An Englishman at War

by James Holland

  Stephen Mitchell suddenly came upon two German Mk IV Specials waiting behind the ridge. He knocked out both with a left and a right. Owing to the hold-up on the right flank the squadron got separated and I found myself with half the squadron and Michael Laycock, with a certain amount of Maori infantry in a deep wadi, held up by anti-tank guns to our front and strong enemy machine-gun positions on a high hill on our right flank. The Maoris had difficulty in capturing that height and only succeeded in doing so after a night attack. My gunner, Randall, had an extremely good shoot with the 3-inch howitzer at various targets at the top of that hill.

  The Regiment had great difficulty in re-forming into leaguer after dark, and the area which the colonel eventually chose contained two German Mk IV Special tanks, which had been knocked out. One even had its engine running and was in perfect condition. It appeared the crew commander and other members of the crew had been killed by a direct hit as they had been leaving or entering the tank. The other German tank had brewed up completely.

  We eventually joined up with the rest of the Regiment and finally got down to bed at 1 o’clock, all very weary after possibly one of the most spectacular, frightening and successful days of the campaign. There is no doubt that we broke through the positions and destroyed many enemy tanks and guns. Except for Sam and Calvert, this squadron suffered no other casualties, but Robin Taylor in B Squadron and another new officer were killed, and Bill McGowan and Leinster were wounded. The heavy squadrons lost four tanks. The plan was for the 1st Armoured Division to pass on through us after we had captured our objective.

  Bert Jenkins, who was a tank driver in B Squadron, reckons that this was his most terrifying day of the war. ‘We were all lined up,’ he says, ‘sixty-odd tanks only a few yards apart.’ They set off behind a rolling barrage of artillery. From inside his tank, Bert could see little. ‘There was a tiny little piece of glass, about nine inches by three – and that’s all you ever saw.’ It was also insufferably hot inside. They were carrying New Zealand infantry on their tanks, shells were landing a short distance ahead of them, aircraft were roaring overhead, enemy guns were firing, and although Bert could see almost nothing, ‘you could hear it all’.

  The loss of Sam Garrett was a huge personal blow to Stanley. ‘Not only was he a first-class second-in-command,’ noted Stanley, some years later, ‘but a great personal friend.’ Like Flash Kellett, Sam Garrett is buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Sfax.

  Saturday, 27 March

  For most of the day we sat on the ground we had captured. The Germans demonstrated with their tanks and infantry and gave us the impression that they might counter-attack, but nothing came of it.

  When Bill McGowan and Corporal Sadler in B Squadron were wounded, they managed to bale out of the tank but after dark crawled in what they thought was the right direction only to eventually end up in a wadi that was occupied by a German outpost position.

  The German officer in charge gave them both bread and wine and carried them to positions safe from fire by both sides, and left them with a promise that later they would return to collect them. But they never did, and so they remained in no man’s land until today, when they were seen and together with a carrier I collected them in my Crusader. It was rather difficult to get them onto the tank as we came under machine-gun fire from the high ground on the flank. Corporal Sadler will be all right and Bill McGowan will have a holiday for six months. He got a compound fracture of the left leg.

  Stanley typically downplays his part in the rescue of Captain Bill McGowan. Having personally organized the rescue party, he led the men to McGowan, all the time under shell- and machine-gun fire and ‘with complete disregard for his own personal safety’. He was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross for his actions that day and for the leadership of A Squadron in this battle. ‘He had shown an utter disregard to danger and his determined leadership,’ ran the citation, ‘and personal example has had its full effect on those under his command. They will virtually follow him anywhere.’

  Sunday, 28 March

  The brigade moved forward again at 01.30 hours, all very weary as we were short of sleep. We travelled north-east for 10 miles and then turned east. We were pushing on as hard as we could in order to cut off the Germans who had evacuated the Mareth position. There can be no doubt the Left Hook was entirely responsible for ousting the Germans from the very formidable and cleverly constructed concrete defence positions of the Mareth Line. About midday we bumped an enemy rear-guard consisting of tanks, 88mm guns and 50mm guns. The Regiment claims to have destroyed one 88mm and three 50mm guns, and some of this was done by indirect shooting. The enemy shelling was extremely unpleasant and very accurate, although fortunately the Regiment suffered no casualties. Stephen Mitchell and I endeavoured to conduct an indirect AP shoot against an enemy tank 2000 yards away on a hill. Unfortunately they had pin-pointed Stephen Mitchell’s position and every shot he fired brought down a shower of counter-battery stuff.

  Bill Sellar, Vivian Berry and Bill McGowan.

  The citation for the Bar to Stanley’s MC.

  It is interesting how well informed Stanley is about what was happening at Mareth. The Axis had abandoned the Mareth Line that day, realizing that otherwise they would be cut off by the British now sweeping through the Tebaga Gap. The following day, the 51st Highland Division successfully crossed the Mareth Line but by this time the Axis forces had slipped through the Gabes Gap between the coast and the mountains to the north.

  Monday, 29 March

  We pushed on again at dawn and found that the rear-guard had withdrawn. However, the squadron was ordered to go on and eventually ran into, and captured, one complete Italian company. The Italian officer in charge was really a most pleasant individual who spoke English without any kind of a foreign accent. I commented on this and he informed me that he had lived many years in England and had been educated at Sherborne. He asked me where I had been educated, and when I told him he replied, ‘I know many from your school but, of course, they are considerably older than you.’ It came to light after-wards that he had looked after Dan Ranfurly and General Neame, who are now POWs in Italy. I sent him back to RHQ on a tank and on leaving he presented me with a magnificent pair of field glasses.

  Our object is to close the Gabes Gap before the enemy can get through.

  Tuesday, 30 March

  We continued the advance over very difficult going. We got three tanks bogged at a certain village but after some difficulty managed to get them out. Late in the evening we were held up by enemy occupying the hills through which it will be necessary to force a gap and clear mines before we can go through.

  Wednesday, 31 March

  We spend the day sitting opposite the hills being heavily shelled and occasionally doing an indirect shoot on the ‘Sugar Loaf’, a conical-shaped hill.

  I fear I shall never get anybody to replace old Sam. His death was a very grievous loss to the Regiment, the squadron and myself.

  13

  Victory in North Africa

  Tunisia, 27 February 1943. Regimental HQ in an olive grove near the sea. Roger Nelthorpe, Donny Player, Mike Laycock and Micky Gold having lunch.

  Thursday, 1 April 1943

  WE REMAINED IN the same position the whole day.

  The padre held a short and very impressive service in memory of Colonel Flash.

  We were exposed to shelling throughout the day. One 110mm German shell landed ten yards from my tank as the squadron was passing after the service. Fortunately, the shell did not explode, which was extremely fortunate for us all. It is interesting to note that a great many of the shells, especially from the German heavy guns, fail to explode.

  Friday, 2 April

  The brigade handed over the area it was holding to an Indian brigade who, I understand, will put in an attack on the hills, clear the mines and make a passage for the tanks.

  In the afternoon the army commander, General Montgomery, informally addressed the 8th Armoured Brigade, congratulati
ng us on what we had done with the New Zealanders and telling us that there was still fighting before us, and hard fighting, before eventually the Germans could be driven out of North Africa.

  He spoke to Donny Player after his address and, in answer to a question about the Americans’ progress, he told Donny that he was very disappointed with the help he was receiving from the Americans.

  In the evening Donny Player, Stephen Mitchell and myself had a bathe. The water was very cold and refreshing.

  Montgomery did little to further Anglo-US relations, and his sniping at American performances on the battlefield would continue until the end of the war. It was deeply unhelpful, usually unfair, and often filtered down to the troops in much the way that Stanley describes. The truth is that the US Army had begun the war as the nineteenth largest in the world at just 188,000 strong, and in effect had had to start from scratch, much as the British Army had been forced to do following the defeat at Dunkirk and loss of France in June 1940. However, the Americans had an even smaller pool of experience and were having to learn the hard way. Like the British, they were doing so very quickly and would, in fact, prove generally more adept at learning those lessons and implementing changes than the British.

  The scene was now set for the end game in North Africa and in this, the US II Corps, not to mention their contribution to the Allied air forces, would prove invaluable.

  Saturday, 3 April

  A day of rest and maintenance, and five new tanks arrived for the squadron. At the moment my troop leaders are: Neville Fearn, Ian McKay and Sergeant Hunt. Patrick McCraith has become second-in-command of the squadron.

  Monday, 5 April

  In the afternoon Donny Player gave out his final orders to squadron leaders and other commanders of the Regimental Group. The infantry are to make an attack at dawn tomorrow and we are to push through the gap.

  Tuesday, 6 April

  The barrage started at 4 o’clock in the morning and the infantry put in an attack along the whole front. After we had formed up all ready to go through the gap made by the infantry, we were bombed by our own bombers. Lance Corporal Smith, who had joined the squadron yesterday from hospital, was killed by a bomb that fell very close to his tank. Trooper Cook and Trooper Harmsworth were wounded by the same bomb and had to be evacuated. The infantry attack on the left had been successful but the brigade could not get through the hills as the Staffs, which was the leading regiment, were held up by heavy antitank fire at the exit to the pass. The Germans counter-attacked and retook some of the ground on our right flank. Three thousand Italian prisoners were taken.

  This was the Battle of Wadi Akarit. After a superb outflanking manoeuvre in the mountains by the 4th Indian Division, the gap created in the line was slow to be exploited by X Corps so that, although it was a resounding victory, the opportunity to rout the mostly Italian forces there and then was missed.

  Wednesday, 7 April

  The Germans pulled out during the night and we followed the Staffs Yeomanry through the gap in the hills onto the plains on the other side. I saw a fox, which I chased in my tank for some considerable distance before it went to ground.

  The going was extremely good and we managed to move at quick speed. As a result the squadron captured some enemy transport and some Italian prisoners, including two Italian officers. In the evening the Staffs and ourselves were attacked by approximately 30 enemy tanks consisting of Tigers, Mk IV Specials, and some captured Shermans. We held some very favourable high ground and waited for the Germans to follow up their attack. However, they did not do so and remained in hull-down positions about 2000 yards away. The fire from the Tigers, both HE and AP, was extraordinarily accurate. We had no tanks knocked out but Sergeant Dring received a very close HE shell and he himself was wounded and had to be evacuated. The brigade, less the 3rd RTR, formed up after dark and moved north until 01.00 hours in order to contact 3rd RTR, who had worked forward a good many miles on our left flank. We must have been moving parallel to the German tank force, which had made off in the same direction after dark.

  Thursday, 8 April

  We contacted the 3rd RTR early in the morning. We saw some enemy transport moving off along a road to our left flank and the squadron was ordered to pursue the transport at maximum speed in order to cut it off. The going was excellent so we were able to travel at the tank’s maximum speed.

  When the enemy transport saw us coming they split in two directions and as a result I detailed half the squadron to pursue those moving to the right and I took the remainder of the squadron to deal with those making away to the left. I had with me Patrick McCraith, Corporal Levy and Sergeant Charity, who got left behind.

  As we topped a rise we came face to face with one 88mm and one 105mm, manned by German crews. It was too late to turn back and my tank was knocked out by the 88mm, not more than 150 yards from the gun. We all managed to bale out but Trooper Bielby, my driver, was wounded and had his leg broken. We managed to get him out of the tank but unfortunately he was killed by a shell from the 88mm, which landed on the far side of the tank. Sergeant Bacon, my operator, was also wounded, in the arm, but Trooper Randall and I were very fortunate and escaped injury. We managed to crawl away from the tank, our movement hidden by the smoke coming out of it.

  In the meantime, Corporal Levy had charged the guns but unfortunately had struck a bank behind them and was unable to move. As far as we could see, all three of the crew were uninjured but taken prisoner. However, we did see them fire one round from the 6-pounder and later found out they had put the 105mm out of action.

  The ground was extremely flat and Sergeant Bacon, Randall and I had to lie very still in order not to attract the attention of the German gun crew. This was more especially the case when we were sniped from German infantry positions on our left, and when one of the German gunners stalked towards the tank and had a look at Bielby and at the ration box outside the tank. The tank had been burning for some considerable time so there was not much left. Sergeant Bacon could not have been more than 30 yards away from him and I can only assume the German thought he was dead.

  After about an hour, during which time we were hoping that the heavy squadrons might come up, the Germans made off with the 88mm, Corporal Levy and his crew.

  We were then able to inspect their positions and the 105mm, which had been knocked out. After a short period, Sergeant Nelson appeared in his tank, a doctor and an ambulance from the 1st Armoured Brigade following behind. We buried Bielby and I rejoined the Regiment on the back of Sergeant Nelson’s tank.

  I learned that the other half of the squadron had shot up some enemy transport, including one German armoured car with a senior German officer, and procured a good deal of booty, mainly American stuff that the Germans had captured. I found Corporal Jackson sitting on the top of his tank, wearing a fur coat, smoking a cigar and swinging a badminton racquet, all American, which they had found on one of the trucks they had shot up.

  We were held up by enemy tanks but no battle took place. Patrick commanded the squadron for the rest of the day, and I went back to George Hales, our padre, to put a cross on Bielby’s grave. Another night march until 24.00 hours.

  Friday, 9 April

  Pushed on towards the landing ground north of Sfax. Slight tank battle in the afternoon and the Staffs Yeomanry knocked out four enemy tanks without loss to themselves.

  In the middle of the battle my gunner informed me that ‘she had done it again’ and placed a chicken’s egg in my hand. Apparently, without my knowledge, a hen was travelling in the sub-turret next to the driver and had laid an egg during the tank battle.

  As we approached one of the main roads leading into Sfax a German armoured car dashed right across our front and escaped, passing right under our noses, and those of seven of our tanks.

  For once we had an early night and did not have a night march.

  Saturday, 10 April

  The advance continued all day in a north-west direction, towards Sfax. Our next objective
s are the airfields south-west of Sfax.

  Sunday, 11 April

  We were stationary until 15.00 hours, which enabled us to spend a certain amount of time on maintenance, which the tanks sorely needed. At 15.00 hours we moved 30 miles towards Sousse, which late that evening we heard had been evacuated by the enemy. The last part of the journey we did along the main road, flat out most of the way. Stephen Mitchell complained that his tracks were red hot when we eventually pulled into leaguer. It was a glorious evening and the moon lit up all the surrounding country, which is so very fertile. The tanks ran well and we had none of them falling out through mechanical trouble. We finished up that day just south of a village called Msakert.

  Monday, 12 April

  At dawn we moved on a road parallel to the coast road, leaving Sousse on our right. The going was extremely difficult as the track, although marked well on the map, was very narrow and difficult and the surrounding country covered with orchards, which meant we had to stick to the track. We received a tremendous welcome from all the French people living in these small villages, who had evacuated from Sousse and Sfax and other of the larger towns. We had great difficulty in getting through one village, nor could we find a way round. However, Patrick McCraith found a Frenchman (an extraordinary-looking specimen) who volunteered to guide us round the village. When Patrick introduced me to him he insisted on embracing me in the true French fashion and likewise all the members of my crew. My gunner remarked drily that he hoped he received a similar welcome from the female elements of the town. In spite of the guide we had a most difficult time in getting through this village whose streets were no wider than the usual Arab village street, and the heavy tanks only managed to get through and round some of the very tortuous corners by knocking down some of the corner houses. However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, who cheered and clapped their hands as we passed through. I happened to look round at Patrick McCraith, whose tank was following mine, and there I saw him and Lenton sitting on the top of their tank bowing left and right to the cheering crowds as if they were on their way to a coronation.