Superb Website with (so far) 187 Veteran accounts of ww2, endlessly fascinating and at least one of the contributors may be....... oddly familiar. http://www.normandy1944.info/index.html Cheers, Adam.
Superb Website with (so far) 187 Veteran accounts of ww2, endlessly fascinating and at least one of the contributors may be....... oddly familiar. http://www.normandy1944.info/index.html Cheers, Adam. Yes, I like the account with the roller.
Yes I must confess it is me.... I am the garden roller man. Oh Lord was I young then. Sapper One likes to think that military discipline or no you'd have to be damned young not to give the truly sensible response of "stick your garden roller where the sun don't shine!". What are we talking here Sapper? Hundreds of spikes? or less, how long spikes?... and how long the handle?? I can't imagine the look on someone's face as they pushed the thing along.... and what poor sod discovered it was no good on rough ground?? A good illustration of how desperate the mine situation had become though? Cheers, Adam.
One thing I would not do previously, is write about the Garden Roller debacle, Then I managed to get hold of the Company war diary for that period, It cost me £76. But it was worth it, for here now, I could point to the proof of this operation. What happened was that in Holland Schu mines had been laid in their tens of thousands. Schu mines are undetectable, so they have to be "Prodded" for, on your hands and knees, often under fire.(The enemy knew where the minefield was) All in a line prodding with a bayonet to find a mine that was ready to blow up in your face. all the time with the danger of being straddled with mortar or shell fire. Not nice. Meanwhile, day after day the casualties came in, a stump of a leg hanging over the side of the stretcher. A bit of ivory and blood streaked bone, half covered with a muddy blood soaked khaki blanket. If you are "Lucky" when you tread on the mine, you will be in the point of stride with your legs together... you will lose one, or two feet. If you are lucky again! the flesh around that severed foot, or feet will have been "ruched" up what remains of your leg, or legs. (Concertenia like) That will enable flesh to cover the stump/s. If the flesh is "Flayed and shredded" you will lose a lot more leg, because there is no skin and flesh to cover the stump/s You may now wonder why I use the term "Lucky" when talking about losing ones feet. Let me explain further. If the point of stride is with "legs apart" when the explosion comes, then, as you may have already surmised, the blast will be much worse. The lower part of the Torso will be open to the full blast. You will probably lose your genitals, as like the rest of your lower abdomen,it will be a bit of a bloody mess. You will never know the joy of the love of a woman. You will never father children of your own. Your life as a man... will be pretty bloody awful. Can you understand now why we went to such ends to save mens lives? That was not the only thing we tried. We also treid running a Bren carrier up and down over the mines.,but all it did was blow the tracks off. More tea Vicar! This is the reality of war. having been wounded twice myself, it is something I know a lot about... first hand. Sapper
Why is it that the recall of many events are often queried? Anyone want to doubt my word Come to my home and have a look at the evidence .
I would not doubt your story for a second. It made wonderful reading, and I can understand that in those circumstances you would be willing to try just about anything! It is too daft to have been made up!!
You would be surprised just how much the Veterans are disbelieved. To such an extent that many will not talk about their actions to those that have not seen battle. The reason I am willing to talk? is that a great friend of mine avowed that we old Veterans have a duty to pass on what happened in those far off days. He isno longer with us. Sapper
Sapper you have my utmost respect after reading that. Clearing those mines in those conditions must have been terrible. Thank you Alex
You may be interested in this little bit of Ifo. 8th of November 1944. "Coy took part in Anti-schumine device demonstration to the Div. Air Chief Marshal Tedder (Monty's 2IC) and to Corps comd" Sapper
