Minefields
Heroes Remember
Minefields
Transcript
I got into one of my light tanks to lead the squadron out and
there was a gate there. I opened it and started out in my light
tank. Sherman following it detonated a land mine. Blew the
bottom pretty well out of it. Sherman killed the driver and
the bow gunner and I thought afterwards why didn't it go off
when I went over it. If it had of, all of us would have been
killed. I got another light tank and continued on down to where
we're getting pretty close to our kick off point and I got out of
my light tank again and into my Sherman. The light tank moved
off to one side and a shell came and hit it and luckily it just
knocked the track off. I got another light tank in front of me
and we continued on down the road. We got to the, to the
river and suddenly the, the light tank hit a mine and I looked
and again I was surrounded by mines. The both sides were
literally covered with mines. It was a big mine field. I
reported this back to my squadron commander and he came up to
have a look and he decided that he would call for the troops that
we had the engineering troops with us and they would clear
these mines on the side and let the, the squadron go through.
I was sitting there watching all these men in the mine field and
suddenly the whole mine field went up and there were 26
troopers blown in the air. 26 and I was literally sitting on my
tank dodging parts. It was the most gory thing that I'd ever
seen happen. When it was over, we got 26 blankets put out on the
ground and tried to match the men and I can remember the Sergeant
walking up and down with a leg he says, "Who's missing a leg?
Who's missing a leg?" and I think one soldier is buried with
three legs. While this was going on we came under fire from a
German anti tank gun and as I was out in the open I, they seemed
to be firing at me. I was on wireless watch. My driver wasn't
in the tank. He was out helping with the bodies. So I had to
move the tank and I had not driven the tank for oh well over a
year maybe a couple of years and I was surprised how fast I
could climb down, start the tank up like nothing you know and
get it out of there. That night we had stayed in a barn and in
the middle of night I was awakened by this trooper walking
around saying they're all dead, they're all dead. He was again
completely out of it. He was the driver of the, the vehicle that
the scout troop had used and he had managed to survive because he
wasn't there when they went up. He says they're all dead, they're
all dead. I grabbed my Corporal and told him to take him back to
the MO and, and that was the last I saw of him.
Description
Still in Italy, an attempt to clear a minefield results in bloodshed and death for several of Mr. Murray's troops.
Robert Murray
Robert Murray was born in Toronto, Ontario on February 8, 1918. His father was Inspector of Detectives of the Toronto police force. Mr. Murray had six brothers and sisters. He was the second youngest.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 04:59
- Person Interviewed:
- Robert Murray
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- 48th Highland Regiment
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