“Another Recce patrol we did in the Ardennes, our light Humber leading as usual, this time on a winding narrow road. We came slowly round a corner and so quiet - we saw two heads just above the ditch at the side of the road. Immediately I had my Bren gun at my shoulder. Dan said quietly “Give’em a burst” but I said “be sure they’re not Germans dressed as Yanks”. We had been informed previously that the enemy were imitating the Yanks. Although we were 10 yards or so from these two Germans, Dan, our cool Corporal took a look through the binoculars and said “they’re Gerry alright – fire away”, which I did. The two heads disappeared in a split second and Dan told the driver to reverse quickly. We didn’t want to get too involved; we reversed around the corner, just in case. I didn’t know whether I’d hit any of the two Gerrys but we had to be careful – they may have had a Spandau or a Bazooka pointed at us. I think they were as surprised as we were.
When we had gone about 50 yards in reverse the engine packed up. Of course we were afraid at any moment Gerry would come round that corner or come along the hedgerows and sling a grenade at us. Dan said to the driver “What’s up?” After a pause our driver said “We’re out of petrol.” Whereupon Dan shouted at him and said in unprintable words “Get out and fill the tank from the spare jerry can and be quick about it”. The driver got out and unstrapped the spare jerry can and slopped it in the tank, put the cap on and quickly got back in the car and got started.
Although it was very cold in the Ardennes I think we were all sweating while this was going on. Soon we were reversing away from danger – I thought the further away the better.
These situations stay in the memory all the time.”
(From Ex Trooper S Handley’s ‘61 Recce - Memories of Normandy 1944 – 1945’, unpublished)
Dick recounts that his troop shot three Germans on 24th December.
61st Recce’s Corporal Mulcahy, working with the Americans, also had a close encounter with the enemy that day:
'On 24th December when his patrol reached Beauraing (east of Givet) they were asked by the American officer in command there to go forward to give the order for a bridge over the Lesse (a tributary of the Meuse) about 10 miles ahead to be blown. The American officer had only jeeps with him which he did not wish to send forward as there were reported to be tanks in the area. As the American officer stressed the urgency of the bridge being blown, Corporal Mulcahy, without hesitation, drove forward to the bridge at 40 mph, and in spite of being fired on by an enemy tank, contacted the officer on the spot and the bridge was blown.'
(From the citation for Corporal Mulcahy’s Military Medal - see 61st Recce Battle Honours.)
The German advance towards the Meuse had nearly reached Dinant on 23rd December but suffered important losses (some inflicted by the British 11th Armoured Division11th Armoured Division) and was forced to withdraw on 24th December. Fierce defence of the Elsenborn Ridge by US forces on the northern shoulder of the salient was also successful in diverting the offensive aiming for Liège.
(From the Centre for Research and Information on the Battle of the Bulge.)
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