Echoes of the North African Campaign
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Being the Story of Two Trips Covering a Distance of Nearly 2,000 Miles
By Trooper D. G. Owen
FIE scene is an Ordnance lorry' park near Cairo, and the time about 6 o'clock on a February morning I am feeling the effects of a high-pressure party '' terminating
at 2 a.M with reveille exactly two hours later: I am • one of thirty
Tankies " about to rejoin our units after various adventures and hospital spells. . In front of us are 30 trucks of every size, shape and make, lined up m three rows.
" Right," says the Ordnance 5,1‘1., " you. 30 ' Tankies are-taking these wagons toBenghazi. You will have one OrdnanCe person on each wagon as passenger. We leave at G.I5 sharp O.K. lads, grab a truck eachl " About the most sensible thing rye heard a S M. say—short and to the point.
It was just like a Massed-start. We tore across the 20yds. to the wagons :.ind staked Our claim. I chose an open 15-cwt.. Bedford without hood or windscreens. I figured it would be fairly, snappy, and knew it Would be light to handle, and I like the Bedford gearbox.
We checked levels and pressures, got the 'engines warmed up nicely and shoved o.ur kit on board. . In about 5 ruins, we were lined up. on the-road an set for a 950-mile journey, The thrillof that Moment will always be one of my happiest memories in this very wearying war, The pulsating wagons, wreathed in the grey mist of their exhausts—these fumet mingled with the smell of the desert wafting on the coot morning breeze—the clean blue African sky above, and ahead, what seemed limitless miles withnothing to do but drive! Oh boy, this was worth waiting for. Being a fitter, I don't get much driving, but this was right up my alley.
A .Good Passenger .
My passenger was a lively little Scotsman with a fund of tales of his desert experience. He had been in the Middle East for about 2i years, and had been ut the various manceuvres up and down the desert, before the Alamein [Nish. Ile was in the siege of Tobruk, ,and " once saved the life of the S.M. in charge of thecortvoy—a most satiSfactory companion.
Our route was right through the centre" .of Cairo to Gezira, past the
Pyramids, then right, the desert road to.Alexandria. The first stop was after about 20 miles when we filled dp with petrol and oil and took on some cans. It was a well organized petrol " point, and we were .all away again in .about 6 rnins. " Useful blokes for pit attendants," I tlibught.
•• We had a slow, ran to Mariopolisabout 100 miles. at 26 m.p.h. I found. this very trying, but it, was all.. for the best as all the vehicles were a bit tight. Here we again refuelled, and then pulled out to Amiriza for the night.'
Smite. of us decided to have a " do " in Alexandria. We. organized a highly "succeSaftil and "convivial evening and managed to " thurrib'' our way back to camp on an. A.E.C. gun tractor. A, most awe-inspiring experience this,
partictilarly as some of us were feelina a little " tired,"
We slept until " 10 hours " the next morning, and didn't pull out until the., afternoon, as we were waiting for. some 3-tonners which had gone doWn to the docks. A run of only 30 miles and we pulled to Bourg et Arab for the night. Quite a picnic.
Jock and I thought we would try our hand as cookS, and prepared the evening meal and the " cha." -Everyone seemed satisfied—no one died—so we did the -job for the rest of the trip. -I quite enjoyed sitting around the blazing fire yarning and sipping tea, and then roiling up in the .old blanket in the utmost content.
We Take the Lead We were off before the first light With Mersa Matruh as our destinatiam After about 20 miles the convoy commander had a blocked fuel pipe and told Jock and me to lead on until he caught us up.
I took them along at a steady " 35," which was quite a good pace for a
convoy on that road. After about 80 miles' we palled up at a ." Naafi" near Daba. We found we had covered about 100 miles in just over 3 hrs, and II was feeling quite pleased with life.
This being before breakfast we had worked up quite an appetite and descended on the " Naafi " like a pack of wolves. They soon had us served and sated, bless 'ern, and soon the Commander arrived, to take over again at his more sedate progression. We • took our mid-day meal on the Alamein battlefield. It looked very for lorn, with a fe.w Arabs scratching about for, what they could find. Burnt-out
trucks, Tanks 'and guns littered the roadsides for miles. " A bit different from the last time I saw it," I thought grimly.
Approaching Mersa, our C.C. went on ahead to arrange for fuel and sleeping accommodation. Jock and I again led the convoy, and owing to my speed and poor route marking overshot the entrance to the petrol point. We led the convoy into the " Exit " and caused no little excitement, MuCh hand waving and basic English—but it was too late. We were in "and we stayed put until refuelled. Fortunately, the point was empty or we should alt have had y I . to reverse and come in the right
Mersa we found to be very badly knocked' about, and we saw' no one brit , Service personnel, Most of us slept .by our trucks, and the next morning we
had a bit of luck. Jock met a triend who told hini where he could pick up a four-gallon tin of wine at Barce, several hundred miles farther on. I was a bit cynical about this treasure trove.
but hoped for the best, Off we went again at a steady pace, the Bedford running very sweetly. The motor had eased oft nicely, and there were no flat spots. The wind was very
cold in the early morning, arid in the absence of windscreens it made itself felt. I soon got used to it, however, and the sting of the wind brought back iileasarit memories of my motorcycling
• days in winter, back in Blighty before the war, That night we reached Bua-bua after riding over extremely bad roads for
• about 3 hrs. Our speed during this period was never above 10 mph., and the dust was choking and blinding." We stopped again that night outside the ubiquitous "Naafi," spending.
the evening 'playing cards by candlelight, and sleeping by the trucks as usual, Rising with the sun, we pushed
` on along appalling roads to the famous Hellfire Pass, which Was reached at
• mid-day.
The Bedford made light work of the steep climb, and I am sure it would have made a fast climb in " third " had I not to keep station behind the 3-ton Bedford leading the convoy. This 3-tonner carried our rations and the convoy commander. It was driven by an R.A.S.C, corporal, and his sole job for months on end was to lead convoys from Cairo to Benghazi; being allowed 18 days for the double trip. What a piece of cake! Inuther fancied mysell landing a job like that, but I'm not so Incky.
On Hellfire Pass • It was quite a novel experience to be able to look down on the tops of the trucks following us up the Pass, whilst the view out over the bay and the tiny harbour was well worth seeing. After lunch the C.C. went on ahead to make various contacts in Tobruk, near which we were to halt.
Once again Jock and I were charged with conducting the convoy at an aver. age qf 20 m.p.h., being scheduled to hit the Axis By-pass 60 miles distant at 5 p.m, After a few Miles of this boredom Jock and I decided to go after the ration truck, grab the pots and rations and have .a .hot meal ready for the boys. We signalled, the next.truck alongside and bawled out our intentions, telling the driver to lead at the requisite 20 m.p.h.
Off we sped, knocking up " 45 " to " 50" the whole way. Arriving at the By-pass l bra, ahead of schedule we were just explaining to the M.P. that we were the cooks come on ahead When the entire convoy started pulling in behind 'us! Tricky moment. We never knew whether the misunderstanding was, genuine or not, bat managed to wriggle out of it alright. We got the driver's to disperse the lorries off the road while we carried on to Tobruk in search of the ration wagon. We couldn't locate it, but we had a good look around Tobruk, which, after ail.
is quite a famous place. '
We went back to the convoy again with the old Bedford bitting " 50 " and " 55 " most of the way, and sailing through the airwith all wheels clear through the wicked lateral bumps on the road. We had to overtake a convoy of 25-pounders, being driven at a smart pace and dancing and swerving all over the road in a most alarming manner. This was quite a tricky business, One had to wait for the' gun to swing into the near side, then " hoot' down and hope to get by before it swung back. 6.4,e interesting dicing when played at 45 m.p.h. The towing quads were driven by very, Free .French with continental verve,
Just as I was pulling in after passing a gun and limber the convoy came
to a sudden stop. I just stood on everything and thought about St. Christopher, sliding neatly up to within a foot of the next muzzle. Just, after teat a front wing and the burriper became mated with a swinging gun wheel, and it was quite a tricky 30 secs. before I unhooked. We were not sorry to give that crowd our dust —they made the war dangerous.
• We Strike Some Not-so-good Food
We staYed that night at a Transit Camp outside Tobruk. The food was easily the worst I have ever had, either in the Army or out of it. The water in that area is very salty, so the tea was horrible, too. In the morning Jock and I got breakfast for ourselves and the lads, and informed the Transit Camp just what they could do with theirs.
We had to follow the Axis By-pass, as convoys were not allowed through Tobruk. • This " road " is about 22 miles long and quite the most ghastly I had traversed until then. The speed varied between 8 and 15 m.p.h., and several of the 3-ton Fordsons, loaded with gas cylinders, broke one or more springs and had to return to Tobruk for repairs. The C.C. had gone another way and left another &NI. leading the convoy in an empty 3-ton Fordson. I was No. 3. The S.M. was driving, and when he reached a fairly smooth stretch, off he went like a bat out of Hades. The No. 2 driver was hard put to it to keep up with him.
Realizing that the situation was getting out of control, I passed him and _went belting after the leading truck. I had to keep at " 50 for about two miles to catch it, with my Bedford sliding wildly all over the loose gravel surface. When I eventually caught and remonstrated with the • driver, he
calmly " I was doing only 50 k.p.h." His speedometer was calibrated in '.f.p.h. and by some queer mental process he calculated that he
was doing about 25 m.p.h. •
When the bays caught us up I took second place, and as soon as we reached another smooth Stretch away he went again. This time we let him go. We were not sorry tb meet the C.0 in the ration truck at the end of the By-pass just by the Monument, and stopped for a welcome snack.
We pushed on for a few miles int,Cyrenaica, and the country changed as if by magic. The change was so abrupt it almost startled one. From drab sandy wastes to green rolling_ hills covered in shrubs and sweet-scented flowers. It was amazing. The narrow road winding through the hills made it like ambling through the Southern English countryside in May when the blossoms fill the air with their sweet heavy scent. Truly a wonderful experience after more than 500 miles of desolation.
Continuing on towards Derna, we had to use another by-pass " road." This-was about 30 miles long, and made even worse by the heavy rainfall. In the dips the water was over our hub caps, and it wasn't long before we reached the drowned-rat stage. Eventually, we regained the main route, but this was so treacherous that to exceed " 20" was to invite disaster. A reminder of this soon came in the form of a 3-ton Austin showing iTS belly to the sky beside the road.
A Few Incidents Cause a Little Delay
Next we were held up for an hour on a hill by a trailer which had broken away and had come to rest stewed across the road with the rear wheels hanging over a 50-ft, drop. We got this sorted out with the aid of some blasphemy and two ScammeIls, and pushed on again. It wasn't long, however, before one of our convoy took a neat dive off the road and backwards down a 10-ft. bank. Fortunately, it stayed upright and, with creaking ropes and spinning wheels, we managed to get it back on the road.
After this episode we decided to turn it in as it was almost impossible to keep the trucks on the road at all.
In the morning, it was quite a circus —some of the trucks refused to start and others were well bogged down. I had profited by earlier experience and had parked on a. slope, and the old Bedford put in some good work with a tow-rope.
Eventually we got under way and pushed on to the top of Barce Pass. Here we were held up by blasting operations where a new road was being built where Jerry had blown it.
As far as the eye could reach a green fertile valley stretched away on each side. Dotted about Were neat little concrete houses built under Mussolini's Colonization Plan. In the middle distance was Bane, looking quite attractive from our viewpoint. Did it harbour the 4-gallon tin of wine?
We crawled down the Pass and pitched at the foot of the escarpment. After serving dinner, Jock and I obtained permission to go in search of one 4-gallon tin of wine. To our delight, we located it at the office of the Field Security Police. We were At once invited to stay the night—real spring beds were the bait! We reluctantly refused and bore our trophy triumphantly back to the camp.
A gang of eight of us settled down to spend a pleasant evening. ,By some sleight-of-hand one of the boys produced a bottle of rum. We decided that hot punch was favourite, so on the stove went the wine with the rum and a generous allowance of sugar. Was that punch good? As the evening wore on things took on a rosier aspect.
The fresh morning air soon cleared our heads as we put in 50 quick miles before breakfast, and then we fortified ourselves with a-feast of sizzling bacon, fried bread, and bread and jam.
On again, we■punched our way to the summit of the Tocra Pass about .50 miles from Benghazi. Here again we had a_ splendid view and, in addition, just a glimpse of the gleaming Mediterranean. More evidence of warfare was present in the shape of some Stukas crashed on the side of the hill, and near the bottom an overturned Crusader. Gingerly we proceeded down the Pass.
It was a very ,tricky business, as the road was wet, and smooth as glass. I found that, in " second," releasing the accelerator would immediately induce the tail to overtake the front as the rear wheels " locked " against compres sion '1 " third ' in conjunction with the brakes, but this was even. worse. The solution was to drive down
" bottom " on light throttle, and most of us used this method, Restarting after a meal at the bottom of the Pass I discovered my only bit of trouble for the trip—a broken exhatist rocker.
I Finish on Only Five Cylinders
However, five cylinders sufficed to bring me to Benghazi, which we reached at about 4 p.m., after nine days on the road. " Now for a lithe civilize• tion," I thought; but it was not to be.
We delivered up our charges, and Jock and. I took a regretful farewell, exchanging addresses and pledging a reunion "do " in Blighty.
I spent a very boring fortnight hanging about waiting for transport. During this time the news came through that . the 8th Army had taken Tripoli and that my squadron's Tanks were among the first. to enter the town. I felt very browned off and out of it all. Then I heard that drivers were wanted tg. take some trucks on the 700-mile journey to Tripoli. In went my name, and for some hours I suffered agonies of apprehension lest I should be unlucky. However, the next day I was on my way again, The " trucks " turned out to be armoured cars: and I got a Humber.
The cars were being Urged, so we set 200 miles a day, 31 days for the journey. Unfortunately, some of the machines experienced trouble, and we took five days to get there.. Even so, it was a .good fast trip when we were on the move, My " bus " was just 'nicely run in, showing 1,300 on the "clock." We spent two nights miles from anywhere working on the breakdowns, and we stopped at Sirte, Nafelia and Mieurata en route. I was thrilled by the sight of the famous " Marble Arch" monument.
At last I handed, over the Humber and made haste to° rejoin my unit, which was located some distance west of Tripoli—after a journey of nearly 2,000 miles. They were taking a weltearned rest, having been in action almost continuously for nearly five months!