by Griff Hosker
I peered through my binoculars. He was right. There was a wood. It looked to be half a mile from the town. It looked like a couple of Panzer Mark IVs hull down. As I moved along the edge of the wood I saw the German troops. The last side road we had past had been at Amt Rietberg. It would be a long detour to get around them. Even as I looked I saw the muzzle flash from one of the Panzers.
“Emerson get the hell out of here.”
I dropped the binoculars and put the jeep into reverse. Emerson had rammed his into first and whipped it around. The shell exploded just forty feet from us. We were showered with stone and debris. Behind me I heard Fletcher telling the main column what we had struck. The nearest shelter were a couple of outbuildings three hundred yards away and we drove there. “Everyone all right?”
Sam White said, “A cut above my eye but…”
“Go and see Hewitt, get it sorted!”
The tanks and the lorries rumbled next to us just ten minutes later. I got out of the jeep and climbed up on to the hull of the leading Firefly. “Two Panzers and infantry dug in at the woods. I couldn’t give you numbers.”
“Anti-tank guns?”
“I would guess yes.”
I saw that the Lieutenant was young. He chewed his lip. I turned to Captain Wilberforce, “Have you got ten men I can borrow?”
“Of course, sir, why?”
“I can take half a dozen of my men with grenades and submachine guns. I have a sniper. If there are anti-tank guns we can take them out so long as the tanks take care of the panzers.”
The Lieutenant looked relieved. “I thought if we went in a long line we would divide their fire.”
“Sounds good to me Lieutenant.” I turned. “Davis, up on this tank with me. Hewitt and Fletcher on the next tank. Emerson and Hay the next tank. You need grenades and your MP 40.”
I saw Captain Wilberforce asking for volunteers. He had plenty to choose from. One clambered up behind us. He had a Lee Enfield. I shouted, “Foster, throw me Beaumont’s Thompson and three magazines.” He passed them up to me and I gave them to the soldier, “Try these. A little extra firepower.”
“Thanks sir.”
I looked at the ground. It was a field which had grown crops. They had been picked. It was not flat and there were places where infantry could take shelter. If we had the armour firing to cover us then we might be able to crawl closer and take out their rockets and anti-tank guns.
The Lieutenant disappeared into the turret and we moved off. The Sherman was fast for such a large tank but I knew that the German tank gun was more than capable of brewing a Sherman up. Known as Ronsons for the similarity to cigarette lighters I admired the courage of their crews. The German and British guns had similar ranges. We had the advantage that we would be sending three or four shells at each Panzer. The Lieutenant had guts. The Germans blinked and fired first. The effective range was less than half a mile and they fired at three quarters of a mile. One was aiming at our tank and the shell hit the glacis. I felt the heat from the shell as it soared up into the sky. The second tank had more success. Its shell hit the left front of the tank to our right and it stopped. Its commander came out of the turret and manned the Browning.
A hundred yards later and the young Lieutenant gave the command to fire. All seven guns belched. The smoke was vented close to us and our vision was briefly obscured. When I looked I saw that although we had hit both tanks, one was still firing.
Davis shouted, “Anti-tank gun, about to fire!” Only he had the range and he fired bullet after bullet into the crew. Perhaps he was lucky or just persistent. The shell struck the last tank on the right. The range was too great and it did no damage. All seven guns now fired at the last Panzer. Just before it blew up it managed to score a direct hit, at a thousand yards, on the third tank in the line. It exploded in a ball of fire. The three Commandos crouching behind the turret would have known nothing about it.
Emerson and Hay had jumped off their stricken tank and were now running alongside us. Davis was still firing but we had to get closer. I took out my glasses and saw that there was a line of German infantry, seven pairs of them, and they had Panzerschrecks and Panzerfausts. I saw, behind me, that Captain Wilberforce had his men rushing along in a long skirmish line. We had support. I banged on the turret. The lieutenant’s head popped up. “Stop your tanks! They have rocket weapons ahead. Concentrate your fire on the anti-tank gun and have your machine guns spray Jerry while we get into position.”
“Right sir.”
I shouted, “Everyone off and form a skirmish line. Davis stay here and keep sniping.”
“Sir.”
I cocked the German machine gun. We had eight hundred yards to cover. The remaining tanks began sending HE towards the Germans. The ball machine gun fired and all the commanders manned their Brownings. They had the range and their shells could penetrate armour. However, as with all machine guns, at the range they were being used they were less than accurate. Some of the rocket launchers would survive. The operators were lying down. The guns, however, were effective at discouraging the Germans from raising their heads. I heard a cheer behind me as one of the two remaining anti-tank guns was hit by the Shermans,. It was only a matter of time before they took out the other one.
When we were four hundred yards away I shouted, “Halt!”
I waved the men to the ground and we crawled. It meant that the tanks could continue to shred the tree line and we were almost impossible to hit. We had crawled a hundred and twenty yards when I heard the crump of German mortars. The ground behind us erupted as the shells hit. They would correct and the next salvo would end us. We had two hundred and eighty yards to go. The tanks were now lobbing HE into the woods to silence the mortars. A hundred and fifty yards behind us I saw the line of Commandos. It was time.
I stood, “Commandos! Charge!”
It was hardly the Charge of the Light Brigade. However, we did not have far to run and we had cover. There were a handful of us but we were Commandos and we knew no fear. I began firing the MP 40 in short bursts as I zigged and zagged towards the line of grey. Many of the grey uniforms were soaked in red. I saw a German officer raise his pistol and aim it at me. Davis’ bullet threw him to the ground. Another German smashed the porcelain top of his grenade and I shot him even as he pulled the cord. He and the two men next to him disappeared in a red mist. And then we were at the tree line.
“Take cover.” We had achieved our objective. The eleven of us who had survived gathered in a half circle. I changed my magazine and fired at the grey uniforms which were retreating. Then there was a cheer as Captain Wilberforce led his company into the wood. I glanced to my right and saw the five Shermans heading down the road, firing as they went.
I stood and said, “Well done lads! That was bravely done.”
The Sergeant who had led Captain Wilberforce’s men said, “Should we follow our lads sir?”
“No Sergeant, we have earned a rest. Let’s head back to the lorries. This is not over yet. We still have the town to take.”
As we walked back I said to Sergeant Hay, “I don’t think we will reach our target today. We will be lucky to get through this wood.” I pointed to the shredded bodies lying near to the wrecked 88 mm. “They are fighting for every inch of their country.”
Hewitt said, thoughtfully, “To be fair, sir, we would do the same, wouldn’t we?”
He was right.
Captain Wilberforce lost nine men all told. When we caught up with them, on the outskirts of Delbrück, I said, “Sorry, Captain. We seem to bring bad luck to you and your men.”
He shook his head, “No sir, you just give us something to aspire to. We are getting better.”
Bennet, the Commando to whom I had loaned the Tommy gun, held it out, “Here sir.”
I shook my head, “Lance Sergeant Beaumont won’t need it again. You keep it. It might keep you alive a little longer.”
We waited for the main column. The damaged Sherman needed repairs and the other Sh
ermans needed refuelling. We headed for Delbrück. I had the column stop short of the town. The town did not appear to have defences but we had radioed back and I had said that I would take my jeeps in at dusk. Captain Wilberforce needed time to reorganize his men.
“Lieutenant, while you are waiting for your tank have the rest line up half a mile from the edge of the town and elevate your guns as though you are going to fire a salvo at the town.”
“Sir, we don’t have enough ammunition to do that.”
I smiled, “They don’t know that, do they?”
As darkness started to fall I led my column of jeeps. Part of me had wanted the German soldiers to have plenty of time to flee the town. Had we followed hot on their heels then they might have been tempted to fight. This way there would be fewer to fight us in the future. Men would desert or simply head home. Others would be dispirited and lower the morale of the units they joined. I remembered the retreat to Dunkirk. We had held together but mainly because we wanted to get back to England. The Germans were already home. We drove slowly with guns lowered but cocked.
There was not a straight road through the town. It turned and twisted. When we came to the large square I recognised the Rathaus, the German Town Hall. I slowed down for I saw four policemen and a knot of civilians outside the main door. We had seen faces behind windows and doors which had been ajar as we had driven through.
“Sam, take the wheel and Davis, leave the sniper rifle here but bring my MP 40.”
“Sir.”
“If this goes wrong, Sam, then get the hell back to Captain Wilberforce.”
“Sir.”
We walked to the policemen and civilians. The policemen were armed but there were five jeeps filled with Commandos holding automatic weapons. I did not think that there would be firing. We stopped in front of them.
I spoke in German. “I am Major Harsker of the Commandos. I am here to accept the surrender of the town.”
One of the policemen looked angry and his hand went to his holster. An older chap with a white beard shook his head, “No, Wernher. Let me speak.”
The policeman nodded.
I said, “You should thank the Mayor, Wernher, he has just saved your life. Had you drawn your gun then you would be dead.” I nodded towards the MP 40 which Davis had pointed at his middle.
“How did you know I was the Mayor?”
“A lucky guess.”
“I am Hans Breitling, Mayor of Delbrück. Why should we surrender?”
“Because if you do not then the tanks which are waiting outside the town will open fire to make sure that our soldiers are not shot when we attack. We have lost enough good men already. If anyone is to bleed then it will be Germans.”
The Mayor nodded, “A little blunt, Major.”
“I speak the truth, Mayor. Do you surrender?”
He looked at his companions and they nodded.
“Good.” I turned and shouted, “Fletcher, get on the radio, tell the Brigadier they have surrendered. We will wait here until the forward units arrive.”
“Righto sir.”
“A wise decision. The war is lost.”
“Sadly, Major, the war has been lost for some time.”
Chapter 15
Brigadier Young was happy with the surrender but less happy at the delay. “In that case. sir you need to keep the main column closer to the Shermans and Captain Wilberforce. He has lost too many men and we almost lost a quarter of our tanks today.”
“You speak your mind, Major.”
“It is how I was brought up, sir.”
“Well you are right. We now have more Kangaroos and the rest of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. We have enough tanks to take on Jerry armour. But tomorrow I want all of us away by dawn. Time is wasting. There are rumours that the Nazis are executing the workers in these factories. They are slave labour. There will be war crimes trials after the war, Tom, and they are trying to hide the evidence. This is not a chase for glory. We are chasing justice. Forget the secret weapons. Intelligence thinks that there are up to 3000 labourers in various camps close to the underground factory.”
“You mean we could save them?”
“I confess that I don’t know but I want us to make the effort. It is obvious now that we can’t reach Nordhausen with the whole column. Let us get as close as we can and then you can make the dash.”
“Sir.”
I went to my men, “Freddie, how are the jeeps holding up?”
“They are a smashing little motor, sir. We haven’t done that many miles yet. How much further do we have to go?”
I gathered them around and told them what I had been told. “So, Freddie, it is about seventy miles or so with the main column and then a push of thirty to forty miles on our own.”
“Then they will hold up, sir. That is nothing to these beauties. And we have enough fuel too. The bowser came when you were talking with the Brigadier and we filled five big jerrycans.”
“And we have enough ammo. Fletcher, take a couple of the new lads.” I took a wad of German money we had recovered from our enemies, “Here is some of the local currency. See what you can buy. I doubt there will be much to be had but buy it, right, don’t take it!”
“All right sir, Foster, White, come and have a lesson eh?”
I sat, after we had eaten, with Gordy and Lieutenant Poulson. “Do you think we can save any of these workers, sir? I mean, the Germans who run the camps must know we are coming. If they are going to get rid of the evidence then now is the time.”
“They are making the V-2 there, Polly. I know we slowed down their production but they are still making them. They will hang on to their workers until the last minute. That is why the Brigadier is sending us alone. The terrain between Göttingen and Nordhausen will take the column a few days to get through. We can do it in one night. We have to try.”
“Aye sir. We have had a tough war but imagine being worked as a slave under a mountain. We know what the S.S. are like. If we save a dozen it will be worth it.”
We had made plans and we had prepared. So had the Germans. Paderborn was only fifteen or so miles away from our main column but, as we tried to skirt the town and bypass it we discovered that the Germans had made that impossible. They had tanks dug in at the forest which went from the outskirts of Paderborn south for ten miles. This time the Brigadier was on hand to see for himself.
“Tom, see how close you can get before they open fire.”
“If they have any sense sir they will hold their fire and wait for our armour.”
“I know but I want you to have a closer look at their defences. You have a good eye for such things. We can all see the tanks. What else do they have?”
“Right. Sam off you trot. Peter it is you and me. I will drive and you use your eyes.”
We slowly drove down the Kleerstrasse. I saw, through the glasses, that when it joined the Alter Hellweg it turned sharply. Their defences were just five hundred yards further on. My plan was simple. I would drive slowly down as though we had not seen their defences and when I reached the Alter Hellweg to throw it around and head back to our lines at top speed.
“Peter, keep up a commentary as we drive. I am watching the road and watching for bullets. You will see far more than I do.”
“Sir, I count at least eight tanks. One looks like a Tiger. There are six, no seven 88 mm. It looks like they have one machine gun for every thirty yards.” We were approaching the Alter Hellweg. It was a smaller road than the Kleerstrasse. Even as I prepared to turn they opened fire with machine guns. The MG 42 had the range. My sudden spin, which I had already started and my acceleration away were all that saved us. As we hurtled north, bullets zipped around us and clanged off the jeep, Davis said, “And one more thing, sir. I saw soil which was freshly turned over.”
“Mines.”
“That is what I think, sir.”
When we reached the Brigadier he shook his head, “Charmed life springs to mind, Major.”
I shrugged and t
old him what we had learned. “Then we call in the Marauders and a Flail.”
Colonel Fraser said, “It might be quicker, sir, to just shell a passage. Use mortars and HE.”
He gave the order. The air strike was summoned. The mortars moved forward and, after they were set up, began a creeping barrage which set off the anti-personnel mines. The tanks fired too. I realised that it would make it harder to cross the open ground but that could not be helped. This way we were saving men’s lives and that was a price worth paying. The Marauders came in three lines of six. They worked their way through the forest and the roads. As they climbed and circled west the Brigadier gave the order to advance.
The other Commandos did not march. They travelled either in half-tracks or lorries and followed the tanks. The Flail tank went first but, to be honest, there were few mines left. One of the Shermans triggered one but it did little damage. When we reached the Alter Hellweg I saw the devastation caused by the bombers and the Sherman barrage. The Tiger had been totally destroyed and, even though they were hull down, the Mark IV tanks were wrecked. As we passed through the gap and my jeeps once more took point I wondered at the German sacrifice. They had been ordered to slow us down and it begged the question why? Monty’s main thrust was to the north east and yet they had tried to stop our brigade. I began to think the Brigadier was right. They were continuing to produce V-2 rockets. Did one or more of them have the terror weapon?
I let Sam drive for a while. He had been a little put out that I had left him behind. It had been for his own safety. We soon reached the outskirts of Dörenhagen. Although a small place and I was not expecting trouble, Davis made the sign for danger. I took out my glasses and saw that they had a pair of machine guns behind sandbags. There looked to be about ten soldiers there. I saw an officer’s cap. As I focussed the glasses I saw that they were S.S. They were fanatics.