大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Thomas Routlege Heald with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

I joined A squadron 2 Fifer Forfar Yeomanry in Holland in October 1945. The first night we had to send out a food parcel of 1 officer and 6 men to spend the night in a slit trench beside a country road about 800 yards in front of our lines. It was unheard of for tank men to go out on foot patrol and as the newest officer I drew the short straw. None of us knew each other. We had to report back by line every hour. We were very prompt, as if we were late the phone rang, which we imagined could be heard by the Germans miles away (or was it a few yards.) It was a jumpy night with a lot of light fingered machine gun fire. By 6.00 am a unit had come down and the sky was just beginning to lighten. Suddenly we heard the sound of apparently marching feet coming towards us. It was very eerie. We withheld our fire. It seemed unlikely the Germans would be marching along the road and it was just possible a British patrol had been sent out by us and we had not been told. Suddenly the culprits appeared. Who was it? The local farmer鈥檚 cows bringing themselves home to be milked.

MAY 2nd 1945
The Relief of Stalay Flight 3

Stalay flight 3 was the main POW camp for RAF aircrew. Originally it had been in Silesia but as the Russians advanced the prisoners and their guards marched to the West and had been split into 2 or 3 parties of about 2000 men and were north of the Elbe Fubeck. On 1st May the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry had crossed the Elbe by a pontoon bridge (about 300 yards long) and had advanced about 20 miles. We all knew the war in Europe was practically over. For the only time I can remember our petrol supplies had come up. It was reported that there was a prisoner of war camp about 6 miles ahead. I and my corporal were the only two who would admit to having enough fuel in our tanks for the foray. We got to the village of Winsen.

There was no one about and no sign of a POW camp. I got out of my tank and with my practically non-existent German learnt that the POW camp was down alone at the end of the village. We did not like the look of the lane as it had high hedge and men with bazookas (pumzerfauts) hide in hedges waiting for tanks. After about 300 yards we come to a sign 鈥淕OOD YARDS AHEAD鈥� which cheered us up and so we came suddenly to the camp with the entrance down. Apparently our Comet tanks had been so quiet that no one had
Heard us coming. I was wondering whether to drive through the bar when the Germans guards immediately raised it and within a matter of seconds each tank had about 250 RAF officers on it.

For several minutes it was impossible to do anything and needless to say our Squadron leader (Tank not RAF) ordering back to advance on Fubeck. Liberating a POW camp is not quite as simple as it seems. There is as far as the Germans are concerned a certain etiquette to be observed, which is not part of the training of a 21 year old Lieutenant in the Royal Armoured Corps. The German camp Commandant and the senior British Officer appeared the best of friends (having marched together for about a 1000 miles in the snowy winter of 1994/5) but it was improper for the German Officer to surrender to his prisoner. I had to receive the German Officers鈥� surrender, receive his pistol and transfer it to the Senior British Officer (probably a Wing Commander) and tell him he was in charge. The POWs knew scantly how to celebrate. They opened all the Red brown parcels and had a feast enjoyed by everyone (but myself who seemed to be fully occupied). I eventually got further my tank only to find my other tank had disappeared. I was told it had trouble with its tank and was having to change it (quite a tricky operation). After about 10 minutes it appeared and off we went to rejoin our squadron.

It was over 50 years later that I heard what had happened to the other tank. The driver Gordan Filler (who told me the story) had gone off to enjoy the Red Cross parcels with the RAF men.
The rent of the crew (who were not very experienced) had been persuaded to drive down the perimeter were round the camp. Instead of driving across the wire and got it inextricably enlarged with the tank tracks. Also 50 years later I heard from one of the RAF prisoners, Tony Smailes. I wrote a letter to the Times in praise of Cormet Tanks, which was published. He wrote to me asking if I was by any chance the officer who had liberated Stalag Lift 3 as we were all so proud of our Comet tanks. I reckon he had a 50:1 chance of picking the right person. He was one of the 250 men on my tank.

On to Lubeck

Having extracted ourselves from Staley Lift 3 we regained the Squadron, refuelled and proceeded to Lubeck. The brigade advanced in line ahead with 150 tanks driving at full speed for the 15 or 20 miles along an autobahn (motorway) into Lubeck. The brigade kept in the left hand lane. A German staff car drove in the other lane in the opposite direction at 60 mph and passed the whole brigade! We reached Lubeck not knowing quite what to expect. I drove through the town and found a tram coming towards me. There were literally thousands of German troops in the town all ready and willing to turn round and fight the Russians with us.

I received instructions almost immediately to go and find Hammiler. I had heard of Hammiler but had not the slightest idea what he looked like and my German was practically non-existent. I walked down a street quite close to where my troop was parked (presumably that is why I had been asked to find him). A German officer suggested I tried a house in the street which I did. I learnt there that he had left 2 days before, which I duly reported. It was only when I saw a picture in a TV programme a few years ago and recognised the house that I realised it was either the SS or Gestapo HQ that I had gone into. Little did I guess that the information might become a footnote in history..

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