Monday, December 11, 2006

Charging towards the Sidi Rezegh airfield with Jock Campbell

Robert Crisp and his companions followed Brigadier Jock Campbell in a wild charge towards the Sidi Rezegh airfield. Robert wasw able to speak briefly with his battalion CO and told him that there were friendly forces on the east side of the airfield and that he would be too late to help, if he arrived in 15 minutes instead of 10. Robert thought that they were somewhere near Point 176 on the map. They raced past infantry men and gunners, who waved encouragingly at them. The followed the touring car driven by the blonde driver with the brigadier (Jock Campbell) holding the blue and white flag (blue stripe on top and white on the bottom). They past burning Crusader tanks, along with a few knocked out German tanks. Artillery fire started to rain down on the rapidly moving Stuarts. Robert thought it miraculous that the touring car escaped a hit. The car stopped at the western side of Sidi Rezegh airfield, and Robert told his driver to halt. Brigadier Campbell motioned to follow. Robert gasped at the 60 to 70 German tanks ahead. They could see the gunfire from the tanks. Robert told his gunner to pick a tanka and start firing until he knocked it out. He saw his buddy Tom's Stuart swerve wildly and then lost sight of it. There was no sign of his brigade and his "spirits dropped" when he realized that he was alone in a field of knocked out tanks. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

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