They also Serve” GUERILLA

Arawa Guerilla, Issue 19, 1 October 1943, Page 3

They also Serve” GUERILLA

THE SOLDIERS’ JOURNAL. PUBLISHED MONTHLY.

No. 19.

October, 1943.

IN A DESERT PRISON CAMP

This is an eye-witness account of life in a desert prison camp by a New Zealand soldier who was captured by the Germans in 1941 at Sidi Azeiz. After spending a long period in -a prison compound at Bardia, he was released with the others when Bardia was recaptured by the Allied forces. This interesting narrative, by courtesy of the Official Archivist,, is published here for the first time.

I was a member of the First Contingent, and I had been in the first Libyan campaign (at Sidi Barrani), and in the evacuations from Greece and Crete. During the second desert campaign I was in a machine-gun section attached to H.Q. 5 Infantry Brigade. This, under the command of Brigadier J. Hargest, together with supporting troops, was situated at Sidi Azeiz, about 15 miles due south-east of Bardia, for several days up to 27th November, 1941. Near at hand was a fairly large aerodrome, but the last three planes had left it the previous day. Due north was a route used by the Germans for carrying supplies, and northwest of that the 22nd Battalion was sitting some distance from the Bardia perimeter defences. Several attempts by the Germans to push their normal convoys through had been persistently checked by the N.Z. headquarters ■force' and the convoys turned back eastwards. One ammunition truck which attempted to get through by itself was blown up by a N.Z. 25pounder. Evidence that the Germans were more than curious about the reason for these mishaps was the fact that a reconnaissance plane came over to check on the situation.’ At shortly after 0700 hours, 27th November, 1941, and while the New Zealanders were preparing to have breakfast, a German envoy came in from the north, demanding that the force move out within five minutes or else a strong . armoured force would attack it. He added that the position would be taken within an hour and a-half. Five minutes later the German heavy artillery opened fire,

The German Attack.

Our force had only six 25-pounders, three anti-aircraft guns, twelve antitank guns, one dozen Bren carriers, one company of machine-guns, and no 60-pounders. Our guns were quickly put out of action. The Germans changed to light artillery and mortars and then followed up with tanks, behind them coming truck loads of infantry, The New Zealanders fought doggedly, firing at the tanks with machine-guns and rifles. It was all over in an hour and a-half. As the German infantry came in they systematically looted , trucks and

dug-outs, also scoffing most of our breakfast which had been interrupted by the battle. Although very well armed, they were both hungry and thirsty and deficient in clothing, so thus made up these deficiencies in quick time. The German general in charge drove up in a distinctive tank to Brigadier Hargest, and in the ensuing conversation complimented the Brigadier on the tough opposition his force had made. He said he was surprised that the force was so small. He had thought it to be at least two thousand strong, which was the reason (and he is said to have apologised for it) why he had used such a heavy barrage. On the Road to Bardia. He then gave permission for us to finish our breakfast, but when we went to get it we found that the Germans had finished it for us. We were

not allowed to gather up our gear, only a few of us being able to pick up a greatcoat or blanket, and about 1100 hours we set off on our march to Bardia. Meantime the main German force had continued westward. A Bren-gun carrier patrol which had left the main force to reconnoitre before the battle commenced, approached Sidi Azeiz from the south just as the battle was finishing, saw the position was hopeless and made off: it is thought that they escaped. On the march to Bardia there were about 700 New Zealanders, several English ground personnel from the

aerodrome and a few R.A.S.C. which the Germans had already picked up. The' whole was guarded by about a platoon of German motor-cyclists. There were several stops on the way which took us by a round-about route circumventing the 22nd Battalion on to the main road and so to Bardia, an approximate distance of 23 miles. The last halt was outside the perimeter defences for over half an hour, awaiting darkness to fall before entering. The whole journey was made without food or water. In the Prison Compound. When we arrived in Bardia we were shoved into ' a compound about two chains square, where we found about a hundred other prisoners, these being British, South African and Indian. This compound was very dirty and its floor stony and hard. Three drums of water were distributed. The first meal was about noon next day and consisted of one loaf of bread the size of a bun and one tin of bully beef per man with a little water. The water at Bardia was very salty. After the meal we were searched, very loosely, the Germans mainly looking for maps. As we were searched, we were divided into groups and marched off to another compound 300 yards away and about ten minutes walk from the sea. This was an acre in area, and after a fortnight it was holding over 1,000 men. Sickness soon became very apparent, about 40 being taken to hospital almost immediately. Dysentery was the main trouble; nine out of every ten reporting sick with dysentery did not return to the compound.

Prison Rations. Daily fatigues were organised and some of us were assigned to cooking duties, the latter having been cooks in their own units. I was one of them. The daily rations for the first five days were as follows: 4 cwt. bags of macaroni, four to six 1 lb. packets of dried potatoes, two 1 lb. packets of dried onions, one 10 lb. tin of tomato flavouring, 50 lb. of dried beans, 4 lb. of coffee beans, and 4 lb. of coffee essence; also salt and water. For breakfast we used to have a mug of coffee made from crushed beans with no sugar or milk; for lunch two litres of stew (into which everything went), for tea one litre of stew and a mug of coffee. There was always a little left over which went to the duty group , for the day. The duty group supplied fatigues for the cooks, for sanitary purposes and for going out gathering wood under guard. After a week the macaroni was cut down to two bags or else one bag of rice, and after another week we had

to take all rice. This rice was not synthetic. We preferred it to the macaroni because of its sticking propensities. The third eek rations were cut down to rice, potatoes and beans, and at night one roll of bread, which was stale, generally mouldy, often green. We , soon ran( out of bread, which was replaced by hard biscuits. Many Rumours. Meanwhile many rumours were current regarding impending relief. Spirits were raised when several South African prisoners were brought in, and spread the story that our forces were right on the point of attacking and should break through within the next few days. That was early in December. No other new prisoners were thenceforward placed in the compound. Up till that time prisoners had been coming in at frequent intervals and most of them had been directed on the wrong road by what purported to be an English M.P. outside the defences. Every instance of men taking his advice resulted in their capture, and the men were quite definite in the belief that he was either a disguised German or a fifth columnist.

The Italians were all the time encouraging us to report sick in the hope that we would be taken off by the first hospital ship and thus deplete the number to be guarded. As a result when a hospital ship did come in about 14th December, 1941, there were about 300 prospective evacuees. These were marched down to the wharf and some of them actually managed to get on board. However, a German naval officer was sufficiently suspicious to question the men about their health, and learning that they were all well, summarily sent them back to the command, meanwhile giving the Italian officers present what appeared to be a good dressing-down. No sooner had the hospital ship left than British naval forces heavily bombarded Bardia.

Scanty News. Much of the time in the compound was spent at cards or discussing various subjects, while a New Zealand padre occasionally visited us, bringing news of what he had heard was occurring outside. This was rather scanty and often erroneous. The Germans told us that Japan had entered the war two days after she had, and also about the sinking of the Prince of Wales . and the Repulse. They also told us, early in December, that Turkey had come in on the side of the Axis. They never spoke of the campaign, but scoffed at the idea of the Bardia defences being broken.

Release at Last. During the whole time the port was being intermittently bombed by the R.A.F., and this bombing reached a crescendo about two days before the town was taken, when from daylight till dark 110 bombers were counted coming over in waves of about twelve every half-hour. The Italians became very fidgety and became much more lenient in their treatment. Towards the end, they were giving cigarettes away in handfulls in an effort to reestablish goodwill.

After the town was taken, two naval guns held out for about a day, but this was taken by a patrol of Brencarriers. When the New Zealanders were released, we found in one bakehouse five tons of fresh bread, which gave the lie to the previous assertions of the Italians regarding shortage of food and there being no more flour. They found stores of food everywhere, although much had been destroyed in the systematic demolition. This latter went to such detail as taking triggers out of Luger pistols and lenses out of cameras.