Sword Beach to Bremen., A Veterans tale. Sapper

Hi Thank you for that enlightenment Erich.

You must have a great interest in the actions of the German army. There is no doubt that they were bonny fighters. And very efficient. BUT! please bear in mind the terrible atrocities that they committed when they were winning.

Remember the scores of concentration death camps. The burning alive of the women and children in the church, the shooting of the men and burning of the town. The innocent civilians of Orador sur Glan!

Remember those that perished at Tulle. Where the SS hung 99 men from the towns lamp posts. The same lamp posts that are hung with garlands in June to recall those who died there.

The same garlands of flowers that make the town look attractive, Often admired by German visitors, totally unaware of the reason for those self same garlands hung on the lamp posts. Remember also, the actions of the Vichy French who assisted the SS in their atrocities, in that little town of Tulle. I try desperately to take a balanced view, I try to think that it was all a long time ago, and that now we should forget all of that.

I do try, but then, sometimes, the very thought of burning innocent women and children alive in a church. The agony that they suffered, and the horror that is reputed to still hang over the ivy covered walls of the town of Orador sur glan, the town that has been left just as the Germans left it back in 1944.

For sometimes I can hear the faintest echo that has still existed over the years, the screams of women and children being burnt alive. Admitted the screams are much fainter now, for the years have eroded those sounds, and made them fade away.

I do try to be objective in my approach to the war, and to our former enemies. But. Oh Lord! I have a very long memory. And I find it very difficult, even now. For I have seen the agony of war in all its phases,

I have witnessed scenes of carnage and savagery that should not be visited on anyone! Like many old Veterans of my ilk, only our passing, and time, will erase those memories. For no matter how we try to come to terms with what happened, it is very difficult, for the same atrocities had been committed in many other places.

If I upset any of you with these observations? then please accept my sincere apologies. When I talk about savagery and carnage. I have yet to relate my journey through the road that led to the Falaise pocket. For here was gut wrenching savagery almost beyond belief, but more of that later, for I still have to get myself wounded first, and then to go deep behind enemy lines afterwards. Who needs the SAS?

I welcome your comments on this very delicate subject.
Sapper Brian.

 

I think you have may have misunderstood why I posted why I posted. As I have said a couple of times Brian, through my references and private research on Normandy over the past 27 years the info I possess is for all here. have been trying to fill in for everyone but especially myslef, your travels through the Normandy landscape. you mentioned Vire and gave a report which I thought might be handy to you for a reference if any enlightening observation could be shared. In my reference I made was the use of the 9th/10th SS Panzer and their backup which was the 102nd Heavy SS Panzer battalion of Tiger 1 tanks. This was for operative purposes only and was not too open serious wounds for you. In fact I cannot think of any seriousness of soldier or civian handling of these units during this part of the Bluecoat operations. My interest has never been in the atrocities of the land campaign since on many an occasion and you can relate, no quarter was given. The Maquis were quite fluent in the countryside and took many W-SS prisoners to be interviewed, shot and then gutted. You have heard the stories. And what were the reprisals, stupid burning of villages and the hanging and shooting of the innocents. A terrible theme of war which will never be overlooked and most probably shouldn't. Case in point the villages in southern/central France as 2nd SS Panzer moved northward. In fact it was a select group of troops that were commiting these terrible crimes and not the whole division......am I defeneding the actions of the Waffen SS, NO not on your life. All I can say is that you can attest to the fierceness of combat with these W-SS regulars and I can tell so through your postings.

E

 

Thank you for that Erich. I do appreciate your knowledge of the sequences.

But, I must be honest, If I was asked what battle any event took place in? For the most part I would not have a clue. sometimes I am only too aware of where and when, but in the "Fog" of war it is difficult to know where you are, and at time you did not care too much, for you where concerned with other very unpleasant things that were happening to you.

Let me continue where I left off,If you remember? Our Colonel."Tiger" had 'enquired'. That is funny in itself, Colonel's do not enquire! It is just their way of telling you what you will be doing next! As he said about staying in the front under fire, to get into action faster. Well here goes. Part 2.

Yes! Tiger had his way. We moved right up in front of the Enemy and dug in on the side of the hill that was being bombarded. In full view of the German paratroopers below, who gleefully watched as we made ourselves sitting targets, give them their due, they did at least wait until we were all there before proceeding to blast us with everything they had.

We spent the next few hours cowering in our foxholes that were dug in record time, while all around us, all hell was let loose. A continuous rain of fire right over the top of us. The incoming scream of shells, the explosions that showered us with dirt and stones. The whole earth shuddered in protest at this horrific rain of explosives. While we tried to scrabble and burrowed into the earth in frantic desperation. Anything to get down lower away from this rain of death.

While crouching in my foxhole, head between my knees, another Sapper jumped in on top of me, shaking like a leaf, "Lets run, lets run" he yelled. Now I do not know where he thought we were supposed to run to? How he managed to get into my hole without being killed I do not know. Shaking like a leaf, he kept trying to get me to join him! No way! A little while later, he fled. Now, that was the only time I saw a soldier break and run under fire. I do not know where he thought he was going, but I understood his reasons only too well.

This was also the time that I discovered that there is a HIGHLY infectious disease called "Panic" I did not succumb to this infection, but I did feel the fear he was transmitting. It was a powerful infection that one so easily could catch. After being missing from the Company for some hours, he rejoined the company again, nothing was said.

After that severe bashing, we were withdrawn to our old harbour area, we could then sally forth into what ever was required, from a secure base. Glad to get out of that hell-hole alive and in one piece, my cosy idea that life was to be easier and less menacing was fast disappearing, not helped by the knowledge that we had facing us, a German paratroop company, we knew from past experience that they would give a good account of themselves.

The Little Band of Reluctant Hero’s.

That night, a small band of Sappers had been selected for a night patrol, a patrol that was to penetrate through the front line, and then venture deep inside the Enemy territory. The purpose of this little band of reluctant heroes was to check that a viaduct? was free from demolition explosives, (it's such a long time ago), but I know it was a bridge inside Enemy territory. Now! Some 58 years on it all sounds cloak and dagger, but not then! (who needs the SAS?) Patrols into Enemy territory are by their very nature, horrible, it's very dangerous and can be guaranteed to set your teeth on edge, night patrols are even worse. Seldom do you know exactly where you are going! If you arrive at the right place it is more by good luck than judgement. In fact it is a mystery to me that one survives at all, after blundering about the country side, doing your best to keep quiet, but in fact, making enough noise to awaken the dead. As dusk fell, this brave little band of reluctant heroes, half a dozen strong, set off up this leafy lane that led into Enemy territory, dark and overgrown with trees that cut out what little starlight ther was.
Any comments?
To be continued. Sapper Brian.

 

HI Again everyone.

To cut a long story short we had completed out task. Fine! (I had better explain why I have cut this bit short, here my memory fails me, try as I may, I cannot recall the bridge, though, I can remember it was successful) Funny thing! I can remember very clearly the other parts of this saga. Not surprising really for the war had caught up with me in later years, and I had several close shaves with the grim reaper. Resulting in my being classed as 100% War Disabled.

To continue:- We then set off back, but before we reached the safety of our own lines, tremendous mortar fire was let loose on us again, this time by our own men.
The Middlesex Regiment, they were the heavy mortar and heavy machine gun group. Now! I have heard it said in boast that a prize crew from the Middlesex Regiment could get 18 mortar bombs in the air at one time, I believe them! I believe them. We hit the floor at speed for we heard the mortars fire in the distance. They then proceeded to plaster us for a brief but terrifying time. Sadly, I cannot give a date, or where this took place. All I Remember is that we were on the way to Vire, if that is at all helpful.

After this stonking, we carried on down the lane that led us back to our area and as we skirted a farmhouse, someone fired a star shell into the sky. We investigated with a great deal of caution. Carrying the Bren at the hip ready for God knows what, I skirted around and found an English officer in the dark, leaning on his right elbow on the farmhouse steps, one of his legs was severed at the knee with just a little sinew and ligament between the top of his leg and the lower limb. Even in the very subdued light of a very black night his face was pale and ashen, heaven knows how long he had been there, or how he got there in the first place, far behind the enemy lines?

When I discovered him, his first words were "Please take my orders and cut this bloody leg off" I had never disobeyed an order before, but I did this time! A brave man, I wonder what happened to him? I wonder if he survived? I also wonder if he would recognize himself from this story? I never knew what happened to him and probably never will. I just hope that if he lived, he will remember a very young and frightened teenager, who came to his aid on very dark night in August, in the early hours of the morning inside Enemy territory. If he is out there by some faint chance of fortune. I hope he fared well and will recall the youngster that disobeyed orders! and did not cut his leg off. This is not by any means the end of this venture behind the enemy ‘s lines. To be continued.
Sapper Brian. Comments anyone?

 

All I can say is that it really is amazing to me, at just how muich a human being can take--especially somethings that are that horrible. How did this young teenager fare--after the incident with the officer and his near severed leg? I could'nt say how i'd react to a situation such as that.

 

Thank you C. Evans for your interest.
Of course you are absolutely right! It was a daunting prospect for that teenager (Me) but the fighting apprenticeship’s we served in the battles that took place round Caen, had taken away the innocence of a Dorset Country lad (Me again) to be replaced by a young man that had become a Veteran in a very short time. There is nothing quite like the danger of losing ones life as a ‘prompt’ to learn about what to do in battle.

I shall always remember the true story of reinforcement thrown into the fight for the first time. He called out “ There is a German coming down the road, What shall I do”?
While I am on this track, some of you may find it odd that we were much younger in our time, we did not go out with Girls at such a young age as they do today.

I would venture to suggest that if a boy was seen walking down the Village street with a girl before he was nineteen or twenty, and even then, The ‘old Biddy’s’ would be hanging out the windows “Tut Tutting” and it would be the subject of much Village conversation. That is, for me, the saddest part for those ‘nineteen year olds’ that made the ultimate sacrifice. Many of them were too young to have held a girls hand, let alone enjoyed a relationship. That for me is terribly sad. “Old men make war, but young men fight them”

Now, having got completely off the track, let me return to what happened further on our trip behind the enemy lines. While we were attending to this officer and trying to make sense of what we were faced with, we heard other sounds from another part of the farmyard, and after investigating we found several wounded in dug outs around the perimeter of the farm, some of them severely wounded. Realizing we were not equipped to deal with this, We sent back a runner to our base area where our medical officers were. All of this, by the way, at about two in the morning. Pitch black!

You may remember we were faced with a German Paratroop Regiment. At that time we captured a German paratroop doctor who had helped with the wounded on both sides, it was this German doctor that accompanied the runner back to where the wounded were situated. Let me break off for a moment to describe this man. A big man, dressed in paratroop smock with a large white square back and front of his tunic, both emblazoned with a red cross, He had a black spade beard and was a striking looking fellow, this doctor had been with the company for a little while, treating both German and British wounded.

What happened to him? Again, I will never know, or find out, later we noticed that he was no longer with us, probably in the cage, but I do know that he was a dedicated medical man, and one that some British wounded had cause to be grateful for his tending their injuries. If he is alive and should read this? Well done Sir!
Sometimes I think of him and wonder, what happened to him? did he survive the war, and would he recognize himself from this story? I also kid myself that he may just recall that dark night in August.1944..

The next day, the water wagon, while trying to find our harbour area, took the wrong turning and had gone straight into the Enemies territory by mistake, realized his error, he reported that the enemy had pulled out during the night, it now became obvious why we were able to get into his lines without being killed on our night patrol. It is quite possible that the Enemy left the wounded behind for us to find and treat. Within hours the company had loaded up and chased after them, it did not take long to find him again!

The next episode.
The Diary of a wounding.
Boots full of blood.

 

Don't suppose you ever knew the name of the man you helped, Brian? I can check him in the Normandy casualty rolls I have to see if he survived?

By the way, thanks for more interesting reading!

 

HI. Thanks for question.
No I have not the slightest idea of his name, The mere idea of cutting his bit of leg off, in the dark, at about one or two in the morning, and behind then enemy lines. I did take his waterproof orders pack. but I never knew his name.
Me? I hate night time patrols, and behind the lines, a damn sight more frightening.
By the way Otto has asked me to put a photo tfor him for display/ I will get round to it as soon as possible.
Brian

 

Hi everyone.
I have often wondered how many folk use these pages? has anyone any idea?
sapper

 

Hi Sapper and thank you for your reply to me, and the interesting reading you gave as well.

Im not sure how many people post here regularly but I imagine about 30 give or take a few. I do know that there are many more who visit here often but for one reason or another--do not make regular postings or dont post at all.

Im greatful for the fact that we have a person such as you are--that is posting here.

PS, I too would like to see your picture here as well.

[ 18 October 2002, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

 

Thank you Sapper! This is really interesting, reading the allied perspective of the same battles my grandfather to part in while assigned to the 12th SS. Have you fought directly opposite this German division? If so, what memories have you on this? I do not wish to bring back any bad experiences but I only have my grandfather's perspective and would like to get an idea of his unit's fighting qualities from the foe at the time. He was very complimentary of the foes he fought against. His experience was mostly against the Russians but was surprised at how quickly (talking about Americans) the western allies learned how to fight. As for the Brits and commonwealth, he said that they were like dogs on a bone, not ever giving it up.

 

Cheers! thank you for the information.
You asked about the 12 SS Panzer Hitler youth Division.
The toughest fighters we ever came across, and it was just our luck to come in contact with them damn near all the time. Where ever we went, there was the bloody 12 SS. I respected them for great courage under tremendous fire. But they did shoot our men in cold blood and that is unforgivable.

But they fought like Tigers, what annoyed me most was, that they fought on after they were defeated.
If I was asked who were the toughest in Normandy then I would have to say, without hesitation. The 12 SS Hitler Youth Panzer Division. what a pity they soured their reputation with their killing prisoners. Especially as it created an atmosphere where no prisonesr where taken for a while. In fact I think that their deeds cost the German Infantry many lives. many that would have been saved were it not for that bit of stupidity.
Sapper Brian.

 

Cheers! thank you for the information.
You asked about the 12 SS Panzer Hitler youth Division.
The toughest fighters we ever came across, and it was just our luck to come in contact with them damn near all the time. Where ever we went, there was the bloody 12 SS. I respected them for great courage under tremendous fire. But they did shoot our men in cold blood and that is unforgivable.

But they fought like Tigers, what annoyed me most was, that they fought on after they were defeated.
If I was asked who were the toughest in Normandy then I would have to say, without hesitation. The 12 SS Hitler Youth Panzer Division. what a pity they soured their reputation with their killing prisoners. Especially as it created an atmosphere where no prisonesr where taken for a while. In fact I think that their deeds cost the German Infantry many lives. many that would have been saved were it not for that bit of stupidity.
Sapper Brian.

 

Cheers! thank you for the information.
You asked about the 12 SS Panzer Hitler youth Division.
The toughest fighters we ever came across, and it was just our luck to come in contact with them damn near all the time. Where ever we went, there was the bloody 12 SS. I respected them for great courage under tremendous fire. But they did shoot our men in cold blood and that is unforgivable.

But they fought like Tigers, what annoyed me most was, that they fought on after they were defeated.
If I was asked who were the toughest in Normandy then I would have to say, without hesitation. The 12 SS Hitler Youth Panzer Division. what a pity they soured their reputation with their killing prisoners. Especially as it created an atmosphere where no prisonesr where taken for a while. In fact I think that their deeds cost the German Infantry many lives. many that would have been saved were it not for that bit of stupidity.
Sapper Brian.

 

How this managed to get three copies on to the page I will never know. I only sent one.
sapper

 

Sir, that used to happen to me all the time--when I first started posting on these forums. Otto probably remembers those days.

Also, im probably the person on these forums that has the most problems in using computers too.

 

Sometimes when the computer is accepting information as to the way of updates or even an e-mail that you are not aware of yet, as you send there maybe a duplication or triplication of information......I know it's weird and that is the way of cyberspace..... / it's good to clean out those temporary files daily so the computer is not slow in functioning. Maybe not accessible to you Carl if you're using the library computer. Dude, I need to buy you a notebook/computer, so you can write from your car ....

E

 

Hi Everyone.

The Diary of a Wounding.
Boots full of blood.
The Sappers, the Field companies, as I stated earlier, tend to be used in small groups, often with infantry units, (Come to that, anyone who needed us) in that way we were sent all over the place to help those who needed our skills on the battle field. It was not uncommon to be sent to different areas where an attack was to take place. Not always with ones own group. Sometimes getting back to our own company lines, only to be dragged out again to go off to another part of Normandy.

Very often under close Enemy fire, sooner or later the odds catch up with you, and your name is added to the casualty lists. The weather this day, was beautiful, bright, sunny and warm, as clear as a bell, a day when it is good to be alive. For those of you who like to have dates? What follows happened on about the 8th of August. Here, I must be honest, I only found this out in recent years. We had arrived near the town of Vire at the base of the peninsula and abutted the American 2nd Division. (Lovely fellows)

An invitation! How would you like to come along with me on this assault? Join us as an “Observer” For in our immediate front is a ridge of high ground that ran east of Vire. We had been ordered to capture this high ground and as usual we have been selected to do it. The surrounding country side was typical “Bocage” little fields, lots of trees and cover, easy to defend.

We arrived at the foot of this very steep hill, it stood out very prominently in the countryside and one could see trees were growing on the crest. Firstly, those mines had to be cleared and a safe passage cleared through, and marked with white mine tape. Three of us were detailed to get up there as the top was infested with S Mines and had already caused casualties. We were also told that the enemy where just over the crest of the hill. These mines had to be cleared as they were holding things up. You as observers are to come with us.

The three of us. Wass Thomas, myself, and a Sapper from London, set off and tried to climb the hill but found the sun dried grass so slippery that we had great difficulty getting to the top, Eventually, we made our way to the crest, and it was all to obvious why the hill was so important. Even under the most trying circumstances the view from the top was spectacular, it was possible to see for many miles around and in all directions. It was little wonder that both sides wanted this hill. Each one of us took on a task each, I was to operate the mine detector, Wass Thomas was to lay out the white tapes showing exactly where we had swept, and made safe, while another sapper, the Londoner was to get down and disarm the mines. Not easy under the prevailing circumstances. Especially as it is necessary to stand up and be exposed to the Enemy's fire!

The Germans had a genius for mines, S Mines, these were the most evil of all those we had to deal with., they consisted of a steel barrel about 5 inches across and inside of that was another steel barrel with a small charge underneath, The inner barrel had a Y shaped detonator, it could be set off by trip wires, by touching it, and sometimes by even more sophisticated means, one things for sure, they are very difficult to deal with.

We normally carried some "panel pins” in our pockets, if one could get the pin into the detonator it could be made safe. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But under battle conditions it most certainly is not! You are looking certain death in the face as you bend over to make it safe. Ones hands are not as steady as you would wish, as you get down on your hands and knees feeling for, and looking for the mine in the long grass, at the same time you must watch where you put your hands and feet, outside the tape in one unguarded moment! and it is "Goodnight Nurse" while all of this is going on the Enemy may well stick his five eggs in and open fire on you.

Concentration! Utter Concentration! Oblivious of all that is going on around you, Enemy fire, shelling, mortaring or small arms fire, must all be ignored, or all is lost. When detonated, the S mines small charge is set off, propelling it up to head height, whereupon it explodes, inside of the casing are row upon row of steel balls that radiate out in all directions. The effect is absolutely devastating, and causes casualties over a wide area.

As observers, you are about to find out what it is like to blown off your feet, and to be saturated with flying schrapnel, with a murderous rain of steel balls. Where the wounds occur on your body will be a matter of chance, you may be disembowled, or lose limbs, or it may cost you your sight, indeed, if you had not already fathered children, it may be that you will no longer be able to in your future life. The damage you sustain will still be with you, as long as you live.
To be continued.
Sapper Brian.

 

Hi everyone. to continue.
I started mine sweeping and found one immediately, (the mine detector, as you may know changes it sound as it sweeps over a mine). One has to stand up doing this job, no matter what! Ignore everything that is going on around you! It was now up to the Londoner to make it safe.

To get down out of trouble while he was doing his bit, I knelt down on my right knee, when the other Sapper bent over it to make it safe, it fired, came up and hit him in the chest, and exploded, the next moment I found myself laying on my back staring up at a beautiful blue summer sky wondering, "What the hell happened there" I got up, and my partner had flopped forward on his face with lots of holes in the back of his neck. I remember asking him “are you all right”? A stupid thing to ask anyone who had just set off, and been blown up with an S mine under his body. They took him away on the top of a Jeep.

While kneeling down behind him, one of the steel balls that had passed through his body had embedded itself in my skull, on the right hand side near my eye, had it not been slowed by its passage through my partner, I most certainly would have been killed, To this day, it is still there embedded in my skull! Another ball had penetrated my left leg cutting a furrow in some “very important personal equipment on the way”, it went right through my left thigh, but never had the strength to penetrate my uniform on the other side, I pulled it out an kept it. But, by now I was bleeding profusely. To such an extent that my boots squelched with the blood that had run down my legs.

Wass Thomas had a steel ball in his right elbow, and was sent off for treatment, I was taken to, and treated at a field dressing station, a hole in my head, two holes in my left thigh and a furrow elsewhere in my private equipment! Plus, the effect of being in close proximity to a violent explosion, blood seeping out of my nose, ears and eyes, coughing up blood where the explosion had caused some internal damage.

The medical orderlies put patches and bandages on my wounds and I had to make my own way back to my unit. On the way back, coughing up blood, and the bleeding from my eyes and ears, the gore had badly stained me. My boots soaked in blood where the wounds had bled unchecked earlier, all made much worse where I had been coughing up blood and wiping it on my uniform.

I must have looked a pretty ghastly sight, absolutely dreadful. As I made my way back, an American stopped me "Gee feller! You've had your fair share" we talked for a while then he gave me his "Bowie Knife" as a keepsake. Now! How about that for kindness? I kept that knife as a reminder of a complete strangers concern for others. Later that day, I was back on top of the hill, mine clearing, feeling like death itself and my parents had been notified that I had been wounded. For many years I have been trying to locate this hill, without success, I never knew its name, all I know is that it was somewhere in the vicinity of, and ran East of Vire.

The Bowie Knife? Well I kept it with me all the time, it was my treasured possession, and served to constantly reminded me of another mans kindness. The humane feelings for others that surfaced, even under the trauma and troubled times of war, only to lose it when I was wounded the second time. When my personal belongings caught up with me in Hospital, the Bowie Knife had been stolen.

If the American that gave me that knife is still alive, and reads this. THANK YOU FRIEND! You will never know what a kind thought, and how helpful that was in the midst of a pretty savage war that was in progress at that time.

I still have this lump of metal in my head, plus a few others that I collected later. A few years ago, I talked a miserable looking lady radiologist into taking a X ray of my head, and then found that it is half a steel ball, with the rounded bit facing outwards

Now! what I would like to know is; How do you all look back upon your experiences as observers in this episode?
Sapper Brian.

 

The next instalment will tell the story of our two cooks who drank the spirits we had captured, while we were away.