Brewing Up

[T13A]

Hi

Mention about 'brewing up' in another thread reminded me of an account by a French paratroop officer who dropped with British paras at Suez. The exact words are in a book in the loft but it was long the lines of these. He was very impressed with the professional, methodical and calm way the British paras went about taking out Egyptian positions. He noticed that the only signs of panic amongst the British was when the battle cry, "Char Up, char up", could be heard.
It also reminded me of the time I was in the turret of a Chieftain making a brew with the other crew members putting up the cam net outside. Suddenly we started moving, which I thought a bit weird as the engine was off and I was sure the driver not in his seat. I poked my head out of the loaders hatch (at the time I was loader/operator) to see the tank going downhill, gathering speed and the other 3 members of the crew jumping off the tank. I could only poke my head out so far as the cam net was lying completely over the tank. I decided (quickly) the only thing to do was to get back inside and hold on. The breech of the gun was pumping up and down just inches from me as the tank went faster and faster downhill. Anyway the tank went down the hill about 200 metres or so, through some trees  and eventually coming to a halt after the tank nosed dived into the high bank of a stream, going about 6 feet into the bank. The gun (weighing about 1¾ tonnes) which had also gone into the bank had come off its trunnions and was about two inches from my nose. The next thing I remember was the shouting of the rest of the crew as they ran down the hill after me and the tank shouting, "Smithy, Smithy are you all right"? When they reached the tank trees from the wood were laying on top so they had to chop them away with axes before they could get me out. I was told afterwards that the first thing I said while they were trying to get me out was that I was, "fine but unfortunately I had spilt the tea". I also managed to send a 'No Duff' message whilst they were getting me out. Just as an aside, with the help of recovery by the REME detachment, and several cups of tea, me and the tank were back up and running the next day.

Cheers Paul

[Westmarcher]

"fine but unfortunately I had spilt the tea".

 

Excellent!

[Steve J]

Perfect British 'sang froid'

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Love it

[Techno]

Really good !

Cheers - Phil

[sunjester]

 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Nay bad

[fsn]

In "A Bridge Too Far" (both the book and the film) Gen Urquart is offered a cup of tea by his batman. He says something like:

"Bates, my troops are scattered, I can't contact my forward battallion, the Germans have the landing area covered and I have lunatics laughing at me from the woods. Do you think a cup of tea will help?"
"Can't hurt, Sir."

[FierceKitty]

Curiously, the only country I've found where the tea was reliably good was Japan.

[T13A]

Hi

Talking of Arnhem, I seem to remember an account of a British glider pilot flying his glider towards the Netherlands when he smelt something perculiar coming from the back of the aircraft. On invsetigation it turned out to be 4 squaddies 'brewing up' on the floor of the glider using a cooker powered by hexemine blocks. Bearing in mind that the glider was completely made out of wood he was less than impressed.

Cheers Paul