Liveblogging World War II: January 16, 1943
Jack Swab of the Royal Artillery, east of Tripoli:
a.m.: In truck. Barrage crashed out till midnight. Up at 2.30 for orders and moved at dawn. Action about 0830. Now sitting in truck waiting to advance again. Frantic hurry everywhere; breakfast cooked and served in about 20 minutes; eaten in about 20 seconds. Fighters about .. identity uncertain. Suspect Kittyhawks.
Later: In action again some miles nearer the Tripoli road. No rations, water or petrol or ammo have so far come up so the smallest amount of each is vital. The sky is again rather monopolised by German planes (later this situation reversed). So far we have not been attacked.
We have just brewed up. It is about 1315. People are getting tired and irritable from lack of food and sleep. I find Sgt. Sherrat our Sig. N.C.0. the worst offender but there are several others. Buchanan and Cowie are keeping going well, and so is Wagstaff – somewhat ostentatiously.
12 of our fighters just going over. At least they`re probably ours but rather high to be sure. Nobody knows anything tactical. Came up through a minefield on which some of our tanks had been blown up. Lots of enemy trenches, some very deep. Flies are bloody here. Cleaned teeth and shaved at this posn. in 1/4 of a pint of water.
1730: As usual in the middle of our evening stew panic order from R.H.Q.. Equally as usual we are still waiting for the preceding part of the column to come through. B.C. (and my watch) back. A 5.9 is shelling the ridge about 1 1/2 miles forward.
2030, by moonlight: We’ve just received orders. Rommel has gone North fast and this time we’re not sending armour only but 152 (H) Brigade and all the Div Arty with mediums, bofors and what have you.
It means driving all tonight, all tomorrow and maybe tomorrow night. We have no food in hand (Regt. has it I believe) and hardly any water – a bottle full each. Cross country it certainly looks like being a tiring pursuit, [e]specially as most of us have only had from none to 4 hours sleep during the last 3 days. We are at present lined up in bright moonlight waiting to go.
