Ziff under fire

Part 32 - Under Attack

It was a few seconds before I realized they were heading toward us. I leaned over and held the horn button down. 'Kozak,' I yelled, 'We're under attack.'

Gustav, always alert, promptly swerved the kübelwagen into a side road and Beryl drove her truck quickly after him, with Kozak following close behind. We all stopped behind a large stone barn and jumped into the nearest ditch just as the two Spitfires howled over our heads at roof top level, one behind the other. They shot-up some approaching vehicles, which couldn't get off the road fast enough, and zig zagged away followed by black puffs of smoke as Wehrmach anti-aircraft gunners opened fire.

Kozak waited until he was sure they were not coming back and we resumed our journey. We squeezed past the two trucks which had been shot-up. Cannon shells from the British Spitfires had smashed the front of the first truck, killing the driver and wounding another soldier. The second truck seemed undamaged and the driver was trying to help the wounded man. We drove away from the scene with our heads swivelling, as we looked for other attacking aircraft.

Hours later we stopped at a check point where Kozak showed his secret orders and filled our fuel tanks from a tanker truck. It seemed fuel was scarce, as a column of horse draw wagons loaded with ammunition boxes slowly headed for Wesel. While Beryl was filling our tanks, Gustav, Kozak and the tanker truck driver, who was familiar with the route, studied a map spread across the spare tire on the kübelwagen's hood.

Some time later, Gustav pulled over and stopped under the shade of a row of trees. He pointed out a stream of smoke indicated an approaching coal-fired, steam train. The tanker truck driver had warned him about crossing train tracks when a train was scheduled to pass.

A few minutes later, an aircraft shot through the low clouds diving at a steep angle toward the train. Almost immediately the aircraft was surround by puffs of black smoke and seconds later the crackle of anti aircraft fire reached us. The aircraft, a British Typhoon, ripped the air with blood chilling scrootches as it fired a pair of rockets at the locomotive. It screamed away, zig-zagging violently to avoid the Flak, leaving the rockets' smoke trails swirling in its slip stream. The next Typhoon was not so lucky. It appeared almost immediately after the first and the flak gunners on the train were ready. The pilot grimly held the Typhoon steady until the rocket were away but the flak must have killed him, for the aircraft nosed down and crashed alongside the train.

We waited for some time before deciding that it was safe to continue. Fortunately, the road was clear. The rockets had stopped the train before it reached the level crossing.

It was getting dark when we got to the next check point, at the junction with the Reichsautobahn. Military police were diverting most of the traffic to other roads but Kozak's high priority authorization allowed us to use the autobahn . . . but not until early in the morning.

Gustav suggested we get a meal and catch up on our sleep. We bought soup and bread at the canteen and slept in the trucks. Kozak got the back seats of the kübelwagen while Beryl and Gustav found a place in the back of the trucks. I decided the least uncomfortable place was on the seats coiled around the gear shift lever.

It was still dark when Gustav woke us with some buns and ersatz (substitute) black coffee. He explained that if we were late we would not be allowed to use the autobahn. I found out why later. As we were speeding down the long straight road I noticed the median strip had been paved and the road was camouflaged with patches of brown and green paint. Then we passed though a forest and cunningly concealed among the trees was a squadron of Me109's. The Germans were using the road as a landing strip for the fighters. A little further on we were waved over to the side of the road as a tractor appeared. It was pulling a twin engine jet aircraft. Beryl told me it was the first jet fighter, the new Messerschmitt 262. It took off almost immediately with an incredible roaring screech, leaving black smoke, reeking of kerosene, swirling in its wake. A second Me262 took off quickly behind the first one and we were allowed to continue.