Monday, March 26, 2007

Late in the day on the 20th day of the battle and the start of the 21st

After they had rescued the sergeant and his crew, Robert Crisp and Harry Maegraith took them to the battalion headquarters. Due to the season, it was getting dark at 6pm and the fighting gradually stopped. The three squadrons all drove to the 3rd RTR "rallying point". From there, they drove another three miles "to the southeast and safe harbourage". Robert's tank "was one of 4 Honeys that had to be evacuated that night for repairs". During the night, they brought in replacement tanks, including one for Robert. Before they fell asleep, the soldiers heard that they would be moving "at dawn to Bir Belchonfus". They had been in that area before, south of El Gubi. In the morning, they drove to Bir Belchonfus "without serious incident". As usual, the tanks were not used as brigades, but the battalions were sent off on various independent operations. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

No comments:

Amazon Ad