TANKS ELUDED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20634, 9 December 1941, Page 3

TANKS ELUDED

PLATOON OF INFANTRY THREE POINT ATTACK LORRY-BORNE TROOPS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Presa Aaan.) (From the Official War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F.) (Reed. Dec. 9, 9 a.m.) TOBRUK, Dec. 4. Shelled and under mortar and machine-gun fire for days and nights on end, fighting troops, of the New Zealand infantry who have moved to the Tobruk perimeter, although tired from days of battle, are full of determination to Hit hard at the Hun again. Seated round a desert lire inside the perimeter I had a cup of tea this morning with the members of the Auckland platoon which escaped almost intact from the region of Sidi Rezegh when one New Zealand infantry brigade was surrounded by tanks. Although these men had been through more than it was thought possible human endurance could bear, they were still defiant and confident. They told me with pride that the New Zealand infantryman, man for man, was a . far superior fighter to the German. The Italian, as a fighter, was just a joke, Hiey said.

“We will take on and beat any infantry the Huns lilies to stack up against us,” a permanent staff sergeant told me, “but for God’s sake don’t ask us to fight tanks. You can’t charge tanks with a rifle and bayonet. If infantry has no tank support and is attacked by tanks, then the infantry must withdraw. It is usjeless putting infantry in against tanks.”

There was no bitterness and no rancour in what this permanent staff sergeant said. He made this plain statement of fact, which, after all. is mere commonsense.

His pals told me what a great job of work he had done in getting the majority of his platoon out without a scratch when the attack was at its fiercest. Attacked by 50 Tanks

A vivid description of a tank attack which split part of the New Zealand troops was given me bj r this sergeant. He said: “The tanks started to move in and mass around a feature my battalion was holding about 3 o'clock on Sunday afternoon. We were between El flamed and Sid: Rezegh. The Hun started a thrqepoinl attack, from the south-west, from the north-west and from the Sidi Rezegh side east of our feature. At-four in the afternoon the Him launched his attack with 50 tanks. They came up over the escarpment and into us. We were helpless against this swarm of tanks.

“By 5.15 we could see that many of our chaps had been taken prisoner. Half an hour later troops got out of the tanks and formed a line from the south-west to the northeast. They carefully combed the feature which we had held.

. “They continued this mopping-up. which 'they started from the soutjheast. It was about 6 p.m. when the whole battalion was pulled out Troop carriers containing German lorry-borne infantry had arrived from the south-west. “The whole show was over in two hours and in that time Jerry had consolidated the position. We had two tanks which were used as decoys. There was no preliminary bombardment before the main tank attack. There had been spasmodic mortar and artillery fire from the enemy all day, but no barrage was put down in front of the tanks. “These tanks just came relentlessly and opened up fire with their machine guns arid 21b shells. At 5115 our own artillery had to cease firihg because if they had continued thjoy would have been lobbing shells among our ovn chaps who had been taken prisoner, Our mortars fired j a total of 111) rounds before they finished. Their target was the point where the German infantry carried by lorries were arriving. ; “Our two anti-tank guns _ wore quickly knocked out. They onlv firjed about a dozen shells. Some of the other anti-tank guns belonging to the New Zealanders kept firing until the end.

“I could see our prisoners being gathered in by the Germans. They had no option but to surrender. They could not drive off a tank attack with rifles and bayonets. Escape Along Waddi

“The only thing that saved us was a small waddi nearby, along which we escaped. German tanks came to the entrance of the waddi, but they wore uncertain of what the Waddi contained and luckily for us they would not approach. W T e made a dash across this waddi and we caught r. Tommy convoy.

“They thought we were Huns and would not stop, but we climbed aboard the passing lorries. Next morning we found ourselves in the comparative safety of Tobruk. “When we were making our escape. I could see battalion headquarters It was either in or close to an old tank. I could hear sounds as though somebody was trying to break into the tank. Then the tank burst into flames. It may have been our own people destroying their papers.

“In the moonlight I could see our prisoners being rounded up. Three tanks moved slowly behind them. In the distance I could sec seven German tanks on fire.

“That afternoon I experienced the worst feeling I have ever known. I was sitting in a slit trench watching these Hun tanks, like great grey beetles, creeping slowly over the horizon towards us. We did not fire a shot. It would have been futile. We were ready to take on a whole German infantry division if necessary—but not these damned tanks. It was tough while it lasted, but it could have been tougher. At leaYt we did not have .Terry planes divebombing us.”