大象传媒

Sometime during any war, a soldier engaged in a battle with the enemy will become involved in the rescue of another soldier, and if this is successful, often he is recommended for a decoration or at least a medal. On a limited scale, I became involved in such an incident, but I was not recommended for a decoration or a medal, because the soldier I saved and dragged into our lines was of the wrong Army - he was a German!!

This is how it came about. We were part of units which had reached a canal that was now the demarcation line between the British and German forces. My Section was close to a narrow bridge, which spanned the canal. Occasional shots alerted us that the enemy was not too far away. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, we heard movement on the far side of the Canal. The sound was quite clear, and those making it were heading straight for the muzzles of our weapons.

There was some confusion! Could it be that a British Patrol had been sent out, and was returning in the wrong location? The tension was too much for a man near me, and he fired his rifle. A command was given in German, as we poured a torrent of fire into the group, which we could now dimly see taking shape. The command must have been to withdraw and take cover, as the group was no longer an easy target in the darkness.

Possibly, it had been a Fighting Patrol seeking ways of crossing the Canal and attacking us from the rear. The bridge would have been an attractive means of crossing the Canal. After all the cross firing had ceased, there was comparative silence for a time, which was broken suddenly by a low moaning of someone in a great deal of pain. I was ordered by an officer, to crawl over the bridge, and bring in the man for identification.

I approached very carefully and kept calling, "Kommen Zie Hier"; "Kommen Zie Hier". There was the sound of a body being dragged over the ground in my direction for a short distance, and then the movement ceased. Again, the moans of pain were audible. I knew that I was being fully covered by my own men, in the event of any possible attack, and decided to risk pulling in the wounded man. I dragged him inch by inch towards the bridge. He had fallen only a short distance from the bridge, and soon two of my men lifted the wounded soldier from me, and handed him over for attention and identification.

He was a German soldier and his Unit was soon identified, and the information passed to Intelligence. There were no further incidents in the area, and we were able to push further into enemy territory.

As I said previously, there was no recommendation for a decoration or a medal for the Sergeant. I had rescued a soldier of the wrong Army!!

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