Crusader (A Novel of WWII Tank Warfare) by Jack Murray & J Murray

Author:Jack Murray & J Murray [Murray, Jack & Murray, J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2020-07-27T05:00:00+00:00

18

Trigh Capuzzo, Libya, November 20th, 1941

That same morning, further to the west, Manfred sat in a hot tank, bored, tired and hungry. The hunger was something he‘d grown accustomed to. It was a permanent state for him and, if their conversation was anything to go by, for his tank mates. Every week they would have conversations about imaginary meals the wished they could have. The hunger and his general discontent was not helped by the fact that they seemed not to be doing very much.

‘At what point do we just acknowledge there’s no bloody Tommies around here?’ asked Fischer.

This was not unreasonable, thought Manfred. Overath wanted to reprimand Fischer but, in reality, he agreed with him. The tank had been patrolling up and down the Trigh Capuzzo track for a few hours without seeing so much as a reptile on their journey. Instead, the tank crew were hot, hungry and heavy-eyed through lack of sleep.

Over the wireless, they were aware of an engagement taking place about thirty kilometres to the west of their location at the Sidi Rezegh airfield and another further south at el Gubi. Fischer’s comment from the previous evening hung heavy in the air. If the British had any intention of supporting a breakout from Tobruk then this was likely to be the start of it.

Overath glared down at Fischer and ordered him to keep his eyes ahead and his ears to the wireless. He then turned to Manfred and snarled irritably, ‘And don’t you talk, either.’

Manfred, who’d said nothing, remained impassive in the face of his sergeant. Moments later he glanced down at Fischer who was laughing. Manfred started to laugh himself. There was no point in getting too upset.

The morning dragged on and silence descended on the tank. An armistice lest they get on one another’s nerves. The heat and the torpor meant everything was done unconsciously. Manfred had next to nothing to do as he was neither a driver, a wireless operator nor the tank commander. To make himself useful he acted as another pair of eyes on the road ahead. His peripheral vision was limited. After a while he’d lost interest in even performing this task. Ahead of him was only dust and sand and nothing.

So this was war. Waiting at a camp followed by yet more waiting while driving along an empty road. He’d heard from Fischer about the battle at the start of summer. This seemed to be another world. He almost envied Fischer his involvement. Almost. Unspoken was the realisation that the Bavarian had faced death. They’d all faced death. All except him. For so long his emotions swung wildly between eagerness and fear. Now the enemy was within touching distance yet all they were doing was driving around aimlessly. It was clear Overath thought this also but would not say.

More traffic on the wireless late morning revealed there was fighting to the south west at Gabr Saleh. The 21st Panzers were unable to provide support as they’d run out of fuel.

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