大象传媒

CHAPTER TEN

The orders came to move and the Division lined up on the A13, the old Southend
road. It was obvious the RAF was in control and there was a complete army standing
at the ready. We went on to Tilbury, where we embarked on to a Vehicle Transporter
and waited all that night to go across in the morning.

In the Channel there were ships of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. It
didn't take long before we saw the French coast and heard the bombardment that was
going on. HMS Ajax was nearby and every time a salvo was fired, there was an
unbelievably thunderous crash followed by a tremendous flash and the whole air seem
to explode. I don't know what it did to the Germans, but it scared the hell out of me!

We anchored about 400 yards from the shore, were derricked off into about 6ft of
water and started for the shore. Several vehicles got stuck and had to be winched
ashore amidst all the shelling, etc. Then it was on to shore and a race to get off the
beach and further in on to flatter ground, where we were marshalled into our
respective areas a little inland. By now the landings had spread on to large beaches.
Ours was called GOLD and we actually landed at Arromanche, where the famous cafe
can be seen from the sea.

We stopped overnight and used some of our invasion rations. These included an
ingenious can of soup which, when pierced, would heat itself - a square tin which
contained a bar of chocolate and a mixture of sugar and milk powder - a small paraffin
wax candle to heat water - and biscuits, etc.

By morning we had formed up and were ready to move off to a skirmish not very far
inland. We attacked the wood with the tanks and came off very badly, losing half the
platoon, some injured and some taken prisoner. My section was able to withdraw and
that was probably my moment of greatest speed, running even faster than the tank that
was supposed to be shielding me! The only consolation that day was that we were
able to shoot a couple of Germans, being the first in Europe to do so.

The next day our job, although we didn't know it at the time, was to meet and hold off
a Panzer division coming up from the south. We seemed to drive several miles on the
road going past farmhouses with vehicles parked under camouflage, which we later
discovered to be the enemy! Eventually we stopped and made headquarters in a
village called Villars Boccage. The Germans were held up for several days, but at no
small cost to ourselves. One line of our tanks was destroyed and there were lots of
casualties in the battalion. The object, however, was to delay the Panzers, which we
did and then returned to base.

Events, due to my poor memory after 50 years, have got a little out of sequence but I
shall try to remedy it now. Before we went to Villars Boccage and the fighting in the
forest, we had been just behind the shelling of the enemy by the Navy. The Germans,
just after we landed, had been shelling the beach-head, pinpointed us, and were getting
their own back. The air above us was being moved by these large 10" and 12" shells
going over us, an uneasy experience!

About ten days after the landings there was a service for Jewish servicemen at
Bayeaux. It was a chance to meet lots of friends and relatives - there were so many
that we could not all get into the hall. There must also have been some who never saw
another service.

The next big battle for us was at Caen and now the weather changed. It rained and
rained for days. There was a great deal of resistance and we had to dig in. Not large
trenches as in the First War but individual slit trenches and I'm sure I made mine the
deepest as we were under serious shelling. I'd look up at night and wonder how the
shells missed me, yet at other times felt quite safe It was a very worrying time! The
culmination was that Caen was destroyed and encircled and we continued the chase. I
returned many years later and found Caen a new city. Extraordinary, when I
remembered how devastated it had been. I also visited Villars Boccage which had also
been rebuilt, because after our stay there the RAF had decimated the place.

The outcome of the battle of Caen was the Falaise Gap, which was the joining up of
the British and American armies to trap the Germans in a circle. The Germans had
tried to escape but were caught by the RAF and we saw miles upon miles of sheer
devastation on the roads.

Before the siege at Caen there had been lots of work to do in the small villages that the
Germans held on to as long as possible. Church steeples were the most dangerous, as
they were used as sniper positions and look-outs for the gunners. One incident was in
a village called Yves. We were sheltering in a bombed-out house, in the fireplace,
when it was fired at. We were covered with bricks, fortunately nothing worse,
although the close fighting was not too enjoyable. The local people, mostly elderly,
had a really bad time, but were very kind to us and helped where they could.

Each tiny village was fought for as if they were important towns and there were
casualties on both sides, The worst time was at night, when eerie watches and guards
had to be kept, the only consolation being the enemy had worse problems.

By the time the invasion started I had been made up to Corporal and as soon as we got
into action, a Sergeant, so the section I was in became mine. I wasn't keen on the idea
as the expectancy of life for sergeants and lieutenants in the Rifle Brigade was not too
high. It couldn't be helped, though, as there had been quite a few casualties from the
landings onwards.

From Caen progress was patchy, but apart from being strafed by mistake by the
Americans and a couple of patrols in woody country, we lived off our half-tracks with
plenty of rations. One memory is having to dig in just off the main road in what we
thought was a hill but turned out to be a rubbish dump! We decided to brave the
lesser of two evils - smelly holes or shrapnel holes. We also decided not to wave at
planes in future in case they mistook us for angry Germans!

There were pockets of resistance on our way through France to Belgium as the
Germans had a habit of defending certain crossroads and villages. We had lots to do
in these cases, as the tanks we were with liked a clear run, so lurking snipers had to be
got rid of.

We were greeted like conquering heroes when entering villages. Sometimes it was
embarrassing when the Germans tried to get back, but that didn't happen too often
T.G.

We met lots of French miners, all of whom were red hot communists. They tried to
get us to join them at their meetings so that they could scrounge whatever arms they
could. I'm not sure how they had got on during the occupation, their excuse was that
they had all been Maquis in the resistance, as were all the civilians we met!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

During this time we were allowed back to the coast and stayed at rest camps in tents
with beds and sheets, something we had not had before, as we had been living by our
vehicles. It was here that I rode my first, and last, horse. No saddle, just a blanket
thrown over its razor sharp backbone. The way to make it go was to hit it with a thin
branch. Off it went, like a rocket, and so did I!

If the fighting in France seems to have been over quickly, it was because time went
past without many stops. We by-passed places like Le Havre as the Germans were
defending all the Channel ports to stop the Allies from landing anywhere else, and they
did hold out for a long time. Eventually we fought our way into Belgium, where
everybody professed to have been a freedom fighter, but few had actually been very
courageous.

We stopped for a short stay in St. Nicklas and Mecklen, north of Brussels. It was here
that we crossed the River Scheldt, with quite a few casualties, and it was from here
that a friend and I attempted to attend a Shabbos service in Brussels, only to arrive just
as the Rabbi was closing the Shool. He took us to where the Jewish congregation had
been living communally in two or three houses, and we were bombarded with names
of relatives living in England. We did take a list, but they were soon able to write for
themselves.

The fighting in Belgium was sporadic as the Germans were taking rearguard actions
and trying to get back to Germany, so it wasn't long before we arrived in Holland. It
was the beginning of winter and the weather turned bitterly cold. The country was
very flat, criss-crossed by canals, waterways which were much used until the Germans
came. The Dutch people were a dour lot, terribly short of food but extremely grateful
for whatever we could let them have.

Our first stop was at the giant Philip's factory, which held the whole division in its
grounds. This was in the town of Eindhoven and, of course, they were the chief
employers. From here we went East and my section had a small cottage out in the
sticks, which was our defensive position and the starting place for many a night-time
jaunt! It was difficult to know just how to dress at night, as we had to wear so many
clothes whilst on duty and in the cottage we had a wood-burning stove that smoked us
out most nights! We stayed here for about a month, with rest breaks in a place called
Sittard billeted with a farmer and his wife, and between us managed our rations very
well. We were then sent back to Eindhoven.

About this time I was sent back to England on an instruction course at Bisley. Really
it was an excuse to give us some much needed leave. One man who cam with me was
named Chapman who had recently been awarded the VC. I hardly think he needed any
weapon training! I was fortunate that whilst I was on leave the Germans
counter-attacked in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge and I missed some
very nasty fighting. This was mainly in the American sector and my unit was just at
the edge, but it went on for several weeks.

We did eventually cross the Rhine, but much further south at Cologne and immediately
turned north, fighting our way towards Hamburg. On reaching one small town we had
the pleasure of taking prisoner the former world heavy-weight champion, Max
Schmeling, and his wife, who came out to surrender. He was a civilian, though, and
was sent home after interrogation. To be in Germany and know that we were winning
was a great feeling, but apt to give one a little too much confidence because the
fighting was still heavy.

The crossing of the River Weser was swift and we entered Hamburg to find it
shattered and in ruins. Our unit returned south to Buxterhud across the river, where
there was a ferry that took us into Hamburg.

It was while I was in Hamburg thaat I went to some wonderful concerts that were put
on for the Allied troops, with performers such as Solomon and Jussi Bjorling, etc.

CHAPTER TWELVE

At last peace was declared and huge celebrations were held! A bonus, as far as I was
concerned, was a trip to Denmark. A military mission had landed in Copenhagen to
accept the surrender of the German forces that were there. The General Commanding
was the father of my officer, who asked if he could visit him. He was given permission
on condition that he took an armed guard, and that was my platoon! The route was
through Hamburg, up to Kiel and over the Canal to Schleswig-Holstein. Until then,
no allied troops, apart from a scout patrol, had been in these areas. We reached the
borders of Denmark, where crowds came out to greet us and then we went on up
country. It was a great shock, as we went along, to meet the German Army as a
whole, fully armed, marching back to Germany to lay down their arms! There were
many thousands of them and as there were only twenty-five of us, we passed in a great
hurry!

Our first stop was Odense, where we were put up in the best hotel and treated as
conquering heroes! We stayed for two days and then crossed the water to
Copenhagen. The General greeted us in his headquarters and we spent three
wonderful days doing the town. They wanted to light up the Tivoli Gardens for us,
but by the time they had repaired the system we were on our way back.

The unit moved to Osnabruck, where they stayed on garrison duties and I returned to
Norfolk, in England, where I trainednew recruits until I was demobbed. To get back
into civvies was strange at first, the conversation was of things that meant nothing to
me, uch as rationing, clothing coupons, etc. but I soon got used to it. The best thing
was that all four of us came home unharmed, which must have been a huge relief for
Mum and Dad, who had gone through such a great deal of anxiety. How lucky we
were that we and all our extended family survived the war safe and sound. With
hindsight, we had so much to be thankful for to God. who had brought us through a
horrible period and statrted us all on a great family period.

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