by Griff Hosker
A plume of smoke told me that they had started the Panzer. They would not waste fuel. This was not nineteen thirty-nine.
"Beaumont get ready with the PIAT. When it starts to come I want smoke grenades throwing in front of them. Let's upset their aim."
To our left a furious fusillade began and then the sound of both mortars and heavier weapons. Bill Hay said, "Looks like a major attack sir!"
"It does. Be ready to race back to the house."
The barrel of the Panzer Mark IV could be seen over the hedge. Then I saw its front as it passed the gap and it slowly began to turn. Beaumont shouted, "I'll try a shot before the smoke sir!"
"Go ahead!"
He fired and he hit the tank but this time he only damaged one of the sprockets. One side would not be as efficient as the other but it would still progress towards us. The machine gun fired as the front turned. The bullets smashed into the logs and earth. Beaumont fired again. It was a hopeful shot. He aimed at the front. Sometimes luck favours the brave. It did not penetrate the armour but it hit the gun. I could only hope that the gunner had been hit too. The 75mm could now fire and it belched smoke and flame as its shell shredded the trees above our head. It then smashed into the roof of the house. We were all deafened. It began to climb the hill. It had not built up speed and it was going slowly. Smith was loading as fast as he could. Like Davis I was firing into the driver's visor in the hope of hitting something. The rest of my men were firing at the advancing grenadiers and infantry. They paid a heavy price for every foot of ground they climbed.
Beaumont was an engineer and a clever one at that. He knew that the armour on the front was too thick for one rocket and so he kept firing at the same spot. It took skill and it took courage for the leviathan was drawing ever closer. The second shell came so low that, had we been standing, it would have cut us in two. As it was our cover was disappearing rapidly and the house behind was becoming a ruin! Even I could see the spot Beaumont had hit twice was glowing. The third one was slightly off target but as it struck at eighty yards it spread the red. His fourth one penetrated the armour and the tank exploded before our eyes. Perhaps the gunner had a shell in hand I do not know but the tank erupted in a sheet of flame. The soldiers who were close by were set on fire. I saw two running down the slope screaming; they were one huge flame. The attack ended.
I looked at my watch. It was now six o'clock. Although the tank would stop burning it would not be for some time. It also gave the enemy cover. When it stopped burning it would prevent us from firing across the whole of the slope. They would come. I said, "Quietly, move out. Smith, help Beaumont. Tell Hewitt and Fletcher. Back to the house. Take the netting from over our heads. We can use it again. Davis, you stay with me. Let's pick off a few more."
"Right sir!"
The Germans had lost three tanks. They would not be happy. The smoke from the burning tank drifted across our front and I knew that they would be heading back up in the hope that they might catch us unawares. The real attack would come after dark but they would probe until then. Davis and I were firing at shadows but the telescopic sight magnified the shadows and we could tell that they were men. We shot four before they went to ground and began to fire through the smoke. Our wood and soil wall had held up well but there were weak parts now.
I heard a whistle from above me. "You go back."
As Davis scurried up the hill I took a German grenade from my tunic. After smashing the porcelain I threw it as high as I could. Then I turned and ran up the slope to the house. I did not run in a straight line. That proved a wise move. After the grenade exploded two machine guns began a cross fire. The smoke meant that they couldn't see me but a lucky bullet could still hit me! I threw myself over the rubble from the damaged roof of the deserted house. My men were already setting their weapons up. Gordy was rigging the camouflage netting across the front of our positions. The damaged roof made a secure place to anchor it. The Germans had aided us by building a defensive wall of rubble in front of the house. We used the shattered windows and doors.
Bill Hay raced in followed by Hewitt and Fletcher. Hewitt gestured behind him with his thumb. "The rest of the Brigade are getting some stick, sir. Mortars made a right mess of one whole section."
I nodded, "Then we are on our own. Barker, get some water sorted. See if there is any food left in the kitchen, Davis. How is the heel, Beaumont?"
"Painful sir but I will live with it."
I nodded and peered down the slope. "Don't fire yet. Let them trip the booby traps. We have good cover here."
We were still preparing for our defence when Fletcher shouted, "Ey up sir! A runner!" He had his Tommy gun up in an instant.
I saw that it was a Lieutenant from our Brigade. "He is one of us."
The Lieutenant threw himself inside our walls. "Message from Major Styles, sir. The brigade is going to attack Bréville at dawn tomorrow morning."
"Attack?" I could not keep the incredulity from my voice.
He grinned, "Yes sir. It appears they have just reinforced the enemy. Lord Lovat wants us to attack Bréville. Give them a bloody nose and then withdraw to our positions here."
"Dawn?"
"Eight o'clock sir. We go in kill as many as we can and then return back to the ridge." He looked at me expectantly.
"We'll be there."
After he had gone I gathered my men around me. "Patently we can't take Beaumont in the attack and I am not leaving him here on his own. Fletcher you and Beaumont will watch our position; use the K gun. Give your Thompsons to Herbert and Smith."
Although they nodded I could see the doubt on their faces. That doubt was voiced by Gordy Barker. "Sir is this right? It seems daft to me. We should be digging in."
"Lord Lovat doesn't make many mistakes. If they have been reinforced then an attack by us should damage that confidence. We have destroyed three tanks here. Do you honestly think they believe that this house is held by just a handful of men? If we attack then they will think it is a company, at least." I took out my map. "Bréville is a mile and half from here. It isn't as though we have a long march is it?" I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince them.
Hay asked, "Do we take the PIAT, sir?"
"No, and Davis and I will leave our rifles here. We need firepower. Thompsons, Colts and grenades. However I believe that we will have to repel boarders soon enough."
Fletcher said, "That is easy sir!"
"Easy?"
He grinned and gave me the old music hall reply, "Stop changing the sheets!"
The groans from the others broke the tension. They were still confident and that was worth everything. We ate and drank before night fell and then we stood to. The first booby trap went off at ten o'clock at night. There was a flurry of shots and shouts and then an officer demanded silence. Had we had Crowe and the grenade launcher then we could have decimated the Germans. As it was we waited. I had my Luger and Colt ready to hand as well as four Mills bombs. I wondered if they had found and disarmed the traps when I heard a second one triggered, a little further to the right. I wished I had had a flare gun but I did not. We would have to wait.
The third bomb helped us dramatically for it was behind our former defensive position and it lit them up. They were a hundred yards away. A line of infantry was advancing up the slope.
"Fire!"
At that range even ordinary soldiers could not miss and these were Commandos. Our bullets tore into them. I chose my shots. The flashes from their guns showed where they were and I shot the Captain who was leading them. They fell back down the hill when they had lost ten men.
I hissed, "Hay, Fletcher, come with me."
We slipped down the hill. I had my Commando knife in my hand as well as my Colt. "Find any weapons and grenades. Make booby traps amongst these dead Germans." It was a gruesome task but it was necessary. I found a German submachine gun and two magazines. I took them. The six grenades I found I tied in pairs to make a series of booby traps. We all carried
old parachute cord in our tunics. I heard movement below and I hissed, "Get back now!" As I turned and ran I took a Mills bomb from my tunic and rolled it down the hill. I doubted that I would hit anyone but I wanted them to think that some of their men were alive and had set off a booby trap. It went off with a sharp crack half way from our former emplacement,.
We had barely made it back inside the rubble when the Germans attacked. They fired blindly up the hill at our position. We heard them shouting encouragement to each other as they ran up the hill to find their wounded comrades. We were safely hunkered behind the rubble. I waited until the booby traps were triggered and then I shouted, "Let them have it!"
The air was thick with the sound of gunfire and cordite. We too were firing blind but we put up a wall of steel. I used the captured sub machine gun. I fired until the magazine was empty and then changed it. They were determined this time. They reached the rubble. The submachine gun jammed and I took my Luger and fired point blank at the German Corporal who was trying to bayonet Fletcher. I just fired until I had no bullets left and then drew my Colt and did the same.
They fell back.
"Anyone hurt?"
Bill Hay groaned, "Bastard stabbed me in the arm with a bayonet sir."
"Hewitt!"
"Sir!"
The bodies lay like a wall before us. "Sergeant Barker. Make sure they are all dead and bring any weapons you can."
At midnight I decided that they were not coming again and we set sentries. One team would watch until four and the other from four. This time we all really needed our sleep! I took the first watch. I found it helped to keep busy and so I cleaned both my pistols and loaded fresh magazines. The dead Germans had yielded more grenades and more ammunition for my gun. I decided to use the silencer on my Colt. It might give us some surprise the next day. When that was done I looked towards the Orne River. Since dark it had been quiet. The battle to the south of us had moved. Had they taken their objectives? I doubted that. I knew that we were supposed to have been relieved already. We were the assault troops. Having taken our objectives it was up to more mobile troops to exploit the land we had bought. Something had gone wrong.
Chapter 19
I woke Hay and Barker at four. It was getting close to the equinox and the sky was becoming a shade lighter already. I curled up in a ball and fell asleep. Barker woke me at a quarter to eight. We drank and we ate. It was somewhat mechanical. We tasted nothing. Everything tasted of cordite. The bodies of the Germans had all set in stiff poses of death. They were macabre. The burned out German tank stood half way down the hill. Behind it I could see nothing. The Germans were there and this time we would be attacking.
"Right Hay, you are in command. Use the radio today to find out what the hell is going on. The rest of you; we are not going in charging. There is little to be gained. We sneak down. Use the captured German grenades first. Once we cross the road then we cut across the field. Bréville is due south of us. I intend to wait until we hear the attack from our left before we attack. Stay close. This band of brothers is getting much smaller!"
"Sir!"
I looked at my watch. It was almost eight. It would take a minute or two to get to the tank. "Let's go. We will go to the tank and then try to get across the field unseen." Having been the attackers for a whole day I doubted that the Germans would be expecting us to attack them. We made the tank. It had a rank smell. The burned bodies and the charred tank were pungent. I led my men towards the hedgerow. The Germans had cleared their dead from that side. I moved towards the other two tanks. They were not as badly burned and they would provide cover. I had my Colt before me.
There was a gap between the tanks and, while my men formed a skirmish line, I wriggled through the gap. I saw two sentries across the road lounging against the gate which led into the field. I raised my silenced Colt and fired. As one slid to the floor the other looked up as though the bullet had come from the skies. I fired and he grew a third eye. Just then there was the sound of British mortars and Thompsons to our left as the attack began.
"Let's go!"
The German infantry, it looked to be a company, had camped in the field. They just lay on the ground. I hurled a grenade and took cover behind the wall. As it exploded we burst into the field. I fired my Luger. It was drowned by the machine guns of my men. Herbert had a prodigious arm and he threw his grenade a long way. Even so he shouted, "Grenade!" and we took cover! It scythed through half dazed men.
I saw an officer trying to rally his disorientated and shocked troops. I levelled my pistol and shot him and the NCO next to him. The rest of Number 4 Commando were firing to our left and the remnants of the company took flight. They did not see a handful of men; they saw a major attack with machine guns. There were just six of us but we were Commandos; we did not know when to say, 'enough'!
The wounded lay where they fell and we ran after the Germans. One brave fellow turned and raised his rifle. He was less than twenty feet from me and my pistol shot knocked him to the ground. We had ammunition enough. Smith was firing a German weapon and he sprayed the hedge at the other side of the field before we burst through the gate. The road now led directly to Bréville. There were houses on either side of the road. Some were burned out and few looked occupied. We just ran down the road. Other Commandos joined us from the left and ahead I could see another group of Commandos as they fired at an unseen enemy. As we ran a Sergeant from our Brigade, Sergeant Thompson, said, "Can we join you Captain Harsker? Our officer, Lieutenant Wilson, was hit in the leg!"
"Feel free, Sergeant Thompson! The more the merrier!" His ten men now gave me more men to command than I had had so far in France. I saw a sign to our right, 'Bréville-les-Monts'. We had reached our objective. That was confirmed when a German machine gun tore through the Red Berets ahead of us. Four fell and the rest took cover.
I saw a side road to the right, "Follow me." We darted between the houses. I knew that speed was of the essence. The Brigade had too few men to be held up by a machine gun. Once they stabilised their defences we would be in trouble. We had to hit them before they could organize. As we burst out into an open space we happened upon a German squad. They were carrying a machine gun and obviously intent upon setting up a defensive point. We fired first. One of the Germans managed to fire his weapon and one of Sergeant Thompson's men died.
"Herbert, Smith, bring that German machine gun!"
"Sir!"
I did not pause but ran down the road. There were fields to our right. I heard firing ahead of us. Our rubber soled shoes made no noise on the road. We burst out and found ourselves behind a company of Germans who had built a crude barricade and were firing their machine gun. Six grenades hurtled through the air as I emptied my Luger. Sergeant Barker shouted, "Grenade!" and we fell to the ground.
As soon as the wave of concussion had passed I stood and started firing my Colt. I still had the silencer on and I saw the look of surprise on the German officer's face as my bullet smashed into his middle. It was a vicious fight. The Germans had enemies on two sides and they fought hard. What won the day was the fact that we had been fighting for three days. These Germans had been in a barracks in Le Havre until the previous day. They hesitated where we did not.
Major Styles strode over. "Well done, Harsker. Take your men and clear the west side of the village. When I fire a red flare pull back to your original positions." He pointed to the men with him. "We have just what you see. Forty men to clear this village. We get in, destroy their weapons and then high tail it out of here."
"Sir!" I turned to Herbert and Smith. "Set the German machine gun up here in case any Jerries try to flank us."
"Sir!"
I took the silencer from my Colt and holstered it. I picked up a German submachine gun and waved my new section forward. This was not a large village but the Germans had filled it. Our sudden attack, however, had not allowed them to build defences. We came across another group of Germans who were trying to build a barricade across the road. They fle
d as the first bullets hit them. We kept running. It was the German Kubelwagen which almost did for us. It burst from a road leading into the village. It came so fast that two of its wheels left the ground as it raced around the corner. That speed saved us for the machine gunner was too busy trying to hold on to fire his weapon. As it raced towards us fourteen guns opened fire. The driver was hit and as he died his dying hand jerked the wheel around and the vehicle rolled over. We had to race out of its way. It lay at unnatural angle, its crew dead. And then we reached the edge of the village. We heard gunfire from our left.
"Back to back lads. We form a barrier here. We stop anyone from leaving and any reinforcements arriving."
I checked my magazine. I still had half left. That would do. Sergeant Barker suddenly shouted, "Sir, troops from the south!" Then a heartbeat later he said, "It is all right sir. It is the Red Berets."
A lieutenant, Sten gun in hand, strode towards me. He had a grin on his face. "Dyson, 9th parachute Battalion. We heard the shooting and our Major told us to investigate. Jolly glad to see it is you chaps."
I gestured behind me with my thumb. "Lord Lovat decided to clear this little lot. We only have forty men with us."
"Things aren't much better with us, sir. We are holed up in the woods up yonder." He pointed to the area close to our ridge. "Any idea how the main battle is going?"
"Not a clue."
"Well sir, we will toddle back to our woods. I have no doubt that Jerry will occupy this again."
He was to be proved right but I also knew that we did not have enough men to hold it. The ridge upon which we had built our defences would have to be the barrier.