Crusader (A Novel of WWII Tank Warfare), Jack Murray [top romance novels .txt] 📗

‘How did it go?’ asked Manfred.

‘We battered them, Manfred. You’ve no idea. They were sittingducks. Their tanks can’t take it. We must have destroyed all their tanks. Therewas a Tommy in a car. You wouldn’t believe it. He was driving up and down leadingthem. We just kept firing at them all afternoon. The only reason we stopped wasbecause we ran out of ammunition. So we had to pull back. We were to withdraweast ten kilometres south of Gambut that night. It was after midnight when Iwent to sleep. I’ve never slept so well, Manfred. Next morning we travelled overthe Trigh Capuzzo to the northern escarpment. We didn’t do much to be honest.We made our repairs and waited for orders. Then we moved back to the southernescarpment because we still had to finish off the British armour.’

‘Sounds like you’ve been on holiday,’ said Manfred, grinning.

‘Holiday’s over, then. We’re making ready to launch an attacktonight.’

Basler, meanwhile, had just returned from organising a tank forthe boys. It was likely they would be together in one of the tanks recoveredfrom the battlefield that had not been too badly damaged. This was a nightlychore which, in the past, had often seen German soldiers in contact with theirBritish counterparts recovering tanks. There was rarely any attempt to continuethe battle. They had a job to do at that moment which did not involve killing.

‘Come with me,’ said Basler.

The lieutenant led them down the leaguer to a tank which wasbrightly lit up. A maintenance crew was working on it. The noise being mademust have carried for miles in the silence of the desert, thought Manfred. Sittingby the tank were a couple of men that Manfred had seen before but did not knowwell.

Lieutenants Peters and Thurow looked up as Basler arrived with thethree boys. The two lieutenants acknowledged one another.

‘Who are they?’

‘Stragglers from yesterday.’

‘God in heaven,’ said Lieutenant Peters.

‘Have you got room for them?’

‘Yes,’ replied Peters. ‘A few of my boys have dysentery.’

‘I’ll leave them with you,’ said Basler. ‘I have to go now.’

Manfred joined Fischer in Peters’ tank while Thurow took Kohleroff to join another crew. Although neither said as much, both Manfred andFischer were happy with the arrangement. Kohler was a morose presence. Hedidn’t feel ‘lucky’.

What Manfred knew of Peters was positive. He’d been over since thebeginning. Fischer, meanwhile, was already inspecting the tank. It had receivedan almighty battering.

‘Not very pretty, is it?’ said Peters to Fischer. He stood up andintroduced the other tank members. Corporal Werner was the tank gunner, He wasin his thirties with shrewd eyes and deep lines on his forehead.

The driver was a small, bespectacled Austrian called Lang. Helooked like a travelling salesman for Bosch. Manfred was amused to see Fischerbristling at the relative ‘demotion’ back to wireless operator. Theintroductions were quick because it was apparent, much to Manfred’s horror,that they were preparing to pull out. A swift glance at Fischer and he saw thesame thought was racing through the Bavarian’s head.

‘No rest for the wicked,’ whispered Fischer when the others wereout of earshot.

A few minutes later the crew were inside the tank and waiting forthe order to march. The lieutenant used the time to allow the new arrivals tointroduce themselves and explain what their experience had been thus far.

‘I’m sorry about Overath and Kastner. They were good men,’ said Peterswhen Fischer had finished. Then his attention turned to the tank. He pointed tothe wireless and then the breech, ‘I presume you can all do these jobs.’

Manfred and Fischer responded immediately ‘Yes, sir’.

-

 Major Fenski’s voice came over the radio.

‘Close formation. This is not a time to get lost.’

It wasn’t. It was after ten o’clock at night and visibility wasfrom the lights from the tank directly in front. The atmosphere inside the tankwas the opposite of tense. The men were tired from days of continuous fightingand lack of sleep. Neither Manfred nor Fischer were alone in their exhaustion.A lumpy confusion reigned in the tank. The reasons for making a reconnaissanceaccepted without question by men too tired to sleep.

Manfred looked at the tired, dull eyes of the crew and hoped theywould not encounter any enemy. The weariness would dull their reactions andendanger them. It made no sense to Manfred to take such a risk.

However, in this he was wrong. Youth gives you vigour andendurance, but experience brings insight and empathy. Manfred was about tolearn that the enemy could feel as he did. Sleep-deprived tiredness left themdetached from the very things that could ensure their survival. But men likeCramer, like Fenski knew that victories were as likely to be forged in managingexhaustion as they were in equipment, supply lines and tactics.

It was by accident that Cramer ran into the Allied 4thArmoured Brigade’s headquarters. A happy meeting between coincidence andopportunity. A white Very Light, sent up by the HQ to guide Brigadier Gatehouseon the road to attend a conference, revealed to Cramer the presence of a largenumber of Allied armoured vehicles only a matter of metres away. He orderedFenski’s battalion to attack.

Manfred heard the radio crackle as the extraordinary situationbecame clear. An electric current seemed to surge through the tank. There wasno time to feel fear. The enemy had, quite literally, been caught sleeping.

‘Kummel and Steifelmayer move to the left of the perimeter.Kertscher, Weinert to the right. Commence free fire on my orders’

Fenski’s panzer ran forward into the middle of the assembly areafollowed by one other tank. Meanwhile Lieutenant Bock began sending up Verylights.

‘Panzers turn on your headlights,’ ordered Fenski. ‘Free fire.

The Allied headquarters was now completely illuminated by the lightsof the German tanks and completely at their mercy. Manfred was shocked at thespeed with which events were occurring. He heard some machine gun fire and hepeered through his periscope. He and Peters saw it at the same moment.

‘Some tanks are making a break,’ shouted Manfred.

‘Traverse left and load,’ ordered Peters.

Moments later Werner confirmed he had them in his sights. Manfredopened the breech and loaded a cartridge.

‘Fire,’ ordered Peters.

‘Yes,’ shouted Werner triumphantly. Manfred watched the Honey tankexplode. Another one, nearby, went