A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS
In 1942 the 19 year old twins Thomas and Claude Gronert quit their jobs and without telling anyone joined the British Paratroops. They were from a family of five boys and two girls, being themselves the only twins. Their youngest brother Bernard was just 10 when he last heard from them in 1944.
If you are a student of WWII history, you know that Operation Market-Garden was a failure, with many casualties. Although it was the largest parachute drop of the war, even larger than D-Day, there were not sufficient supplies and other logistics to support the efforts. Important intelligence regarding strong a German Panzer presence in the area was provided by the Dutch Resistance but was disregarded. Many of the British and Polish soldiers were captured, and many died. The action around Arnhem was the story in the film "A Bridge Too Far".
The Gronert boys were 21 years old when they jumped on September 17th, 1944. Although they landed safely, they were together near Arnhem when a shell exploded close to them. Thomas was killed trying to help Claude who had been fatally wounded. Claude received care from medics but died a short time later.
Some months later a member of the boys' regiment went to call on their mother, to extend the regiment's regrets for her loss. She asked the officer "How did my boys die?". The officer explained that one was killed outright and did not suffer, and the other was in the hands of the medics when he passed away. Mrs. Gronert then asked "How long did my second son live after the first died?". "Only twenty minutes", replied the officer. The mother's eyes widened, then began to fill with tears. "They were in God's hands. They were twins, you know. My second son, who died twenty minutes after his brother, was born twenty minutes after his brother."
(For more on Operation Market-Garden, take a look at this excellent web page)
http://www.rememberseptember44.com/index3.htmTruth is stranger than fiction in war. Here lie the Gronert twins, side by side, in the British Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek, Holland.
