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Howard said they were facing the bridge behind what cover they could find; he was one of the second pair of attackers. “There was no cover of any kind offered not even cover fire. Anybody crossing the bridge was fully exposed.” The 9 second rule was valid when you jumped out and the gunner had to overcome his initial surprise before he went after you. Forcing the bridge was another matter because there was no element of surprise; you had to run down a narrow shooting gallery, the gunner was waiting for you with his eyes on the sights, gun cocked, aimed and his finger on the trigger. Was the officer looking for a pile of bodies to hide behind as the next guys came up and carry on this way until there was a row of corpses to the machine gun? Or was he sizing up for a mass charge by finding the range and speed of the gun creating another charge of the Light Brigade; another dangerous Lord Ha-Ha in the making. This whole thing didn’t make sense to Howard; with good reason. My son Aaron’s impression of the battle field from his visit in 2009; “A road divides the line of houses from the canal on the side Howard attacked from. It probably added an extra 40 ft of open ground to his run plus there was no place for cover anywhere on the bank that he would've descended. I had a hard time imagining how he could've got to the water without just hauling ass. I guess he really must've run fast!” Howard and his partner were next and were ordered to attack over the wide open bridge just like the other men. Howard said they talked it over between them and both refused to make their attack as ordered. Then he said “But we TOOK it”. He stopped here and I had to ask him how. Again, Howard had to regroup. “The man’s orders went directly against my Commando training”. Without his Commando training he might very well not have had the sense of personal command find a better way to do the job. He might have gone ahead and followed the officer’s instructions; but that was not the case. Howard was trained in self confidence, how to stand up for himself. Do the job a safer and more efficient way; so, he survived intact. “How did you take out the machine gunner?” I asked him; after a pause “Under the bridge and we used hand grenades to take the gun”. Howard would not elaborate on how he got across under the bridge to the other side so I am going to take some liberties here. The picture shows a bridge about 14’ or 16’ high spanning across a narrow river that has been shaped over the ages into a canal. The waterway is wide enough for canal barges to pass each other safely and there is a water traffic control system at each end of the bridge. The bridge looked too hard to climb underneath on the girders so I am going to say they must have swum across the river. Since Howard was raised next to the Thames River in Ontario, a river wasn’t foreign to him. He understood the waters; the pressures of the currents, the dangers of snags, tricks of eddies and treachery of undertows. His water rat Commando training had taught him how to keep his weapons and ammunition dry as he crossed. Now he had to get into a river he had never seen before let alone examined before. They had to sneak up to the edge unseen or at least out of shot. Get down the bank fully exposed and under the bridge. All the Germans needed to foil this plan was a sharpshooter or sniper with his eye on the river bank facing him. They must not have been seen because it would have been possible for one of the machine gun team to get out and shoot at them. From the picture of the parade over the bridge on April 16/45 I would say the banks were stone back then with a stone walkway at the edge of the canal/bridge. No protective cover at all going up the bank. Once down to the water they would have had to prepare their weapons, assess the canal bank, climb down into the water and make their way to the other side with their ammunition dry. Was there a piece of wood or something that floated to help? On the other side they had to get their gear dry on land and get themselves out of the water by climbing up the canal wall. The walls and bank look like a steep climb and once on top there was no cover again. What could you see of the bank on the other side of the bridge? Were there any wires or traps? Were there any surprises as you hit the water? Snags, currents, wires, were there still Dutch SS snipers around? The river is wide enough for river boats to pass, these are shallow boats but the depth would still be over your head right next to the bank. Was it mined or booby trapped? They had to look carefully at every place they put their feet. There was no gradual shore to work from; Howard had to get in the water fast and silently without letting up his position with splashing, noise or waves. This was a think on your feet project that involved keeping the ammunition and guns dry as they got into the water and made it to the other side. Over the slimy rocks on the way down into the water grabbing anything he could. How much of a dunking could he afford? No plastic bags to make things easier; just hold 20 lbs of weapons and ammunition over your head, out of the water and swim. |