Events in North Africa - June 1942

	Overview & general experience.
	Experiences on the Gazala Line.
	This page: experiences on the Gazala Line cont., a naval viewpoint.

Painting of Sir Iain Tennant

Sir Iain Tennant, KT, of 201 Guards Brigade managed to withdraw from the Knightsbridge Box, only to be captured at Tobruk. An extract from his memoir makes clear the dangers involved:

The Box was bombed and strafed for seven days without a let up. There were attacks and counter attacks. Our Armour were magnificent. On 12^th June we were ordered to withdraw. A young Officer in the City of London Yeomanry asked if he could take out a patrol to the north of the Box and recce a line of withdrawal. They went out soon after dark but they got caught in enemy cross-fire and were all dead within ten minutes. Then our orders to withdraw were cancelled.

On 13^th June, the Scots Guards on Rigel Ridge were attacked in a sandstorm and suffered badly. That night, our remaining tanks managed to keep a corridor open to the north for all that was left of the Desert Force. This they did at great cost. The withdrawal was mainly on foot although I was fortunate as I had to keep in constant radio touch with the world and so rode in the W/T truck. We were through the corridor by daybreak and within a few miles of Tobruk.

From the diary of Capt J E Jenkins, Royal Engineers

June 26^th This, my fourth attempt at writing a diary sees a new setting. I am a POW my fate with that of several thousand others was sealed on the 20^th. Although we knew that we were completely cut off from our main forces everyone had complete faith in Tobruk's capabilities of holding out, so that when the dive bombers appeared early in the morning we were not surprised or perturbed. There were about 30 JU87's and 15 JU88's in the first wave, apparently this attack coincided with an infantry attack.

The bombers included smoke amongst their load and also some 1000 kilo bombs. The infantry (all German) penetrated our line at one place during the first stage. The Battalion HQ had received a direct hit and communications were cut ...Our first real scare came at about 1400 hrs when machine guns opened up from the ridge beyond our lines. We were in a hopeless position as we had no defence in this direction (our role had been to the seaward and against parachute attack)... The OC ordered vehicles to be burnt and it was pitiful to see all our comparatively new trucks ablaze. We were finally captured at about 1600 hrs. We spent the night at Kings Cross.

On the 21^st we were marched to the landing ground. It was blazing hot and prisoners were beginning to come in all directions. The men were parched for water and didn't get any. The 22^nd saw us in the same place, prisoners were still trailing in, the latest arrivals being the Ghurkas. I met three old friends from Ripon here and one chap from Dover.

On the 23^rd the Cameron's came in with pipes playing apparently the last to hold out, most of the officers moved off at midday. It was hell saying goodbye to the men. They had been such a grand lot and it was hard to picture what sort of time they would have until the end of the show. We went via Tmimi to Derna and had a most horrible night in the rain during which a chap was shot. I have never felt so disillusioned in my life before.

"Tobruk Harbour - The tension can be seen in the photo! The Motor Mechanic (right of picture) and the torpedoman shielding his gaze are scanning the skies for the everpresent Stukas: the Coxswain carries his tin hat -in case."

Of course, it was not just the Army who was caught up in the North African campaign as The Fall of Tobruk - a Naval Account from Lieutenant Commander Charles Coles OBE VRD reminds us:

At midnight on June 19^th we were one of four boats patrolling the low desert coastline... The last two nights we had been quite pleased to miss our sleep and put to sea for operations, as the Germans had been intermittently lobbing shells into the harbour... Tobruk had never been easy to find in the dark - particularly when approaching from westwards, and now our withdrawal from the Gazala line had made accurate navigation most necessary, in order to be off the swept channel at dawn and not straining to identify a particular wadi or sand dune in the half light - wondering whether we were east or west of the harbour entrance. However, on this occasion we picked up the faint green glow of the mark-buoy, and in due course were steaming up the harbour... .The charts and instruments had just been cleared off the table, and the telegraphist was laying breakfast, when I heard a distant metallic 'whang'. It was followed by the scream of a shell and an explosion on shore not far away... A moment later about half a dozen erratically aimed shells exploded nearby, and I was signalled to leave the jetty and proceed to the shelter of one of the many wrecks, that littered Tobruk. We got under way at once and secured alongside a rat-infested hulk not far away. It had never been one of our favourite berths, particularly since Labour Corps natives had used it as a latrine, but I observed most of the better wrecks were already sheltering a couple of MTBs and other small craft, and orders about dispersal of boats were strictly adhered to...

Then one of my crew pointed on shore to a group of South African troops who had just tumbled out of a lorry. They seemed very shaken - almost as though they were drunk... The numbers gathering by the shore increased by the minute. Over the ridge I could hear Bren and Bofors fire, alarmingly close. I would soon be in the front line, it seemed... .I soon realised how close the enemy were when I saw one of our retreating Bofors guns top the ridge: it fired a few rounds and then received a direct hit. It disintegrated - along with its crew - in a cloud of dust and smoke... Soon we were to observe - with mixed horror and interest - German field guns getting into position at the far end of the harbour - just where we had been fuelling earlier that day. Almost at once they opened fire on our gun positions at the harbour entrance. This battery trained round and returned the fire. Our jetty was in the middle of the duel and was very exposed to splinters and stray bullets... We had just been remarking how the desert camouflage paint on our hull was seeming to protect us when the situation changed... The SO was beside us, giving me some last minute instructions. Our jetty received two direct hits on the waterline, and a splinter cut down our aerial. As the SO's engines were still running, he lost no time in casting off - telling me to do the same. After a further near-miss, which spun me round and completely deafened me, I sent to the cave for the rest of my crew - and started engines forthwith. It seemed touch and go as to whether we would make it in time. The next round tore up chunks of concrete beside us. The last man jumped aboard as we were sliding out full speed astern.

Sheltering beside another wreck, of the Chantala, Coles discovered the crew of a salvage schooner and a platoon of Rajputs also taking shelter, the Indian troops having been left there earlier in the day, and who were waiting calmly. Coles took them on board his MTB as he joined the race to leave Tobruk, putting down a smoke screen as he hunted for the gap in the boom to make his escape. It was Coles' birthday and he celebrated with a bowl of hot stew, handed to him with the words "Not much for a birthday, Sir, but the routine's been a bit upset!"

Two paintings from pages of Coles' POW Log Book:

A copy of Don Cameron's painting of Coles' MTB. Don Cameron (Lieut RNR) was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the midget submarine raid on the Tirpitz in Norway.

	Overview & general experience.
	Experiences on the Gazala Line.
	This page: experiences on the Gazala Line cont., a naval viewpoint.