Evening star., 1942-07-22
British Armored Car
Plays Hide-and-Seek
With Nazi Tanks
Lieutenant, With Guns
On Enemy Vehicle, Defies
Demund TO Surrender
By JAMES ALDRIDGE.

IN THE WEST 1ERN DEoER /, july
22.-I have Just spoken with the
crew of a British armored car IN
volved in an extraordinary adven-
ture with units of the German 10th
Light Division during a full-Scale
attack on tie 9th Army's positions
south of Ell Alamein.
The car was protecting an Raj
recovery unit which was salvaging
a damaged plane. The young lieu
tenant commanding the car decided
to 20 out and smash any nearby
enemy observation posts. l saw 1t
sWaying on its high wheels across
the desert into the red dusk and
later heard its machine guns firing
in the night, but saw no more
of it until the following day when
the crew told me their amazing
story.
They proceeded northward toward
q hill held by the Germans and
we're so busy looking for German
observation posts that they ran
right into a number of enemy tanks.
The Germans did not see them
Immediately and the lieutenant or
dered the driver to stop SO the dust
would not give them away. Then
they waited to see If the Germans
noticed them in the semi darkness.
They apparently didn't and after
waiting a few minutes the driver
was told to crawl along slowly with
out making a dust trail and try to
get behind the hill. They just
reached the hill when the Germans
spotted them and opened fire with
everything they had.
Raced Around Hill.
The lieutenant returned the fire
with his machine gun trained on a
Nazi anti-tank firing at him from
a small dip He also got in a shot
at an approaching tank with his
anti-tank gun Then as the only
means of escape he raced around
the hill and got behind the Ger
mans where they could not see the
armored car. They started around
the hill after the British car and
the lieutenant ordered his driver to
follow them. When thep stopped,
he stopped. When he heard them
moving forward he followed. The
tanks finally launched an attack
against British tank unit and the
armored car tagged along behind
firing at the Germans as they fired
at the British vehicles. The Ger
mans apparently thought they were
outfanked and scattered. Then
they sent out patrols to clean up
their f1anks.
The lieutenant again took his car
right around the Germans and fol-
lowed them as they searched for
him. The main battle was resumed
and the lieutenant found his car in
the middle of 200-yard battle !
between heavy German tanks and |
British tanks. He ran gantlet of |
fire and raced back to the spot |
where the Royal Air Force recovery |
unit was at work salvaging plane |
The battle followed him and in |
no time at all it was all around |
the recovery unit. The armored car
waited nearby with its engine idling
to see If any of the Nazis would |
try to take crack at the salvage /
crew. He heard a German drmored |
car approach and demand the sur
render of the unit and was Just |
about to sneak up and blow the
Nazis to kingdom come when Brit
ish tanks opened fire. causing the
German car to scuttle off
Caught Up Too Fast.
The lieutenant then decided to
follow the battle because the recov-
cry unit seemed fairly safe from
attack. But" he caught up with the
battle too fast and was caught in
the cross fire of British and German
heavy tanks at point blank range
The armored car escaped in the
darkness, however.
While member of the armored
cars crew was checking it's fuel
and ammunition during brief halt,
a light German tank came speed
ing up ara skidded to a halt A
husky German, speaking English,
Informed the crew of the British
vehicle tnat they were his prison.
ers, Tie lieutenant said they had
not Deen asked to surrender and
would not do So The German did
not know it, but the British anti
tank gun was trained right at the
German tank while the tanks guns
were facing in the wrong direction.
The German said that if the British
car moved in the wrong direction
its occupants would be shot. He
ordered them to go ahead of him.
The British Lieutenant replied
that thew were unable to move the
armored car because it was being
refueled The German said he would
wait and when the lieutenant told
him not 70 bother and to go along.
the German said, Don't be funny"
Asked to Hold Fire.
I'm not being funny" replied the
lieutenant. but since you happen
to be brcadside with your guns and
they can't lie trained on us you are
our prisoners. You make a false
move and III blow you to Vslhalla.
The German was nonplussed and
Il won't but keep still while
Yefuel." the lieutenant ordered.
While the armored car was refuel-
Ing the battle surged back toward
the two vehicles. Six rs shells burst
around the armored car and the
German tank, which shot forward in
the darkness. The lieutenant opened
fire on the German, and he told me
that his first shot must have taken
away most of the top half of the
German because it was at such close
range that he couldn't miss.
BY then German tanks were all
around the armored car, and the
lieutenant couldn't wait for any
more fuelng but raced away toward
ms own lines. He was fired on by a
German gun and later found five
bullet holes IN the rear of his car
Adolf, Benito and Hirohito-the
three blind mice. Make them run