243513 John Michael BARNE, MC, 3 Scots Guards

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    Name Barne, John Michael
    Rank: Lieutenant
    Service No: P/243513
    Regiment: 3 Tank Battalion Scots Guards
    Theatre of Combat or Operation: North West Europe 1944-45
    Award: Military Cross
    Date of Announcement in London Gazette: 01 March 1945


    6th Guards Tank Brigade, 8 Corps
    P/243513 War Substantive Lieutenant John Michael BARNE, 3rd Tank Battalion SCOTS GUARDS

    On 6th August 1944 during the attack on ESTRY by 227th (H) BRIGADE, supported by 3rd Tank Battalion SCOTS GUARDS, Lieutenant BARNE was in command of a troop of tanks in support of 'C' Company, 10th Battalion HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.

    About 1930 hours as the attack was approaching ESTRY crossroads 'C' Company was held up by very heavy automatic fire from some hedgerows about 200 yards in front. The Company Commander therefore asked Lieutenant BARNE to try and silence the fire adding that he suspected it to be a tank.

    Lieutenant BARNE at once went forward on foot to try and exactly locate what was holding them up but was stopped by enemy infantry fire from a flanking hedgerow, before he had located the position. He then attempted to find a way round the left flank, but this was hopeless owing to a very deep sunken lank. The right flank was already known to be impossible.

    By now the attack was being seriously held up and the infantry were suffering casualties from the extremely heavy shell, Machine Gun and mortar fire. Lieutenant BARNE therefore told the Company Commander that he would attack frontally. Leaving therefore one tank to give covering fire he lead forward with his own tank and the third in close support. Only small arms fire was encountered until the second hedgerow was reached, but when as he was unable to see from the near side, he was forced to take his tank over the bank into the field beyond he saw a PANTHER sitting in the ruins of a house on the other side of the field; he fired at it and hit it, but failed to knock it out, the PANTHER then fired and hit his tank setting it on fire. The whole crew got out safely and started to crawl back to our own infantry, but on arrival Lieutenant BARNE found that two were missing. He therefore informed the Company Commander of the situation, asked him to get up an Anti-Tank S.P. gun and then returned to find the remaining two. He found them both dead not far from the tank killed by the very heavy Machine Gun fire, to which the tank was still being subjected. He therefore returned to the infantry, got hold of the S.P. Anti-Tank gun and brought it forward to a place from which it was able to engage and successfully knock out the enemy tank, and the infantry were thus able to continue their advance.

    Lieutenant BARNE's cool courage and conduct when under extremely heavy fire was gallant in the extreme and his determination to get his infantry forward regardless of personal cost was beyond praise.

    15th November 1944
    Awarded Immediate Military Cross
     

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