A Medic's View at Wadi Akarit
6th April 1943
A Medic's View at Wadi Akarit
6th April 1943
An account from a Medic of the fighting at Wadi Akarit on 6th April 1943. This account is taken from "OPERATION SCIPIO - THE 8TH ARMY AT THE BATTLE OF THE WADI AKARIT" by kind permission of the author B. S. Barnes.
Diagram of Battle of Wadi Akarit
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Diagram of the Battle of Wadi Akarit, from "The History of the 51st Highland Division" by J B Salmond
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J B Salmond
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PTE ANGUS CUMMINGS
175 FIELD AMBULANCE, 153 BRIGADE
"I was there at the battle of the Wadi Akarit as a stretcher-bearer with 175 Field Ambulance. During the attack I was with the Seaforth Highlanders. We marched forward in the dark across the desert for about three miles and in the morning we halted for breakfast and a rest. Then round about 0500 hours the artillery barrage opened up on Jerry and we set off - arriving shortly at the foot of the Roumana Ridge. Then the 5th Seaforth's Commander gave the signal and the war cry of the regiment went up as the men charged forward with bayonets fixed. It was very eerie to hear all those men shouting and then there was all kinds of pandemonium let loose what with all the gun-fire and shouting.
"The battle raged on for quite some time and we stretcher-bearers were kept very busy attending to our wounded troops, we had to keep our heads down when carrying them up the wadi as we were sniped at constantly - the snipers did a lot of damage and we could hear the whine of the bullets as they passed over our heads - it was a big relief when we got out of their range. The sweat was lashing off us and occasionally we had to rest to get our breath back before carrying on. At one point when we had gone back for more wounded, we were carrying a badly wounded lad back down the wadi and some of the walking wounded were told to come back with us - their nerves were very badly shattered and they were carrying their bren-guns and rifles.
"The Jerry snipers were shooting at the soldiers carrying weapons and the bullets were flying around us thick and fast; we stretcher-bearers had to run like hell to get out of range. All the time there was this terrific battle going on around us and numbers of our dead and wounded littered the ground. Well the gaps for the tanks were made - but as the first few tried to pass through they received direct hits from German 88s and the break out was held up. General (Big Tom) Wimberley was there at the mine-field gaps with the 5th Camerons urging them on to get the tanks through".
Division History References :
The battle of Wadi Akarit took place in a narrow coastline strip between the sea and the coastal towns of Gabes and El Hamma. Between these was the Gabes gap. The Wadi Akarit ran across the gap at the coastal end and to the Roumana Ridge inland and to the west. This area was the objective for the 51st Highland Division...