大象传媒

It was now late October 1944 and it was getting very cold and first signs of snow could be seen. It was getting very difficult to move about; the tanks and trucks were getting bogged down all over the place. We eventually found an empty house intact and we used it as a billet for about 30 of us. We checked the house from top to bottom to see if any booby traps had been left. We looked in one wardrobe and it was full of mens鈥� and womens鈥� clothes. In the menswear there were 15 brand new suits and in another wardrobe, about the same in ladies dresses and shoes. We were told not to touch them and so we didn鈥檛. Apparently the house had belonged to a fascist family who were interned.

Winter was now upon us and we knew it as there was snow and ice everywhere. There were some Sherman tanks going down the road in line. It was so slippery that the tanks could not steer as there were sliding all over the place down the hill sideways. On the icy roadway, the leading tank slid down the hill and crashed sideways into a wall of the house. IT was always the policy to keep a shell up the breach of the gun ready for immediate use. Over the radio came a voice shouting 鈥淐pl Haugh there鈥檚 a Tigar with an 88.mm pointing at ten o鈥檆lcok.鈥� Before an answer could be given, the Sherman tank fired his gun at close range. The next thing we knew was there was a hell of an explosion. The Tigar tank exploded into flames. Whether it was luck or good marksmanship we never knew but we heard later on the story of what actually happened. Cpl Waugh had felt the tank sliding down and hitting the house. Putting his hands and get out to steady himself he accidentally put his foot on the firing mechanism and that鈥檚 how he got his bull鈥檚 eye in one.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.