Haktung, Haktung, James Holland here and today's extract comes from the Darius of Stanley

Christopherson, published as an Englishman at war. And this takes us up to the Battle

of Gaienin Kirkland and then to Christmas in the small town of Shinnen in Holland, just

the other side of Germany on the Dutch border. But the action begins in the third week of

November as the shared ranges are about to go into battle with the 84th Rail Splitters Infantry

Division, an American unit new to combat and new to Northwest Europe. From the 18th until

the 24th of November, the regiment fought a continual slogging battle against the carefully

prepared and well thought out concrete defence positions, which, except for D-Day, was

a new experience for us. These defences, considered of numerous concrete

pillboxes surrounded by wire and mines. The walls were so thick, that not even the tank

£17 gun could penetrate. During the night proceeding the attack, we had

very little sleep. Our teleconcentration started at 0330 on the morning of the 18th and at

0500 suddenly the whole area was lit by artificial moonlight, produced by a battery of search

lights situated behind our lines which proved most effective and the attack commenced.

One gap through the minefields and over the railway was not completed in time, so both

A squadron, less two troops and B squadron, which was supporting the leading battalions,

used the same gap. B squadron's objective was the high ground

north-east of Gailen Kirkken, and A squadrons of village of Pramurne. By midday these two

squadrons are knocked out or caused to surrender six pillboxes and are captured 350 P.O.Ws,

and the regiment can claim to have been the first British troops to have broken through

the sea-freed line. By the end of the day both squadrons with the American battalions

had taken their objectives, but B squadron lost Lieutenant Crosby who was killed when

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