Chapter 355
'The 15th May 1943 is a red-letter day in the histories of the Regiment. The action fought outside Branau am Inn is insignificant in the grander picture of the war, but it was and still is a great source of pride for the 2nd Royal Scots Hussars that they were the Regiment chosen to take Hitler's birthplace. The picture of the then-commander, Colonel Jan Niemczyk VC, standing in front of the house in question atop 'Battleaxe' and the crew around them is still featured on the back of the Regimental Association's main quarterly publication each issue. The capture of the town itself was a quick affair as the units that had been tasked with the defence had been wholly inadequate to the task, especially when faced with a British Battlegroup made up of elite Tank and Infantry troops.
That the rest of the 8th Army was crashing across the Austro-German border, ably assisted by the remainder of the Allied forces driving towards Warsaw and Prague helped. Ironically the Japanese counter-offensive in Manchuria, while being wasteful for the Co-Prosperity Sphere and achieving only minor gains, was of even greater help as it diverted the increasingly limited Soviet reserves of trained manpower, which not only aided the Allies but also would have great impact in the second half of 1944.
Colonel Niemczyk VC is recorded to have said that in Braunau he first encountered the phenomenon of 'mass-resignations from the party as soon as a single squaddie appeared within ten miles.'.
Here and later also in Berchtesgaden there was not a single party member to be found (though in the latter case the membership lists were captured intact) and almost all buildings flew white flags.'
'Hussars triumphant – The 2nd Royal Scots in World War Two'
Colonel Niemczyk stood upright as he led his Regiment into the town. Like the rest of the Battlegroup's vehicles,
Battleaxe barely fit into the streets but the town was one of the symbols of National Socialism in spite of Hitler's hate for everything Austrian. Someone high up had decided to overawe the locals, to make them see the tanks that had torn the supposedly invincible German Panzers to shreds.
Knowing this he had ordered that a small Union flag standard to be flown from the antennae of each tank, just to reinforce the message that the degenerate and racially contaminated British Empire had torn the best and brightest Germany had to offer a third airhole.
“This is it. Driver, halt.” he ordered through the intercom.
Battleaxe slowed, but did not halt. Instead she nudged a tiny bit to the right, just to get the barrel of the gun out of the way of the young oak tree. Niemczyk almost ordered the driver to stop again before...it was to late. The thirty-three ton tank crushed the tree as if it was not even there and only after reversing across it again did the tank stop in front of the house.
“Corporal, you ran over the Führers personal oak tree. He will be rather angry with you.” Niemczyk said with a smile on his face.
“Well then Colonel,” came the reply, “we best get to Berlin then so I can apologize in person.”
“I'll tell the General.”
With that he disconnected his headset and rose climbed out to stand on top of the turret. He didn't even notice that he was being photographed, but he knew that the team was around. He hated doing these propaganda stunts, but someone had decided that one needed picture of a conquering hero inspecting the house in which Hitler had supposedly been born in so he had been detailed by the Brigadier to do it.
He climbed down from the turret and into the street. He didn't draw his weapon but as he looked around he saw that behind more than one set of curtains the local inhabitants were watching him. The Infantry that was securing the immediate area knew this as well and their weapons were in evidence.
He adjusted his beret and then knocked at the door.
As he had expected no one answered. He only nodded and two of the Irish Riflemen kicked in the front door. Niemczyk stepped in after them as they searched the house and declared it empty. It was like a million of similar dwellings all over western Europe, if slightly more luxurious since it belonged (had belonged? He wasn't sure) to a Government official.
His driver came running in.
“Colonel, they've tracked down the mayor.”
'Remember, thou art mortal.' Niemczyk thought, he felt nothing at all like the conquering hero.
The town hall was small for a town this size but the small square in front of it was filled with British soldiers when he arrived. He entered it wearing the same dust-stained fatigues and his black beret, hands behind his back and holding a leaflet, and under the new empty flag pole a party of his Regiment was waiting with several civilians in full regalia. Without a word he nodded at the flag party and and without further ado, the Union Flag was hoisted. When the combination of the flags of the realms of the Crown broke out on the pole he turned towards the Mayor, speaking to him with the help of a translator, one of many provided to every unit above the Battalion level.
“Mayor Walters, you are hereby removed from your post. You will hand business over to the town clerk by tonight. However until then you will have your people, under the supervision of my men put these up all over the town.”
He handed the mayor the leaflet. It contained only the usuals, it was of a type that was distributed all over german-speaking occupied areas. It instituted a curfew, people were to turn over weapons, party membership cards and any fugitive Nazi or Wehrmacht officials, forbidden to lock their doors during the day and that they would have to provide accommodation for follow-up occupation forces, in this case the 505th Sudanese Division.
The replacements wouldn't arrive for another two days but the Battlegroup needed to re-stock on practically everything and they had did have a few vehicles at the menders, and he was rather unhappy with the idea of attacking into Germany proper without a full load of shot and shell.
Any in any case, the 7th Armoured Division and the rest of XXX Corps and the 8th Army where still wheeling around to align themselves with the 9th Army and then invade Germany.
The thought of that made him smile internally and the former mayor wondered why this English Officer was so happy. He doubted it was because he had conquered the Führer's birthplace.
The constant rumble of artillery grew louder and suddenly two swarms of RAF Typhoons flew overhead, wings heavy with ordnance and low enough to indicate that something was going on.
Suddenly the Germans were the only ones on the square, the soldiers had all disappeared and were returning to their units.
It was an unexpected counter-attack launched at Corps level and it had serious intentions to blunt the advance of the 8th Army to gain time for Army Groups west and Centre to sort themselves out and to, if possible, discover what the British were up to.
Still, for the 2nd Royal Scots Hussars battlegroup it was inconsequential as the group of Scottish Cavalry and Northern Irish Infantry faced an attack by an equally sized group of German armour and Infantry. The Germans were equipped with the best material their country had to offer, but even the latest model Panthers would find the Comet a tough nut to crack.
Shells began to fall among the battlegroup's vehicles and Infantry and combat commenced even before they passed the outskirts of the town. Battleaxe's main gun was fired at a Panther just as it nosed around a building, smashing the running wheels and killing the driver and machine gunner, whilst also starting a fire.
The tank stopped and Battleaxe advanced again, but then Infantry appeared around the disabled German tank. Machine guns from Battleaxe and rifle-fire from the accompanying Infantry cut them down but once they passed the Panther they all found themselves in a battle at what was knife-fighting range for tanks. Gunnery and the power of the gun were of no consequence under these conditions, the victor would be he who loaded faster.
What had happened was that the covering forward units of the 7th Armoured had allowed themselves to be pushed aside and opened a gap in the front, expecting that the 2nd RSH Battlegroup would cover the space – only the news of the attack had gotten lost somewhere between the Regiments concerned and Colonel Niemczyk. The Germans and British alike were veterans but the British had one edge that was coming down from above.
Four Indian Hurribombers flew over the battle area along it's length and from each of them two canisters detached. They were no bombs and tumbled to earth, splitting open upon impact and scattering a burning concoction that clung to everything it touched, be it man or machine.
The perimeter of the jellypet-doused area was close enough that it probably scorched the paint on Battleaxee's frontal armour and the Infantry outside felt the heat wash over them.
Enveloping the heart of the German formation the ball of fire broke the attack, even though some tanks survived, the crews died as all oxygen was sucked out of their vehicles.
This was not the only place where the German attack was brutally crushed by airpower. Field Marshal Rommel, backed by von Mannstein, Halder and Guderian had advised against the attack, but Hitler had overruled them, swathing away their objections and warnings that the British would not just crumble and react far faster than Hitler expected them to.
With his grand attack crushed Hitler was, for the next two weeks at least far more willing to listen to his Generals and because of this the attack was abandoned when true to their predictions the British did not pause to re-group but rather continued their own offensive almost without pause.
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Comments, questions, rotten Tomatoes?
Admittedly, I am a bit rusty at writing like this...
When you disappeared we wondered if your quest to think like Halifax had driven you mad. 
