It is now May and it was at this time, exactly 66 years ago in Italy, that me and my tank crew, along with the rest of the Lord Strathcona's Horse were preparing to cross the Melfa River. Supported by the Royal Westminster Regiment, this daring crossing would exploit a hole in the Hitler Line and a victory would mean striking at Rome itself but boy, was it difficult. I led B Company of the Strathcona's and all throughout the battle, we were being fired at by enemy artillery from nearby Mount Cairo and the narrow roads leading to the Melfa were merely donkey paths through vineyards. To top it off, we would be facing against the battle-hardened 90th Panzergrenadier Division from the North Africa campaign. I saw to it that each tank in my company was outfitted with a pair of Bren guns, a PIAT (Projector Infantry Anti-Tank gun), and with a detailed map of the battle plan. A Company of the Strathcona's and the Royal Westminsters had already established a tiny bridgehead before us, but they were lightly-armed and being driven back by a German armoured counterattack. It was tricky, but by midnight, we managed to bring in our heavily-armed Shermans across to strengthen our lines and break the counter-attack. My tank crew personally took out two German Panzer IVs. The Germans fought back with their mortars and nebelwerfers but our tanks quickly routed them and I was rewarded the Distinguished Service Order. Fellow veterans, what difficult missions have you ever taken part in?
I remember 70 years ago, during the Battle of Britain, the German's Air Force or Luftwaffe was gaining on British Ground. The German's advanced Messerschmidt and BF-110 were quite a force to be reckoned with. As a result, most of my squadron was down and I was one of the few survivors to evade destruction of my Hurricane. Suddenly, 3 German Messerschmidts were on my tail and it was a huge effort to avoid their heavy firing. One of them shot the edge of my wing, it was not severe, but it would need repairing if I continued to be airborne. With the Germans still on my tail, I was sure I was done for. Thankfully, the well trained and experienced Polish fighters on our side easily shot all 3 of them down. It was a close call.
ReplyDeleteI remember later into the War, I had to transport supplies through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Unfortunately for me and my crew, we did this back in the summer of 1942 - right when the Germans were breaking through there. We were lucky to have made it out alive. Mind you, my boat was penetrated on the starboard side, and was dangerously close to sinking when we got into harbour for repairs. Got to be mindful of those U-boat aambushes.
ReplyDeleteI think many of our veterans would remember the Canadian bloodbath that was Dieppe, an astounding 68 years ago. It was just pure bad luck, beginning from a little fight on the English Channel. Our regiment was certainly hit hard. Due to that pointless fight with the German convoy, we arrived on France's shores late. Evidently, while our ship took its good time in eventually arriving, the Germans were already there, way more than prepared. Their forces were heavily armed with Schmeissers, Nebelwerfers, and even Panzerfausts. They were prepared to obliterate us. We were quickly forced to surrender this area to the Germans. Hard to believe that my troops and I made it out alive. For leading my soldiers to survival, I was promoted from Master Gunner Third Class (Warrant Officer Class II) to Master Gunner Second Class (Warrant Officer Class I).
ReplyDelete(Major Rey Hypolito T.)
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult mission for me was when I was saving those poor stranded soldiers on the banks of Juno Beach. My crew carried as many as we could without sinking our ship but there were just so many. To top that off there were air raids coming down over us and ships were blowing up left center and front. There was no place to look to calm your mind. It was just pure carnage. That did not even feel like war. It felt more like a genocide.