Barrett nodded, pleased that his crew had survived the battle with him.
“I will keep Four-Bravo with Lance Corporal Tompkins and Trooper Woodford, but I’ve transferred Lance Corporal Frith to Four-Charlie and taken one of the new boys, Trooper Lockhart. Corporal Mason not only has a new tank but needs to replace Trooper Mann and Trooper Deacon, who has been promoted and transferred to C-Squadron.”
“They’re welcome to him, Sarge,” broke in Corporal Mason, jokingly.
“Deacon a Lance Corporal? God help us, Sarge,” added Lance Corporal Frith.
“Belt up, you two, or I’ll have you both transferred to the cookhouse.”
“Sarge.”
“Sarn’t.”
“Sorry about that, sir. We’re obviously not working them hard enough.”
“We could always make good on that, Sergeant Glover,” responded Lieutenant Barrett, smiling.
“If I can be allowed to finish. So, I’ve got Trooper Bellamy as my new loader.”
“Thank you, Sarn’t Glover. Welcome to the troop, you two,” the lieutenant said, referring to Lockhart and Bellamy. “We know we’ve got a tough fight ahead. I won’t run through the plans again. We all know our jobs. I suggest you get as much rest a possible. Just make sure everything is up to scratch. You will need to have a thorough check of Four-Charlie, Corporal Mason.”
“Looks fine, sir, but I’ll run through some checks.”
“I’ll give him a hand,” volunteered Farre.
“Cheers, mate.”
“Questions?”
“Trooper Mann, sir. Any news?” Woodford asked after their friend who was hit when the enemy near Ditterke bounced them, the same time as the sergeant received his injuries.
“Nothing new, Woodford. But the OC has told me that he’s well on his way back to the coast. He’ll soon be on a boat for home, I’m sure.” He looked around at his men. They looked tired, but in good spirits. “Nothing? Right. We move out at 0200. Dismissed.”
Chapter 27
The REME LAD section lowered the replacement power pack into the main battle tank’s engine compartment. A few hours’ work would see the engine connected and the tank belonging to the commander of C-Squadron, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 3RTR, ready for combat again. Although they had been badly mauled during their role as part of 1 British Corps’ covering force, delaying the Soviet advance until the 1st and 3rd Armoured Divisions were in position to take the brunt of the attack, the regiment, along with the rest of the 4th Armoured Division, were preparing to go into the fray yet again.
The strongest of the brigades in the division, 33rd Armoured, with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Tank Regiment, the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers and the 1st Battalion the Black Watch, were preparing for the planned counter attack. They had also been allocated a new battalion, the 1st Battalion, the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, a Territorial Army battalion fresh from Britain. The 11th and 20th Brigades had suffered the most in their role as a covering force, having to hold at bay two of the Group of Soviet Forces Germany, most powerful divisions: the 10th Guards Tank Division and the 7th.
They too had been reinforced. 20th Brigade had been allocated the 5th Battalion, the Queen’s Regiment along with the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, had reinforced 11th Armoured Brigade. The 11th Brigade, consisting of 3RTR, the 2nd Battalion RGJ and the 1st Battalion RRF, was also preparing to go into battle again. 1RRF, reinforced with troops from Britain, now stood at about seventy per cent strength; but still down to less than 400 men. 3RTR and 2RGJ were in a slightly better position. 3RTR had received nine replacement Chieftains. The regiment’s strength now consisting of four squadrons with A and B Squadrons fielding ten main battle tanks each, and C and D Squadrons with eleven each. Including all headquarters Chieftains that gave the unit forty-two tanks. 2RGJ, also reinforced, could now put 480 men into the fight. They had received their initial orders. 33rd Armoured Brigade would lead the attack in the south, followed closely by 11th Armoured, ready to exploit any breakthrough. The RRF and Highland Volunteers would follow on, ready to deploy and hold ground should the forward brigades be pushed back and have to withdraw. It was now a case of just standing by, waiting for the Soviet army to cross the Weser to the north, and attempt to break through and race for the Rhine. Then, it would be time to counter-attack from the south.
Major Andy Phillips, the commander of A Company, the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Green Jackets, chatted to his Company Sergeant Major, CSM Tobi Saunders. The CSM wore a patch over his left eye, the consequence of hot splinters from a grenade burning the surrounding area of his eye socket. He was a lucky man: partially sheltered by a building, squinting to peer into the twilight, his eye had been missed. But now he had to protect the lacerations from infection, and it had earned him the nickname of Bluebeard, behind his back, naturally. Even the OC had found it difficult to stifle a smile when he overheard the soldiers, thinking no one was within earshot, refer to his new nickname.
“Let’s get the show on the road, CSM.”
Although a senior non-commissioned officer, a SNCO, the CSM carried a tremendous amount of authority within the organisation of the Company unit. To the soldiers within the unit, he was next to God, the OC being the top man. Even the young lieutenants deferred to him on a regular basis. Having served sixteen years with the Battalion, it was expected that he would assume the mantle of Regimental Sergeant Major, RSM, when the current incumbent retired in a year’s time. If the CSM was God, the RSM was a deity in his own right.
“Let’s be having you,” the CSM bellowed, bringing the gathering to order.
The three-metre by three-metre tent, erected alongside the OCs command 432, was tight for space, and warm. But the flaps had to remain secure for fear of light escaping and flagging to any Soviet recce planes overhead that 2RGJ were in the vicinity. The soldiers moved themselves until they formed a semi-circle around a board that had been hung from the frame of the tent. On it was a map of the area of Lauenau, east of the A2 Autobahn, and two photographs. In the semi-circle was Lieutenant Dean Russell, commander of One-Platoon. It was far from his original unit. With the death of both Lieutenant Ward and Sergeant Holland at the outset of the war, killed by the Soviet initial artillery and missile barrage, Three-Platoon had not only been left leaderless but had also suffered other casualties, as had One-Platoon. So the OC had amalgamated the two platoons into one, commanded by Dean. The young lieutenant, only fifteen months out of the RMA Sandhurst officer academy, had then found himself embroiled in a second battle around Coppenbrugge, where he and his men had excelled, earning themselves a reputation throughout the battalion. Standing next to him was Colour Sergeant Rose, his platoon sergeant and second-in-command. Also in the group was Lieutenant Dunmore, commander of Two-Platoon, and his platoon sergeant, Robert Macintyre. In addition, there was Captain Lucas Banks, responsible for the Battalion’s Anti-Tank Platoon, Corporal Bernard ‘Bernie’ Cooke, commander of the mobile anti-tank section, and Corporal Len Ward, commander of a second anti-tank section, this one not mobile. On the far left, seconded specifically for this operation, was Sergeant Dave Kirby who would command the three Scimitars from the Recce-Platoon, allocated to A-Company and, finally, Corporal Burford who would command the mobile mortar teams. It would have been a full house except they were missing a platoon. Three-Platoon was being reformed, with reserves brought in from the UK, using experienced soldiers to supplement the recruits. The OC, in agreement with the commanding officer, had decided to leave the platoon out of the initial phase of the forthcoming action. They would reinforce A-Company twenty-four hours after the main bulk of the unit were in position.