Rommel_ Gunner Who__ A Confrontation in - Spike Milligan [61]
May 7th, 2.45 a.m.
Diary:
On the Command Post wireless I picked up the electrifying message—“6th Armoured and 7th Armoured Units on outskirts of Tunis!”
I threw the headphones in the air. It was round the battery in minutes, everybody was grinning—this was it!
Hitlergram No. 32b
A bankrupt Gown Shop in Whitechapel that went skint in two weeks.
The scene:
The bunker. Hitler is ironing Himmler’s head.
HITLER:
If we do not vin, zer war ve vill come second!
HIMMLER:
I have zer Victory Plan. Ve vill burn all zer top Jews.
HITLER:
Idiot! London is a smokeless Zone.
HIMMLER:
Zen ve vill only burn smokeless Jews.
Terrible clanging sound as Hitler brings coke shovel down on Himmler’s head.
“The Major wants us to look out our white lanyards for the Victory Parade.” said Lt Walker. “Just this once.” I said.
“Prepare to move, we’ve got the bastards holed up in Cap Bon.” said Sgt Dawson. The great chase started. We passed swarms of prisoners and gave them the usual treatment. We raced along the dust choked road to Grich el Oued. Across the great baked plain of the Goubellat we thundered in concert with Infantry and Tanks, all shouting and yelling with the excitement of the kill. “The Kill!” for that’s what it was. Here was I, anti-war, but like the rest of us feeling the exhilaration of the barbarian—it’s just under the surface folks, so watch out! B.S.M. MacArthur almost mummified in dust goes down the column. “It’s all over!” he’s shouting—and it was! We camped at Oued Melah, told to “stand alert for a call.” It never came. On May the 12th the fighting ceased. The war in Tunis was over. “Cup of tea?” said Edgington, “Ah, cheers,” I said, “Let’s tune in to Radio Algiers.” We did.
End of Volume Two
In Volume Three I will tell of our visit to Tunis and the adventures from there on until the Invasion of Italy. Christ knows when I’ll get round to writing it, but stay tuned.
A German Kriegs Marine officer approaching under a flag of truce
Table of Contents
THANKS
PROLOGUE
JAN-FEB
X Camp. Cap Matifou. Algeria
Algeria
Confined to Camp
Part Two orders
January the 23rd
January the 27th 1943
The long haul to the front
Dawn, February the 11th 1943
Feb. 11 1943
Feb. 12th: Approaching Setif
Feb. 13th 1943
15 Feb. en route to Le Kef
15 Feb. 12.00 hours
16 Feb. 1943
17th Feb. Dawn
Dawn 20th Feb. 1943
20 Feb. 1943
23 Feb. 1943
Feb. 26th
27th Feb.: First day at Waggon Lines
28 Feb. 1943
MARCH
March 13 1943
12 March 1943
March 13th
Beja Waggon Lines 17 March 1943
March 18th
19 March, 1943
March 22
29 March
APRIL
April 4th
April 6th 1943
April 8 1943: This way to another battle
April 8 1943: Djbel Mahdi
Trauma
April 11, 1943
Last day Munchar
April 11/12
Trauma
April 14. Wednesday. 1943
15 April 1943
Friday, April 16th
Saturday April 17th
Sunday 18 April
Sunday 18th April 1943
19 April 1943
24 April
The evening of the 25th April
26 April
Trauma
April 27th
April 30th
May the 1st
May 2nd
0300 hrs. on the 6th
May 7th, 2.45 a.m.
End of Volume Two