'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

Jonny wrote: ""Sword Beach": recognition (at long last) for the efforts of the RN landing crews. Here's the long run in to the beach...7,000 yards … Currey and Prior-Palmer looked ahead at the still, silent shor..."

Great post Jonny - very atmospheric! I am looking forward to my copy of this book arriving one day soon.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Another account from Operation Epsom which provides a vivid reminder what these tank crews suffered during the war and after:

"Sergeant Reay's tank was hit and burst into flames; the sergeant and his gunner jumped out with their clothes alight, only to land on a wire fence. Sergeant Reay rolled around on the ground to extinguish the flames, but he was badly burnt. A half-track from the supporting infantry of the 8th Rifle Brigade picked him up, but on the way to the Regimental Aid Post the half-track was struck and penetrated by an armoured piercing round that hit both his arms. Shipped back to England swathed in bandages, Reay was taken on 4 July to a specialist burns and plastic surgery unit at a hospital in Basingstoke. There he remained, in great pain and unable to see, for two days. A further operation was needed for an aneurism in his left arm as a result of injuries caused by the armour-piercing shell:

My face had begun to heal up and all the burnt skin had peeled off. I was walking down the corridor one morning, having all the dressings removed, when I caught sight of my reflection in a glass door. At first I thought there was someone standing behind me. There was this image, not a hair on his head, eyes all distorted, bottom lip hanging down over his chin, upper lip shrunk right up under his nose, or where his nose should have been, both cheeks in a hell of a mess and both ears missing. I made my way back to the ward and laid on my bed and cried my eyes out. For two days I didn't eat or talk to anyone ... not even my best friends. I didn't sleep for two days and nights trying to think things out. Then I came to a decision. I would make the best of a bad job. At least I was alive. There were lads in Normandy who would never make it out of their tanks.

As if the burns were not enough, Sergeant Reay's lower left arm had to be amputated and his right hand was crippled. The previous day, on the approach to Hill 112, Reay's tank had broken down. Contravening an unwritten rule that a sergeant stayed with his tank, Major Close had ordered him to take over the troop corporal's tank. Previously in England before embarking for the invasion, Sergeant Reay had declared that he had lost his nerve and wanted to leave the army. The response from the commanding officer, Colonel Silvertop, was that Reay had to 'carry on like the rest of us'."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

Hi Ian and welcome to the group. Like Marc said, just let the group know your area of interest and stand by for the recommendations!

J.J wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Josh and super keen to join up to this community. I have just finished up with university and have started working full time so trying to ensure reading time exists is always a cha..."

Hi Josh and welcome to the group, I'm glad you managed to find us :)

Sounds like a great trip Dimitri with some great souvenirs picked up along the way!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - An account from Operation Epsom:

During the afternoon, the tanks of the 23rd Hussars had worked their way south around and through Cheux for B and C squadrons to support the attack on Colleville. Just as the Churchills of the 9th RTR were knocked out as soon as they appeared over a ridge, so were the tanks of the Hussars. These were the regiment's first casualties:

Those who witnessed it will always remember the shock of seeing for the first time one of the regiment's tanks go up in flames. One moment an impregnable monster, with perhaps a crew containing some of one's best friends, forging irresistibly towards the enemy; the next a crack of terrific impact, a sheet of flame - and then, where there had been a tank, nothing but a helpless roaring inferno.

Operation Epsom:
https://www.gf9.com/hobby.aspx?art_id...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operati...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The author mentioned heavy fighting involving the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) on the 11th of June 1944 that became known as the Black Day of the Hussars:

Black Day of the Hussars:
https://warchronicle.com/first-hussar...

Account of Personal Experiences in Action on Sunday 11 June 44:
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-w...

I hope you enjoy the book MR9, I found it quite an interesting and enjoyable read.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - The aftermath of Villers Bocage:

"There were recriminations at every level. The tank crews were shocked by their first battle in Normandy. Their fast Cromwells had been unable to manoeuvre in the bocage and were then found to be completely useless against the Tiger tanks. Tank commanders had been sniped at continuously as they stood in their turrets straining for better visibility of the countryside around them. None of the division's pre-invasion training had been conducted in terrain resembling the bocage. On the advance to Villers-Bocage, some men had inspected a knocked-out Panther tank and were awestruck: 'I took a good look and decided that I would examine no more of them as it was bad for my morale to see that thick sloping front and the length of the barrel of the gun.' "

Panther Tank - Normandy:
http://tank-photographs.s3-website-eu...

Panther Tank:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/ge...

A well-deserved Victoria Cross!

Lack of knowledge and experience about the bocage is also a factor mentioned in my current book.

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - An incident during Operation Perch - the fighting at Villers Bocage:

"The tank of the RHQ troop commander, Lieutenant John Cloudsley-Thompson, backed off the road into a farm and tried to engage the Tiger tank as it passed. The Tiger stopped and returned fire immediately; an 88mm shell penetrated the front of the Cromwell, passed between the wireless operator's and driver's heads, just missed the gunner's shoulder and then went between the lieutenant's legs before striking the engine where it exploded, spraying the inside of the tank with flaming fuel and shrapnel. The five occupants bailed out unhurt and hid in the bushes, under machine-gun fire."

Battle of Villers Bocage:
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/art...

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - Prior to D-Day morale wasn't great in the 7th Armoured Division, some of it was due to widespread discontentment with the Cromwell tank:

"The Cromwell was regarded with deep suspicion as it was British made and must therefore be unreliable compared with the American-made Sherman tank that the division had used in North Africa and Italy. Having been in action since 1941, the 7th Armoured Division had been forced to use every type of British tank produced in the war so far, and the crews were far from impressed with the inferior products of the British tank industry. The Cromwell was small, cramped and had a slab-sided turret compared with the latest German tanks. These objections rather ignored the reality that the Shermans also had larger slab sides and that the Cromwell was faster and had a lower silhouette that the Sherman. Modifications did have to be made to the escape hatches of the Cromwells for them to work properly, however. Whilst being asked to use the new Cromwell, the veterans were also given the new 17-pounder Sherman, the Vc or Firefly, which seemed to contradict all that they were being told about the Cromwell. The Firefly was slower and a larger target that the Cromwells and as a troop of tanks could only move at the pace of the slowest tank, the Vc would slow the faster Cromwells down. There was much debate as to how the Sherman Vc should be used and it was finally decided to allot them one per troop of four tanks, the theory being that the Sherman Vc would hang back and knock out German tanks once they had been located by the tanks in front."

British Cromwell tank:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb...

Some photographs and stories from the 80th anniversary of D-Day:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4...

I hope you enjoy the book Marc!

"The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944" - On the recovery of battlefield damaged tanks and their refurbishment back in England:

"Any tanks being backloaded to workshops in the rear or even England had to be checked for any remaining limbs or organs after some tanks reached England with body parts inside, to the horror of the female drivers. To remove body matter, the insides of the tanks were cleaned with disinfectant, detergent and water; in extreme cases the interior was sprayed with a creosote-based solution, which could then be scraped off when hard."

The Armoured Campaign in Normandy June - August 1944 by Stephen Napier

Mike wrote: "The Beev on sale for $1.99 at all the ebook sites:

Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921 by [author:Antony Beevo..."

Good one Mike, thanks for the notification!

A request from Margaret:

My father-in-law, an anti-tank gunner in the AIF, was captured at the First Battle of El Alamein. Recently, I read this: 'only the defeat of Rommel at the Second Battle of El Alamein prevented German forces from entering Palestine and carrying out similar operations against the Jewish population there.'

https://www.hoover.org/research/mufti...

Can anyone comment or recommend further reading on this?

Mike wrote: "Timely sale at all the sites for the group read this month at $1.99:

Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 by [author:Joseph Balkoski|38..."

Perfect timing Mike!

Paul wrote: "Thanks, Rick, for being such a superlative Moderator of this group!"

Thanks Paul, my pleasure :)

Tate wrote: "I just finished “Masters of the Air” and I distinctly remember the build up for the invasion of D Day. I have started a new book called “The First Wave” two days ago."

"Masters of the Air" was an excellent read. I hope you enjoy "The First Wave", keep us all posted!