SOLDIER’S LETTER

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5601, 5 April 1943, Page 4

SOLDIER’S LETTER

THE EL ALAMEIN BARRAGE Corporal D. J. McGovern, of Te Awamutu, writing from the Middle East under date February 2, has some interesting things to say following the British advance from El Alamein:—

The lapt time I wrote to you was some time in September. I gave you a brief outline of the actions up until we were withdrawn from the Alamein line for a short spell and to rehearse in a small way our part in the coming offensive. On the night of the 23rd October we were in position, together with the Highlanders, South African and Aussies, facing the strongly-held German positions opposite, and although we afterwards learned that the Hun expected the attack further south, the job of getting through his minefields and forward defence lines was a major one. Our particular crowd was fortunate in getting a grandstand place right in among our artillery, and so had a great view of the tremendous barrage. It was a great feat getting all the guns dug in, and the large numbers of troops in position without letting the Hun know just where the attack was coming from, a feint worked in another sector proving a great success. Just before the battle, the new Army Commander, sent round a stirring address in the form of a pamphlet in which he was quite optimistic that the job would be done. Right up to the last minute before zero hour there was a strange silence, broken now and gain by a rattle of machine gun fire, following a flare and a low roar as some convoy got into place. When the barrage started I got a great surprise, for although we knew it was going to be good, none of us dreamt that we had so many guns concentrated. For. as far as it was possible to see there were gun flashes, and as you will imagine, the din was deafening. Before long the air was with smoke and cordite fumes, and now and again we could hear an enemy shell whistle over. Their return fire was directed on the minefield and front line positions, mayfly, so their counter battery work was Insignificant.

It was a good five and a half hours before our heavy barrage died down and then, as the minefields had been breached and our infantry had overcome the opposition and reached their objective, all the supporting arms, which included us_, poured through the lighted gaps and consolidated the newly-won ground before daylight, in preparation for the expected counterattack. One thing I will never forget on this morning just on daybreak, was the sound of the pipes as the Highlanders went in. They may not be generally liked at ordinary times, but on the battlefield it was the greatest sound I had ever heard. AIR FORCE SUPERB The next couple of days were full of incidents too numerous to relate, and then we were pulled back for several days, and held in readiness for the final attack and subsequent pursuit. Before going any further I must tell you of the marvellous work of our Air Force. Although we had a couple of Stuka attacks, they were pretty ineffective, and in the end they were so badly mauled by our almost permanent fighter patrols that they ceased to come over. Our medium bombers were the greatest sight I have ever seen, every half hour all day long, the inevitable eighteen Bostons and Mitchells came over and gave Jerry a rain of bombs. Never once did I see them break the perfect tight formation they always flew in, and I am glad to say their losses were remarkably low. It is little wonder that many of the Huns who came in were “bomb happy.” We also had a good view of the fighter bomber in action. On one occasion, one streaked in very low and dropped it’s egg fair and square on a Hun 88 mm. gun which was bothering us from a wellconcealed place. Needless to say we had an excellent view of a fireworks display when the ammunition went up. In the final attack we supported a well known “Tommy” outfit, and here again we went in under a colossal artillery barrage. This night on our sector the guns fired a hundred and twenty thousand rounds, and next day I had the chance of seeing where they had landed. It beats me how a mouse could have escaped, as there were shell holes every few yards covering the whole area. This day was quite exciting, as when the dust and smoke started to clear just after daylight there was the Hun, only about six hupjired yards away, coming in on a counter attack. Luckily we had finished digging in and we gave him a nasty time with our Vickers. Later in the day our big tanks came on the scene all the Jerries who were still alive surrendered. About a hundred came in, but there were quite a few who were not interested. SUPERIORITY IN TANKS These guns of outs are deadly things at these close range. I was very surprised to see that a big number of these Germans were only kids and a lot of them showed their satisfaction at being caught. I don’t blame them really as for a whole they had received a merciless battering from everything that our side could throw at them. We-had a grandstand view here of several Jerry tanks, which nosed in a bit too close, and were knocked out by our anti-tank guns. This time, at last both our tanks and anti-tank guns were as good, if not better, than the Huns, and he certainly found it out to his cost. Once Jerry cracked, our armour went through and we followed, and so the great chase started. I saw Solium, Halfaya Pass and Bardia this time. We had several good swims in the harbour at Bardia. The rest of our trek was by desert and during this we crossed parts which up till then had been considered impassable by motor transport. One part in particular was interesting, for it was pure sand with not a bush, stone or stick of vegetation for a great many miles; it was in fact, just the type of desert always read about in Foreign Legion stories. The huge mass of transport creeping across this presented a remarkable sight when viewed from some vantage point. (By the way I have seen some men of the French Foreign Legion and also seen and been in barracks which they had

previously occupied. This was in Syria). Early on the journey we passed through Bir Hackiem, where the Fighting French put up such a good fight early last year, and there were still many signs of the battle round about. Another place of considerable interest to most of us, which we passed, was Minquar Quairn, the scene of our first action on returning to the desert from Syria. It was here that the great night break-through occurred, and so it is now generally known as “Iggri” Ridge.. We had expected a scrap at the El Ageilia, but Jerry pulled back and it was then we did the big outflanking movement which brought us in contact with him around Marble Arch, but apart from one hectic afternoon and evening we had little fighting. There is a good account of all this in the Times, I have been sending you regularly. It was around this vicinity we spent Christmas, which ' I told mother about in a previous letter. It was not long before we were ready for the last stage to Tripoli, and there was hardly a man who was not confident we would make it easily. It was quite an uneventful trip for us and apart from a couple of slight brushes no serious attempt was made to hold us up. Here again our Air Force was wonderful, on many occasions the fighters operating, off existing fields as fast as we reached them, or bulldozers travelling in the fore had one ready for them in no time. Not one day passed even on the latter part of the journey without the usual screen of fighters overhead, and it is to their great credit that not once did Jerry attack us by daylight, even though his dromes were very handy to his main base. All the way up the toughest jobs fell on the armour—that of feeling him out, and clearing the way, and in my opinion no praise is too high for*our tank men. Now that they have something decent to fight with, they are more than a match for the Hun.

■Right throughout the whole trek up it was clearly evident that the Hun never recovered from the bashing he received at Alamein, but even so the speed of the advance must have been a great surprise to him. You have no doubt read about the mines and booby-traps he laid w’herever possible.

The accounts are by no means exaggerated. Some of the devices he used were both ingenious and devilish, but here again the engineers did a great job, and it was mainly through their efforts that the speed of the advance was maintained.

It is a strange feeling now to look back and remember the hectic days of last June and July when things looked really black; not even the most optimistic person could have thought then that in a matter of a few months the Hun would be decisively defeated and we would take Tripoli, the goal for which we had been fighting the last couple of years. THE BIG PARADE

As you will guess we were all pleased to see Mr Churchill. The parade, the biggest I have ever been on, gave him a great reception, especially after his short but very optimistic speech. After the parade when he was going along in his car he had to pass through crowds of chaps, and here some very amusing remarks were called out to him and to which he enthusiastically responded. I guarantee that his arm was sore from waving when he had finished. At the present time we are camped in a very pretty place. There is grass about and plenty of gum, olive and almond trees, the last named are in full blossom and present a beautiful sight. The weather has been mainly very fine with cold nights, but at present it is trying hard to rain and the whole place looks very similar to many parts of New Zealand.