VE-Day eclipsed by Airborne missions
(Nationalmuseet - National Museum of Denmark, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Amidst 1945 celebrations to mark Victory in Europe, men of the British 1st Airborne Division again flew from South Kesteven – on Operation ECLIPSE.
Operation ECLIPSE was a long-planned move to avoid accidental clashes between the Western Allies and Soviet forces as their armies converged in Germany.
Intelligence from the Swedish Government indicated that Soviet forces had been ordered to advance beyond the demarcation line agreed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and to force a corridor through to occupy Denmark.
Amidst celebrations to mark Victory in Europe in May 1945, soldiers of the British 1st Parachute Brigade flew from South Kesteven to Copenhagen on Operation ECLIPSE.
The 1st Parachute Battalion flew into Copenhagen from RAF Saltby on 7 May, and Brigade Headquarters flew from Barkston Heath on VE-Day, 8 May. Their role was to take the surrender of German troops in Denmark and to act as a deterrent against any Soviet attempt to occupy Denmark.
The Brigade tackled significant challenges, including securing Copenhagen/Kastrup airfield, disarming all German forces in the area, patrolling to the south to ward off any approaching Soviet ground troops, and maintaining internal security in Copenhagen.
To learn more about Operation ECLIPSE, click here: