大象传媒

Fred Takes A Hit.

However Fred was not to make the victory parade. The 鈥楧esert Rats鈥� entered Tripoli on 23rd January 1943. On the misty morning of the 24th January around 6 am on the outskirts he was pumping the primus stove in preparation for his usual cuppa when he heard a plop and had a numb feeling in his right hand. This quickly turned to a violent pain and he realised he had been shot; to this day is not sure if it was from a sniper or a stray bullet from action elsewhere.
He was taken to the First Aid Post where after much painful poking and prodding it was decided to let the bullet remain where it was and transfer him to Tripoli Hospital. He was shortly flown by DC3 Dakota to Heliopolis Hospital near Cairo where they still did not take the bullet out for another week, preferring to put him on a course of anti-biotic pills the size of marbles. Breakfasts were interesting consisting of porridge with four streaky rashers of bacon on top!

Here Fred got friendly with a R.A.F. pilot with a minor injury. Mention was made of a German Stuka bomber which had been captured and was being kept at the nearby airfield. Fred recounted how he had seen many of these in the desert with their characteristic method of attack which uniquely involved a vertical dive over the intended target with the release of the bomb at the last minute. The airman then asked Fred if he would like a spin in the Stuka and a date was made for a couple of weeks ahead. Once the anti-biotics had taken their course doctors removed the bullet (which was sent home to Doris in a handbag wrapped in a parcel but which sadly never arrived) and sent him to Abbasea barracks for convalescence where he was told to bed down on the floor on a thin mattress. When the lights went out the bugs came out from behind the furniture and started to bite him so he took his bed outside, laid it on the grass and fell asleep. He was woken by a guard who told him he could not sleep there. Fred told the guard about the bugs and said in no way was he going inside whereupon he put Fred on a charge and threw him in the guardhouse. He was let out the next morning and decided not to hang around but to try and rejoin his unit 600 miles to the west. Before this he had an appointment to keep for his aircraft ride.

9.
A Ride in 鈥極ne of Theirs鈥�.

Fred duly showed up at the allotted day and time and on climbing into the plane noticed a thick angled glass panel at the pilot鈥檚 feet which enabled the intended target to be sighted more accurately. They started the engine, took off and climbed but kept within a close radius of the field. The pilot even offered to perform a vertical dive but Fred begged him not to as he had seen at least two instances in the desert where pilots had held the dive too long and smashed into the ground. He returned to the airfield shortly to join the small number of Britons who can say they have flown in a German Stuka Bomber!

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Desert.

Fred then began a remarkable journey on his own through inhospitable terrain approaching a war zone, not knowing exactly where he was going or how he was going to get there, all the time with his hand sore from his wound. After around two weeks and 600 miles of cadging lifts from various units and sleeping where and when he could Fred caught up with the moving target that was his unit and reported to a very surprised Captain who was in his scout car. 鈥淵ou could have been downgraded (i.e. given a softer posting) with that injury, Smith鈥� said the Captain. Fred said he wished to rejoin his comrades in his unit.

The Final Push.
The time had now come to expel the German and Italian forces from North Africa. In April 1943 the attacks started and on May 7th Tunis was captured. By 12th May the war in North Africa was over. After 2000 miles and six months hard fighting from Alamein to Tunis the Axis forces had been completely destroyed and removed from Africa. Time for a well earned rest!

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