Hitler Line

Heroes Remember

Hitler Line

Transcript

We were told the exact time when such, the big push was going through in which we're going to break thought the Hitler line and we were getting our instructions when the line was broken through. We would, had to, each troop was given their route and we went by lines, that is we went to Able. We went as far to Able then reported in so we all could keep together. Then from there we'd go to Baker and from there we'd go to Charlie. Which is where we would stop and another squadron from our unit would take over from us. So we were told the time that the attack would go in and they said there'd be a, a thousand guns come off at one point. This was amazing because at that moment exactly the barrage started and you could actually read a paper in the pitch blackness by the, the guns, the flames from all the guns. We moved up to our start, our push off line and while we're there, there was an anti tank outfit stopped in front of us and I went over to ask the fella how are things going up there and he, he didn't say a word to me and the officers came along and he said that every person in his gun crew was killed except him. So finally we were given the, the order to move off and we headed through and we went through a place where the English tanks had been caught out in the open with 88s in the pill box and there's 4 or 5 of them burning out there and we had to go right through them to, to our first stop point and actually we went through like scared rabbits. And we went to our first report line and we couldn't report at all. There were a thousand wireless sets trying to report in, but get nothing. So we weren't supposed to leave until we reported in and this left me with a, a quandary of what I should do. We were sitting there for half an hour and nothing has happened to us. So I said well we'll go on to the next one, report line and that we had to go through a woods. So we went through the woods. Still had nothing happen to us. We got to the end of the woods for our second report line, no person had fired at us. We had the same problem, so I said well let's go on to the end and we'll we have to stop there anyway. So we went on to the end to our third report line and stopped. Tried to get through, couldn't get through, finally we got through. Major was as mad as hell at us. The other parts of the squadron were held up at Able and I was a way out there at Charlie and what was I, didn't I notice this and I was sort of in, in trouble. However, later he said that the Colonel was going to send a scout car up and bring me back on the same route that I had taken. I'd met no opposition going up. The scout car came and the driver said, "Is there no way to other than that to get back?" He said, "That, through that woods is swamp and everything. I got stuck a couple of times and it's getting on towards evening and is there no other way we could take?" Well I look at my map and I saw a road going down besides the wood. Paved road, looked good. So I said, "Well lets try that." So we got out and started down this road. We went a mile or so when out from the side of the road a German officer and two soldiers stepped out and held up their hand and we, we sort of stopped and they said come on down and they had taken us for a German vehicle. We were coming from back there where the scouts are. They thought that we were German and they start walking towards us and the driver said, "What are we going to do now?" So I said there's only one thing I can do. I had my Tommy gun there. I grabbed my Tommy gun and sprayed the three of them. One ah, of the soldiers fell immediately. The officer staggered. I could tell he was badly hit him and the other one where he went I sprayed. Suddenly we were the ones being fired at. They must of had a platoon or something in there. The bullets were bouncing off the, the scout car. Grenades were being thrown at us I guess trying to drop in the, in top and I said, "Lets back out of here, get outta here." He said, "Okay." They had a little slit behind the driver. He lifted up and started backing up and he really backed up and I said God don't put us in the ditch, we're cold meat if he ever puts us in the ditch here. So we got back far enough where he could turn around and he turned around and went over back to where we were and then back down to the route we took. It was getting dark and raining so we got into the, the woods but we had to stop there because it was pitch black and we got a tarp laid it out and slept under that for the day, for the night. The morning we got up, packed and headed the rest of the way down We picked up a couple of English lads who were lost and took them back down to the starting point. When they got off they gave me a salute like you've never seen before and nothing like ah..... And we left, they thanked us and we went off to, to find our own troop and our squadron. We got in this, in our squadron and I found out a little bad news there. That my driver Vic Lane, his scouts car had been hit and he'd been killed and I thought well you know what's gonna happen to his wife and his two little girls who he, he adored so much. I felt very bad over that. I got back to the squadron and we, we moved on ahead, we were sort of in reserve and as it was getting night again we moved into a what you call a harbour. A place, (inaudible) beautiful. It's like a park with trees all around and, and ah we moved our tanks in and our, our soft vehicles and suddenly I could hear shells screaming in. I knew what its like. They had registered this particular thing and they were really giving it a real good spot and the shells were screaming in. I made a rush for my tank, got hit in the hand with a hunk of shrapnel, managed to get in the tank. When it was all over, I went out to make sure everything was alright. My troop were alright, none of my boys were killed. The ammo lorry and the cooks lorry were burning, one tank had, was on fire. I don't know if it'd been hit in some way but it, the gasoline was burning and the flames were coming up past the ammunition and the driver, the gun was over top of the driver so he couldn't lift the hatch all the way. And he was hollering for some person to come and move the, the gun so that he could get out of there. And several people rushing to move it and the ammunition exploded, when the ammunition explodes the turret comes right off the tank and the driver squirted out of there and that's not a very nice thing to see. Finally I, I went to see the MO because I'd wrapped a, a handkerchief around my hand and the handkerchief started to, to drip blood so I thought I'd better go and get it attended to. So I went to the, the MO and he looked at it and he said it have to take it off and he said he's not equipped to do that so he sent he back to the base hospital. So I got in the jeep, went back to the base hospital and it consisted of three big tents, but what amazed me was that the number of stretchers outside the tents, of people who had been wounded whatever and they were filled and I went up to the, to the main entrance there and I felt you know, I was hit in my little finger. That's the one that is cut and I, you know to go in there to have him deal with my little pinky, when everyone else is laying out there. However I went in and he sewed it up and put a splint on without even snickering and I went back drove back to the, the squadron again. When I got back to the squadron I went in to tell the MO of what had happened and he said, "Did ya hear that one of the officers were killed?" And I said "No I hadn't heard. What happened?" "Oh," he said, "Mickey McBride was killed." I said, "Not Mickey, my best friend." and I thought you know, war's hell and there's nothing to do but to stay with it I guess.

Description

Mr. Murray recalls a series of events as he led his troops during the push to break through the Hitler line.

Robert Murray

Robert Murray was born in Toronto, Ontario on February 8, 1918. His father was Inspector of Detectives of the Toronto police force. Mr. Murray had six brothers and sisters. He was the second youngest.

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