General Marcus was leading the Northern group and was able to setup in the hull down position. This position required finding a ridge or some other earthen mound that hid the body of the tank, yet permitted the turret to see over the cover with a clear field of fire for its 20 Pounder gun. The turret had very thick armor and was very hard to hit squarely enough to penetrate the metal skin. Dutifully the Soviet tanks obliged, and fell one by one to the concealed Jewish tanks until ten T-44s were destroyed and the remainder fell back.
One Jewish tank was destroyed when its engine stopped, exposing it to the guns of a dozen T-44s. There were now nine Centurions left facing close to 40 remaining T-44s and another 30 T-54s moving into position.
In Jewish tank number 4, the driver saw what he was up against and jumped out of the tank and ran. The fleeing driver was promptly replaced by an Arab driver, who soon won the respect of all for his adept skills in maneuvering the 52 ton tank. Arab replacements continued to fill in for wounded crews throughout the three-day battle. Fully 20% of the crews were eventually Muslims and became fully integrated into the tank hulls, and the hearts of the Jewish tankers.
In the final analysis, the Jewish/Arab Stand on Golan was not a military success. It slowed up the Soviet Army for three days. Much like the French led by De Gaulle in the defense of France[20], it had no real effect on the war’s outcome. The Brigade became known as the Hulls and Hearts Brigade and would have a profound effect on future Jewish-Arab relations. The Brigade was formed in a week, fought for three days and was overrun on the fourth. Out of the 5,251 Jews, 1,489 survived the battle. Out of the 1,602 Arabs, 467 survived.
The date of the final shot fired by Michael Brandt, the Jewish ex-British tanker, was 23 March 1947. Two days later the Holy Land fell to the Godless.
Halted Near Lake Hammar
Bagdad had fallen on 25 January 1947 to a ragtag conglomerate of what had once been five Red Army divisions. The distance and terrain had taken its toll on the proud Soviet units that Marshal Bagramyan had started the campaign with. Another three Divisions were diverted to the southwest from Bagdad and on their way to the Suez Canal via the Syrian Desert. The desert in this area was very similar to the Steppes of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Cossack troops once again led the way.
The British colonial troops assigned to defend Kuwait City and the British oil fields were a veteran lot consisting of New Zealanders, Indians, Australians and a contingent of Gurkhas. In sum, they had one well stocked and rested division standing between the Soviet Red Army and the life blood of the British Empire. The fact that NATO had “required” the British to allow the Soviets to get this far unopposed, had severely strained relations among the NATO Alliance.
In the end the British knew they had no choice but to let the Soviets march on Bagdad virtually unopposed. Now it would be different and Bagramyan would have a fight on his hands.
The Colonial Division was under the command of an extremely experienced man, the former commander of the New Zealand Corps throughout World War Two. The newly knighted Sir Bernard Freyberg gave up the Governorship of New Zealand to once again answer the call of duty. The Australian brigades had their noses out of joint, but in true Aussie fashion made the best of what they considered a bad situation.
The NATO forces had set up their defensive line just southeast of Lake Hammar in Iraq. It was a marshy area that would limit the use of armored vehicles in the coming battle. The line was solid and well thought out. Sir Freyberg was well suited to use his troops to maximum effect. The first defensive line was located 180 miles northwest of Kuwait City.
Royal Navy aircraft being launched from ground bases near the frontline were providing cover for the NATO forces. The American’s had scrounged up some F4U Corsairs for the Royal Navy and the British had their own Seafires.
The first Soviet units staggered into the Colonial Divisions defenses in the late afternoon. These Red units were working in a dream state having been constantly moving for a month. They didn’t know what hit them. Some lead units were decimated in ten minutes, while others just turned and ran on seeing the carnage occurring in their front.
The Royal Navy made a rare late afternoon attack. Usually naval air forces don’t attack at night or when they can’t reach their aircraft carriers by dusk. In this case, they had airbases on land to return to and they chanced the unusual mission.
Without their own air cover the Soviets took a beating. The British Corsairs used the horrific combination of napalm and rockets to turn back these lead elements. The Soviets withdrew for the night. They gathered their forces the next day and waited for their air support and supplies to catch up. While waiting, they probed for any weakness in the NATO lines.
The allied defensive setup was classic, with the marshes anchoring the east flank and the rugged high desert on the west of the NATO lines. The Colonial Division had no lack of supplies or leadership. They did however lack manpower. The Soviets were bringing five divisions on paper to the expected assault. Attrition had reduced their effective strength of the Soviets to three full divisions. This made the odds three to one in favor of the Reds. This was considered a good ratio for the attacker and the odds were on the Soviets side.
Unless reinforcements arrived, or some other element came into play, the Red Army had a very good chance of reaching the oil fields of Kuwait and driving the British Colonial forces into the sea. The British seemed destined to use their colonial troops in hopeless causes and to lead suicidal attacks. Hopefully this will not be the case for this division that was far from home and far from immediate reinforcement.
The Suez Canal was considered politically more important. With the Americans supplying the Empire with 70% of its oil, Kuwait’s 10% was not considered vital. Freyberg, the commander of the Colonial Division had been told in secret, that other operations occurring soon, would relieve the pressure the Soviets could bring to bear on his position. He was told that things would be changing quite rapidly in the next 30 days.
Freyberg was given the unlimited use of two Royal Navy aircraft carriers and their compliment of planes. These well trained air units could go a long way, if properly used, towards mitigating the numerical superiority of the Red Armies divisions gathering to his north.
Freyberg assured Eisenhower that with full supply and the Royal Navy’s planes he could hold the enemy at bay for at least thirty days. Freyberg knew he would be well supported. There were dozens of reporters flown in to witness his stand. Sir Bernard reasoned that with the eyes of the world on his division HQ must be pretty confident of the outcome in the short run. He had pressed Eisenhower for more men and had done it as a matter of form, rather than with any hope of results. Freyberg was not holding his breath and planned on using the forces at hand to the best of his ability.
How Long?
Omar Bradley was walking in circles trying to work off some tension. His office was large but not ostentatious. It contained a few prized memorabilia, but otherwise it could be classified as spartan. He finally addressed his visitor, Sir Harold Alexander, who once again was in command of the Mediterranean theater of operations. Alexander had been recalled to active service after being named the Governor General of Canada in March of 1946. Britain was losing its governors to active duty.
“When is Ike going to pull the trigger on this invasion? Bradley finally blurted out.”
“I would assume, when he is good and ready, Omar. I would suggest that you know him far better than me.”
Omar continues by asking “How much more strung out does he want the commies to get and how close to the Suez? It must be making Churchill very nervous.”
Alexander answers “I believe Winston has felt much more uneasy about other situations over the course of his life than this current kerfuffle. As you well know he trusts Ike completely and would never second guess him.”
“Never mind me…I’m just blowing off steam, Harold. We Americans have to do that from time to time as you well know. In days gone by I used to sack a
general or two to deal with tension. Hell did you know that Patton only sacked one general under his command and that was after two warnings. Luckily for my subordinates, I’ve found other outlets for my energies.”
“Yes, I see old boy. You have worn out the carpet in only one afternoon. Would you please sit down? You are making me dizzy.”
Bradley takes a seat and asks “Your troops are all ready? How is Vandergrift of the Marines holding up? Are his troops ready to bound off the landing craft and move inland? We don’t need another Anzio, Harold.”
“Once again, you know Vandergrift, better than me, Omar. Are you just asking rhetorical questions? Is this your “tell” as they say in poker old boy? Is this another manifestation of your own misgivings? Are you ready to cut off the body from the head in what could be the greatest victory of all times, or are you having second thoughts about getting what you wished for?”
Bradley pauses and says “A little of both, and all I guess. Just needed someone to talk it out with. The security is even tighter on this upcoming invasion than on D-Day. I think you can count on your fingers the number of people who know the whole plan. A lot of moving parts spread out over the oceans. Imagine the audacity of putting together a series of cascading invasions, each consisting of twenty five divisions each.”
Alexander concludes “I will give Ike his due. While McArthur had great strategic visions, Ike is brilliant at recognizing good ideas and incorporating them into his plans. Even from his grave, McArthur is contributing to future victory.”
Chapter Twelve:
One Man’s Tale
Figure 22- Burt Post’s Diary
Diary of Burt Post
January 26th, 1947
Things are still going well at work. I applied for another patent. That makes three so far. Luckily, Kimberly Clark is rewarding my efforts with a large, unasked for raise and promotion. A lot of the younger scientists and lab technicians are disappearing from the job market. I guess the army is snapping them up. Oh well, more work for me and the other older engineers.
Looks like we’ve started to slow down old Stalin and his minions. The Pyrenees Line is holding and the news reported that we started to take back some territory in those wicked mountains. The stories of the fighting there are gruesome to say the least. Lots of hand to hand fighting among the clouds. Nice view for your last dying thoughts.
Rumors are that the US is going to pop out of nowhere and surprise Uncle Joe Stalin when he least expects it. From the reports in Time magazine, he hasn’t even attempted to fortify the French coast. I guess he knows it’s pretty futile and learned his lesson from Hitler. They say Stalin is going to trade territory for time just like he did against the Nazis. It would work again, I suppose. Let’s hope that Ike is smarter than that.
Ede is a joy of a baby at four months. She is doing all that she is supposed to do. John and Lynn are jealous, but that is par for the course. Thank God she is finally sleeping the whole night. I felt sorry for Maxine, but what can I do? Women know how to take care of babies. I try and help out with the older kids. John is a good 6 year old. I love that age, with it’s “what’s that” “how does this work” and “why not”? It’s fun to answer even if you don’t know, you can make things up as long as it does no harm.
Lynn is going to be a singer. My, what a voice, that rings loud and clear. A very pleasing pitch that carries great distances. Luckily, she is a very polite and loving little girl and all her comments just draw “Isn’t that cute.”
Just heard on the radio that we have lost the Holy Land to the Reds. Bad news, but I’m sure we’ll get it back. I don’t think the commies will desecrate anything. After all, they were Orthodox Catholics just a generation ago. I’ve never heard of them doing anything to churches etc., even in Germany, and they sure had reasons to hate the Germans.
Diary of Burt Post
January 27th, 1947
Rumor has it that there is some kind of big push coming soon from the NATO Allies. The news reels were full of Spanish troops attacking all along the Pyrenees front. The fighting looked ferocious but it appears that the Reds have been stopped for now. According to the maps they were about to break into tank country, and that would have not been a good situation.
Maxine and I went to see the movie “Dead Reckoning” with Humphry Bogart. It was a very good movie and this was our first time since the baby alone together out of the house. Maxine’s mother looked after the kids. That was real nice of her and she enjoys them. They certainly love her. Bogart was wonderful as usual, but Lizbeth Scott was kind of stiff. Anyway, good plot and great night out.
The orders for more and more paper kept coming in and the paper machines are running 24 hours a day. The company is very grateful that my latest invention increased productivity by 5%. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re talking millions a day it adds up.
Bill Larsen, down the street just got called up. He has a kid and everything. His son got lucky and was allowed to enter the Navy. Bill pulled some strings. Most draftees go into the Army. Looks like we’re really going to try and run the Reds out of Europe. I hope that’s all we do. It will be hell to pay if we follow Napoleon and Hitler’s folly into the Steppes of Russia. No one has ever won that battle.
They are having a hell of a winter in England. It’s been mild here. Just wait, we’ll get ours soon enough.
Diary of Burt Post
January 28th, 1947
Lost another tire today. Damn how I hate rationing. You would think that they could loosen up a little bit on some of the stuff. The Reds don’t have a navy so how is the supply of rubber being affected. We should be bouncing in the stuff. The word is that the British are running out of coal. Can’t tell that joke about selling coal in New Castle anymore, I guess.
Six year old Lynn got the measles today. Terrible to see your little kids sick. She looks so cute, yet so miserable. She can’t sleep and has spots all over. Thank goodness, all but Ede had gotten them already. John’s bout with the disease almost killed the poor child. It was nip and tuck. I sure hope they come up with a vaccine or something for this scourge.
Time magazine had an article of Vallabhai Patel. He’s an Indian politician who embraces partitioning India into two countries, one Muslim and one Hindu. I foresee trouble with that arrangement. Imagine having the US divided by religion. How stupid would that be?
My brother, Richard, called and mentioned that he will not be contacting us for a while. Seems he’s being shipped out. I hope it’s not some place dangerous. He’s such a big bear of a man, yet so gentle. He’ll do his duty but he won’t come back the same.
Bill Spangle came back and was a totally changed man. He couldn’t sleep at night and would attack his wife in his sleep. Someone should do something for these guys but everyone just wants to push it under the rug. No one talks about the problem, including the veterans themselves. How are they going to get the help they need if they don’t acknowledge the problem?
I felt guilty for not going but I tried. The recruiters kept rejecting me because my job is vital to the war effort. Someone has to stay behind and make the supplies they need to fight. So far, I’ve been able to make our company more efficient and make more with less.
Diary of Burt Post
January, 29th, 1947
All the news is concentrated on Al Capone’s funeral. The guy was a killer and a scum. Now the whole nation is wasting it’s time on hearing his life story over and over again. It was a life worth forgetting, if you ask me.
My younger brother, Phil, is now being sent somewhere. He sent one of those cryptic letters saying that he couldn’t tell us what was really happening. He was drafted and became a writer for the Stars and Stripes. I hope they keep him doing cartoons and not reporting for the front lines. He’s a damn good artist. I wish he is able to continue his art after the war.
Speaking of reporters missing. They still haven’t found that reporter who was camping in Maine and then just disappeared after he tangled with a
military exercise. Very strange set of circumstances. Odd that he would just vanish. Hopefully, the Army is just holding him for some reason. All is fair in love and war.
Lynn is doing better, but is really scratching her pox. I’ve seen some real problems occur with scaring and such. I wonder if Calamine Lotion would work like it does for poison ivy and mosquito bites. I’ll pick some up tomorrow.
Out of the clear blue sky, Maxine retold the story of how her “loving” brother, John, made her climb the city water tower at age five. That man was cruel even as a little boy. He belongs in Alaska, where he can kill himself hunting bears for all I care. I wonder why she told the kids that story at dinner?
Got a new retread tire, so I don’t have to take the bus to work. Taking the bus adds an hour to my work day and it is crowded and standing room only by the time I get on. This rationing is getting to be a pain in the ass.
Figure 23 - Advertisement for retread tires
Chapter Thirteen:
Best Laid Plans
Figure 24- General Eisenhower Receives Briefing
To the Point
The drill sergeant was in his element. Strutting in front of his squad and pontificating on the subject at hand.
“The purpose of amphibious training for an infantry division is to permit the division to participate in the operations incident of landing on a hostile shore in an efficient manner. The amphibious phase of an operation is purely a. means to an end, that is, the delivery of the troops and equipment of the division onto the shore in such a condition to engage successfully in battle. Successfully means achieving the designated objective.
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