by Griff Hosker
I pointed to the Corporal, “Your Corporal has told you he is being jammed. Ask yourself why would radios be jammed. By itself it is nothing but add that to paratroopers and the 106th being shelled and tell me what the answer might be” I shrugged, “It is your army, Lieutenant, but I do not intend to be put in the bag. If they want me they will have to take me!”
As I went outside I heard the muffled sound of shells to the east. The blizzard prevented me from seeing the flashes but the sound confirmed what I had suspected. Jerry was coming. The Squadron Leader’s words about the new jet aeroplanes and Tiger tanks now had an ominous ring. No one had seen the new Tiger yet. I suspected that we would be the first.
Hewitt and Barker had only had three hours sleep by the time I roused them. I suspected that they were still under the influence. “Right you two, you need to sober up quickly! I think the Germans are coming. Get your gear.”
“What?”
There was little point in becoming angry with them. I had told them to enjoy themselves. It was my fault just as much as theirs that they were in this condition. “Just get dressed and get your equipment. I’ll wake Briggs.” I had my battledress on. I strapped on my two pistols and then donned my greatcoat. I put everything else in the Bergen. I had the Mauser and the Tommy gun attached by straps. I was pleased that we had come so well equipped. If we did have to defend ourselves we had the firepower.
I banged on the side of the Bedford as I walked past it. Already it was covered in snow. The snow had fallen very quickly and was deep enough to cover my boots. “Private Briggs, up and at ‘em. We need the Bedford. Get it started.”
He had not been drinking but even so he put a bleary eyed head out of the back of the lorry. “Sorry, sir, what’s up?”
I threw my Bergen in the back. “Jerry is coming!”
“Bloody hell fire! Right sir!” He jumped up and donned his greatcoat which he had used as an extra blanket.
As I ran back to the billet I saw that men were already beginning to move. They were leaving billets and talking to one another. There appeared to be little urgency about their movements. Someone must have given orders for I saw some with helmets and guns. I glimpsed, to the east, the flash of a firefight. Barker and Hewitt were not entirely sobered up but they were alert enough to fight. The British Army and the Royal Navy had often gone into battle drunk. Perhaps there was something to be said for it.
“Sorry about this, sir. We never get drunk unless we are on leave.”
“It’s alright John. None of us were to know. Get to the lorry. I will call back in at headquarters and see what’s what.”
“Are we running, sir?”
I shrugged, “I am not certain, Gordy. This is the American sector. I suppose it depends upon General Jones and General Hasbrouk. They command this part of the line. I would dig in but then I am not in command, am I?”
The headquarters building looked like a disturbed wasp’s nest. Soldiers were racing around. It seemed to me they were in a panic. I saw few with their helmets on or with their guns in their hands. I saw Hugo as he emerged from the building. He looked red in the face. “What is happening?”
“I have just been chewed out by Colonel Harding. He said I exceeded my authority by going directly to the general.”
“I wouldn’t lose any sleep about it. I mean what are they doing?”
“As far as I can see, not a lot sir. The telephone lines from the forward units have been cut and the radios are being jammed. I don’t think they know what is going on just a mile or two west of here, let alone further afield. The Colonel is convinced that it is nothing serious. He keeps saying it is almost Christmas.”
This was one of those moments when I had to make a decision. “Hugo, take the Bedford and head back to the British lines. Report to whoever is in charge there. If you can evade the paratroopers you should be able to get to Verviers. The telephone lines should be fine there.”
“But my orders… I am liaison!”
“And as there is no radio communication you can’t liaise can you? I outrank you. I will tell Colonel Harding that I have taken over liaison and that you have been relieved. I will give you a written order if you like.”
“No, sir. A verbal one is fine. The Colonel will not be happy.”
I smiled, “The Colonel looks to me like he has been in a bad mood ever since he was dragged kicking and screaming into this world. We have more to worry about than a petulant colonel. Tell the lads to offload my stuff from the Bedford.”
“Right sir.”
I went into the Headquarters. Sergeant Ford looked to be in the same condition as Sergeant Barker. I grinned at him. He shrugged and rolled his eyes. Colonel Harding whipped his head around, “What are you doing here? I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I have the situation well under control. I don’t need you or Captain Ferguson panicking.”
“You need to do something, Colonel. Unless I miss my guess you will be knee deep in Tiger tanks and Panzer Grenadiers before the night is out! This is a full scale offensive.”
“We don’t panic in the American army.”
I sighed, “I am here to tell you that I have relieved Captain Ferguson. I will be your liaison officer from now on. I am sending him to make contact with the nearest units to the north. I think we are about to be cut off.”
His face became red. Had I been a American then I would have already been on a charge but I was British and he could do nothing about that. “Major, get out of my headquarters! Do what you like so long as you are out of my sight!”
As I left I nodded to Sergeant Ford. He followed me, “Sir?”
“I need a jeep.”
He glanced backwards and then nodded, “This is what you warned us about.”
“It is Sergeant. The Germans are coming and in force!”
“The Colonel is out of order, sir. Hang on. I’ll see what I can do.”
He went back in the office and then returned a few moments later with a piece of paper. “Here is a chit for the motor pool. You stole it, right, sir?”
“Of course Sergeant. And a word of advice. Keep a pistol, rifle, hand grenades and ammunition close to hand. You guys are going to need them. Be ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
“Where are you off to?”
I pointed east, “To find Jerry. Before you can fight your enemy, you need to find him.”
Hugo stood by the lorry. “Well?”
“Let us just say that Colonel Harding now regards me as an enemy as bad as the Germans. Although, to be fair, I was told to get out of his sight and do as I liked. You two take off. Keep your pistol loaded, Hugo, and do not trust anyone!”
“What can you do?”
“Get information which we can use. God speed.”
“And you sir. I’ll tell the Major.”
Chapter 3
I hefted my Bergen onto my back. I was glad that I had carefully packed and attached my two guns. It was heavy but it was filled with everything that I needed to survive in the hostile environment that was the front line. The snow was falling much faster now. It was almost a white out. It was beginning to lay. Hugo should have a good chance to reach the British lines. Private Briggs was a good driver and if he could make good time on empty roads then he might beat the storm to Verviers. The dawn was not far away. He had a good chance of reaching friendly troops in a couple of hours. The road between Malmedy and Verviers had had few houses and no soldiers at all. It all depended on the German paratroopers. They were the unknown factor. They could have dropped anywhere. I wondered what had happened to the American Lieutenant. I hoped he had not found them.
“Right lads. Which way to the motor pool?”
Hewitt pointed to the far side of the town. “Down there, sir. We passed it on our way to the party.”
The Motor Pool had an office which was sheltered from the snow. Inside was a scene of high activity. There was just as much confusion in the motor pool as in the rest of St. Vith. Luckily the Master Sergeant remembere
d me from my talk and he grinned, “Good talk yesterday, sir. I enjoyed it. What can I do for you today?”
I handed him the chit. “A jeep please.”
He did not question it. He had his paperwork and, at the end of the day, the columns would all add up. “Coming right up. Anything special in mind, sir?”
“Pardon?”
“They all have plenty of gas but we have a couple with Brownings. I could let you have one of them.”
“That is perfect, Master Sergeant.” As he went off to find one I said, “I will drive. You two need to sober up.”
“Where are we off to then, sir?”
“We have to go to the east. That is where the firing is. There may be paratroopers but they will be well to the north. We have to find Jerry.”
“And then?”
“That’s as far as this plan goes. This little shindig means I can’t see us being home for Christmas. Someone has to pay and it might as well be Jerry!”
A snow covered Master Sergeant returned. He brushed it off with his hand. “That is a lot of snow sir.” He suddenly frowned. “Are you going Fritz side?”
I nodded, “At the moment, Master Sergeant, we are operating in the dark. We need to work out who is attacking and where. I daresay that they will get aeroplanes up as soon as they can but that will not be this morning. Every piece of information will help. So, to answer your question we may well be going close to the German lines.”
He nodded, “There is a map in the jeep and a radio, sir, but I hear they are jamming transmissions.”
“They might be but eventually they will have to stop or they won’t be able to transmit themselves. We will just find their frequency and listen in.”
He grinned, “And you speak German!”
I held out my hand and shook the American’s, “Thank you Master Sergeant. It has been a pleasure.”
“And you sir. I can go home and tell the folks that I met a real English gentleman!”
I headed east on the road to the River Our. There were only a few bridges over the Our. If the Americans still held them then there was a chance that this offensive, if that is what it was, could be nipped in the bud. The bombardment was still going on but I knew that the Germans would have to stop soon. They were limited these days with how much ammunition they could expend. Added to that they had to stop to allow their infantry and tanks to attack. The trouble was the Germans had good mobile artillery. Their tracked guns would be with their armour.
“Gordy see if you can work that Browning. Hewitt, have a fiddle on with the radio.”
“We need Scouse Fletcher sir. He would know what to do.”
“Just do your best, John.” The Germans would have a timetable. They would have set certain things in place and that was how they would be able to jam transmissions. Their men would be under orders to reach their objectives by precise times. Their radios would be used when the strength and depth of the opposition was evaluated by the commanders on the ground. The Germans had good leaders. They trusted them to follow orders and keep to a tight schedule.
The driving conditions were awful. We slid and slithered along the road. The Jeep was a skittish little vehicle at the best of times. We had discovered that driving to Antwerp. The snow exacerbated the problem. Ahead of me I saw the sky becoming lighter. As it did the bombardment gradually stopped. The snow laden skies promised that the day would not get much brighter than that grey and gloomy dawn. More snow was on the way. We were approaching Schoenberg, the first village at the Our, when I heard the sound of firing. A half dozen Americans suddenly burst from cover. I jammed on the brakes and we skidded to a slippery halt. I saw that none of them wore their greatcoats and only two had weapons. These were not fighting men. These were probably those who serviced the regiments based there.
A Corporal, who had a carbine in his hand, saluted, “You had better stop, sir. It looks like Fritz is going to take Schoenberg. Tanks, armoured cars and infantry are there right now! Our officer was killed when German soldiers burst into our billet. We bugged out through the back window. Can we have a ride back to St. Vith?”
“No, Corporal. I need to find out the situation further up the river. Head back to St. Vith. It is only a couple of miles across the fields and there are no Germans there yet. You should be able to go directly across the fields. Tell Colonel Harding what you told me. You should be alright. Just keep moving.”
One of the others shivered, “Sir, we’ll freeze to death.”
“Not if you run.” I had little sympathy for them. They had panicked. I wondered how many others, woken from a comfortable sleep, would have panicked? It was all in the mind. These soldiers had been preparing to enjoy Christmas. They were not prepared to fight Germans.
I looked down at the map. The next crossing was at Andler, just a couple of miles north of Schoenberg. “Gordy, keep your eyes peeled. If this crossing is in German hands too we will have to turn back.”
“Sir, I have something!” Hewitt listened and then said, “The Germans are attacking along a large front but no one seems to know in what strength, sir.” Then he shook his head. “Sorry sir, they are jamming it again.”
“That is something anyway.”
I slowed down the jeep to little more than a crawl. I had to keep us moving for if we stopped then we would struggle to move again on the slippery road surface. I saw the bridge ahead and saw, to my great relief, American uniforms.
A lieutenant stopped us in the middle of the village. I saw halftracks and a Sherman. He looked at me quizzically. “Are the British here, sir?”
I smiled, “No, Lieutenant, just a reconnaissance from St. Vith.” I pointed south. “Who are you guys?”
“18th Cavalry sir.”
“You need to tell your commanding officer that Schoenberg is in German hands.”
He looked south. He knew what that meant. “Shit. Sorry sir! The major is on the road to Wecheran.”
I looked at the map, “That is north west of here. I will head to Auw. How many men have you here?”
“Twenty sir and the Sherman.”
“I would recommend you be ready to bug out if German armour comes. You should try to keep the bridge open. Your comrades up the road may need a way out.”
“Sir, the 106th Division is up there. There are thousands of men.”
“And they are like you, Lieutenant. They are getting ready for Christmas. You can’t do much with one Sherman against Panthers and Tigers. Just try to slow them down. The troops over the Our will need time to prepare. The Germans have caught us napping this time.”
“You are right there, sir!”
The tiny village of Auw was just a couple of miles away and, when we reached it, I saw that the bombardment had obliterated it. The telephone lines had been wrecked which explained why no one had had any information. There had been a small unit there but all that we could do was cover the eight bodies we found. The houses were burned out. If there had been any civilians here then they had either fled or were dead. We found signs that troops had crossed the road. I took heart from the fact that they were footprints and not tank tracks. I could not work out if they were American or German. They were too muddled. What I knew was there were soldiers between us and St. Vith.
“Any radio transmissions, Hewitt?”
“We have lost the signal again, sir.”
“Can’t be helped, Hewitt. Make a note of the frequency you picked it up on and try again later.”
“Where to now then, sir?”
The nearest unit was the 14th Cavalry at Kobscheid. I took the road south. This was virgin snow and I took that as a good sign. It meant that Jerry had not been down it. Up ahead I heard firing. It sounded like it was to the east of us. We slewed and slithered down the road until we came to the turn off for Kobscheid. Once again it was virgin snow.
As we approached the village I saw barbed wire. A sergeant held up his hand, “Where are you going, sir?”
“Reconnaissance from St. Vith. Where is your comma
nding officer?”
He seemed relieved, “Colonel Devine is at the Command Post in the centre, sir. Do you know what is going on?”
“The Germans have landed paratroopers and they are attacking on a wide front.” I pointed west. “They have taken Schoenberg. There is just the crossing at Andler. They have already cut you off.”
“Lift the wire out of the way, boys. Looks like you are stuck with us now, sir.”
The going was easier in the village. The armoured cars of the cavalry had turned it into a slush. I jumped out of the jeep and headed into the Command Post. “Gordy, you can drive. If they ask you to, then move the jeep. Do as they say. These guys look like they know what they are doing.”
“Sir.”
As I entered the cosily warm house, Colonel Devine looked at me and saw the Commando flash and my crown. “What the hell are the Brits doing here, Major?” I took in the officer I would get to know well over the next few days. Jack Devine was a squat and tough looking soldier. With closely cropped hair and grizzled features he was the antithesis of Colonel Harding. This was a soldier. He looked like a bulldog. If he got his teeth into something then it would be hard to shake him. The defences he had thrown around his command showed that.
“In the wrong place at the wrong time I think, Colonel. We have driven from St. Vith. Schoenberg may well be in German hands. You are cut off.”
The handful of officers suddenly found the map the most interesting thing in the room. Fingers pointed to the river crossing, highlighting their precarious position.
Colonel Devine just nodded, “That confirms what I thought. They started shelling before dawn. We heard firing further east. It sounded like tanks, big tanks. I heard 88s. That means Tiger tanks or mobile artillery. I sent a runner down to Schoenberg a couple of hours ago. I wondered why he had not returned.” He banged the radio, “And this is about as much use as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. The Germans are jamming it!”
I pointed outside, “I have a radio sir, and my chap managed to pick something up a while ago.”