CHASING ROMMEL

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXII, Issue 8872, 10 February 1943, Page 4

CHASING ROMMEL

PART PLAYED BY KIWIS EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT HARD DAYS AT EL ALEMEIN The part played by a Taranaki company in the drive against Rommel is related in a topical and interesting letter received in New Plymouth from Private Alvin V, Sowry. Private Sowry gives a graphic description of 'he buttle from the time of Rommel's spectacular drive into Egypt until the inirdlo of November. When the New Zealand Division was rushed to Egypt from Syvia Private Sowry's company was up near the Turkish border and when they took up defensive positions in Egypt they had their first experience of being bombed and shelled. "In retrospect it seems quite a tame affair now.'' Private Sowery said. After a little over a week one company from each battalion was withdrawn. Private Sowry's company being one of them. It was the original Taranaki company which got badly smacked during the Libyan campaign last December, he said. "So off to Maadi we went, a number of the fellows bemoaning their bad luck in not being allowed to take part in the fighting." About a fortnight later, however, they were recalled to take up a position in the southern sector of the Alemein front. "The next night (Sunday) it was 'hellzapoppin.' " he writes. "The way Jerry threw his 88mm. shells at us did not take long to convince us he did not. altogether like us. Several of these shells landed about 20 yards past me and it was just as well they did instead of landing in front considering the only protection we had was a few stones.

"The next night wo moved to a position on the left flank and mighty glad we were to get out from the area we were in. Our chief worries here were heat, flies and lack of sleep at nights. It was mid-summer and we were well in the desert. The flies were so thick that when any one of us opened his mouth to speak a fly would rush in. Owing to many cases of dysentery we became short of men and that meant those who remained had to do extra guard duty at night. After a while the strain began to show its effects oh all of us. Stukas Swoop Down "After a few weeks our 'friends' across the way began to take more interest in us and sent us quite a lot of 'messages.' Even the Stukas did

not altogether neglect us. One day the Y.M.C.A. had sent up several bunches of grapes. About nine or ten of us were sitting in a group eating these .rapes and yarning when without warning seven or eight Stukas swooped down upon us. We dived to earth smartly but fortunately for us and unfortunately tor several others ihe Stukas continued about another 200 yards before dropping the load by the R.A.P. There were about 30 fellows there are the time. Three were killed, including Tom Putt from from iVlanaia, and another four injured. They were more than unlucky because that very night we pulled out from thai sector and were taken to the beach for a week and after that into the desert well behind the front line for further training. <>ur manoeuvres were a prelude to the large-scale attack which began on October 2-'!. "The previous night we had marched 12 miles to a position a short distance from the starting point. At 20 minutes to 8 the next- nighl our artillery opened up "»d we moved forward tinier cover of a iromendous artillery larrage. More than one man was heard to remark that he would sooner be on the transmitting side of that larragc than on ihe receiving end. One other battalion of our brigade moved ahead ol' us and soon gained heir objective. Our battalion then noved through their lines and in turn ;oon gained our objective. "Before the attack we wore told we ,vouid be the reserve company and that ,ve would be oipposed only by 'lties.' [n effect it was to be more or less of \ picnic for us. Things did not turn mt quite like that. In actual fact we icnetratod into enemy territory that light, as far as, if not further than, ny other company. Capturing a Machine-Gun Nest "Wo were 'old later that those in •.uthority realised we would have a grievance if we were left out of the ncture altogether, so it was decided o give two of the platoons of our •ompany. one of which was that to vhich I belong, a little reconnaissance o do. This job involved the capturng of a. machine-gun nest winch was preventing the sappers from opening i track through a mine-field to lei >ur armoured divisions proceed. "Wo started off in extended line bit l bad not gone far when machine-gun ' bullets began to fly in all directions. The order was then given to charge with fixed bayonets. Judging by the ••.mount of noise our fellows made the enemy* must have though.* they were being attacked by the whole Maori Battalion, but. that did not prevent them from keeping up a withering machine-gun fire until we were on top • f them. "Unfortunately our officer, one of the best of the fellows, was badly

wounded and died a couple of days later. Our section leader was killed outright. Four other fellows, including Cliff Nodder, our platoon sergeant were wounded, none seriously, however. "When the enemy surrendered, we found that we had captured eight Huns including an officer. Two of these we had wounded. "It wa.s about G o'clock on the Saturday morning before we were able to dig in and consolidate our position. In the meantime our other platoon, which had gone on reconnaissance elsewhere, had fared far worse than we bad. Unfortunately they ran into a mortar nest. Of the section led by Bill Penman only be and one other returned uninjured. Of those in another -eel ion oik returned injured, one is missing anil (lie remainder were killed. The officer of that platoon also made the supreme sacrifice. Although our casualties that night were fairly heavy those of the enemy must have been colossal. "Nothing Exciting Happened" "During the next two nights nothing very exciting happened hut the following .Monday night saw us take part in our second all-out- attack. Under cover of another terrific artillery barrage, greater, if that were possible, than that of the previous Friday night. We had not gone far when we had prisoners running in all directions. Most of these were 'Lies' who were very anxious to let us know that they were 'English friends.' Some of them must have been astounded at the 'friendship' of some of our fellows. "The next, night we were withdrawn Tom the front line for a couple of days" rest and then back again to the front line in a slightly different position. On the night of November 1 we made what was considered to he a bold move by passing through the enemy lines, the object being to surround him if possible. As far as we were ;-n<>.ci'ynvd nothing very exciting happened that night beyond being machine-gun-ned three or four limes. Our armoured divisions simply raced ahead and as there was very little for us to do ,ve went on to Mersa Matruh," Private Sowrv concludes.