The battle for antwerp, p.20
The Battle for Antwerp, page 20
“Right sir.” I went to the map which Captain Rewcastle had pinned to the wall. I think he had intended to mark our successes and progress. I saw the Het Dock. There would be cranes there and they would have a good field of fire to the mole and the main harbour. The French would be enfiladed. I used my finger to trace a route through the streets to the dock. I looked at my watch. It was 10.30. “Things are behind schedule already. Any idea how the Westkapelle landings are going?”
“Believe it or not, worse! They have lost half a dozen landing craft. At least we lost just the one.”
“Lieutenant Gregson?”
“Bought it, I am afraid. Your Lieutenant Williamson did a sterling job and saved half of the section but not John. A shame, the boy had potential.”
“He did indeed.” I shook my head as though to clear the image of the fresh faced officer who would never see the end of the war. “Right sir. I’ll be off. I’ll send a runner back with messages.”
“Good luck Tom.”
Once outside I was back in the maelstrom of explosions and gunfire. The south side of the building was protected but I knew that as soon as we left its safety we would have to endure gun fire and snipers. “Sergeants and officers to me!” As they came I hung my binoculars around my neck and tucked them in my battledress.
Lieutenant Mulgrave and the sergeants hurried to my side. “We have to winkle out the machine guns and snipers from the Het Dock area.”
“But we were supposed to be in the Old Town by now, sir!”
“I know Lieutenant but these things rarely go to plan. We are Commandos and we adapt. We do this job. We have to take pressure off the French Commandos. There are three roads and they run south west to north east. If we take three of those roads and use the buildings to our left for shelter we should reach Grave Street. We will then be just a hundred yards from their position. However, there will be little shelter from there on in. Lieutenant you and your men use the two roads to the right and I will take my men up the one to the left. We will see you there.”
“Right sir!”
“And Lieutenant, take it steadily. Check before you move. Look high and check low. If Jerry surrenders then search them and make sure they have no weapons. We are already behind schedule, another hour or two will not hurt.”
“Yes sir!”
We rejoined our men and I gathered them around me. “Lance Sergeant Hay make sure we have plenty of ammunition for the Bren. That will be our heaviest weapon. Sergeant Barker, you and Private Crowe will use the grenade launchers. Wilkinson and Emerson. Bring the rocket launcher. How many rockets do we have left?”
“Just four sir.”
“Then they will have to do. You two stick with Sergeant Poulson.”
“Sir.”
“Beaumont and Fletcher, you two will be with me and we will lead. Sergeant Poulson, tail end Charlie in case I cop one.”
“Right sir.”
“Let’s go!”
A mortar shell exploded in the road we were going to take just thirty seconds before we reached it. “Right lads! We need to shift!” We ran. I knew that the mortar would be reloading. We had to be across the street and as far down the road before it did. The three of us at the head of the section ran across the road to the shelter of the buildings and then sprinted the fifty yards to Grave Street. We crossed the street just as the mortar shell exploded in the middle of the street we had just vacated. I saw that Lieutenant Mulgrave and his section had not arrived yet.
I went to the corner of the warehouse and peered around. This was Wilhelmina Street. There was a post office at the end, not far from the dock, and they had fortified it. I saw sandbags at the end of the street and machine guns. I took out my binoculars and risked another peek. I saw men on the roofs of the buildings at the end. They were low warehouses and perfect for defence. The houses had a small wall at the top. A decorative feature, it was better protection than a sandbag. Behind them I saw the cranes. They afforded an even better view. I used the binoculars. There were grey uniforms. I had just put my glasses away and stepped back when a bullet hit the wall where I had just stood. They had snipers.
Lieutenant Mulgrave came over to me. “What now sir?”
“Nothing easy I am afraid. They have the ends of the roads blocked and men on the roofs. We will take this street. You and your men the one to the right. Move and fire. Use the buildings for cover. Do you have grenade launchers?”
“The Captain didn’t think they were of much use.”
“Mortars?”
“Yes sir, we have one.”
“Then use that to keep their heads down. Good luck, Lieutenant.”
I went to Bill Hay, “Set the Bren up here. The Germans are just over a hundred yards away. They have a wall behind which they can hide. Use the ammo sparingly but keep their heads down. Gordy, I want you and Crowe to lob three or four grenades. It will give Bill time to set up the Bren.”
“Sir!”
“The rest of you as soon as the Bren opens fire then we move. Sergeant Poulson, save the rockets for a decent target. We can’t afford to waste them.”
“Sir.”
The two grenade launchers cracked. They reloaded and as the first ones exploded they sent a second in the same direction. Bill took the opportunity to move the Bren into position. Hewitt lay next to him as loader and in case anything happened to him. As soon as the .303 bullets spat out I ran. The street was wreathed in smoke. One of the grenades had hit part of the building and ignited something. The Germans fired blindly. I saw, through the smoke, a doorway and I hurled myself through it. Fletcher and Beaumont followed me.
“See if there is a way upstairs, Beaumont. Fletcher keep a watch on the street.”
As Roger hurried away I heard the sound of the Bren. Bill was firing short bursts. I examined the room we were in. It looked to be an office of some description. There were half destroyed desks, filing cabinets and the floor was littered with half burned paper.
“Sir, there is a way up to the roof.”
“Good. Let’s go Fletcher.”
We climbed a rickety and dilapidated staircase. There was no one in the building which looked a little unsafe. Shells had damaged it. There was a hatch which led to the roof. I peered out and saw that the roof was empty. I rolled out and had my Thompson ready to fire. The door opened on to a flat walkway close to a gently sloping roof. The roof would be slippery but, more importantly, noisy. I saw that we could make our way down to the Germans who were on the roof of the last two buildings along the terrace. Their attention was on Lieutenant Mulgrave, Sergeant Poulson and the rest of the Commandos as they made their way along the street. We would have to creep along and then clamber over the small walls which gave stability to the structure. However, we could keep low and we would not be seen until we actually climbed over the walls.
I began to crawl. My two men followed me. I could see nothing as I crawled but I could hear gunfire. The two grenade launchers were firing but my two men were conserving ammunition. Bill Hay’s Bren chattered. I reached the first low wall and peered over. I saw the Germans. They were fifty yards away. I could have shot at them but there was a chance that I might have missed. We needed to be closer. I turned and said, “We roll over the wall one at a time. Jerry is just fifty yards away.”
“Sir!”
I crouched. Waiting until the grenade launcher sent another grenade I rolled over when the Germans ducked. I crawled and, once more, I could not see them. When I reached the final wall I lifted my head slowly. I was just fifteen yards away from the sandbagged German strongpoint; I was close enough. I sat with my back to the wall and took out two grenades. I had no German ones left. I would have to use Mills bombs. My two men joined me and sat with their backs to the low wall. I made the sign for the two of them to rise on my command and fire. They nodded. I mouthed, ‘One, two, three.’
On ‘three’ I rose. Pulling the pin on one grenade I hurled it high into the air. The two Thompsons on either side opened fire and I threw the second grenade. I used a flatter trajectory for the second one.
“Grenade!”
The three of us dropped like stones as the two grenades exploded. Pieces of brick and mortar whizzed over our heads. I heard moans. Standing I rolled over the wall and ran the fifteen yards to the next wall. I saw a German head rise and I fired. The bullets tore into him. There were two more strongpoints but they were thirty yards from us. I climbed into the carnage of the sandbagged position we had just destroyed. The grenades had cleared the position but the German machine gun was undamaged. It had just been knocked over. I fired my Thompson at the next position and said, “Get the German machine gun turned around.”
“Sir!”
I fired another burst at the Germans who were trying to turn their gun around to face us. Below me, in the street, I heard Sergeant Poulson roar, “At them, Commandos!” I heard the cheer rise from the street. I fired another burst and my gun clicked empty. I dropped it and drew my Colt. I saw a German pull his arm back. He was going to throw a grenade. Using the two handed grip I squeezed off four bullets. The grenade fell from the man’s dying hands.
“Grenade!”
I dropped down behind the sandbags as the German grenade scythed through the German position. Beaumont had the German gun cocked and ready as I peered through the smoke and debris. Traversing the gun my men looked for any sign of a threat from the Germans. They fired at the last machine gun as the gunners tried to turn and fire their gun at us. The four men were cut down and two others raised their hands. We had done it!
A bullet suddenly plucked at the sleeve of my battle dress. I realised it did not come from the German position but from the snipers on top of the cranes. We had snuffed out the roof top opposition and now the men on the cranes were trying to eliminate us.
“Best get your head down sir.” Beaumont turned the gun to fire at the four cranes. They were more than a hundred yards from our position and the metal struts and cabs gave good protection to the snipers. The glass of the cab helped to refract the light and they would be hard to kill. Until we destroyed them then the French and ourselves would continue to take casualties.
“Keep them under fire. I know it will be hard to hit them but your bullets will stop them firing back at us. I am going to find a rifle.”
I crawled away and searched for an undamaged German rifle. I found one close to where the Germans had surrendered and took the three clips of bullets from the dead man’s bandolier. The rifle had no sight but it was more accurate than the machine gun. I crawled back to the sandbags.
“We will have to change belts soon sir.”
“Just use short bursts, Fletcher.” I rested the rifle on the sandbags. I saw the first sniper. He was two hundred feet away. He wore a helmet. That, in itself, told me that he was not a specialist. Specialists preferred to have the sides of their head clear. The machine gun stopped firing and I saw his head rise as he prepared to fire. I fired three bullets. None of them hit him but his head jerked back down. A bullet struck the sandbag close to my head and I switched targets to the next crane. This one was closer to two hundred and thirty feet from me. This sniper also wore a helmet. Fletcher was having trouble with the belt. I saw the head rise and I squeezed two bullets off. I was lucky. One of them struck the side of the cab close to the sniper’s head and the bullet ricocheted into him. I saw the rifle tumble to the streets. Beaumont opened fire again.
“Got, you, you bugger!”
I saw the first sniper fall from the cab. That left two but they were two hundred and fifty feet from us. I had just turned to seek a new target when I heard the roar of a rocket and our rocket launcher hit one of the two cranes. It struck just below the cab. There was a crack, a creak and a groan and then the leg fell into the dock followed by the cab itself.
“Pour fire on the last crane!”
Throwing caution to the wind I emptied my clip and put a new one in. I heard the Bren and the heavy German gun as bullets smashed into the cab of the last crane. The metal had been damaged by shells and the structure could take no more punishment.
When Beaumont and I had finished firing I took out my glasses. There was no sign of life. “You two go to the last emplacement. It should overlook the dock. Secure the two Germans who surrendered. I will go and join the others. I will get you relieved.”
“Sir.”
I peered into the street. The post office had been attacked by rockets and grenades. It explained why the Germans had surrendered so quickly. I saw them being herded together on the opposite side of the street, as I walked to the hatch which led downstairs. I glanced at my watch. It was the middle of the afternoon. Once again the plan had not gone as the planners had intended.
Chapter 16
I went down through the rooms which had been recently vacated by the Germans. I saw evidence that my men and those of Lieutenant Mulgrave had cleared the buildings using grenades. Bodies littered the rooms. When I emerged into Wilhelmina Street I saw the German survivors being lined up against a wall. Sergeant Poulson came up to me, “Well done, Sergeant. That was a good use for the rockets.”
“Yes sir.” He poked his finger through the hole in my battledress. “I see you were lucky again, sir.”
“So it would appear. Did we lose any?”
He shook his head, “Our section was fine but Lieutenant Mulgrave lost two men dead and five wounded. It was those snipers.”
“Right. If you take our section upstairs Beaumont and Fletcher are setting up a defensive position to watch the dock. I will head back with these prisoners and see what the major intends.”
“And Lieutenant Mulgrave, sir?”
“He can set up a defensive position here along the dock. The Germans will have men in the shipyard too. We don’t have enough here yet. We need reinforcements.”
“Right sir.”
He went to gather the section. “Lieutenant Mulgrave.”
“Sir.” He ran over.
“Give me a sergeant and four men. I will take these prisoners back to the Oranje Mill. I have my men setting up a CP on the roof. I want your men to build a barricade from the end of the street to the dock. Jerry might try a counterattack from the shipyard.”
“Right sir. It went well!”
“We lost men, Lieutenant. When we don’t lose men then we can say it went well.”
“Yes sir, sorry sir. Sergeant Pendlebury, take four men and go with Captain Harsker.”
“Sir.”
“We will march these prisoners back to the Headquarters.”
“Yes sir.”
These German soldiers were just line infantry. All the fight looked to have gone from them but I knew that we needed to exercise our authority of they could cause trouble. Sergeant, search them. Look for hidden weapons. Check their boots for knives.”
“Sir!”
Lieutenant Mulgrave said, “But they have surrendered sir!”
“And they might just decide that freedom sounds better. This way we have no surprises. Always search your prisoners!” He nodded. I shouted, in German to the prisoners after they had been searched, “You will move back down the road with my men. Do not try anything.”
Their sagging shoulders and despondent look told me that they had had enough of war. When we reached the Oranje I saw that the numbers of captured men had increased. There were two platoons of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers watching them. I saw more signs of organisation. There were a couple of fires and huge cauldrons of water being boiled. The British Army was good at improvising. Uncle Beach, however, was empty. There were ships neither landing nor leaving. It explained why the German prisoners were still here.
“Right Sergeant, you may rejoin the Lieutenant.”
He pointed to the boiling kettles of water, “Sir, any chance of us taking some water back. The lads’ll be gagging for a brew.”
“Of course Sergeant.” I remembered the dugout we had cleared twelve hours earlier. “If you go into that dugout you should find couple of dixies.”
“Thanks sir, you are a gent!”
I went into the Oranje Mill. Major Boucher-Myers was there smoking and he was talking to Captain Rewcastle and a Major of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. “Well, Captain Harsker, how did it go?”
“We took the southern side of the Het Docks but the Germans still occupy the shipyard. We didn’t have enough men to assault it.”
“I know, Captain. Major Thompson here is the most senior officer to have landed from the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. The German shells are making it too difficult for the landing craft. We are losing too many men before they even land. We are suspending operations until after dark. Then we can land more men. I will get reinforcements to you as soon as I can.”
“Communications are a little difficult, sir. We can’t ask for support in a hurry.”
“I know. We are short of radios. We have more coming with the next landing craft. You will have a radio as soon as we get one. How are you off for ammunition and food?”
I smiled, “If you can’t land men sir, then I think it highly unlikely that you have either ammunition of food. Don’t worry. We will forage. We don’t mind using German weapons.”
“Good man. I want you to get some food and then be ready to go into action again. Keep Lieutenant Mulgrave with you. When you leave he can take over. Your part in all of this should have ended when we arrived. Sorry about this, Harsker!”
“We are part of the Brigade sir. We don’t mind.” I turned to Major Thompson, “And good luck to you, sir. The reinforcements you have brought are more than welcome.”
“I feel like a spare part here. Those men guarding the prisoners are virtually the whole of my force at the moment!”
“Don’t be in too much of a rush sir. The Germans are not giving up without a fight. There are more of them dying than surrendering.”
I headed back to the new CP. I went first to inform Lieutenant Mulgrave of the new orders. “I would have one man in four on watch and let the rest sleep. We may be doing some night fighting. A tired man makes mistakes.”
