4 April 1942. Ping River, Thailand.
Sergeant Robert Lamb didn’t know what was worse. The sound of the artillery fire both coming and going, or the massed bagpipes of two of 9th (Highland) Division’s Brigades playing together. Lambs’ troop, part of B Squadron of 44th Bn RTR, were supporting the 5th Bn Seaforth Highlanders. For some unearthly reason, 9th (Highland) Division’s GOC Major-General Douglas Wimberley had ordered the attack to be accompanied, not by the usual dispersed pipers, but by the massed pipes of the Division. From Lamb’s point of view, it was working, because it seemed that the Japanese artillery seemed to be intent on suppressing the noise of the pipes rather than the river crossing being force.
Lamb, along with the rest of the tanks were waiting for the Engineers to sort out rafts and bridges to get the tanks across. A couple of tanks from HQ Company had attempted to wade across the river where it had been thought it was shallow enough. Unfortunately, both tank’s engines had been flooded and so they were stuck, until someone could get a tow rope on to them and pull them out.
A few tanks from each squadron were placed in such a way that they could use their 3-inch gun and co-axial machine gun to support the Highlanders. Lamb’s Valiant I tank, ’Blighty’ had the 2-pdr gun as its main armament, so was a bit less useful that those with the Close Support gun. The Troop Leader, Lieutenant Bill Jackson, in ‘Blondie’ was relying on Sergeant Jim Keegan in ‘Bicester’ to provide the troop with the HE capability. Lt Jackson had made it clear that Lamb’s main job was to protect Bicester, keeping any Japanese threats well away from the troop’s Close Support tank. Lamb had therefore got as much machine gun ammunition into the tank as he could. The gunner, Tommy Stevens, knew from experience that he’d spend much more time on the co-axial than on the main gun, the loader John Mitchell was well aware of his role in keeping the Besa fed. Blighty’s driver, an Irishman named Paddy O’Neill, seemed to be the only one in the tank enjoying the pipes, though his opinion that they weren’t as good as Irish pipes was bemusing to the Englishmen who made up the rest of the crew.
The 9th Division’s artillery was well seasoned from the North African campaign, while the rest of the Division acted as line of communication troops, the three field regiments had played an important role in the defeat of the Italians and Germans. The 25-pdrs had put up quite the barrage, promising at times to drown out the pipes. They had covered the assault troops of the two Brigades (26th & 27th) as they crossed the river and secured the east bank, allowing two full Battalions across. The Engineers were then hard at work getting more of the men, and the tanks, across the river.
It was late in the morning when Jackson gave the order for his troop to move up to a raft, to be lifted across the water. When O’Neill put the tank into gear, the rest of the crew could hear him praying 'Hail Marys' over the intercom, Lamb didn’t have the heart to tell him to be quiet. Blighty was the last of the troop to board a raft, and Lamb found himself himself alone for a few minutes. The other tanks had disappeared from sight, an Engineer eventually pointing him in the direction of the fight. O’Neill brought Blighty into sight of the other tanks, with Jackson cursing his late arrival.
The Seaforth Highlanders had penetrated a few hundred yards beyond the river, but had ran into a line of Japanese bunkers that were causing mayhem. Bicester was hard at work, pumping away with its Close Support gun. Blondie was at its side, its Besa firing almost continuously. Lamb gave O’Neill instructions and found a half-decent hull down position, while Stevens started using the co-axial, but sparingly at first. It was entirely possible that the other two tanks would burn out the barrels on the Besas they way they were using them. Stevens knew that if that happened, then it would be down to him to protect them, and support the infantry.
The bell from the external telephone at the rear of the tank rang, and Lamb had a brief conversation with one of the Lieutenants. A squad of men were about to try to take out a Japanese bunker and their officer was asking Lamb to give them as much cover as possible. Having identified the bunker’s main firing slit, he ordered Stevens to put a few rounds of main gun ammunition into the bunker. Stevens and Mitchell worked like a well-oiled machine, as six rounds were fired in short order, at least three of them going straight into the bunker, the others battering the logs around it. The Besa opened up again, and Lamb watched as the highlanders moved forward and slung a satchel charge into the firing slit. There was a satisfying explosion which seemed to lift the whole roof of the bunker up a couple of feet before collapsing down. The rest of the platoon had moved up quickly and were securing the position, when another Japanese machine gun opened up on their flank.
Stevens saw it at the same time as Lamb, and three shots from the 2-pdr replied on behalf of the Scottish infantry, followed by some pretty accurate fire from the Besa. Lamb had tried to keep one eye on Bicester and Blondie while all this was happening. They were still pouring fire into the Japanese lines, when Blondie was hit with something like an anti-tank gun. The shot ricocheted off the turret armour, but took an aerial with it. With Jackson out of radio communication, Lamb wanted to take his tank forward to let the damaged tank back out of the fight. Jim Keegan in Bicester announced on the radio that he was getting short of 3-inch HE rounds and machine gun ammo. Lamb told him that he would remain in place and cover his and Jackson’s withdrawal. This meant that the Seaforth Highlanders that Blighty had been covering would be on their own, but the main attack, where the two Infantry tanks were was continuing apace.
As Lamb watched, he saw Lieutenant Jackson jump off his tank and run to the rear of Bicester. Obviously brought up to date by Keegan, the Troop Leader gave a thumbs up to Lamb and ran back for his tank. It seemed somewhat miraculous that he got back unharmed, and Lamb’s stray thought as he heard O’Neill start another Hail Mary, went in that direction. The two Valiant I tanks began to reverse, and Lamb guided Stevens in providing covering fire for them. Once again, an anti-tank round hit Blondie, once again not penetrating, but it looked like the turret ring was damaged, as the tank no longer swivelled, but the Besa kept firing.
O’Neill, despite his lower position called out that he had spotted where the anti-tank gun was firing from. Having brought Stevens to bear on yet another log bunker, and Stevens soon had it under direct fire. As the two tanks passed Blighty, Jackson used the phone to tell Lamb move aside as he would take command of Blighty. When he arrived in the turret, Lamb took the place of Mitchell, the loader, who went over to Blondie. Jackson informed him that Bicester would rearm and return as quickly as possible. Blondie would need time with an Aid Detachment to be put right. In the meantime, Jackson tuned Lamb’s radio over to the Squadron frequency and reported the situation. After a few minutes, the Squadron CO replied that another troop would arrive shortly and take over.
With Lamb now acting as loader, and nowhere as fluid as Mitchell, Jackson guided Stevens in providing cover for the Seaforth attack. Although they’d planned for the greater use of machine-gun ammunition, Lamb noted that they were going through 2-pdr ammunition pretty quickly. Stevens seemed to be adept at putting rounds right into firing slits, or at least their immediate vicinity. With only one tank firing, instead of three, the infantry movement was lessened. Just after putting on a new box of ammo for the Besa and charging the machine gun, Jackson called out that the Japanese troops were in the open. Lamb quietly cursed his inability to see what was going on, but from what Jackson and Stevens were saying, it sounded like a Japanese counterattack was happening. Stevens’ previous efforts to keep the Besa’s barrel in good condition was ditched and he fired a long burst as the turret swung back and forth, Jackson calling out particularly dangerous movements.
The radio buzzed and with Jackson busy, Lamb heard the Squadron CO calling for an air strike on the Japanese attackers. The Besa continued to chatter and Stevens called for another belt, with the demand it be done quickly and without problems, otherwise they were going to be overrun. Lamb couldn’t believe the Japanese had broken through the Seaforth Highlanders, and the new belt of ammunition was on and Stevens was firing again, with the comment that Mitchell would have been quicker, but Lamb wasn’t bad. As much a compliment that Lamb was ever going to get.
Lamb lost track of time, and they were down to their last belt of ammo when the three tanks of another troop arrived, with a couple of Companies of fresh troops and the Japanese were gone, almost as instantly as they’d appeared. Jackson briefed to the other troop leader and then O’Neill backed the tank up until it could turn around to get back towards the river to be refuelled and rearmed. Bicester was at the RAC outpost, and its crew had some tea on brew which Lamb’s crew were most grateful for.
Lamb looked around, and saw that the engineers had a couple of crossings which were filled with men moving forward. They were still rafting tanks over, but there were now two full squadrons supporting two Brigades. Jackson’s crew had managed to get Blondie’s turret fixed and a new aerial installed. Whatever had jammed the turret ring had been hammered out, without any lasting damage. As soon as Blighty was ready, with a new barrel on the Besa and a full load of 2-pdr ammo, full fuel tanks and the men having had something to eat and drink, Blondie led the troop back towards the front line.
Wounded men were being carried back towards the river crossing. The Japanese had swept through and around the leading Companies of 5th Bn Seaforth Highlanders, but the Scots had carried on fighting wherever squads had managed to hold a position. Once the second wave of Scots arrived, the line was re-established and a bit of progress was being made beyond the line of Japanese fixed defences. Lamb surveyed the scene as Blighty moved forward, taking the chance to have his head out the turret, while he could. The dead were intermingled, lying together, men from Sutherland and Sendai.