Beyond the Rhine

by Griff Hosker

  From inside I heard Beaumont shout, “You are short twenty!”

  I watched Sam adjust his aim. He sent a grenade into the air and I heard shouts. Beaumont said, “Bob on! Send another!”

  He did so and then a third. He looked at me, “Sir, I only have two shells left. I have another six anti-tank ones.”

  “Best save them. Well done. Get back inside. I will go and see how Davis is doing.”

  As I reloaded my Thompson I checked my watch. It was 1100 hours. As I reached the upstairs I saw that the camouflage net lay in shreds. “A little hot, eh Davis?”

  “You could say that sir.” He pointed. “They have found some dead ground. The hedge hides them from us and from the Lieutenant. They can get to within forty yards of us.”

  I said, “Get your rifle. You might be able to see them through the hedge. I will go on the machine gun. How is the ammo holding?”

  Foster said, “Half a belt here and then one full belt.”

  “We will have to go careful then.”

  We had no targets. There was grey but they were the dead. I saw Davis’ barrel traverse the hedge and then it barked. He had taken the silencer off. I saw an arm flail. He reworked the bolt and fired a second time. I saw another movement. “I can see them sir. I can take care of the ones down this side but the Lieutenant will have to deal with the other side.”

  “Foster go and fetch White. He has two grenades left. Tell him to come up here.”

  “Sir!”

  As he went I looked up. There was no roof above us. We would be using up our last grenades but if we could drive the Germans back again it would buy us time and time was more valuable than ammunition.

  They came back up, “Sam, I want you to send the last two grenades to the other side of the hedge. If you hit the hedge and wall it doesn’t matter. The splatter of stones will add to the effect.”

  “Sir!”

  Davis continued to thin the German ranks. His powerful rifle and sight were the best weapon we had at the moment. The first grenade hit the field. The cries I heard told me that he had hit something. He adjusted the barrel and sent his last one to actually hit the hedge and the wall. It was spectacular. I saw men falling and others fleeing.

  Then Beaumont shouted, “Sir, they have an armoured car. It is approaching the bridge.”

  “Sam with me. Tom, keep using the machine gun. If you fire short bursts you can do it alone.”

  “Sir!”

  As we reached the bottom of the stairs I said, “Use an anti-tank grenade. You will have to be in the lane. I will come with you and cover you. In a perfect world you will hit the side of the armoured car. The grenade might not penetrate the front armour.”

  “Sir.”

  I saw that the armoured car was almost at the bridge. The 20 mm began to fire. The angle of the road and the hedge meant it did not have a good view of us but they could fire at the Alamo. I saw the shells as they gouged holes in the brickwork. Gordy had his men send a mortar shell over. It hit the bridge but the armoured car had passed. The barrel swung around to face us. It was still too far away for White to hit it. He bravely aimed his weapon even as the machine gun and cannon swung around to aim at the two of us.

  Davis shouted, “Sir! They have two Panzer Mark IVs coming down the road!”

  Suddenly I heard the roar of rockets. The armoured car lifted in the air and then landed in a blaze of burning fuel. I heard the crew screaming as they burned. Then I heard the sound of Hispano cannons as the flight of Typhoons roared along the river. The hedgerow and tree line were shredded. I saw rockets streak from the second two in the flight and from my left heard the explosions as they hit something. They soared across my eyeline guns firing. Their roar faded and then grew louder. I heard the whoosh of rockets and two more explosions.

  Davis shouted, “That’s it sir! The tanks are destroyed!”

  The Typhoons roared overhead and gave us a waggle of their wings as they passed.

  “Reload. Beaumont cover me.”

  Taking my Tommy gun I left the house and ran down the lane. The fighters had hit the Germans hard. I heard the MG 42 as Beaumont encouraged the Germans to keep their heads down. I reached the machine gun destroyed by Gordy. I saw a belt of ammo and I grabbed it. I ran back. Behind me I heard the crack of bullets as the Germans saw me. I barely made it back to the house.

  “Sir! What would your mother say?”

  “I trust, Lance Sergeant Beaumont, that she will never learn of it! Foster! I have another belt of ammo for you.”

  Foster came down, “They are falling back, sir.”

  I was worried about the other two sections, “Beaumont, take charge. I am going to see how the Lieutenant and the Sergeant Major are coping.”

  “Sir.”

  I slipped out of the side door and went first to the Alamo. I had to go along the road to get in at the western side of the house. Gordy and his team had made the east and south a fortress. Gordy was smoking as I entered, “Everything okay, Sarn’t Major?”

  He nodded, “We were lucky. A few cannon shells hit the wall but that was all. Sorry we couldn’t send more mortar shells over. I didn’t want to leave us short.”

  “How many have we left?”

  “Ten.”

  I looked at my watch. It was 1230. The bridge could be close to completion. “Well if they come in force use them. We should have some relief in four or five hours.”

  “Sir.” He threw his cigarette end out of the window. “The Lieutenant was hit hard. Those tanks got a couple of shots off before the fighters took them out.”

  I nodded, “Come with me then and we will go and see what the damage is.”

  We hurried out of the east side and scurried along the road, keeping low. I could hear Davis’ rifle as he continued to snipe and to keep down the German heads. When we entered the back of Lieutenant Poulson’s emplacement I saw that they had, indeed, been hit. Hewitt was treating Fletcher who had a gashed head. Lieutenant Poulson’s left arm was in a sling and the two young soldiers, the big Geordie, George and the diminutive Durham miner, Richardson, lay dead. They had taken the impact of a 75 mm shell. There was a hole in the wall and the Bren was wrecked.

  I turned to Gordy, “Bring your team here. We can always fall back to the Alamo.”

  Gordy nodded sadly. “Sir.” He turned to the Lieutenant, “Sorry about that sir. The range was too great for the mortar.”

  Polly shook his head, “The mortar would have done no damage at that range. At least they knew nothing about it.”

  “How are you, Fletcher?”

  “Just shook up, sir. The two lads took the blast. This was just a bit of flying masonry.”

  “Then get on the radio and tell headquarters, in plain language, that we need relief.”

  “Sir.”

  I turned to Lieutenant Poulson, “If they bring armour or armoured cars then we are in trouble. As soon as you see tanks then head for the Alamo.”

  Polly nodded and looked at his watch. “In a perfect world the pontoon bridges are up and they are on their way!”

  “And how many times has it worked out that way? No, we hang on and try to make life hard. Hewitt, when you have seen to Fletcher nip out and lay a few booby traps.” I pointed to the dead Germans just forty yards away. “Take their grenades. I will come out and cover you.”

  “Sir.” He finished applying the dressing and then said, “Right sir.”

  We went out of the back. I saw the side of our emplacement. When we passed the front I saw the bullet holes. Had they fired at us then that would be Davis and Foster lying covered by their blankets. We moved along the side of the hedgerow. I turned and waved to Davis. Suddenly I saw his rifle muzzle flash and a German with a rifle in his hand fell backwards.

  “Best work quick, John.” We hurried to the first four bodies. They produced six grenades. They just had rifles. We moved back down the road, Two heads appeared in the distance. They were hidden from Davis by the hedge. I fired a short burst and they dis
appeared. We edged around the hedge. The field close to Lieutenant Poulson’s emplacement had been a vegetable garden and orchard. Many of the trees were destroyed. I saw that the Germans had got to within forty yards of it. The Bren had done sterling work to keep them at bay. I managed to pick up a MP 34 and Hewitt found four more grenades. We walked to the slight rise which was sixty yards from the now wrecked wall of the house and crouched. I nodded to the ground. Hewitt took out his parachute cord. An enemy running towards the house would not see a cord for it would be hidden in the dead ground.

  I crawled on my belly. I saw that the other end of the field was another fifty yards away. There were folds and hollows. I saw another eight bodies but I did not risk searching for grenades. As I glanced down the field I saw the flash of a muzzle. I dropped and rolled. The bullets from the MG 42 scythed through the air. I contemplated holding my gun up and returning fire. It would be a waste of bullets. Better to let them think they had killed me.

  Hewitt said, “Done sir!”

  “Then we crawl back.” The German machine gun fired a second burst. The slight rise in the ground protected us.

  We slipped through the hedge and then back into the house. Gordy’s team were there and they were shoring up the damage created by the tanks. I handed Lieutenant Poulson the MP 34 and the ammunition.

  I took out my whistle. “If I blow this three times, then it is back to the Alamo.” They nodded, “Fletcher?”

  “ETA 1600 at the earliest sir.”

  I looked at my watch, it was 1345. It would be a long afternoon. “Good luck, lads.”

  “And you, sir.”

  Slipping out of the back I made my way to my team. Beaumont and White had a pan of water boiling. “Everything all right sir?”

  I shook my head and told them.

  Beaumont nodded, “I am making a brew, sir.”

  “Give me two for the lads upstairs and I will tell them what the situation is. Sam, you better come upstairs. We will need Davis and his rifle so you can load for Foster.”

  “Sir.” He looked at me sadly, “You know I thought George was indestructible. He was a big chap and as tough and hard as they come.”

  “We are all mortal, Sam, and a 75 mm shell takes no prisoners!”

  I went upstairs and repeated my news. “Davis, you keep on with the rifle. These two will use the machine gun and Roger and I will man the MG 42 downstairs. Remember, three blasts on the whistle and you get out of there. Leave the gun. It is too heavy to manhandle down the stairs.”

  Just then we heard the sound of aero engines. They seemed to be coming from the west. I peered up as they came over. It was a squadron of B-26 Marauders. With twin engines and 4,000 pounds of bombs they could do serious damage. I took out my glasses to see if I could see any anti-aircraft. They flew east, undisturbed. They were almost out of sight when I saw them dropping their bombs. I estimated that they were about forty miles away and there was no major town in that vicinity. They had to be bombing a relief column or a bridge, perhaps both. I went downstairs and heard them returning sometime later.

  I pointed to the west, “I am taking that as a sign that the danger is to the east and not the south. Patton and his 3rd Army must have destroyed the Germans in their sector. Unless we get another attack here I will go upstairs and help Davis. You have a watching brief.”

  “There are still Germans to the south of us, sir. I have seen them moving around.”

  “This side of the bridge or the other?”

  “The far side sir.”

  “Have you anything to make a charge?”

  “You mean blow the bridge?” I nodded, “Sorry sir. Grenades won’t do it.”

  They would come again soon. If they did not then it was all over. I went to the Bergens and took out more Mills bombs. I hung them from my battle jerkin. I made sure that my two magazines, in the Colt and the Thompson were full and I drank some water. I hated waiting and not doing anything.

  Beaumont seemed to read my mind, “You have done all that you could, sir. There is no point saying what if we had had some explosives. We couldn’t have carried any more could we, sir?

  “You are right.” Just then the ground to the south and east of us erupted. They were shelling us. “Take cover!”

  I heard Davis shout, “Get under the stairs!! As Beaumont and I took cover under the table and mattress the other three hurtled down the stairs and White and Foster took shelter there. Davis grabbed the second mattress and pulled it in front of them.

  Beaumont shouted, as more shells screamed over, “German 75s and 88s!”

  I pushed my hands against my ears to protect them from the concussion. I heard and felt the building being struck. The upstairs had been in a poor state of repair. As the MG 42 tumbled downstairs, along with most of the wall I knew it was totally destroyed. The stairs held but a huge part of the wall crashed into the mattress which sheltered my three men. Beaumont went to move but I dragged him back. He had just been dragged under the table again when the MG 42 disintegrated as huge splinters from a shell demolished it. The air was filled with flying metal. Then, even above the roar of the shelling, I heard the roar of the Napier Sabre engines. The Typhoons were back. They must have gone to refuel and rearm. A few more shells fell and then there was an eerie silence.

  The roof and ceiling had gone. Much of it had fallen into the house. Beaumont and I went to the debris covered mattress. We tore the bigger pieces away together and then began to pull the smaller ones. I shouted, “Davis! Are you hurt!”

  No-one replied but, then again, their hearing might have gone. I had shouted but my voice had sounded faint. As the last stones tumbled down we pulled the mattress. Davis’ body lay across the two younger soldiers. I turned him over and put my hand to his throat. There was a pulse. He was alive. White looked up at me and his eyes were wide. “Is he alive sir? He threw himself on us to protect us.”

  “How is Foster?”

  Thomas had a gash on the side of his face but he grinned, “I can answer you, sir, so I guess I am alive.”

  We put Davis into the recovery position. “Sam, go and fetch Hewitt. Foster stay with him. Roger, grab your gun!”

  Our Thompsons had been with us under the table. I was pleased now that I had festooned my battle jerkin with grenades. The ones I had placed close by me earlier in the morning were now buried. The door was no longer there and neither was the wall. The table had proved to be stronger than I had thought and it had saved us. We stepped outside but kept in the shelter of the hedge. Smoke and dust hid the road. I glanced behind and saw that Lieutenant Poulson’s stronghold had fared better than we had.

  I pointed down to the bridge. With the smoke and debris from the shelling still filling the air we could risk getting a little closer. With guns cocked we ran a hundred yards into the smoke. It began to thin and we both dropped to the ground. As a gust of wind finally cleared it I began to laugh. Beaumont said, “Sir?”

  I pointed and rose, “You didn’t need explosives. Jerry did it for us, look!”

  One shell had fallen short. The bridge still stood but there was a huge hole in the middle. It would not take any vehicles.

  “Let’s get back to the stronghold. We have a chance now.”

  I looked up as the three Typhoons zoomed overhead, heading west. The leader waggled his wings and I raised my arm. As I turned to walk back I saw the extent of the damage. There was half a wall and the stairs left. Davis was awake when we got back in the wrecked house. Hewitt was seeing to his wounds. “You will get a medal for that Davis.”

  He shrugged, “Instinct, sir!”

  “The good news is that the bridge has gone. The bad news is that we have lost the two German machine guns. How is it up there, John?”

  “Not as bad as here. Cuts and bruises; nothing more.”

  “Right, Davis, take your rifle and go with Hewitt. You will be more use there.” I looked at White and Foster, “How about you two? Need a rest?”

  “No sir.” Sam held up his Tho
mpson. “I am raring to go sir!”

  “Right, off you two go. We will give them a shock when they advance. They will think we are all dead. Find your Bergens and get your grenades, we will need them.” Hewitt and Davis headed up the lane.

  I looked at my watch. I was 1445. We just had to hang on a little longer. The 1st Commando Brigade and the Black Watch were coming down the road. They would not let us down! I led Beaumont to the east end of the house. We clambered over the wall to the east of the house. The ground fell away from us and there were now craters from the shelling. From the north came the sound of Thompsons and Davis’ rifle. Jerry was attacking, they were making the final push.

  I turned and waved White and Foster forward. I pointed to the hedge and then to my grenades. They nodded. We ran to the first crater and jumped in. I raised my head. I saw grey. Germans were advancing up the side of the hedge. They were hidden from Lieutenant Poulson’s post. They were less than sixty feet from us. I cocked my Thompson. The crack of rifles and the chatter of automatic weapons meant that I could risk speaking.

  “On my command we jump up. We shoot the Germans on this side of the hedge and then I want grenades thrown over the hedge!”

  They nodded.

  I counted to four in my head and then shouted, “Now!”

  I jumped up and aimed at the Germans. They were not looking south. Four Thompsons can deliver powerful firepower. Firing over six hundred rounds a minute we emptied our four magazines in a few seconds. Even as the Germans were dying I was loading another magazine. We ran to the hedge. I dropped my gun and took out a Mills bomb. Pulling my arm back I hurled it high and then pulled the pin on a second. My grenades and those of Beaumont must have cleared the second hedge too. One of Foster’s landed in the road. We ducked down and the blast shredded the bushes above our heads. I reached down to take a potato masher from the nearest dead German. I smashed the porcelain and pulled the lanyard. I threw it into the middle of the road. Beaumont and I threw ourselves on top of White and Foster. I heard screams and shouts. We stood and I could now see down the road.