DEALING WITH TANK ATTACKS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 26 June 1940, Page 6

DEALING WITH TANK ATTACKS

EXPERIENCE OF OFFICERS [British Official Wireless] RUGBY. 24th June. Interesting information regarding German tank attacks and divebombing was given by a British lieutenant and a major who recently returned from France. Referring to the tanks, the lieutenant said the enemy’s practice was to attack in twos or threes. “We generally found it best to wait till they got within 50 yards before we gave away our positions,” he said “It never took more than two or three shots from an anti-tank rifle at that range to arrest a tank, and every time such of the crew as had not been killed instantaneously were finished off by our light, machine-guns as they were trying to escape. We then used to go up to the tank and set it alight. With an anti-tank gun you can, of course, open fire effectively at a much longer range, but if he has only two or three tanks you can afford to wait till he is quite near you, and after you have finished shooting there is no need to go and set alight to what is left.” The officer concluded: “There are lots of us on this job in this country now, and after our experience in France we are waiting cheerfully for any tanks the Germans may be able to land.” The major admitted that the first experience of dive-bombing was frightening but said, “I very soon got over this fright, because I realised the first five minutes that, though noise was considerable, the effect was practically nothing lam quite convinced that the damage caused by bombs directed against buildings and against personnel is about 75 per cent, fright and possibly 25 per cent, danger. ‘The bombs were nearly always dropped in clutches of three and generally struck the s : de or the foot of a building rather than the roof. No one but a half- wit would dream of staying in the open when bombing was going on. but one was relatively safe if one lay flat down with hands on ears.” He recounted how one of the soldiers who had thus laid down was quite unhurt by a bomb which, dropped only 30 yards av ay.