Beyond the Rhine

by Griff Hosker

  I said, “Sam, pull next to Emerson.” When he did so I said, “The Bergens seem to be working. We drive hard at them, side by side. The road is just big enough. With four submachine guns and driving at top speed we should break through.”

  Fletcher said, “I will get a grenade ready too, sir.”

  The Germans were more than half a mile away. They could have opened fire but I took their reluctance to do as confirmation that they were low on ammo. “Sam, keep the jeep next to Emerson’s, it will divide their fire and give us more protection.”

  “Sir.”

  I turned and shouted, “Drive through at full speed. Gordy, grenades!”

  The road was flat and we began to pick up speed. I cocked my MP 40. The Germans started to fire their machine guns. They were aiming for Sam and Freddie. The straight road meant that the two drivers could both duck down behind the Bergens which absorbed the bullets. Some struck the jeep itself. The problem with firing at a vehicle coming towards you is that you have to constantly adjust the aim and the MG 42 ended up being a little behind. When we were forty yards away I rose and lifted the Thompson. I rested it on the Bergen. I aimed at the gunner on my side and fired five bullets. I adjusted my aim and fired five at the loader. Fletcher, behind me was doing the same. Emerson had the harder task for he was on the same side as the machine gun. The MG 42 on our side stopped firing as the gunner and loader were killed. I finished off the magazine firing at the men who fired their rifles at us.

  We crashed through the wooden barrier. Splinters of wood showered us like rain. I heard a crack as Fletcher’s grenade went off but the noise was drowned out by the machine guns of the next three jeeps. “Stop here, White.”

  I looked around and saw that the attempt to slow us down had failed. I checked our two jeeps. We had no injuries.

  “Right Emerson, back on point.”

  The next forty miles were far harder than we might have expected given the ease with which we had broken through. The sacrifices made at the two woods had allowed the Germans to rally and to organize their forces and make a determined stand. Every small town and village was defended. They had little armour and few guns larger than a machine gun but, as we trudged along the road, we found ourselves calling up the Shermans, again and again. After the third such halt the Brigadier assigned Sergeant Dixon and his Sherman Firefly to be part of the scouting group. It made life easier. Emerson spotted the ambush and Sergeant Dixon would drive forward and clear it. We would wait with the prisoners until the column arrived and then we would race off again. It took two such days to reach Kassel.

  I had been worried about this place all the way from Schloss Rheda. We were camped at Ahnatal-Weimar. It was a few miles from Kassel. The forty men of the Volkssturm who had been defending the hamlet had held us off for an hour with rifles, grenades and an MG 15. We had had to winkle them out of their houses. Captain Wilberforce had had eight men wounded and one killed. We took just twelve prisoners.

  We laagered with our Sherman and Sergeant Dixon asked, “Will it be like this all the way to Berlin sir?”

  “Firstly Sergeant I don’t think that we will see Berlin and secondly, yes. I expected the S.S. to fight as hard as they did but the ones we fought today were old men and boys. And tomorrow could be even harder.” I waved Dixon, Barker and Lieutenant Poulson around the map. Look at this river, the Fulda. What do you see?”

  Sergeant Dixon said, “It is only narrow.”

  I said nothing and Lieutenant Poulson said, “The only crossings are these two bridges in Kassel. They could hold us up there.”

  “We have to capture those bridges intact. I intend to take them before dawn.”

  “Sir, they will hear me coming!”

  “I know Sergeant Dixon. I intend to use that noise. We will leave at midnight. There is a small road which passes through the forest of Harlehausen. We will park the jeeps there and I will take half of my men. There is a main line and junction close to Rothenditmold. At 0400 hours, you and Sergeant Major Barker will bring your tank and the jeeps towards the bridge. We should have taken them by the time you get there. The sound of your tank engines will draw every eye and ear to the west and we will use that distraction to take the bridge.”

  Gordy said, “And if you don’t sir?”

  “Then, Sergeant Major Barker, you will learn how to write letters of condolence, won’t you?” He nodded, grimly. “Get some rest and I will go and tell the Brigadier and Captain Wilberforce what I intend to do.”

  Brigadier Young was ahead of me. In his command caravan he and his staff were poring over the map. “Ah Harsker, your ideas would be welcome. What do we do about Kassel eh? The R.A.F. have told us that they are reinforcing it and there is no way around it. There are a couple of bridges there but if they are mined then we will be delayed by days.”

  “It is the bridges that are the key sir. I was going to take some of my men in before dawn and to try to take and hold one of the bridges. I am certain that they will have them mined. We can’t save both of them but if we can save one… The alternative would be to wait for the Engineers. That would add a couple of days to our advance on Göttingen.”

  “Quite. It is risky Tom.”

  “If Captain Wilberforce and his company can accompany us then they can follow the Sherman. If they can secure the north end of the bridge then I think we can do it.”

  He nodded, “And I will get the R.A.F. to launch a dawn strike to support you.” He shook my hand, “Good luck, Tom.”

  “Thanks sir.”

  Captain Wilberforce and his men were keen to join us. We left at midnight. We only had four miles to drive. I knew that the sound of the Sherman tank would be heard in Kassel but they would not know from which direction we were coming. There were a number of roads into the town. As I had expected they had kept all their defences for Kassel and we reached the edge of the woods just three miles from Kassel at 0100 hours.

  Seven of us would be heading into Kassel. Lieutenant Poulson, Sergeant Hay, Lance Sergeant Hewitt, Lance Corporal Davis, Private Ashcroft and Private White. The others would drive the jeeps. We took no Bergens. Davis had his sniper rifle with silencer. Hay, Hewitt, Poulson and myself had the silenced Colts and we all had an MP 40. With battle jerkins laden with grenades and blackened faces we left the woods and headed towards the railway lines.

  The houses which had been close to the railway line had been obliterated by the American Air Force when they had bombed the busy line. It was eerie walking down a road with the skeletons of houses. Where had the people fled? As we neared the railway line we slowed. To the north of us was a huge marshalling yard. I saw men repairing a length of track. They were still trying to keep the line open. The workers were two hundred yards up the line. We would be hidden… I hoped.

  We had more than a hundred and thirty yards to cross but, luckily, there were three places where there was shelter. They looked to be buildings used to store equipment and shelter the railway workers. We would have to cover just twenty yards and then we would have cover. The sound of the hammers on spikes echoed in the night. Watching for a white face turning around we darted across the first four tracks to the cover of some scrubland. We then had two lines to cross but there were four buildings on the other side. They looked to be workers’ storage huts. One was partially demolished. Holding my Colt, I darted across. There was no one there although the door of one of the huts was open. The last thirty yards were hidden from the railway workers by a bend in the line.

  We could have followed the railway line into Kassel but it was too exposed. We would find it easier to use the cover of back streets. The Germans would have the main roads blocked. The one thing they would not expect would be Commandos raiding. Once we had crossed the lines we ducked into the first alley we saw. It headed in the wrong direction but I knew there would be another quieter street or alley which led to the river. A main road into Kassel was not the one to take. After forty feet we saw another alley and this one paralleled the road we had just
taken. The houses were a row of terraced ones. Like the ones on the other side many of them had been destroyed by bombing but the ruins and remains gave us cover and disguised us as we scurried from shelter to shelter.

  At the end of the alley we were at another larger road. Opposite was a smaller one. Davis and I scanned left and right. I could hear a vehicle but it did not seem to be close. I waved my men across. The small road had a few trees. It must have been a pleasant suburb once. I saw wrecked houses and wondered why. I discovered the reason at the end of the road. There had been a factory and it had been bombed. Huge walls teetered without support. Vast parts of it had been laid flat. The good news was that it was abandoned and we could move through it. The bad news was that we would have to creep through it for fear of the noise of feet bringing down brickwork which appeared to say upright when logic said it should have fallen.

  There were crates filled with water and mangled machinery littering the site. Whatever they had been making there must have been important for we saw the remains of anti-aircraft batteries. Some had mangled guns there while others had been emptied. Even as we moved through I worked out that it must have happened at some time in the recent past. They would have recycled the metal otherwise. It was a vast site and enabled us to moved south by east. I saw that the railway station had also been targeted. It was a ruin. However, the position of the station told me exactly where we were. There were less than two miles to the river. This, however, would be the busier part of town. I looked at my watch. It was 0230. Captain Wilberforce would be bringing his men in under ninety minutes. We had time but we could afford no delays.

  As we left the wrecked factory we scrambled over the remains of a large wall. It had hidden the town. It was pitch black. The buildings were, more or less intact. I smelled wood smoke which told me that they were occupied. We dashed across the road. As we did I spied, in the distance, the glow of a cigarette. It was a tiny pinprick of light but that suggested a sentry or perhaps a road block. It was not in our way but it was a warning. We walked in the shadows of the buildings. Some were four stories high. When we came to a smaller street which went diagonally, we took it.

  It was just in time for I heard the sound of a German truck. It was coming along the road we had just left. We pressed ourselves into the sides of the buildings as the sound of the engine drew closer. I waited for it to pass. Alarmingly it did not. It stopped at the end. We were just thirty yards down the smaller street. If the Germans came down towards us they could not avoid seeing us. I cocked my Colt. I heard the sound of boots landing on the cobbles and orders were shouted. To my relief the officer ordered them to set up a barricade facing north. I waved my arm and quickly led my men towards the river. Our exit was blocked and Captain Wilberforce would have to negotiate the road block. I heard, in the distance, the sound of more trucks. The Germans were preparing their defences while it was dark and our Typhoons and P 51s could not prey upon them. It made it easier for us. Somehow we had slipped inside their cordon.

  The streets we passed through were the older part of the town. They were narrow and shadowy. They were perfect for Commandos. I could smell the river ahead. I was able to move with more confidence knowing that their first line of defence lay to the north of us. The second line would be the bridges across the river. It also meant that they would not blow the bridges until their men had escaped across them.

  I checked my watch. It had taken us an hour to cover the mile from the wrecked factory. Stealth came at a price-time. We had thirty minutes to be in position. The narrow road we were on had a long bend and then, as it turned back on itself, there was a very short section of road and I saw the river. I led my men towards it. Crouching at the corner I saw that I could see two bridges. One, to my left was a sturdy one with a good road surface. The second, a hundred yards to my right was a wooden one. There was a sandbagged emplacement there too. It was for foot traffic. If we were to capture a bridge then it had to be the bigger one. I saw sandbags at the end. The barrels of machine guns protruded. I looked to the other bank. It was hard to see but there looked to be a long barrel there. I could not be certain but it looked like an 88.

  To our left was an old building. It ran all the way to the bridge and there were no doors for shelter. We would be seen. That left the river bank itself. It looked to have a sort of promenade. Again there would be no cover. There appeared to be few options. The bridge and the sandbags were eighty yards away. We had but one choice. We would have to get across the road unseen and crawl along the promenade. The old benches would give us a little cover but I did not relish the prospect. I turned and signalled, ‘cross the road, lie down, crawl’. My men nodded.

  I made the dash across. Davis would wait until I was hidden before he attempted the run. I lay down next to a bench. I peered across the river. No one was there and I was unseen. I was level with the sandbagged emplacement. If they turned to look down the river then they would see me. I risked crawling to the river. I saw that there were barges there. There was a line of four of them tied up. I climbed down on to one. My rubber soled shoes made no sound but the boat moved with my weight. The barge was empty. It was riding high in the water. It was a typical barge with a very small walkway around the cabins. I walked down it. Davis joined me. I signalled for him to cover me and I made my way down the line of barges. There were four of them and they made a walkway to the bridge.

  When I reached the end of the first one and before I stepped on to the next I waved and Davis followed me. I saw that the rest of my men were descending like black shadows on to the barge. I stepped on to the second and began to walk along it. I felt the boat move. I turned but Davis was still on the other boat. A German soldier appeared from below deck. Before he could shout I shot him in the back. Davis was quick thinking and he quickly clambered on board and slowly lowered the body into the water. It made not a sound. I made my way back to Davis. Bill Hay had joined him.

  I pointed to Davis and made the sign to keep watch. I pointed to Bill and signed for him to follow me. I slowly opened the door. A sleepy voice said, “Wilhelm, is that you?”

  I stepped into a kitchen and beyond it was another door. I moved towards it. The door opened and a German stood there. I punched him with the butt of my pistol and he fell into my arms. I laid him on the ground and stepped into the sleeping quarters. There were two more Germans asleep.

  I tapped one on the shoulder with my silencer and said, in German, “Wake up and do not make a sound!”

  Behind me I heard Bill as he tied the hands and feet of the German I had knocked out. The two Germans opened their eyes and saw the gun. One moved towards his gun. I fired into the pillow next to his head, “Do not be foolish. We are Commandos and we will kill you if we have to.”

  They both nodded and I saw terror in their eyes.

  “Bill come and tie and gag these two.”

  I covered them while Bill tied them with parachute cord and then gagged them with strips torn from their sheets. When we had finished I saw that there were just fifteen minutes left before the attack.

  My men were waiting for us and I led them down the barge to the next one. This time Davis covered the door as we walked along it but we did not disturb anyone. I could now see the defences on the bridge which was above us and just fifty feet away. We would be hidden in the shadows. As we moved down the barges I saw the wires and the explosive charges. They would have to be our priority. Once we were sheltered under the bridge I pointed to Hewitt, Foster and White. I indicated the charges. We would just cut the wires. I doubted that they would be booby trapped. If they were then we would know nothing about it.

  As they did that I signalled to Lieutenant Poulson and Bill Hay. I gestured to the far side of the bridge.

  Davis and Bill went to the near side. Davis had the rifle and he aimed it at the men on the far bank of the river. We were in shadow and they were not. They had a brazier and were using it to heat water. Even had they looked their night vision was ruined and they would not have
seen us. When daylight came it would be a different matter. We were behind the sandbagged position. The Germans machine gunners were less than twenty feet from us. We could hear their conversation. I soon realised that these were paratroopers. Cut off from their main unit they had joined in the defence of Kassel. Unlike the despondent soldiers we had listened to before these were confident and almost arrogant. Their words showed that they thought they were better than the Americans or the British. It was a warning.

  I checked my watch. It was 0400. The Sherman would be leading the jeeps, Kangaroos, half-tracks and lorries towards the railway lines. The sound of the huge Ford engine would tell the Germans that someone was coming but it would be some time until they would know the size of the attack. I glanced under the bridge. My three monkeys had climbed to the far side of the bridge. The explosives were almost disarmed. It was 0410 when the field telephone at the bridge rang. I only heard the ‘yes sir, right sir and thank you sir’.

  The officer said, “The Tommies are coming down the road. They have armour. We will blow the bridge if they reach our first line of defence. I will go to the other side ready to fire the charges. Sergeant, you are in command.”

  “Sir, you will wait for us won’t you! Remember the Ardennes. The Americans will have us shot for killing their men if we are caught.”

  “Do not worry, Sergeant, I will give you time to cross the bridge. When we blow this we stop the British and soon the Fuhrer’s new weapons will be unleashed. This is just a temporary setback.”

  Hewitt, Barker and I had witnessed the slaughter of American prisoners in the Ardennes. These must have been the ones who committed the atrocity. It explained how they had become separated from their unit.

  I heard the officer running across the bridge and shouting for his men to stand to. It was though a wasps’ nest had been disturbed. Inevitably that was the moment when disaster struck. As they hurried to man the 88 mm one of them must have glanced down. He saw my three men. Even as Davis shot him he was shouting. As the three began to swing back under the bridge I jumped up and fired my Colt at the four men in the sandbagged emplacement. Davis was picking off the men on the far side of the bridge. I heard the distant crack of a seventeen pounder as the Firefly opened fire. Poulson and Hay shot the others and they had the presence of mind to swing around the machine gun.