Honey tanks - Page 4

Ron Goldstein · 11-03-2007, 01:04 AM

Owen
Thanks for the pics
You can see how bloody exposed we were !

I wrote the above last night, now, the next morning, and having had a chance to study the pics in more detail, can I draw your attention to image 16939 ?

This clearly shows the 30 Browning fore-mounted that I mention in something I posted on the BBC WW2 Archives, as below:

Friday 13th. April 1945
Moved over Santerno. Some M.G. nuisance and one H.E. about twenty yards away. Bags of prisoners, Kiss from Signora. "Liberatoris !". Chasing after tedeschis with 30 browning blazing!
The Browning machine gun referred to was rarely fired in anger, the exception being on this one occasion when I nearly killed Hewie our Stuart Tank driver.
We had been on the move all day and the Germans were surrendering left, right and centre. To our left, about two hundred yards away, German infantry were climbing out of slit trenches with their hands high and we were gesturing to them to get behind us and to make their way to the rear.
Suddenly someone to our right opened light rifle fire at us and Busty (SSM ‘Busty’ Thomas) lost patience and yelled at me "Let the bastards have it!" Hewie swung the tank to the right so we could face the new threat and I started firing non-stop, without giving Hewie a chance to drop his adjustable seat down below the level of fire belching from the Browning. A horrified Busty yelled: "Get down you stupid bastard!" and to my immediate relief Hewie disappeared from view before I could hit him.

The article itself can be seen here:
BBC - WW2 People's War - Diary Entries 11th April 1945

Ron

Owen · 11-03-2007, 11:17 AM

Great story Ron, Thanks.

von Poop · 18-03-2007, 08:32 PM

Veering off the specifically 'Honey' theme again somewhat there are lot's of video's of the Tanks In Town do In Mons on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22tanks+in+town%22
There are some Stuarts on there too.. honest.

Owen · 20-03-2007, 01:11 AM

I'm trying to resist the urge to post more IWM photos, but this one just doesn't have the "feel" of a WW2 era photo, just feels too modern, if you understand what I mean. Looks more like the A419 just by our house.

BU 4972 Stuart tanks of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 11th Armoured Division, drive along an autobahn towards Lubeck, 2 May 1945.

11-03-2007, 01:04 AM	#31 (permalink)
Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: London, England Posts: 813	Owen Thanks for the pics You can see how bloody exposed we were ! I wrote the above last night, now, the next morning, and having had a chance to study the pics in more detail, can I draw your attention to image 16939 ? This clearly shows the 30 Browning fore-mounted that I mention in something I posted on the BBC WW2 Archives, as below: Friday 13th. April 1945 Moved over Santerno. Some M.G. nuisance and one H.E. about twenty yards away. Bags of prisoners, Kiss from Signora. "Liberatoris !". Chasing after tedeschis with 30 browning blazing! The Browning machine gun referred to was rarely fired in anger, the exception being on this one occasion when I nearly killed Hewie our Stuart Tank driver. We had been on the move all day and the Germans were surrendering left, right and centre. To our left, about two hundred yards away, German infantry were climbing out of slit trenches with their hands high and we were gesturing to them to get behind us and to make their way to the rear. Suddenly someone to our right opened light rifle fire at us and Busty (SSM ‘Busty’ Thomas) lost patience and yelled at me "Let the bastards have it!" Hewie swung the tank to the right so we could face the new threat and I started firing non-stop, without giving Hewie a chance to drop his adjustable seat down below the level of fire belching from the Browning. A horrified Busty yelled: "Get down you stupid bastard!" and to my immediate relief Hewie disappeared from view before I could hit him. The article itself can be seen here: BBC - WW2 People's War - Diary Entries 11th April 1945 Ron __________________ If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? Rabbi Hillel circa 30 BCE I was "Called-up" in Oct 1942 Served as a Wireless-Op with the 49th LAA (78 Div) from Apr 1943 to Dec 1944 (North Africa,Sicily,Italy, Egypt). The Regiment was disbanded in Dec 1944 and I was retrained (in Italy) by the Royal Armoured Corps. Served as a Loader-Op with the 4th QOH from Mar 1945 to Jan 1946 (Italy, Austria, Germany) Finished up as Tech Cpl for "A" Sqdrn. I was "De-mobbed" in Apr 1947 Last edited by Ron Goldstein; 11-03-2007 at 07:30 AM.

18-03-2007, 08:32 PM	#33 (permalink)
von Poop I Like Tanks Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Perfidious Albion. Posts: 8,364	Veering off the specifically 'Honey' theme again somewhat there are lot's of video's of the Tanks In Town do In Mons on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22tanks+in+town%22 There are some Stuarts on there too.. honest. __________________ It's only the Internet.

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11-03-2007, 11:17 AM	#32 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 9,306	Great story Ron, Thanks.

20-03-2007, 01:11 AM	#34 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 9,306	I'm trying to resist the urge to post more IWM photos, but this one just doesn't have the "feel" of a WW2 era photo, just feels too modern, if you understand what I mean. Looks more like the A419 just by our house. BU 4972 Stuart tanks of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 11th Armoured Division, drive along an autobahn towards Lubeck, 2 May 1945.

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