Crusader (A Novel of WWII Tank Warfare) by Jack Murray (important of reading books .TXT) 📗

was true, even General Cunningham’s generalshad had their doubts about the original idea. The new plan was the old plan,one day later.

Major Warren reiterated their objective. Using his stick he tappedthe map.

‘Weneed to capture the Sidi Rezegh airfield. It’s an important Axis supply route.Capturing it will force the Luftwaffe further away from the frontier.’

‘We’ll be blown to hell,’ said Aston grimly.

Lister and Warren both glared at Aston. Wherever the truth lay,Aston, as ever, strayed beyond the line. The right of the officers to challengeand improve on an existing plan was fine so long as it did not descend into bellyaching.Lister could not abide the latter. Aston’s input was invariably negative orworse a sneer which did not offer a better alternative in its place.

‘I disagree,’ said Laing. He waved his hand over the map. ‘Don’tforget, Jerry may not know we’re here. This could be an opportunity. We havesurprise on our side.’

‘Exactly, Laing,’ agreed Lister. It was a good point although itwas now questionable whether they were in a good position to take advantage.Regretfully, he added a note of caution.

‘The divisions are rather dispersed now. The 22nd isdown at el Gubi, and Norrie, Gatehouse and Godwin-Austin are all to the southeast. Not quite the concentration of armour General Cunningham originally anticipatedwould confront the enemy.’

Warren pointed to the map and explained the terrain in moredetail.

‘There are three escarpments running east-west. The northerly oneis the Ed-Duda ridge. It overlooks the Axis bypass road and Panzer group HQ.Scobie and the 70th Division will break out from Tobruk and attack this point.The middle escarpment is situated just south of the Trigh Capuzzo. It goes ashigh as six hundred feet in places. There are certain key heights we need toclaim, here at Point 163, overlooking the airfield on its southern side andfive miles east at Point 175. These are naturally defended by defiles on eitherside.’

‘Sir,’ said Turner, stepping forward and pointing to the map. ‘Whenwe take the airfield and then succeed in linking with the Tobruk sortie, willwe risk Rommel driving a wedge between us at the south of the airfield? Thiswill split the 7th Armoured Brigade and the 4th ArmouredBrigade. He can then attack us in detail.’

Lister nodded grimly. Turner had hit on the key implication of thedispersal of their armour. If the original plan was questionable because itrelied on the enemy playing ball and showing up for the fight it, at least, hadthe merit of being a concentrated Allied force. Now, the enemy could pick thethree divisions in one by one, as Turner suggested. However, this assumed theyknew what was happening. Lister had experienced enough of the fog of war toknow that this was not necessarily certain.

‘All the more reason why we need to hold the airfield at SidiRezegh and the escarpment. This will be pivotal in relieving the siege onTobruk. I think you could say that this is going to be bloody, protracted and,I suspect, messy.’

Major Warren and Captain Cuttwell briefed the officers on thetactical details. Lister, meanwhile, motioned for Captain Aston to join him.Aston strolled over. He could see anger in the eyes of his commanding officer.It reminded him of school. All those visits to old Palmer, the headmaster. LikePalmer, Lister was stuck with him just as he was stuck with being here. Heglanced back and saw Turner eyeing him. If it hadn’t been for that upstart,Turner, he could have been living the life in Cairo.

Lister glared at Aston. His tone was not loud but there was nomistaking his anger.

 ‘Take that damn cigar out of your mouth. Your comments were asunwelcome as they were unhelpful. See that it does not occur again.’

Aston responded with the half-smirk that a dozen school masterswould have endured before, and an equally half-hearted. ‘Yes, sir.’

Lister dismissed Aston and sat in his bivouac with his pipe. Hewas a worried man. How much he had been able to disguise his feelings was opento question. General Cunningham’s plan was dependent on the Germans attackingthe British position. This should have happened by now. Instead their guns weresilent. If the enemy knew they were here, they certainly appeared to bedisinclined to do anything about it.

Lister was aware that the commander of the 7th ArmouredDivision, General Norrie had concerns about the original plan. Never had theBritish army put together such a concentration of armour. Yet the 7th,the 22nd and the 4th Armoured Brigades had all pitched upto a fight with no one intent on fighting them. The new plan was, in effect,the complete opposite of the original Crusader intention: defeat the enemyarmour and relieve Tobruk. Now, all of the 7th Armoured Division wasdispersed. The brigades were heading off in different directions in search of afight.

A brooding sense of apprehension overcame Lister that somethinghad changed in the twenty four hours since they had left camp in Egypt.Weariness and worry weighed heavily on his heart: a feeling that they were nolonger the hunter.

 14

Gambut,50 kilometres east of Tobruk, Libya, November 18th, 1941

Gerhardt dragged on a cigarette before handing it over to Manfred.They were both gazing out into the blackness. Only in the desert could eitherof them understand the noise that silence made. The moon provided some light: achance to peer into the distance and wonder. The two boys sat on the crest of ahill and gazed at the valley below them. It stretched miles into the distancelike a blue sea broken only by bits of scrub.

‘They’re out there somewhere,’ said Gerhardt. As he said this, hehugged himself. The mid November nights had a real bite to them. Each waswrapped up in an overcoat with a scarf and balaclava. The additional cruel jokeplayed by this war was that it was fought during the day when the sun wasburning-hot before things suddenly turned ice cold like a house with brokencentral heating.

‘Yes,’ replied Manfred.

They looked at one another. Both hoped that no sign of fear couldbe detected on their faces. As yet neither felt confident enough to admit tothe fear they were feeling. Only the excitement. The anticipation. That wouldchange. The fear would become their constant companion and