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Thread: On this Day |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 21st January 1945
----------------------------------------The 25th were in position except for a platoon or two who marched past as we were having breakfast. Now we could retire all the way back to Tilburg without hampering our replacements. Did I say "back"? Just 50 days before, this had been the front line! Now it was Montgomery's advanced HQ, where we had a short rest while we removed our 15th Scottish emblems from our sleeves. The Second (British) Army now had only one Corps, which had only one Division, and we were now anonymous units of the (reinforced) First Canadian Army, while XXX Corps were part of the America 1st Army, which had joined 21 Army Group - hence the rumour that Monty was commanding "the" Americans. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 21, 2009 7:31:22 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 22nd January 1945
While we were in Tilburg, I noted a street named “Heuvel Straat”. This literally means “Hill Street”, but it did not seem to be a hilly street. However, this is merely from the British point of view, as we were in a country where real hills were rare. We took to the roads again, via S’Hertogenbosch, Graves and Nijmegen to Groot Berg en Dal, a small hillock and a shallow vale, with a hotel of the same name, meaning “Great Mount and Dale”. I had taken one of the hotel’s post cards from the rack as a memento. I could not send it home, as we had to censor our mails and might not mention any place near which we had been recently. It is now in my scrapbook. After a short recce and a meal or two, we bedded down for the night, in a few vacant hotel rooms. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 23rd January 1945
----------------------------------------On this day we crossed the Maas into Germany, along a low-lying tree lined road with bundles of “candles” tied to every tree. Evidently, the Germans had been expecting us and had prepared a fireworks reception for us. Fortunately, either the “fireworks” were all duds and failed to go off, or we arrived sooner than expected and they were not primed. Now, however, we got down to business. As we proceeded along the road, we set up Casualty Collecting Posts at every stop. At the last stop, Kranenburg, a German stretcher-bearer arrived and joined us. Just before dark, somebody found a greatcoat that fitted me, so I could now work night duties if necessary. Wednesday, 24th January 1945 That was a busy night; no time for letters home; no time to make notes on which to base this diary – I had to write it from memory years later, by which time I had forgotten all about it. In any case, we were not allowed to keep contemporary diaries, as there was a new regulation about three months before D-Day, for security reasons. Therefore, I must close this journal, for now. I have no personal record of the next 11 days It seems the infantry were working 24/7. As it darkened, a battery of searchlights lit up the clouds above us – not looking for aircraft, merely providing artificial “moonlight” by which the army could work. I tried on my newly acquired greatcoat, stuck my hands in its pockets for warmth and received a pleasant surprise. I had also acquired a pair of binoculars! [Edit 3 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 27, 2009 12:29:23 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Thursday, 25th January 1945
----------------------------------------I have no record of our movements now. I have the impression of advancing, close behind the infantry along winding roads, which were flooded behind us, not daring to get off the roads into the forest tracks in case we lost our way back. I know there were casualties, of both armies, but I can not remember any of them. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 27, 2009 12:03:10 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Friday, 26th January 1945
----------------------------------------The memory is still more or less blank. Maybe Cpl. Farrier had brought us an up to date copy of "Soldier." I do recall reading somewhere, some time - maybe about now, that we had a new American weapon, called a "Bazooka," which was carried by two infantrymen and fired rockets at enemy tanks. I have read recently that the enemy had something similar, called "Panzerfaust." [Edit 4 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 27, 2009 12:13:55 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Saturday, 27th January 1945
----------------------------------------Unknown to us, who knew nobody's location - least of all our own, precisely, the Americans liberated Auschwitz on this day. The date is now that of Holocaust Memorial Day. [Edit 3 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 28, 2009 2:49:15 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sunday, 28th January 1945
The memory is still more or less blank. Maybe Cpl. Farrier had brought us an up to date copy of "Soldier." I do recall reading somewhere, some time - maybe about now, that we had a new American weapon, called a "Bazooka," which was carried by two infantrymen and fired rockets at enemy tanks. I have read recently that the enemy had something similar, called "Panzerfaust." |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Monday, 29th January 1945
Our isolation continued. How we evacuated the casualties, I do not recollect. We could not have sent them back to HQ Coy., who normally manned the Advanced Dressing Station, nor could "B" Coy. have relieved us. One day, we could not advance without abandoning the casualties, and another unit overtook us, working in the widening gap between the R.A.P. (Regimental Aid Post) and us. This unit was composed of men with no military uniform, but distinguished by white coats. We had an inkling of what they were, but it was Wilf Palmer who put it into words. "Brave fellows," he said, "these conscientious objectors." |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Tuesday, 30th January 1945
Our isolation continued. Now, however we could advance without abandoning the casualties. Normally, this would be a matter of routine - the R.A.P. would catch up with the infantry as often as possible, the flying taking over from them until the rest of the company arrived and set up a C.C.P. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Wednesday, 31st January 1945
----------------------------------------During a rapid advance, this sort of tactic would take place at every point along the main axis of advance (which was our usual route). As a result, some casualties did not need to be moved as often, as the company stretchers came to them, followed by the R.A.P. the Flying Squad, the C.C.P., the A.D.S. and C.C.S. (Casualty Clearing Station) without them moving. Assuming that the floods had cleared, this is probably how we were working about this time. [Edit 2 times, last edit by Former Member at Feb 2, 2009 12:05:45 PM] |
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