Battle Report of "S" Troop
Battle Report of "S" Troop.
11/12 Apr 45.
11/12 Apr 45.
The Tp moved up to Cdo FUP by march route arriving there at approx 2200 hours. The weapon stores were brought up on a 3 ton lorry.
Difficulty was experienced on getting stores loaded on a stormboat, this delayed the Tp considerably. It was then found that the stormboat could not navigate the channel from the URMANA Pump house to the lake. The boat as lightened and the TP finally moved off from the FUP at 0045 hours. Slight shelling of the area was in progress during this time.
The main body of the Cdo was eventually contacted at about 0230 hours about 500 yards short of the gap in the Floodwall. There was considerable delay here and as "S" Tp was last Tp to be ferried across the gap the rest of the Cdo had pushed a long way ahead.
The Tp continued past the Gap, but at 450594 the boat became stuck in the mud and could not be moved on. By this time it was after First light and the dyke came under heavy shell fire.
We dug in in this posn and at 0730 hours I moved forward to contact the CO at Tac HQ. I arrived at A Tp posn and found that movement beyond was very difficult owing to sniping, I contacted HQ by A Tp 18 set and was instructed to remain in my posn.
At about 1400 hours a party from the Tp was supplied as stretcher bearers. Two other parties were supplied and several casualties were evacuated from the forward posns to the stretcher Jeep at the gap.
At 1100 hours on 12 Apr the Tp moved forward to support "Q" holding the posn at Stroud 423608. MMG taking up posn at 423603 with DF taken along the ARGINE. Mortars at 427602 with similar DF tasks.
G.M.Russell,
Lieut, R.M.
O.C. "S" Troop