Hoofprints in the Clouds - Jeep Tracks in the Mud by Tudor Geoffrey

Author:Tudor, Geoffrey [Tudor, Geoffrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pen Press
Published: 2010-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 2

Waiting in the Wings

Towards evening they arrived at their new home, the large village of Beernem, close to Bruges, and about 30 miles from Breskens where the assault force for Flushing was already assembling. It was here that the Breskens-Flushing ferry linked the Dutch province west of the Scheldt with the remainder of the Netherlands. Just a month ago General von Zangen had used this route to evacuate the bulk of his 15th Army trapped along the Channel coast. Now it was the turn of the allies to attempt the crossing.

Graham found he’d been billeted on his own this time. Luxury! There was a comfortable bedroom upstairs, and a small sitting room downstairs behind a shop. For this was the village modiste, Maria De Leyn: hats everywhere - in the shop itself, and in the passages and on the landing: and a constant flow of ladies coming for hats. There was a glass door between the shop and his sitting room so Graham had an excellent view of all the comings and goings. From morning to night the shop was full of ladies celebrating Belgian freedom by buying a new hat or dressing up an old one. Such a preening and prodding and twisting of necks! Such frowns of concentration and cries of triumph and delight! Graham’s shop also served as the village intelligence centre and fount of gossip. Sometimes voices would fall to a hushed whisper when some especially shocking scandal was being explored. So continuous was the entertainment it was hard to concentrate on Graham’s own tasks of writing letters or censoring the battery mail.

Next day they were busy cleaning up after their drive. In fact much of that winter was spent, not fighting the Germans, but battling against the ever-present mud. In the afternoon the major called a conference. The attack on Walcheren, he told them, would take place in two days’ time. There would be a powerful attack from the sea against the batteries at the western end of the island. That would be by commandos supported by specialised armour. A smaller commando force, followed by a brigade from 52 Div, would assault Flushing, crossing the Scheldt from Breskens. The remainder of the division would be attacking from South Beveland to the east. ‘So 52 Div will be playing a vital role,’ he continued. ‘But now I’ve got to come to the disappointing bit - we won’t be taking part in the initial operations. 452 Battery will go in at Flushing, and 451 Battery will support the right hook in Beveland. Our own role is to act as reserve force, ready to meet any unexpected need or replace casualties.’

The conference broke up and officers got their heads together. It was like D Day and the Arnhem operation all over again: hanging about on the sidelines while other blokes were doing the fighting. It had been bad enough then, but now it would be blokes from their own regiment in the cauldron. ‘Our lads are going to be fed up to the back teeth,’ said Ian.

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