大象传媒

After the 11th Armoured Division crossed the Rhine, General Pip Roberts decided that there was little likelihood of an attack by German tanks which could not be effectively dealt with by our own tanks. Hence the two batteries of wheeled 17 pounder anti tank guns were ordered to dispense with their guns and to act as infantry as required. In that role we were deployed on the left flank of the advance into Germany. Shortly before the 118 Battery was to cross the Muersheide Bridge over the Osnabruck Canal, I was ordered to take my troop to Halen, where it was reported that there was another bridge over the canal which did not seem to be heavily defended, and to seize the bridge and hold it until further instructions. I set off down the road in my Bren gun carrier leading two canvas topped three ton lorries containing 'D' Troop with Bill Lucket, my Troop Sergeant, bringing up the rear in the jeep.

Halen proved to be a long thin straggling village and on its outskirts we found an armoured car. The lieutenant in charge of it whose report to the Division had set the operation in train told me that he had been watching the Halen Bridge for a couple of hours and had seen no enemy activity. The bridge itself was some six hundred yards from the centre of the village and approached by an open road running along a raised causeway. When I was told that the crew of the reconnaisance regiment's armoured car had not approached the bridge for fear of seeing it blown up in their faces I considered my options. I felt that the Germans usually protected their bridges, at the very least with a detachment of soldiers, and since the bridge was substantial it would be mined ready for demolition. When I discussed possible actions with the car commander I said that if I advanced with my troop on foot the bridge would be blown long before we reached it, or as we were on it. He thought an advance on foot was out of the question and said that the only thing to do was to motor onto the bridge and take it from there. I knew that he was right.

Since the area around the bridge was higher than the approach road, it was clear that if we were shot at on our approach we would be in serious danger. Therefore I told the men in the three tonners to lie as flat as possible and in the evnt of being fired on, to bale out, take what cover they could and attempt a fighting retreat. My carrier was equipped with an aicraft machine gun salvaged from a plane which had crash landed near us some weeks earlier and alleged to be capable of firing six hundred rounds a minute. It had never been used from the carrier and it had about half a minute's firing time in the ammunition in the box lying at my feet. I hoped that this would at least allow my troop to get clear of the lorries should the worst happen.

My carrier, the lorries and the jeep set off through the village and turned sharp right for the bridge. Even though we were driving flat out the journey seemed to take ages and no doubt a lot of us were offering up similar prayers. As we swept onto the bridge I was aware that aerial bombs had been lashed to the main structure. Almost in an instant my troop debussed and at once we saw two German soldiers run out of the back door of the house adjacent to the bridge, which I assume had originally been used by the bridge keeper. The two Germans were making for an air raid shelter which contained a detonator in the house garden, but on realising that they had forty armed men in close pursuit they stopped and raised their hands in surrender. A quick search of the house revealed their small arms but nobody else was present. With so few men I could only set a section to dig in either side of the bridge and cover the approach along the canal bank on each side of the bridge.

Whilst this activity had been taking place the Inn's of Court Lieutenant drove onto the bridge, disconnected the detonator of the explosive charges and then used his bolt cutters to cut the wire lashings securing the aerial bombs to the bridge structure so that both bombs fell into the water. Presumably they are still there.

Once the armoured car had departed we completed digging in our defensive positions and incarcerated our two prisoners in the cellar of the house. I had no difficulty in impressing on my gunners the importance of keeping a sharp look out for a German counter attack.

Later that afternoon my Battery Commander visited me to see that all was well and told me that the bridge was on the line of advance of 7th Armoured Division and ordered me to hold it until I could hand it over to the Desert Rats and then to return with my troop to my own Division. He then drove off with our two prisoners.

The rest of the day passed peacefully enough and as darkness fell the usual army routine of sentries and the rest of the sections sleeping fully clothed in their slit trenches was in place. Suddenly, a few hours later, a furious burst of firing broke out from my two sections covering the road. I made my way in the darkness to their positions where I found that they had captured a tinker who had been accompanying his donkey to cross the canal. He had been drinking and in normal circumstances might have been very drunk but the intensive fire through which he had reached the bridge had sobered him up a good deal. His white face and trembling limbs testified to the fact that if our shooting had been substandard it had been near enough to impress him. I was concerned that he maight have been sent ahead to reconnoitre our position and ordered a continuing stand to and the greates vigilance to be shown; but after I had examined his pack of pan mending tools and attempted to cross examine him in my pidgin German, I felt that he was a genuine tinker and shut him in the cellar and stood the troop down. I can't remember how we got rid of him. Probably when my Battery Commander visited me the next day I passed the tinker and his donkey on to him.

A further two days passed and we were increasingly bored. By this time the 11th Armoured Division was so far ahead of us that we were out of wireless touch with 118 Battery. About midday a scout car from the Desert Rats could be seen approaching the bridge from the west. Although we waved and shouted encouragement we were approached with a good deal of caution. Inter divisional rivalry ensured that I took full advantage of our position. "Where have you been? We've been stuck here for three days! We'll never catch up the rest of 11th Armoured Division." Finally I was able to tell him that I was confident that there were no German soldiers within miles of us since that very morning I had been so bored that I had driven three miles down the road without seeing any military activity.

Within ten minutes we were mounted in our vehicles and ready to begin haring up our Divisional centre line to get back with the Black Bulls.

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