Awe inspiring and evocative passages from famous WW2 authors,this is from The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan and begins the account of the allies breakout after crossing the Rhine .
Hammering down every road where convoys of tanks,self-propelled guns,heavy artillery,armoured cars,bren gun carriers,ammunition conveyors,ambulances,petrol trucks and huge diesel transporters towing block long trailers loaded with equipment -bridging sections,
pontoons, armoured bulldozers and even landing craft. Division Headquarters where on the move with their jeeps,staff cars,command caravans and massive radio trucks sprouting a forest of trembling antennae.And in wave after wave,choking every road,where the troops-in trucks and on the back of armoured vehicles,marching by the sides of the motorised columns or slogging through the adjoining fields…
They formed a violent gaudy parade,and in their midst were battle flags,regimental badges and insignia that had made history in WW2
In the divisions,brigades and regiments were Gaurdsmen who had fought the reargaurd action during the evacuation of dunkirk,
bearded commandos in faded green berets,veterans of Lord Lovats brigage who had raided the cost of occupied Europe in the darkest years of the war,tough canadians of the famous 2nd division who had landed at dieppe in the bloody rehearsal for Normandy.In the armoured columns pennants fluttering,were a few of the “Desert Rats” of the 7th armoured division that had helped run Field marshal Rommel to ground in the Libyan sands.And riding high above the tremendous din of men and arms was the skirling music of the “Devilsi in Skirts”,the 51st Highland Division,their pipes sounding the prelude to battle as they have always done.CORNELIUS RYAN