大象传媒

This was written by my late father, George Edward Whiting, about his experiences in North Africa during 1943.

On April 20th 1943, we watched the infantry move up to the front and we took up our position with the Colonel of the infantry. A terrific thunderstorm was raging at the time and the lightening flashed on the long lines of infantry.
On our side of 鈥淕randstand鈥� we formed up in battle order. The Headquarters of the infantry was in the centre with a company at either side. Our Colonel was with the infantry Colonel and marched with him. We followed in our carrier as first OP and incidentally, first to blow up on a mine if we ran over one. Captain Leaman from 504 battery came next as second OP and they were followed by Major Chadwick-Healy of 504 battery as an extra OP if needed. So we waited for Zero Hour. Just after twelve midnight all the guns opened up with a deafening noise and we began to move forward. The gun flashes lit up the whole scene as good as daylight as we passed through our own minefields all carefully lined off with white tape by our sappers. Some of the shells were falling very near at our sides, whether they were some of our own falling short or the enemy鈥檚 we couldn鈥檛 tell.
We were moving at walking pace, occasionally halting while the left or right platoons cleared little pockets of enemy. The infantry鈥檚 runner next to the colonel was killed within the first few minutes and I saw some of the first casualties going back. One had a leg injury supported by a runner and another had a big pad soaked with blood over his mouth.
All the time I was in constant touch with the regiment by wireless and mostly the messages consisted of personal inquiries from chaps back with the regiment asking if we were still all right. Even Mason, my opposite number at the gun position had tuned into the regimental frequency and had a few words with me telling me he was going to listen all night and wished me all the luck in the world. Verey lights of all colours, tracer bullets and gun flashes turned night into nightmare.
We were going through the enemy鈥檚 minefields now and going very cautiously. Luckily there were no mishaps and the First and Second objectives were taken successfully. Mortar bombs were falling among us and we veered to our right to take the third objective. Dawn was beginning to break now and in a very short time we would be in full view of the enemy.
The infantry Colonel had lost touch with his left-hand platoon; they had gone too far forward or something. It began to get very light and we were coming under very heavy mortar fire, so the two Colonels led us into a small hollow for shelter. We got in safely and the right hand platoon went forward on its own to try and take the third objective. We came under machine-gun fire from three directions and we could distinctly see the German dugout where one gun was firing.
One or two of our men were shot in the back through going into the open and after hearing the enemy open up firing they would turn back and duck and so got the bullet in the back. The right-hand platoon were pinned down in a wadi somewhere forward and could not advance any further. They need artillery support so it was our duty as first observation post to go to their help. We made a dash for it in the Bren gun carrier and came under instant fire. The bullets pinged on the side of the carrier and my head was well down and I heard the explosions of mortar bombs falling near. We reached the wadi and Capt Downey jumped out into the comparative safety of the wadi and lay down. He appeared to be stunned by the explosion and blast from a mortar bomb. He beckoned us to get back to where we had come from and we didn鈥檛 need a second telling for the carrier was definitely the target being aimed at and Doug made a lightening turn round and back we went.
The bullets from the enemy鈥檚 machine guns peppered us as we raced back, but we all kept our heads down. The aerial base was hit and the aerial knocked out but I managed to catch it. We got back to the other carriers safely after a few hectic moments getting across that piece of open ground and Bdr Jones reported to the Colonel.
As we were not sure what injury Captain Downey had suffered, the Colonel thought that someone should go to find out and straightaway Captain Leaman volunteered to go. He took a first-aid kit, telephone, and rifle and also tied the end of our remote cable around his waist. He then crawled his way to the wadi where Captain Downey and the remaining men were held up.
It was an anxious time for the Colonel (I could see by his face it was) and us of course while we all watched that cable being run out in fits and starts. It was with great relief and thankfulness when we heard our phone buzzing and Captain Leaman asked for the Colonel. He reported that he found Captain Downey, unhurt only shell-shocked and and he (Captain Leaman) would try and give some artillery support to the infantry platoon commander.
He fired several shots, but it became apparent to the two Colonels that the infantry would not be able to hold out in the wadi so, over our telephone the infantry Colonel gave the order for the platoon to fight its way back to our little hollow.
They got back after a time and brought a lot of injured with them. One had a bullet through his jaw and another had one in his stomach and another fellow supported him. When later on when it got dusk and some of the walking casualties were able to walk back to our lines this chap who was supporting the man with the stomach wound asked to be able to go as well. When choked off by the Colonel who naturally thought he was swinging the lead, he said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 because I have one in the back too Sir鈥� and sure enough when they examined him he had a bullet hole through his webbing and clothing and a bullet inside him. They were certainly brave fellows. One lay all day beside our carrier on his tummy with a bullet in the base of his spine. We couldn鈥檛 do much to ease his suffering and for nearly fifteen hours he lay like that groaning occasionally and gradually turning a ghastly green. It was after dark before the MO came up and gave him a jab to ease his pain. I hope he got better.
Our little hollow was ringed with the machine guns and mortars of the infantry and it seemed like a fortress with open land in our rear if we had to make a retreat and the hills and the enemy were on three sides. Anyone who showed themselves were shot at and we tried by answering back with machine guns and shoots by us over my radio to get them out of their nests. The colonel himself had several shoots and we could see some of the enemy running for shelter when he got near with his ranging shots.
So the day wore on. It seemed to go very quickly and we had a sinking feeling when we watched first of all five of our tanks get blown up on a minefield, then one of our trucks which was trying to get to us went straight into the enemy hands and could not see us frantically waving him into the right position. And we felt very down when we watched the Germans counter attack and our own infantry situated on our right retreated well behind us.
So we were left, the headquarters and a solitary platoon, the other platoon couldn鈥檛 locate us and I never did hear what happened to them. Finally night came and we formed ourselves into a tight ring. We all felt deadbeat and I鈥檓 sure all those infantry chaps were feeling rough as we had had some food, but they had had none.
After dark the medical officer came and relieved the chappie at our feet and the stretcher bearers began to go out into 鈥淣o Man鈥檚 Land鈥� for the wounded they had left behind in their retreat. They were certainly brave fellows.
Everybody took it in turns during the night on watch and we wireless operators took turns on the remaining sets on the air. About 12 o鈥檆lock the food came up for the infantry and while they were eating a man came in. He had a remarkable tale to tell.
He belonged to this infantry company and had been taken prisoner earlier that day. He was wounded five times and yet he was able to stand up and tell his colonel his tale. He said he had been in a machine gun post as a prisoner. During our shelling of the post one of the Germans was killed and he himself was hit in five places. He said that after a message had come over a telephone there was considerable excitement among the Germans and they began to hurriedly pack their things. They began to look at him and he wondered if they were going to kill him so he made up his mind to try and escape. This he did do during a moment when the Germans were preoccupied and he finally got back to us. He was a brave fellow.
This news bucked us up a lot as it sounded as if they were evacuating some of their positions, but we didn鈥檛 relax in our alertness. During the early hours of the morning we had a bad scare when one of the watchers, in a loud whisper said, 鈥淕ermans, wake up.鈥� Everyone grabbed a weapon of some sort and waited in a breathless hush, but it turned out to be nothing but a stretcher party returning. Shortly afterwards we had word over the air that the Sixth Armoured division had attacked in another sector during the preceding day and our regiment was to attach ourselves to them. So before it was light we left the infantry and made our way back to the gun position. It was a tricky ride as we still had to pass through the enemy minefields again and they had not yet made a definite road through. We made it safely and we had a very welcome wash and a good breakfast.

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