Memories of Frank Yates Chapter 36

Memories of Frank Yates CHAPTER 36

So, before Xmas 1944 we found ourselves in the village of Tervueren, east of Brussels, the Division being a last defence, should the German offence reach Brussels on Hitler’s ambitious objective of reaching the sea. Div H.Q. took over the largest hotel, on the main street, whilst the three Brigades were deployed around the site of the Waterloo Battle of 1815. The C.O. of our Ox and Bucks Battalion occupied the same positions that his ancestor, also the colonel of the same battalion, took up under the Duke of Wellington.
News from the “Bulge” was difficult to obtain, the German incursion having driven a wedge between the British and the main body of Americans to the South. Coupled with the fog and the snow, there was confusion all round. On the 23rd, the General, studying the map, turned to me and, running his finger down the line of the Meuse, South of Namur, he ordered me to find out what defences, if any, were on the west bank. We knew that 29th Armoured Brigade were somewhere east of the river doing their own thing. The G2, practically, told me to take a driver and haversack rations.
The snow was not yet a problem until we reached the higher ground in the approaches to the Ardennes. I read the map without having to drive and we soon found the track, virtually a very wide towpath, stretching down the bank of the Meuse.
An astonishing sight! As far as could be seen, every ten yards, sitting on a folding canvas stool, like a fishing match, was an American black soldier, glaring, belligerently, over a mounted 20 mm. cannon. I sought out the H.Q. and found that, the day before they, (Line of communication troops), had been in Cherbourg, unloading supply ships. They had collected the guns and ammo, the stools, the rations and the necessary stores, then travelled yesterday and all through the night. I found out the details from the C.O., noted his unit and found out that the river was similarly defended all the way. He was delighted to talk, clearly proud to be in the (nearly) front line. I left, thinking that the Germans had no chance, fighting an enemy that can produce thousands of canvas stools at the drop of a hat! Before leaving the river Meuse, may I mention that when my driver and I unpacked our sandwiches, the red filling indicated bully beef. We grumbled about the unseasonable fare, but I grumbled a lot more when I discovered that he had got bully beef and I had got STRAWBERRY JAM. He was kind enough to share with me!
We managed to get a Christmas meal and booze up on the 24th. The booze up was rather spoiled by the fact that when certain officers retired for the night they threw up into their washbasins, only to find them frozen up. There was much boiling of water, next morning!!
On Christmas Day we departed. Because of the layout of the village, the convoy left the main street, in a westerly direction, for the area between Charlerois and the Meuse, 71st. Brigade having been brought up from the River Dyle to the River Sambre. This, to our astonishment, caused a lot of the locals to accuse us of running away from the Germans. I suppose that, having been occupied twice, they were a bit edgy. They were also not fully informed of the situation. They probably also knew that our sappers had prepared all the bridges on the Dyle, the Sambre and the Meuse for demolition. When we had done our “U” turn and left in an easterly direction, we were cheered off by the same people!
The threat to Belgium was real enough, the Runstedt advance was only three miles from the Meuse at Dinant. Eisenhower put Montgomery in charge of all troops north of the Bulge, giving a boost in confidence to the cold, miserable British soldiers. By Boxing Day, the German advance lost its steam, having supply problems, particularly a shortage of fuel, and breaks in the weather allowed the Allied Air Forces to enter the action. Patton, in the south was preparing his Armour for a counter attack, while Montgomery was collecting the remnants of the U.S. troops in the north, to use, with 30 Corps (Of which we were now part) for an attack on the German infiltrators. On New Year’s Eve we crossed the Meuse at Namur, under command of 30 Corps, making our Headquarters in the village of Baillonville, which had a derelict Tiger tank wedged in a lane off the main street and a fairy tale mansion built as a castle, complete with pinnacled turrets, situated on top of a hill. Needless to say, we occupied the castle, taking it over from the Yanks. The problem with our elegant house was that it was freezing, with no central heating, or no fuel. Whatever the reason, it was b*****y cold. Our REME Workshops came to the rescue with an ingenious concoction made of oil drums, petrol cans and pipes coming out of a large, coffin sized steel box which could accommodate logs about 5 feet long, there being no shortage of wood in the Ardennes. The improvised flue passed through several 40 gallon oil drums en route to the chimney warming the house very efficiently.
53 Div took over from the Americans in the positions vacated by the 2nd U.S. Armoured Division (158 Brigade). The 331 Infantry Regiment (83 U.S. Infantry Div) was relieved by 160 Brigade and 71 Brigade took over the American Positions in Marche. The enemy Panzer Lehr Division was in no mood to retreat and very heavy mortar and shellfire made life unpleasant for our troops. In early January our positions were taken over by the 6th.Airbourne Div which had been flown out from England. 158 Brigade moved to Hotton, finding positions between the River Ourthe and the village of Verdenne. 160 were put into reserve and found billets in our village, Baillonville.
When the situation had stabilised, Montgomery went on the offensive with 53 Div in the lead and 51 and 6 Airborne on our flanks. So began a battle as hard as any we had fought, our casualties being amongst the highest of the war. The snow was deep, the cold was intense and the foot soldiers must have had terrible conditions in which to face the Germans. Things were not going well when I saw General Ross, on a bad afternoon, sitting, with his head in his hands, as he worried about the radio messages from the front. Afterwards a battalion CO. was relieved of his command and put in charge of the Div Infantry School in Louvain.
Driving about the shattered roads in the ice and the snow was a bit dicey, you could easily run into German patrols, or, more likely, a ditch. The hundreds of Sherman tanks on the roads were fitted with rubber inserts on the caterpillar track sections, but even then they often slid sideways down the camber of the road into the ditches. At the start of the Ardennes adventure, the Germans organised a fifth column, infiltrating English speaking, soldiers, dressed in American and British uniforms, driving captured jeeps. They were organised by the formidable Otto Scortzeny. I do not think that they made much difference, except to me!
Driving, to visit one of the brigades, in the dark, I was stopped by Americans and led, at gun point, with my arms raised, into their guard point, They obviously thought that they had captured one of these infiltrators, a tall blonde bloke, wearing a uniform, not easily recognised by the Yanks. I was interrogated for ten minutes or so. Where had I got my American revolver? Where did I live in England? What was the name of the ball park in Sheffield? The last one needed a small lecture from me! Any way they decided that I posed no risk and they let me go on my way.
I had the job once of escorting the General, sitting, by the driver in the front of his Humber, on a visit, to Marche to meet the Corps Commander, I escorted him on several occasions and he was always asking me if I was sure that I knew where we were. As I was sitting there reading the map, I had a fair idea of our position and rather resented this distrust! Perhaps his apprehension was sparked by the fact that he was normally escorted by his Aide de Camp, who was a wizard at finding oysters and foie gras for “A” mess, but otherwise was a bit unmilitary. I remember in Holland, General Ross was perusing a map with the Provost Marshall, deciding on a route for an advance, when his helper leaned over and pointing to the map said “There’s a better road”. Without turning round, the General said, patiently, “That’s a b****y contour”.
To return to our visit to the 30 Corps Commander who was not the charismatic Sir Brian Horrocks, who was, I think, on leave, but Lt, General Thomas, an irascible gentleman, known to staffs throughout the Army as “Von Thoma”. I could not hear the conversation, which looked to be a bit heated but on the way back to HQ the general was obviously less than happy!
We learned, after the war that eventually Hitler had agreed with the Generals that future efforts in the Ardennes were pointless and, on the 8th January we found that the Germans on our front had disappeared. The enemy had lost 120,000 men and 600 tanks, and although the “Battle of the Bulge” had put back the advance to the Rhine by 6 weeks, the loss of men and materiel to the Germans was a crippling blow. They had fought with all their customary skill and valour and it is a measure of their military prowess that, after five and a half years of war and with terrible losses on the east, west and home fronts, they should be able to organise and assemble a force, which caused such turmoil and consternation among the Allies.
We handed the front back to the US. Army and the never to be forgotten trip to the Ardennes was over.

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