John Frost (British Army officer)

Returning to the United Kingdom in September 1941, Frost initially served with the 10th Battalion, Cameronians, a Territorial Army (TA) unit which formed part of the 45th Brigade of Major-General Philip Christison's 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, before later volunteering to join the Parachute Regiment in the same year. He was posted to the 2nd Parachute Battalion, part of Brigadier Richard Gale's 1st Parachute Brigade, itself forming part of the 1st Airborne Division, whose General Officer Commanding (GOC) was Major-General Frederick Browning.[4]

Frost distinguished himself in Operation Biting, a raid to dismantle and steal the radar dish or components of the German Würzburg radar at Bruneval. The raid was the second time the fledgling British parachute regiment was called on. C Company under the then Major Frost was given the task and on 27 February 1942, 120 men landed. They met stiff opposition but succeeded in stealing the component as well as capturing a German radar technician. The operation lost three men killed and seven badly wounded. Prime Minister Winston Churchill applauded the raid and guaranteed further wartime operations for the paratroopers.[5] Frost was awarded the Military Cross.[6]

During the Allied landings in North Africa British airborne units landed in Tunisia, which included the 1st Para Brigade, which was detached from the rest of the division and now commanded by Brigadier Edwin Flavell. At this time Frost, who was now an acting lieutenant-colonel and in command of his battalion, was tasked to attack enemy airfields near Depienne 30 miles south of Tunis. The airfields were found to be abandoned and the armour column they were supposed to meet up with at Oudna never arrived, leaving Frost's battalion 50 miles behind enemy lines. Heavily outnumbered and continuously attacked on their route out, they managed to fight their way back to Allied lines but lost 16 officers and 250 men. The battalion carried on fighting with the British First Army through to Tunis. For this action he was awarded his first Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 11 February 1943.[7]

In 1943, Frost's battalion, with the rest of the 1st Parachute Brigade, now under Brigadier Gerald Lathbury, was landed in Sicily during Operation Husky with orders to capture a road bridge called Ponte di Primosole. The brigade was hopelessly scattered and the 295 officers and men who reached the bridge found themselves facing the German 4th Parachute Regiment and lost the bridge until the arrival of other Eighth Army units.[8]

Frost's last action in this theatre was in Italy when the entire 1st Airborne Division, now commanded by Major-General Ernest Down (but replaced in January 1944 by Major-General Roy Urquhart) after Major-General George F. Hopkinson was killed in September 1943, landed at Taranto by sea.[9]

Frost is best known for his involvement in the Battle of Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. During this battle, Frost was to spearhead the 1st Airborne Division's assault on the bridge at Arnhem and hold it while the rest of the division made its way there. If all had gone to plan there would have been almost 9,000 men[10] holding Arnhem bridge for the two days it was supposed to take Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks's XXX Corps to reach them.[11]

On 17 September 1944, as commander of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, Frost led a mixed group of about 745 lightly armed men who landed near Oosterbeek and marched into Arnhem.[12] The battalion reached the bridge capturing the northern end, but Frost then found that his force was surrounded by the II.SS-Panzerkorps and cut off from the rest of 1st Airborne. Frost was in command during the fierce four-day battle that followed, in which the Germans rained artillery fire onto the paratroopers' positions, and sent tanks and infantry into some of the most intense fighting seen by either side, with very little mercy given. The Germans were greatly surprised by the airborne forces' refusal to surrender and their continuous counterattacks. After a short truce on the third day, when 250 wounded were removed, the battle continued until the remaining paratroopers had run out of ammunition. There were around one hundred paratroopers left.[13]

As a result of this action, during which he was wounded by shrapnel in his feet, Frost became a legendary figure in the Parachute Regiment and the British Army.[14]

In action, Frost was a tough leader whose clear head in battle won the respect of every Paratrooper in the battalion. "He didn't mix his words and seemed to inject confidence in everyone, even if you didn't like what he said. We would have followed him anywhere" said one Para.[5]

Following capture, Frost was held as a prisoner of war in Oflag IX-A/H at Spangenberg castle. He was later moved to a hospital in Obermassfeldt. Frost was liberated when the area was overrun by American troops in March 1945.

On 20 September 1945, he was awarded a Bar to his DSO for his leadership at Arnhem.[15]