Um die Mittagszeit gehe ich mit einem Kameraden auf Leitungsstörung auf einem Bahndamm entlang. Es handelt sich um eine Störung im permanenten Gestänge. Ich klettere des öfteren mit dem Steigeisen die Masten hinauf, schließe mich an die Leitung an und stelle die Verbindung mit unserer rückwärtigen Station her.Wir gehen weiter. Nach einer Stunde taucht plötzlich ein englisches Flugzeuggeschwader von 20 Flugzeugen auf, die Kurs auf unseren Standort nehmen. Wir legen uns, nichts Gutes ahnend, flach neben die Gleise. Ich sage zu meinem Kameraden: „Du, wenn jedes Flugzeug 6 Bomben bei sich hat, so macht das immerhin schon 120.“ Kaum sind die Flugzeuge über uns hinweggeflogen, kommt ein neues Geschwader von ebenso viel Flugzeugen heran. Wir packen uns wieder schleunigst neben die Schienen, und auch diese Vögel fliegen über uns hinweg. Wieder gehen wir weiter, da sehe ich, daß beide Geschwader nunmehr vereinigt zurückkehren. Schnell gehen wir wieder zu Boden. Kaum sind die feindlichen Flieger über uns, hören wir schon das bekannte Sausen in der Luft, und die ersten Bomben fallen zur Erde. Krachend schlagen sie ein.
Aber es geht weiter, und ungefähr 20 Bomben detonieren in nächster Nähe. Es ist ein Gekrach, als wollte die Welt untergehen. Singend und zischend schwirren die Splitter über uns hinweg. Erfreulicherweise liegen die Bahnkörper tief, und zu beiden Seiten steigt die Böschung an.
Links und rechts von uns fallen die Bomben auf die angrenzenden Felder; keine einzige trifft den Schienenstrang, wie es doch wohl beabsichtigt war. Hätte nur eine das beabsichtigte Ziel getroffen, hätte sie uns sicherlich das Lebenslicht ausgelöscht. Eine besondere Deckung gab es hier für uns leider nicht, da neben den Gleisen kein Graben war, in dem wir hätten Schutz suchen können. Wir haben eben mal wieder tüchtig Schwein gehabt. Hatten wir bislang die Störung in dem Gestänge nicht finden und beseitigen können, so ist nunmehr der Schaden in den Leitungen riesig groß geworden. Überall hängen die zerrissenen Drähte herab. Über eine Stunde müssen wir flicken, bis die Sache einigermaßen wieder im Lot ist.
Am Nachmittag rücken wir mit einem Lastauto aus Ossogne ab und fahren über Ham-sur Heure, Nalinnes, Gespinnes, Acoz, Bouffioux, Chatelet, Presles, Fosse nach Sart-St. Laurent. Hier bleibe ich alleine zurück, um der nachrückenden Abteilung das Marschziel anzugeben.
Together with a comrade, I walk the lines for defects on a railway embankment around noon. We deal with a defect in the permanent installation. Several times I use my climb irons to climb up the pylons, connect to the communications line and set up a connection to our rear station. We move on. One hour later, suddenly a british airplane squadron of about 20 airplanes appears, heading for our position. Suspecting no good, we lay flat on the ground next to the railway tracks. I tell to my comrade "See, if every plane carries 6 bombs, that already sums up to 120.". Only seconds after those planes have passed us, a new squadron with just the same number of planes approaches us. Again, we hurry to get to the ground next to the tracks, and those birds also pass us by. Again we move on, but then I see both squadrons coming back, now united. Quickly, we go prone again. As soon as the enemy airplanes are right above us, we hear the well-known screaming in the air, and the first bombs drop to earth. They crash into the ground.But it goes on, and roughly 20 bombs detonate very close. It is a thundering as if the world would come to an end. Whirring and hissing the splinters are zipping above us. Luckily, the tracks are in a sunken dip, and to both sides the embankment rises up.
Both to the left and to the right, the bombs drop into adjacent fields; not a single one hits the railway tracks as obviously had been intended. Had only a single bomb hit the intended target, it would sureley have blown out our life lights. Unfortunately, there was no special cover there for us, since next to the tracks there was no gutter to hide in for cover. We just again had an enormous amount of luck. Hadn't we been able to find and repair the defect in the installations so far, now the damage to the lines had become huge. Everywhere, the torn wires were hanging down. More than an hour we had to fix it until it was more or less working again.
In the afternoon, we get trucked off from Ossogne to drive via Ham-sur Heure, Nalinnes, Gespinnes, Acoz, Bouffioux, Chatelet, Presles and Fosse to Sart-St.Laurent. Here, I remain alone to tell the marching destination to the follwing troops.
FRA
Con un camerata, verso mezzogiorno, percorro le linee alla ricerca di interruzioni sulla banchina ferroviaria. Ci diamo da fare per una riparazione su una installazione permanente. Parecchie volte uso i miei ramponi d'acciaio per salire sui piloni, collegare le linee di comunicazione e stabilire un collegamento con la stazione nelle retrovie. Ci spostiamo in avanti. Un'ora dopo, improvvisamente, uno stormo di circa 20 aeroplani inglesi appare puntando verso le nostre posizioni. Non aspettandoci niente di buono, ci appiattiamo a terra vicino ai binari. Dico al mio camerata: "Guarda, se ogni aereo portasse 6 bombe, in tutto fanno 120". Solo pochi secondi dopo il passaggio di questi aeroplani, ecco che si avvicina a noi un nuovo stormo, con lo stesso numero di velivoli. Di nuovo ci precipitiamo a terra vicino ai binari, ed anche quegli uccelli passano. Di nuovo ci muoviamo in avanti, ma ecco che vedo entrambi gli stormi tornare indietro, stavolta uniti insieme. Velocemente ci accucciamo di nuovo. Non appena gli aerei sono proprio sopra di noi, ecco che sentiamo il familiare sibilo nell'aria, e la prima bomba cade a terra. Ma si continua, e una ventina di bombe cadono molto vicino. E' un tuono, come se fosse la fine del mondo. Rombando e fischiando le schegge sibilano sopra di noi.
Fortunatamente la traiettoria dei colpi va verso una depressione del terreno, e l'argine della ferrovia si eleva da ambedue i lati..
A sinistra come a destra, le bombe cadono sui campi adiacenti; neanche un colpo finisce sui binari, come ovviamente quelli vorrebbero. Se solo una bomba avesse colpito l'obiettivo previsto, sicuramente avrebbe soffiato via le nostre vite. Sfortunatamente non c'era alcun riparo previsto per noi, dato che vicino ai binari non c'era neanche un fossato in cui trovare riparo. Abbiamo solo avuto di nuovo una enorme fortuna. Se non fossimo riusciti a riparare le interruzioni sulla linea così distanti, adesso il danno sarebbe stato enorme. Ovunque le linee contorte giacevano a terra. Per più di un'ora dovemmo stare lì a ripararle, finché più o meno ripresero a funzionare.
Nel pomeriggio ci portarono su camion da Ossogne via Ham-sur-Heure, Nalinnes, Gespinnes, Acoz, Bouffioux, Chatelet, Presles, Fosse fino a Sart- St. Laurent. Qui resto solo a raccontare la destinazione di marcia alle truppe seguenti.
Together with a comrade, I walk the lines for defects on a railway embankment around noon. We deal with a defect in the permanent installation. Several times I use my climb irons to climb up the pylons, connect to the communications line and set up a connection to our rear station. We move on. One hour later, suddenly a british airplane squadron of about 20 airplanes appears, heading for our position. Suspecting no good, we lay flat on the ground next to the railway tracks. I tell to my comrade "See, if every plane carries 6 bombs, that already sums up to 120.". Only seconds after those planes have passed us, a new squadron with just the same number of planes approaches us. Again, we hurry to get to the ground next to the tracks, and those birds also pass us by. Again we move on, but then I see both squadrons coming back, now united. Quickly, we go prone again. As soon as the enemy airplanes are right above us, we hear the well-known screaming in the air, and the first bombs drop to earth. They crash into the ground.
AntwortenLöschenBut it goes on, and roughly 20 bombs detonate very close. It is a thundering as if the world would come to an end. Whirring and hissing the splinters are zipping above us. Luckily, the tracks are in a sunken dip, and to both sides the embankment rises up.
Both to the left and to the right, the bombs drop into adjacent fields; not a single one hits the railway tracks as obviously had been intended. Had only a single bomb hit the intended target, it would sureley have blown out our life lights. Unfortunately, there was no special cover there for us, since next to the tracks there was no gutter to hide in for cover. We just again had an enormous amount of luck. Hadn't we been able to find and repair the defect in the installations so far, now the damage to the lines had become huge. Everywhere, the torn wires were hanging down. More than an hour we had to fix it until it was more or less working again.
In the afternoon, we get trucked off from Ossogne to drive via Ham-sur Heure, Nalinnes, Gespinnes, Acoz, Bouffioux, Chatelet, Presles and Fosse to Sart-St.Laurent. Here, I remain alone to tell the marching destination to the follwing troops.