大象传媒

Egypt Invaded 1940

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from Cleveland on behalf of Robert Hogg, and has been added to this site with his permission. Robert fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

My unit 1st. Battalion The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was stationed in Egypt at the outbreak of World War Two. We knew that sooner or later the Italians would invade. As a matter of fact, our forces had been building concrete fortifications at Mersa Matruh since 1936. It was not intended to make a stand at the frontier but to fall back tour prepared defensive positions.

Nevertheless, we had moved up to the border in anticipation of an attack and to give a show of strength. The tanks of our Seventh Armoured Division had crossed into Libya on skirmishing raids and our Air Force had attacked the enemy on his own ground.

When at last it was obvious that he was about to invade, our forces began to withdraw.

We were a motorised machine gun unit and I was a Platoon Sergeant. However, my Platoon Commander was on compassionate leave in Palestine where his wife was in hospital and I was in charge on the platoon.

When our company moved back, I was left on rear guard with my platoon. My orders were to hold my position until ordered to withdraw. This meant to the last man and the last round if necessary.

We had taken up position on a ridge, which gave us a commanding view of the coast road, which for some distance ran, along a causeway between the marshes.

We did not have to wait long before the Italians came, led by the Bersaglieri their crack motorcycle unit. They came down the road three abreast, as if on a ceremonial parade on their powerful bikes. The column reached as far back as we could see.

We used streamlined ammunition in our machine guns, which gave us an effective range of four thousand yards. They were a sitting target but I waited until they were well onto the causeway before I gave the order to fire, at range of two thousand yards. We skittle them like ninepins and held up the whole column. It was a great shoot, even if I say so myself.

Soon we saw the enemy bring up a battery of guns and the first couple of ranging shells hit our ridge just as a despatch rider came to say that we had to withdraw and rejoin the company. We could hear them still shelling the ridge for some time after we had left.

When we reached the company, the Company Commander, Major Forbes Watson, came up to me and said 鈥渁s one hobo to another鈥�, we both has sand matted bristles on our chins, 鈥淐ongratulations Sergeant, you are the first Commander to engage the enemy on Egyptian soil鈥�, and he shook my hand.
We made a further withdrawal without contact, and on taking up a new position, and I was ordered to take my platoon to a ridge some distance in front and establish an observation post. Again the order was to stay until told to withdrawal. I had telephone contact with the company via a landline. It was arranged that if we were attacked the artillery would lay down a barrage in front of us to cover our withdrawal.

When digging in and setting up our guns, one of our number ones accidentally fired a burst. I immediately phoned the company to tell them it was a mistake and no contact had been made. It was dark before we were settled in.

From our position we had a large field of view and just after daybreak, a fairly large enemy force came into view coming straight towards us. While still well out of range, they stopped, and with my binoculars, I saw them refuelling and having a meal. When they moved off again, for reasons known only to themselves, they did a full right turn which took them south and away from us. I reported this to the Company Commander who then ordered me to rejoin the company.

In doing so, we ran on to an unmarked mine field and one of our trucks hit one. Luckily, no one was injured, but the vehicle was a write off. We had heard aircrafts behind us during the night and we assumed they had dropped these mines.

Men and equipment were squeezed onto the other truck and we reached the company without further mishap. We had set fire to the damaged vehicle so as to deny any salvaging by the Ities.

We fell back to Mersa Matruh without any further contact and occupied the concrete fortifications. The living conditions were terrible. Fusilier Richardson, 鈥淩ichie鈥� who had been a squad mate of mine when we enlisted, contracted rheumatic fever. He was carried out on a stretcher and we never met again.

Grazziani鈥檚 forces did not get as far east as Mersa Matruh. As it was getting nearer to Christmas, we were getting little extras to put aside for the occasion, an extra bottle of beer and a bar of chocolate. Then we turned out and on what were told was an exercise, but it was for real, and we went on the offensive.

We, Wavell鈥檚 thirty thousand, went onto capture over one hundred and twenty thousand prisoners.

We had left behind our chocolate and pints of beer but we liberated gallons of Chianti with which to celebrate Christmas.

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