Opening Moves

Affecting a posh English accent, he quipped back, feeling a lot better than he had done for some time.

“See you on the other side of the water Bromhead old chap.”

0040 Monday 13th August 1945, Altona, Hamburg, Germany.

Llewellyn Force successfully completed its relocation as planned and without major incident, reforming the defensive line, a line that still spread unbroken across the whole of the city, which good news Radio Hamburg hammered out to a frightened population.

Reece and Ames put down their covering fire, as much to create noise as to disrupt any enemy moves.

Ames, with the uncanny ability to sense the right action, altered his fire plan and ordered a three round battery shoot on the area around St Jacobi that the Soviets had used to gather for the attack that afternoon.

1st Company, 106th Pontoon Engineers had sustained no casualties that day, being held back ready for when the infantry did their job.

Under cover of darkness, they were moving their equipment up ready for the assault the following day. The command group was being briefed by the shocked General whose 1st Rifle Corps had bled out in the attack.

Twelve rounds of HE landed in a tight area, testament to the skills of the British gunners.

The screams of the dying were mixed with the shouts of rescuers who rushed forward as the fire shifted to other areas.

Many of the 106th’s personnel lay broken and bleeding with their equipment wrecked beyond use.

The engineer command group and that of the 1st Rifle Corps were unidentifiable, two shells having landed a few feet either side of them as they worked.

They were the final casualties of a bloody day.

In 1879, at the Battle of Rourke’s Drift in Natal, South Africa, the defenders were awarded eleven Victoria Crosses and numerous other awards, two of the VC’s falling to Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead, the officers commanding.

In 1945, Llewellyn submitted a long list of recommendations for his men, all of whom deserved an award many times over.

In 1879, the British Government had been keen to reduce the impact of the disastrous Isandhlwana battle and played up the defence of Rourke’s Drift, hence its place in British Military history and the numerous awards of medals for such a small action.

In 1945, Llewellyn Force and its stand in Hamburg was historic because of the huge losses the modest British and German Force inflicted on the enemy.

It was also historic because it was the first battle of the new war in which two Victoria Crosses were awarded.

Llewellyn’s report laid over forty names before his commanding officer and only three were downgraded from the original recommendations of the proud Welshman. Ranging from a Military Medal for CSM Price to a DSO for Maior Perlmann of the Fallschirmjager, a bar to the Military Cross for the dead Frederick Brown to a DSO for Captain Daffyd Jones of A Company.

Last on Llewellyn’s list was the recommendation for the award of a Victoria Cross to a young fusilier who had sacrificed his life so that others could live, fulfilling the promise he made over the boys corpse in the burning Rathaus.

The commanding officer of 43rd Welch Division also received a report submitted by a British Officer not of his division, and counter-signed by all but one of the leadership of Llewellyn Force. This document put forward another name for the highest award, a report given much weight by bearing the signatures of a number of experienced and decorated officers, not the least of which was Major J. Ramsey VC, DSO and 2 Bars, MC and Bar, The Black Watch.

Which meant that, on 3rd January 1946, Major/Acting Lieutenant Colonel Tewdwr Llewellyn stood in the Throne room of Buckingham Palace, alongside the proud sister of Private Euan Jenkins, both to receive Victoria Crosses from a grateful King and Country.

2045 hrs Sunday 12th August 1945, Curau River Bridge, south-west of Heiligenthal, Germany.

Nazarbayeva had once again come very close to death and she knew it, allied aircraft the offenders this time, in the shape of Thunderbolts intent on mischief. Her driver and security officer were poring over the GAZ, trying to mend the radiator damage resulting from the crash, which itself had been caused by hard manoeuvrings as they avoided the attentions of the fighters attacking the bridge she was just about to cross.

She checked her watch.

It was precisely 8.45pm on a lovely summer’s eve and she immediately decided that a Lieutenant Colonel’s rank had to have some privileges

Looking around her, she decided against the ruined watermill as a starting point, instead looking north towards the meadow.