"Overpowered " by Zen Karp (excerpt from H.L.I. and WWII)
Overpowered
Lt. Col. Griffiths was beside himself in frustration. He, RSM George Rutherford, Lt. Chuck Campbell and several signalers had gone in just behind A Company, through heavy shelling in the grain field and into Buron itself. They were in the thick of the battle, surrounded by unbelievable violence which stunned the senses, laying a surreal blanket over everything a man could see. Some of the men he had seen were in a state of shock, unable to pull themselves together after being overwhelmed with horror and confusion. Yet he had to control them; in a world where he could barely speak to a man next to him, it was a daunting task.
To make the situation worse, the #18 wireless radio sets on the backs of the signalers couldn’t transmit most of the time, due to the tank radios emitting more frequency power. This caused the infantry sets to fill with static.
In fact, Griffiths wasn=t controlling much of the battle by this point. The fighting at this stage was up to the companies; each broken down into a few groups maneuvering through the battle from one enemy position to another. He knew that both B and D Companies were without tank support, and taking heavy casualties while advancing through their respective portions of Buron.
What Griffiths needed to do to was find the tanks and get them directly fighting with the infantry. Specifically, B Company, where from runners had reported that Panther tanks were actively stalking through the village.
It was at this point that Chuck Campbell volunteered to cross over some 300 yards of open ground, under fire, to find the armor support. In amazement, Griffiths watched him go, running in a broken zig-zag through a gauntlet of exploding shells and gunfire.
When he found a troop of Sherman tanks, sitting still and not engaged in battle, Campbell approached the rear of one of them. On the back of it he pressed an electric button which signaled the crew, then clamored onto the deck. A hatch at the rear of the turret opened up, revealing the face of a Sherbrooke Fusilier.
"We need you up with us, follow me and I'll take you there."
But the tankers were unwilling, actually refusing. Of the initial squadron of 12 tanks, several had been destroyed when they hit mines and others were destroyed by the 88s. When Chuck returned to Griffiths, he thought the tanks would follow, but they did not. It wasn't until he moved back and forth under fire three times that the tanks decided they would follow the infantry lieutenant to the command group, Chuck clinging to the side of the lead tank, after which they were directed to aid B Company.
At Baker Company, Captain Vince Stark was already dead, shot in the back as he passed the anti-tank ditch. B Company had fought hard with heavy casualties, but their ordeal was far from over. In the orchards was a honeycomb of German positions, bristling with MG-42s. Worse, Panther tanks had started to emerge from their hiding positions and were searching for targets.
Lt. Col. Griffiths was beside himself in frustration. He, RSM George Rutherford, Lt. Chuck Campbell and several signalers had gone in just behind A Company, through heavy shelling in the grain field and into Buron itself. They were in the thick of the battle, surrounded by unbelievable violence which stunned the senses, laying a surreal blanket over everything a man could see. Some of the men he had seen were in a state of shock, unable to pull themselves together after being overwhelmed with horror and confusion. Yet he had to control them; in a world where he could barely speak to a man next to him, it was a daunting task.
To make the situation worse, the #18 wireless radio sets on the backs of the signalers couldn’t transmit most of the time, due to the tank radios emitting more frequency power. This caused the infantry sets to fill with static.
In fact, Griffiths wasn=t controlling much of the battle by this point. The fighting at this stage was up to the companies; each broken down into a few groups maneuvering through the battle from one enemy position to another. He knew that both B and D Companies were without tank support, and taking heavy casualties while advancing through their respective portions of Buron.
What Griffiths needed to do to was find the tanks and get them directly fighting with the infantry. Specifically, B Company, where from runners had reported that Panther tanks were actively stalking through the village.
It was at this point that Chuck Campbell volunteered to cross over some 300 yards of open ground, under fire, to find the armor support. In amazement, Griffiths watched him go, running in a broken zig-zag through a gauntlet of exploding shells and gunfire.
When he found a troop of Sherman tanks, sitting still and not engaged in battle, Campbell approached the rear of one of them. On the back of it he pressed an electric button which signaled the crew, then clamored onto the deck. A hatch at the rear of the turret opened up, revealing the face of a Sherbrooke Fusilier.
"We need you up with us, follow me and I'll take you there."
But the tankers were unwilling, actually refusing. Of the initial squadron of 12 tanks, several had been destroyed when they hit mines and others were destroyed by the 88s. When Chuck returned to Griffiths, he thought the tanks would follow, but they did not. It wasn't until he moved back and forth under fire three times that the tanks decided they would follow the infantry lieutenant to the command group, Chuck clinging to the side of the lead tank, after which they were directed to aid B Company.
At Baker Company, Captain Vince Stark was already dead, shot in the back as he passed the anti-tank ditch. B Company had fought hard with heavy casualties, but their ordeal was far from over. In the orchards was a honeycomb of German positions, bristling with MG-42s. Worse, Panther tanks had started to emerge from their hiding positions and were searching for targets.
posted by scot at 12:38 PM
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