AN ACCOUNT OF THE ATTACK ON GROIN BY 5TH SEAFORTH
'He gave me the choice of two plans,' said Jock. 'I could carry on as laid down originally, or I could go for the buildings where Hugh and Peter had had all the trouble. I decided on Hugh's buildings. It just wasn't on to go stravaiging away into the dark with a place like that still holding out behind us. And there was another thing. Whatever we did, we'd have to make it pretty quick and blitzy, because there was only an hour of darkness left. '
So "D" Company proceeded to do something pretty quick and blitzy about the building at (2), starting from Hugh's firm base at (4).
It was not a straightforward task. If the diagram is consulted again, it will be seen that (2), the strongest position yet found in the village, covered the western approaches. What more likely, reasoned Jock, than that the only other buildings facing west should also be strongly held? Before sticking his neck out in the direction of(2), he would obviously have to investigate the buildings at (7).
Sure enough, as "D" was forming up at (4), such heavy machine-gun fire began to pour from these buildings that it was only with the greatest difficulty that Jock could get his men organised. Bullets were streaming down the road, buildings were blazing and cattle groaning all around; and as dawn was already breaking, the prospect of mopping up the whole village before full daylight was becoming increasingly remote. At last 16 Platoon went forward, and the "D" Company blitz began.
The Platoon was pinned almost immediately.
'I went forward to see what was happening,' said Jock. 'Bill Manson was in terrific form in spite of the pasting he and his men were getting, but I could see there was no future in it unless we could do something else as well. The centre house was a fort, there were trenches behind it and to the flanks, and there were spandaus all over the place. Bill had had six casualties already, and it was absolutely certain that an approach from either flank was impossible. I told him to give the centre house everything he had - bren, piat, everything - while I sent 17 Platoon to work round the rear and get at the trench behind.'
Then followed something which must be described in detail, the extraordinary performance of Corporal Purchase and Gray. Lance-Corporal Green tells the story.
'We were all in No 5 section,' he said. 'There was a Corporal Purchase, and Gray was the bren gunner, and there was Hayes, and Hay and Hanson, and myself . we?d been together a long time ? right through everything- and we were all good mates. Captain Gardiner came up and called for volunteers, and Corporal Purchase says "We'll go." Captain Gardiner says: "It's important. The place must be got. " And the Corporal says: "We'll do the job properly if I have to do it myself. "
'We got 16 Platoon to put down mortar smoke and high explosive in front of us, and set off down the road. The house and the trench were on the left of the road, and that was the side where Mr. Manson was held up, so when the smoke cleared a bit and we were fired on we dived into the ditch on the right. It was a good ditch and we were able to work along it fairly fast until we hit the drain. That was the start of the business. The drain cut the ditch and the road at right angles, and a wee bridge carried the road over it; so of course that meant we couldn't crawl any farther. It meant we would have to nip out of the ditch, run across the bridge, and get back into the ditch on the far side. The Boche were only seventy yards away. They weren't fast enough to catch Purchase and Gray when they made a dive for it; but of course they were just waiting for us, and whenever we showed ourselves we got a burst through our hair.
'We thought the pair of them would wait for us and give us covering fire to help us over the gap: but nothing happened. I stood up beside a telegraph pole, and before a burst put me back into the ditch again I'd just time to see three spandaus and a hell of a lot of Boche in a big trench, and Purchase and Gray disappearing round the end of a house about forty yards away from them.
History Section Reference :
Rhine Crossing
Museum Reference :
Documents - Rhine Crossing