大象传媒

This story was sublitted to the People's War site by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries on behalf of William Wainwright and has been added to the site with his permisssion. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

It was 1945, I was posted to the 34th Armoured Brigade and was given charge of all transmission systems on the Churchill tanks. I'd got a reputation for not being afraid to stick my neck out, so whenever there was something risky to be done - it was nearly always me! I usually had to ask for a volunteer or volunteers to go with me - we would usually say preferably someone unmarried. One day I went in to the mess and the RSM told me that the OC wanted to see me. I went along to his tent. He said that a group of tanks had gone in to Germany and two had gone missing. My task was to be locating the missing tanks and finding out what had happened to the crew. I had to find a volunteer driver - 60 men volunteered!
On one occasion, I met Dr Kurt Arnold the top German tank designer. He was a very famous man and I was amazed when I met him to find him to be about 5'2 !
Dr Arnold and I communicated through a Dutch interpreter- we had a good relationship as we both respected each other as engineers. Through the interpreter Dr Arnold asked me for all the specifications of the Churchill tank. I edged around his request but gave him no answer. Two days later he summoned me again - he said he couldn't reconcile the information I'd given him about the tank with what he already knew. I explained my position and that I couldn't not give him the precise information he was asking for. He understood this perfectly but now I was curious to know how he knew so much - the Germans had recovered tanks from Dieppe and had examined them very thoroughly!!
I tell this story for another reason and this one is really very touching. When the tanks were recovered the bodies of the soldiers were still on board. Dr Arnold had personally returned all of the personal effects to the soldiers families back in England. He was a very genuine chap who I had a great deal of respect for.
Dr Arnold asked for a test drive of a Churchill tank. When I agreed to this he was ecstatic. He said the suspension on the Churchill was far superior to anything that the Germans had produced.

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