided paratroopers into a deadly drop zone, with zero visibility due to heavy clouds.
The operation’s goal was clear: create chaos behind enemy lines in the German rear to give the advancing Canadian forces the upper hand. The mission was vital in securing the liberation of the Netherlands, a country that had suffered through the brutal Hunger Winter, a period when 20,000 Dutch civilians died from starvation due to Nazi food blockades.
RAF crews from Rivenhall, Great Dunmow, Earls Colne, and Shepherds Grove in Essex and Suffolk launched 47 aircraft in support of the operation. Among the aircraft were Halifax bombers capable of carrying Jeeps, which were also dropped alongside the paratroopers to support ground operations. But the real challenge came with getting the soldiers into the air.
With the weather making it impossible to drop from the usual heights, RAF crews had to quickly adapt. “The crews didn’t know how to fit that many paratroopers and their equipment into the aircraft, and they had to figure it out on the fly,” Bullock explained. It was a high-stakes puzzle, one that required both skill and innovation.
Despite facing significant resistance, the British-trained paratroopers fought fiercely for up to six days in the northern province of Drenthe before being relieved. The operation came at a high cost: 28 men were killed, 39 were wounded, and 57 were listed as missing in action. But their sacrifice wasn’t in vain – their efforts created enough disruption to allow the Canadian Second Army to advance and liberate the last part of the country under occupation.
“This operation proved the immense skill of both the RAF crews and the paratroopers,” Bullock concluded. “Not only did they achieve their objective, but they were a vital part of the final push to secure Victory in Europe.”
