The diary’s and accounts of Lt Karsten, WO2 JA Dyer and Cpl Frank Wallbank.
24 October 1942.
When dawn broke we were halfway to our objectives and in a sort of awkward position. The ground between Miteriya and Whiska Ridges formed a depression like a channel between the two and the Regiment found sitting in this as the sun rose.
‘A’ Squadron was fanned out in front with RHQ close behind, while one half of ‘B’ Squadron was a hundred yards to the right level with RHQ and ‘C’ Squadron were in open formation behind. The Staffordshire Yeomanry were about 1½ miles to the northeast, also on the forward slope of the Miteriya Ridge.
Enemy positions on the Whiska feature completely overlooked us. About 2000 yards away on our right front and opposite the Staffordshire Yeomanry was the strongest point of the Whiska defences, with concrete emplacements and well dug in tanks as the core of the defence.
Running from there south-west across our front were the remainder of the defences, about 1000 yards away, consisting of dug-outs, trenches and mines with a few small calibre anti-tank guns spread along the front. The heavy anti-tank guns (88mm) were farther back but within killing range of us.
Such was the position of the Regiment at dawn on the 25th of October. The Warwickshire Yeomanry and Brigade HQ were behind us just coming through the minefield on the Miteriya Ridge.
25 October 1942.
This of course was a delightful situation for the Germans and they proceeded to take full advantage of it and pumped every kind of shell they had at us, HE, AP and smaller stuff. The Colonel got the Gunners to put down a smokescreen to cover us and we added what smoke we could produce from our own 75mm guns from the Sherman’s and Grants.
This gave us a small breather to collect ourselves together after the first free-for-all manoeuvring and scrapping, which individual Squadrons had done to make the most of a tricky situation.
Our orders were repeated – that we were to try and make good the Whiska feature, failing that we were to stay where we were and form an armoured screen against counter-attack.
The Warwick’s were now up on our left facing the enemy, and the Colonel ordered the Squadron to take up position in a half-circle, facing West and North West. ‘A’ Squadron in Crusaders with thinner armour were having a bad time and several tanks had been knocked out.
As it was useless for them to remain there, the Colonel ordered them back behind the Miteriya Ridge, where they were to get hull down and do what damage they could to the enemy, though with 2-pounders in the majority of tanks and a few 6-pounders this could not be very great.
All this had taken about an hour to happen, and a most unpleasant hour it had been. A batch of about 200 prisoners, which we had collected was being marched back in a column under a carrier guard and when they were passing through the gap in the mines on the Miteriya Ridge, the Germans put a heavy stonk down on them, whether in bloody-mindedness or in mistake for our own people it could not be said, but a great many were killed.
An amusing incident happened to one of ‘B’ Squadrons tank commanders who in half-light was reversing his tank to come into position when he felt it lurch badly but did not take much notice until four Ities popped up from under the front of the tank as it went back. It was just like releasing the spring of a Jack-in-a-box.
The commander was a great deal more surprised than the prisoners and made frantic efforts to produce a pistol or Tommy gun from the bowels of the turret, getting caught up in headphone leads and every other projection which seemed to sprout from the turret walls.
As if by providence, the Squadron Jeep suddenly appeared and without more ado, the Ities charged the Jeep and climbed aboard. The astonished driver wheeled around and disappeared into the darkness at high speed and presumably handed over his cargo.
From now on until the evening the Regiment sat out in No Man’s Land, shooting and being shot at.
Mark IIIs and IVs were seen away to the North but they were out of range for us and the 8th Armoured Brigade seemed to be dealing with them fairly satisfactory.
Apart from the odd M13 seen a bit nearer to us, we were not attacked by tanks at all, it would have been better if we had as it would have given us something tangible to shoot at and with our 75mm main armament, we felt we could give a very good account for ourselves.
About midday the Boche seemed to be fed up with shooting at us as it did not have any effect and we were still there. That seemed to be the signal for a brew. It was an amazing sight to see chaps solemnly dismount, start up a petrol fire (Benghazi) under the tail of their tank, get out the brew can and frying pan and cook their breakfast as unconcernedly as if it was a picnic on the seashore.
The odd shell kept landing and the occasional AP went whistling by to land about 100 yards behind us and bounce on, but otherwise, it might almost have been a gentleman’s agreement between the Boche and ourselves to call the party off until we had our meal.
The Colonel, who seemed to prefer the outside of his tank to inside, walked over to the two Squadrons to discuss things and compare notes. As a result, he decided to make ‘C’ Squadron up to full strength by lending them the tanks from B Squadron and sending the remainder of ‘B’ Squadron crews back to reorganise and take over any tanks they could in readiness for the next day.
When all was arranged and done the battle began again, to continue all the afternoon – just a plain slogging match, no tactics, no finesse and no giving ground. In the evening, as it was quite obvious that any advance in that area was not possible without another full-scale attack, we were given orders to withdraw over the Miteriya Ridge again.
At about 1700 hours, the Regiment began to thin out Troops and the Germans put down some very heavy fire as a kind of final hate.
To get back to the comparative shelter of the ridge, Troops had to pass through one of the minefield gaps, all of which were accurately registered by the Boche and well stonked as we went through.
This was the worst part of the day, apart from the early morning action.
