The clicking of harnesses echoed through the groaning remains of the glider as the first dozen men clambered out of the side door and into the darkness. Smith was first; brandishing is Sten MkV submachine gun in his right hand whilst hurrying the men from the door and the shredded section where the nose and centre used to be joined. If nothing else the crash had given them additional ways to exit the glider! Smith counted them out. Each man took up positions a short distance form the glider, watching carefully for the enemy whilst also keeping their heads down and in cover. Lieutenant Harvey stepped out, putting his hand on Smith’s shoulder. Smith responded.
“We’ve lost eight. Two shot on the way down, plus the pilots and the sappers bought it in the landing, Sir.”
“Spread out and secure the landing zone, Sergeant.”
Smith nodded in acknowledgement, as he turned he remembered one last thing, “Oh, and Johnson has got framing stuck in his shoulder, he’s pinned inside but stable.”
As he moved off with the men he called back, “See what you can do about Johnson...and keep your head down, Sir!”
Lieutenant Harvey climbed back inside the glider whilst Smith moved out to the rest of the men who were fanned out, forming a thin perimeter around the glider. Crouching next to Mathews, the sergeant checked his map. Corporal Mathews moved over to check on the plan.
“How bad does it look?”
“Pretty bad, we’re a good way off track, looks like we’re at the wrong river. Some arsehole dumped us early.”
“Bugger. Dumped is probably the right word then,” replied Mathews with a sarcastic smirk.
“We need to get to the bridge, and fast, or we’re going to be a plane short for the attack. Are they ready?”
Mathews nodded.
“Good. Get everything you can out of the glider and see if Harvey needs any help with Johnson. We need him on a stretcher and ready to move right away.”
Smith squinted, looking off to a distant building. He was certain he could see something up ahead. Was it a vehicle or an animal of some kind? There was a flicker of light.
“What’s that?”
Mathews turned only to be spun around from a series of bullet impacts. The line of rounds cut from his waist right up to his throat. The exit wounds sprayed blood, some of it hitting Smith. Without hesitation he dropped immediately to the ground as more rounds hit around the glider.
“Incoming, get down!” shouted Smith.
The horizon lit up with a multitude of flashes from rifles and machineguns. The movement Smith had spotted was obviously a military unit and the position that the British troops found themselves in was not a good one. With the crashed glider to their backs the soldiers were left exposed in the open field with only light scrub and thick grass around them. The only saving grace was that the field hadn’t been farmed recently so they wouldn’t have to slog through mud. Behind the glider, the cover was better but would leave the Germans with the initiative.
Signalling to the men, Smith ordered some of the riflemen and the Bren gunner to put down covering fire. He called to the others.
“When we start the assault I want you to get ahead to the low fence and support us with close fire.”
The men nodded in acknowledgement. The British trained in a bizarre ritual known as the Mad Minute, something that had passed on from the Great War. It used to be where they would fire fifteen aimed bullets into a target at three hundred yards within one minute. Many riflemen could average twenty five shots, while others yet could make near an incredible forty shots.
Keeping low, these men with the highly accurate Lee Enfield No.4 rifle put down a continuous rain of accurate shots. The bolt-action rifles were famed for their fast actions and in seconds the Germans were forced to halt their attack. The Bren gunner fired short, accurate bursts and supported the fire of the riflemen. The other paratroopers, along with Smith, advanced in a loose skirmish line through the field. Keeping their heads down they made slow progress across the field but the supporting fire kept the enemy busy. The poor light and the confusion on the part of the Germans, the incoming fire hit all around the glider but not the paratroopers. Within two minutes the ten soldiers had crept to within one hundred yards of their position. They kept low and looked to Smith for the signal.
Watching carefully, Smith observed the enemy position. The actual area consisted of a large single storey building with several barns and ancillary buildings near it. Out in the open was a Sdkfz 251/21 Schützenpanzerwagen. These halftracks had become synonymous with the German military and provided light armour and mobility for the infantry. More worrying though was that this vehicle was the mit Fla MG Drilling version, the model designed for anti aircraft usage. Mounted onto the vehicle was a substantial triple 20mm autocannon mount. If they could reduce the elevation enough they could use this weapon against them.
Around the vehicle a dozen men were scattered taking cover behind barrels, ammunition boxes and containers or behind previously erected sandbag emplacements. Smith double-checked, he couldn’t see any support weapons such as machine guns or mortars. These men had the advantage of cover, armour, weapons and also knowledge of the local terrain.
Smith whispered to his tough second in command, Lance Sergeant Peters.
“Take Jones, Humphreys and Chard and to the right, we’ll hit them on the left, you will flank them and stop any escaping, we’ll drive the survivors to you.”
Peters nodded in agreement, “Sarge.”
He turned back and whispered to the other three men who then slipped off through the thick grass to the right. Smith and the other men continued their move forwards and more to the left till they reached the cover of a broken wooden fence, marking the perimeter of part of the farm. The German position was now facing long range rifle and Bren fire from their front and both sides faced two groups of British soldiers.
The rifle fire and suppressing fire from the Bren continued from the men positioned at the glider. Smith double-checked his unit, they were ready. He gave the signal and they started the assault. The start of the attack was created by half a dozen Mills Grenades exploding around the line of Germans. Moving quickly, Smith was over the broken fence and jogging forwards. Taking cover behind a piece of old farm machinery he loosened off half the magazine at a group of confused Germans. Two were killed instantly and another three tried to escape from the fire but were gut down by Smith’s colleagues. They left their cover and pushed ahead.
With the fight now well and truly underway the group of riflemen and L/corporal Cable with his Bren lifted themselves up and moved forwards towards the ongoing battle.
Smith and his group had taken the first German position and were left with the seven Germans dug in around the halftrack. Spreading out, the British continued putting down fire on the Germans but were now finding it hard to hit them with their reinforced cover. The main assault team was now lying prone, exchanging fire between three Germans in a sandbag emplacement and another three who had retired to the cover of the large building behind the halftrack. The final German was climbing up the side of the halftrack, perhaps to reach the heavy 20mm autocannons. With a single crack from an Enfield No.4T sniper rifle, Private Trent shot the man cleanly through the throat. The man tumbled to the ground, grabbing at the gushing wound.
Before the soldiers could take advantage of the situation the Germans in the building turned their almost total rout into a determined stand. With a smashing of glass the Germans opened fire from two different windows. To add to this, they had brought up an MG34 machinegun. Within moments the MG34 was hammering the cover with 7.92mm bullets, forcing the British back to more substantial cover.