[DRG]

Something that arrived in my inbox to share on Veterans / Remembrance Day.........

Rea Leakey was an officer in the British 44 RTR. During the battles for Hill 112 in Normandy, his unit was constantly harassed by accurate German artillery fire leading the tankers being forbidden to leave their vehicles during daylight. Leakey was certain he knew where the German OP was, and was given permission to work his way forward on foot to try and identify it. After crawling along hedges, through yet another barrage and finally into the forward trenches at the base of the hill he reached no-mans-land.

"The corn was almost waist high, and I had no trouble remaining concealed as I crawled forward up the gentle slope towards the position where I knew the observation post was. But, of course, my field of view was very limited, so after crawling about 100 yards, I slowly stood up, looking ahead very carefully. I was standing with my legs well apart, looking through my binoculars when the Germans fired. They had a very cleverly concealed anti-tank gun not more than 100 yards from me, and it was a shell from this gun that was fired at me.

I would like to have met that German gunner and congratulated him on his marksmanship. He had evidently been taught to shoot at the bottom of the bull, and as a result the shot passed between my legs, and all it did was burn two holes in my trousers and singe my crotch. An inch higher and he would have claimed the family jewels!"

Rea Leakey survived the War and eventually became a Major General.

Excerpt from “Leakey’s Luck, a Tank Commander with Nine Lives”.