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Praetorium Honoris

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Somewhere Near Sollum, the Western Desert

British Crusader tanks in North Africa
Imperial War Museum
Sergeant Theodore O'Connell wasn't entirely happy with their new tank, a Crusader Mark II (officially "Tank, Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader). He had hoped for one of the Mark IIIs with their 6-pounder guns, even though it would have meant losing one of his crewmen.

As it was though, the Mark II was slightly up-armored from the older Mark Is. All in all though, a bigger gun, with high explosive rounds available, would have been nice.

The new crewman, to replace Herbie Walsh - killed in action on Crete, was an Irishman, leaving McTavish as still the only non-Irishman in the crew. Private Ian Sullivan was a small fellow, very wiry and rugged though. having spent time as a miner in South Africa before the war. He had a shock of red hair and the most wicked sense of humor. He seemed a good lad.

Their regiment, 3rd Royal Tanks, had been badly used in the Greek campaign so was now undergoing a period of re-organization. To give some of the new men battle experience, elements of the regiment, including O'Connell and his men, had been moved up to take part in an attack meant to relieve the men surrounded in Tobruk. They would be temporarily attached to the 2nd Royal Tanks in the 7th Armoured Brigade.

At the moment they were in reserve just short of the border with Libya. All of the men were nervous, the African desert was hot, without appreciable landmarks away from the coast, and the flies were a constant pain. One couldn't eat without being covered in "the wee bastards" as McTavish put it.

The rumors of the forces arrayed against them also were troubling. The German Afrika Korps had a reputation for toughness and a tactical savvy which seemed to overwhelm some men before they even had faced them.

The Italians had been nearly driven out of Libya altogether after their weak attempt to invade Egypt. All seemed well in hand until this fellow Rommel burst out of his defenses near El Agheila and drove the British all the way back to Sollum. At least the British had managed to hold on to Tobruk, the only really viable port along the coast between Alexandria and El Agheila.

Now they waited for the order to attack.

Deutsches Afrika Korps PzKw II
(Source)
Oberfeldwebel Weber asked Hoffmeister if he had any questions.

"None Kurt. We let the English roll up to our anti-tank screen, once they start maneuvering, and dying, we move out and sweep round their flank. Seems straightforward."

"Sehr gut, get your boys in position, I want you out on the far right flank, keep an eye out there. It looks like empty desert but the Tommies love to run their patrol cars out there and then get in behind us. Plays havoc with the supply boys. So if you want to keep getting paid, protect the rear."

As Hoffmeister walked back to Panzer 413, he rolled the sleeves down on his shirt. It was beastly hot out and he'd already gotten bit by the hot skin of 413. Best to grab the parts not directly in the sun, though that was damned near impossible most days.

"Uffz! Are we ready to strike and bring down the mighty British Empire today?" Horst Krebs called down from where he was standing in the commander's cupola, keeping an eye on the surrounding terrain.

"Not yet, we're to stand fast and let them come to us. After the Paks¹ have worked them over, we roll up and kill the survivors. At least that's the plan!"

"Ah, let them come, we'll send them home in pine boxes!" Ulrich Neuhäuser shouted as he climbed up on to the hull before sliding into his seat behind the bow gun.

"Bloodthirsty today lad?" Hoffmeister asked him.

"Did I say something wrong Uffz?"

Lutz Schumacher, their new replacement, answered before Hoffmeister could. "Not much to put in a box after a Panzer burns, lad. Theirs, ours. doesn't matter. They scrape you off the inside of the hull, or turret, then put you in a shoebox and bury you next to where you died."

"My aren't you the optimist?" Krebs said as he lowered himself into his driver's seat.

"Enough chatter lads, mount up, leave your hatches open for now. When we start rolling, we'll button up, no sense baking in the meantime."

The men got into their positions, for now Willi Hoffmeister stood on the turret and watched with his field glasses. As he looked out towards where the Great Sand Sea began, the heat made everything in the distance shimmer. He wondered if he'd even be able to make out a scout car driving past with that in the background.

As he turned to look to his front, he could see dust plumes in the distance, the Tommies were moving. That's when it struck him, he'd see the dust plumes from the scout cars, if not the cars themselves.

"Mein Gott, it's hot out here." Hoffmeister grumbled.

"Come sit with us Uffz, at least you're in the open air. It's like a f**king oven in here." Horst Krebs called up from inside the turret.

"Ja, ja, I know Horst, I know. But at least you're in the shade!"

Hoffmeister heard Schumacher grumbling, "Shade my arse. I could bake bread in here!"

"Settle down boys, the Tommies are moving up, I trust we'll be rolling soon. Patience, the Wüstenfuchs² knows his business." Then to himself Hoffmeister muttered, "I hope."




¹ Paks - Slang for the anti-tank men, Pak is the abbreviation for Panzerabwehrkanone - anti-tank gun.
² Desert Fox (German) one of Rommel's nicknames.

24 comments:

  1. Sun, heat, and flies all seem like miserable conditions (but a dry heat, ha ha). Plus combat being waged. Water and shade are the only refuge in that geography during the 1940s. Water supply is an important commodity I’ll wager. I couldn’t become a Desert Rat fan of 1960s television because we couldn’t receive abc stations in my hometown. Those as old as myself who did watch it are likely reminded of it. I’ve a son who served in the Army in Iran and Afghanistan. At least there is some A/C equipped vehicles in the 21st c.
    Soldiers of WWII Africa suffered so much.

    Franknbean

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    1. Easy to get lost too. Vehicle movements in North Africa were sometimes compared to being at sea. Little in the way of landmarks, shifting sand changing the landscape, very, very few towns. Nasty, it's why they mostly stuck to the coast and its sparse road network.

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    2. Crusty Old TV Tech here. Yep, radio navigation, once GPS receivers got small and rugged enough to put in armored vehicles, that changed desert warfare tactics significantly I would wager. It sure did in the air and sea, especially GPS's predecessors, GEE/Loran-A. Knowing where you are seems simple, but if you don't...you stick to known landmarks. In the air, it's IFR, "I Fly Roads".

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    3. The tactics haven't changed really, but maneuvering got more efficient. Folks know where they are.

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    4. A perhaps little-known book is "Pipeline to Battle" by Peter Rainier describing how the Brits developed a network of water pipelines to supply troops in the desert and how critical they were to any successful attack.

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    5. Haven't seen that one, might be interesting.

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  2. They need A/C to keep the electronics cool, but it does have a nice secondary benefit.
    Yeah, water and shade are vital, a little wind helps until it turns into a shamal or haboob.
    We didn't have A/C but we did have the flax Desert Water Bags which cooled by evaporation. They used to be ubiquitous in the American Southwest and are now impossible to find.
    Boat Guy

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    1. 1940s North Africa, electronics? Oh yeah, the radio and that's about it.

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  3. The flies, the heat, the vast sameness and both sides get their teams together. I hadn't thought about the flies...

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    1. The flies were awful, trying to eat wasn't for the squeamish.

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  4. North Africa, where not only the enemy is trying to kill you, but the land is also.

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  5. This period saw a series of advances and retreats, as one side was pushed back to their home bases, other side had their logistics stretched, equipment worn out, and air support having to fly longer. Rommel won a series of wins in 1941, laid siege to Tobruk, and was pushed back to eventually bounce back again in his greatest offensive in 1942... But by then allies had US in the fight and full industrial might coming to bear, resulting in pincer of of El Alamein and Torch coming to crush Axis in Africa forever.
    Brits have made big error getting sidetracked to Greece, losing lots of troops and stuff there, instead of finishing off Italians in Libya before Rommel showed up. Would save up a lot of lives...

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  6. haven't noticed anything about Panzerschokolade or did I miss it?

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    1. No, you didn't miss it. This is something way overblown lately. Do people seriously think we didn't issue similar things to our own troops? I doubt it will receive even a passing mention at any point in this tale. Didn't get mentioned in the first book either.

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  7. Good scene setting Sarge!

    juvat

    Testing commenting via iPad. Can’t sign in to Google

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    1. Thanks juvat.

      Gargle has been goofy as of late, particularly on certain browsers.

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  8. Yes, the inside of a tank can get dangerously hot. Don't leave your baby inside if you go shopping!

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Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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