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World War Two / Battle for Enfidaville - 7th Ox & Bucks - Description of it by my Dad. Part 1
« on: Sunday 31 December 23 12:42 GMT (UK) »
7th Btn Ox and Bucks Lt Infantry
M.E.F.
Started June 14th Completed 25th.
Dear Richard,
I hope you wont mind my writing in pencil but last week my pen get mislaid, stolen or strayed & I am also quite at a loss what to do as the ordinary relief nib just wont write in my hand.
Well, I’m not going to say anything about my journey in April etc. as that has been fully described in letters to Mamma, instead I feel you might care to have a vivid picture of the actual fighting and how I felt about it. What I saw and heard etc.
The first time we definitely knew that we were going towards the line as when we were at Tripoli on the way up. At that time we didn’t consider it at all likely that we would go straight into the line as had been travelling for just over a month, and needed at least a day or more to get ready. But we soon realised that it was by no means improbable, as on the first day out from Tripoli we had to cover an additional 50 miles into Medeline? That day, so the second day found ourselves only about 70 miles south of the fighting.
The next day 29th, things got more probable as the Coy Commanders had to go off ahead to meet the C.O. and we brought on the rest of the battalion. A very short journey finishing about 10 miles south of Enfidavalle. As soon as we got there we were simply swamped with rumours 1. We were to go into an attack that night 2. That the other battalion ahead of us had been almost wiped out etc etc.
Well I wasn’t taking any risks and so got ammunition grenades etc issued out. But in the end we heard that we would not be doing anything til the night of the 30th. What we didn’t know – which was lost as well as we had a lot to straighten up before I felt that we were ready to go into the line.
Friday 30th say all these odd thoughts put right. The most memorable thing about the day was the constant stream of our fighter bombers going towards the enemy or returning – batches of 20-30 going over every five to ten minutes.
In the afternoon we finally heard what was to happen – we were to go up and take over a sector of the line on the right about ˝ mile from the coast – nothing of Enfidaville. The usual parties of guides and Coy Commanders set off about 1600 and I was left to bring up the Coy and 18:45. Everything went very smoothly and among other things some mail arrived and we were able to issue it to the men just before starting off – I myself had five or six letters.
It was dark by the time we got up to where guides met us and so I left it to them to get us where we had to go. Our positions were in among olive groves on the
? slope of a slight ridge – jerry was at least a mile away on the next ridge. A Coy were in the reserve and so for the first two days we had very little to do. In that position we heard the first shells fired at us in anger. To begin with any whistle in the air was the signal for all to jump into slit tranches but it took less than a day to get used to them and have a pretty good idea where it was heading for.
At one lecture we were told back in Kirtesk, that Tunisia was very bad for mosquitos – we discovered the truth of that remark – never have I been so well and truly bitten as I was during the days and in the long? they were not malarious.- otherwise we would all be down with that bloody disease by now.
Well we spent two nights in our reserve position and then on May 2nd moved up to take over a front line area a bit to the left. Just the same distance from jerry only this time no troops between us and him.
During this week the only real activity on our own part was patrolling and we had some of those out every night. Now I have always considered them about the most unpleasant thing of all. Just one or two men with you and only your own wits to help. Consequently when the first patrol had to go out to considered that the poor officer going might just as well make his will and pray for a pass to heaven. But it turned out not to be so. We had no trouble on these patrols and when I took one out myself on the Thursday night I found it remarkably simple and not in the least nerve racking. Time seemed to fly and it was a bit of a rush to get back before first light, but we didn’t contact any patrols and were able to recce what we had to without being molested by anything apart from mosquitos and fleas.
M.E.F.
Started June 14th Completed 25th.
Dear Richard,
I hope you wont mind my writing in pencil but last week my pen get mislaid, stolen or strayed & I am also quite at a loss what to do as the ordinary relief nib just wont write in my hand.
Well, I’m not going to say anything about my journey in April etc. as that has been fully described in letters to Mamma, instead I feel you might care to have a vivid picture of the actual fighting and how I felt about it. What I saw and heard etc.
The first time we definitely knew that we were going towards the line as when we were at Tripoli on the way up. At that time we didn’t consider it at all likely that we would go straight into the line as had been travelling for just over a month, and needed at least a day or more to get ready. But we soon realised that it was by no means improbable, as on the first day out from Tripoli we had to cover an additional 50 miles into Medeline? That day, so the second day found ourselves only about 70 miles south of the fighting.
The next day 29th, things got more probable as the Coy Commanders had to go off ahead to meet the C.O. and we brought on the rest of the battalion. A very short journey finishing about 10 miles south of Enfidavalle. As soon as we got there we were simply swamped with rumours 1. We were to go into an attack that night 2. That the other battalion ahead of us had been almost wiped out etc etc.
Well I wasn’t taking any risks and so got ammunition grenades etc issued out. But in the end we heard that we would not be doing anything til the night of the 30th. What we didn’t know – which was lost as well as we had a lot to straighten up before I felt that we were ready to go into the line.
Friday 30th say all these odd thoughts put right. The most memorable thing about the day was the constant stream of our fighter bombers going towards the enemy or returning – batches of 20-30 going over every five to ten minutes.
In the afternoon we finally heard what was to happen – we were to go up and take over a sector of the line on the right about ˝ mile from the coast – nothing of Enfidaville. The usual parties of guides and Coy Commanders set off about 1600 and I was left to bring up the Coy and 18:45. Everything went very smoothly and among other things some mail arrived and we were able to issue it to the men just before starting off – I myself had five or six letters.
It was dark by the time we got up to where guides met us and so I left it to them to get us where we had to go. Our positions were in among olive groves on the
? slope of a slight ridge – jerry was at least a mile away on the next ridge. A Coy were in the reserve and so for the first two days we had very little to do. In that position we heard the first shells fired at us in anger. To begin with any whistle in the air was the signal for all to jump into slit tranches but it took less than a day to get used to them and have a pretty good idea where it was heading for.At one lecture we were told back in Kirtesk, that Tunisia was very bad for mosquitos – we discovered the truth of that remark – never have I been so well and truly bitten as I was during the days and in the long
? they were not malarious.- otherwise we would all be down with that bloody disease by now.Well we spent two nights in our reserve position and then on May 2nd moved up to take over a front line area a bit to the left. Just the same distance from jerry only this time no troops between us and him.
During this week the only real activity on our own part was patrolling and we had some of those out every night. Now I have always considered them about the most unpleasant thing of all. Just one or two men with you and only your own wits to help. Consequently when the first patrol had to go out to considered that the poor officer going might just as well make his will and pray for a pass to heaven. But it turned out not to be so. We had no trouble on these patrols and when I took one out myself on the Thursday night I found it remarkably simple and not in the least nerve racking. Time seemed to fly and it was a bit of a rush to get back before first light, but we didn’t contact any patrols and were able to recce what we had to without being molested by anything apart from mosquitos and fleas.