WWII Libya 1941

[robot]

Bir Hacheim Libya
July 7 1941
1100 Hours

The second Royal Dragoons have been given the honer of pushing the XV Grenadiers out of Bir Hacheim. We are to move forward begining at 1100 Hours today. There is a slight haze hanging over the battle field today. But vis is still 650 yards not too bad for us. At least it will cut down on the Germans chance to hit us at long range. Today is going to be an in your face type of battle. One that our men are very good at. Lot of Irish brawlers and stern Scottsman make up our ranks.

It is going to be very hot and mucky today. So have made sure extra water and ammo has been handed out. We will have no support from HQ with any heavy guns. So company guns will have to do. Have about 12 25mm guns and each company has 6 3 inch morters as support.

A will be in the north along the northern edge of the map with B Co next to them in the middle and C Co on the right side in the south. Have placed at least a company of tanks on the right side of the line to extend as far south as we could get. Our company IGs have no trucks so they will have to move forward as best as they can. This may really take them out of most of the fight today.

The whistels have begun to blow and the lead elements have begun to move this batttle is on. May god have mercy on us and what we are about to do here. We must move out over some very even ground not much in the way of hills at not least for the first 500 yards. We will be in the open as we move towards our first objectives. I am sure this will be where the Germans will try and meet us.

HQ:II Royal Dragoons
Col: Sir Nigel Kingsly Commanding

[robot]

Bir Hacheim Libya
July 6 1941
1125 Hours


Well we have run into a buz saw this time. The Germans have hit us with at least 3 companys of heavy tanks. Our guys on the south flank are being overrun. The compamy of tanks I had holding down the right flank have all but been eliminated. The Germans are trying to make an end run around our right flank to get into our rear. They have taken the south objectives and moved at least 350 yards towards our rear. They hit our right flank with a mass of tanks and more are less blew right thru our guys.

We hold the center objectives except for one flag which is still in german hands. We are moving on the north objectives as I type this. Maybe 150 to 200 yards from reaching them. Still have a few Germans to push back before we can capture them.

Dont think we will have enough time to reach the very rear ones today. Dont believe we will have enough power to push our way to them. We have lost at least 6 SPATG so far plus a couple of AA guns. Our losses in tanks is stagering some where around 12 of the southern flank tanks have been blown apart or damaged so much they are usless to us.

I have pulled a platoon of tanks from behind C Co and sent them south to help retake the objectives there. The problem we have had all day is our tank guns and atg plus ig are not strong enough to take out there tanks. All day long our gunners have been bouncing rounds off of there tough skins with little to no damage. I feel sorry for our ATR guys running up to shoot at these monsters only to see there shells fracture to pieces as they hit them. Have lost a couple of them being very brave in trying to take out one of those monsters.

This will definatly not go down as one of our finest hours. Our guys are hanging in and taking a heavy toll on the enemy. The battle field is strewn with the smashed and burning hulks of our enemy. There dead are laying all over the place but they continue to try and push thru us. The tide of the battle has changed into our favor now but such a heavy cost to us tho.

HQ: II Royal Dragoons
Col: Sir Nigel Kingsly

[robot]

Bir Hacheiam Libya
July 6 1941
1200 Hours

We are being mauled very badly by the German armor. We have had at least 12to 14 tanks ripped apart by there deadly shooting. At least 5 have been shot up bad enough to be put out of commission. Maybe 2 of them are still able to fire if something gets close enough for them to see them. Also at least 7 of our SPATG have been blown apart as well and at least 3 of our SPAA guns have been ripped to pieces as well.

About 20 minutes ago I pulled a platoon of heavy tanks out of our lines and sent them south to retake the southern objectives. At least they were able to accomplish this job with only losing one tank out of the platoon. The Germans still hold the objective to the rear of our lines. These same 4 tanks have been trying to push to the rear and engage these tanks and hopfully retake the rear objectives.

Has since found out that the Germans had sent at least 12 tanks to take and hold those objectives. Thanx to our 3inch morters and 25mm guns these same tanks have been reduced to about 4 tanks still holding the objectives. Our tanks are having a hard time fighting thru all the infantry in front of and impeding our progress to the rear. Have gotten some IGs and some atg into position north of the objectives and they have begun to open up on the enemy tanks as well.

Mean while A and B Co have begun to move SE towards the rear objective. They have moved to with in 600 yards of the rear one. Along the way they ran into 2 88mm gun emplacements and 3 rocket batterys. Took all of them out with very little loss of life and are still moving well. The Canadians in the south are finding and running down bits and pieces of the German infantry. Have taken out at least 75 men this way chasing liitle bands or cluster of remnants of squads all around the desert. Sometime its very funny to see 12 to 15 men chasing 3 or 4 men while firing as they run across this barren landscape. Funny if it wasnt so awful that men have to die this way.

This battle is ours its just when will the germans give up and run. They have lost alot of tanks and men again today. The few tanks of theres we can see are trapped and have no way of getting back to there side. Its just how long before our puny guns will put big enough holes in them so they are no longer usable. There crews have to be sweating bricks wondering why they got so far behind our lines with no way out.

HQ: II Royal Dragoons
Col: Sir Nigel Kingsly Commanding

[robot]

Bir Hacheim Libya
July 6 1941
1220 Hours


We have beat the Germans once again but at a heck of a cost to us. We lost 337 men along with 2 artty and 2 soft vehicles plus 31 of our tanks. But in the process of losing all this we really hurt them this time. Taking out 1165 men and 12 artty along with 18 apc and 77 of there monster tanks. I dont believe that thay had one tank left on the battle field that was in any shape to fight.

The tanks they sent to the rear of our lines to take the objectives there where trapped as the battle drew to a close. We encircled them and tore them to pieces as they tried to escape.

Some of our tanks have as high as 32 to 35 kills to there record. We managed to save almost all the crews from the tanks we lost. We took all the objectives even there very rear ones. All in all it was a very good day for us against a very determined enemy with some very good and tough armor.

We have gotten our orders and we are to move all the way over to Egypt. In August we are to be in place and ready to move against the Italians at Halfaya in Egypt. That is near the coast about 300 miles inside the border of Egypt. On our way there we are to stop in the port of Tobruk and pick up a bunch of new tanks. Once we reach Halfaya we will have a complete company of the new Valintine I-II tanks. That will be 4 full platoons of them. Along with them we will fill out a full company of 5 platoons of the Matilda II tanks as well. All our old ATR will be exchanged for the new Northrup type of ATR. Hoping this will give us more firepower there.

Had alot of the squads go to Veteran after this battle. Should be a much better fighting force when we meet the idiot Italians next month.

HQ: II Royal Dragoons
Col: Sir Nigel Kingsly