8.11.42
No.15
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST, OR USE ON CLUB TIPES
BEFORE 0030 B.S.T. (i.e. FOR MORNING PAPERS)
MONDAY NOVEMBER 9, 1942
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THE BLACK WATCH
In 1940 several battalions of the Black Watch served in France and Belgium. Sone of them were part of the 51st Division whose counter- attack across the Somme ended in their partial capture at St. Valery. Another was in General Franklyn's force, drawn from the 1st, 4th, 5th and 48th Divisions, not more than 12,000 strong, who for three days defeated all German attacks from Comines towards Dunkirk. ta critical moment charging with the bayonet, the Highlanders retcok Comines and the canal bank north of the town. General Franklyn's defence made the evacuation of Dunkirk possible.
In the Middle East the Black Watch have seon active service in Somaliland, Crete and the Western Descrt. In British Somaliland in front of Berbera the Black Watch held the defences until they becane untenable and then charged with the bayonet, flinging an Italian Brigade back a mile and a half,
In Crete in May, the Black Watch for 17 days held an aerodrone and the surrounding countryside against an enemy who was complete master of the air and was able as time went on to employ on land also much greater numbers of men and weapons. They replicd with great effect with machine- gun and rifle fire to clouds of German aircraft which swept over ther.. For many hours they were machine-gunned and borbed from both high level and low level. One day 120 huge troop-carrying planes dived upon the battalion's position. Many were hit by Bofors and brought down in flames, while parachutists with blazing chutes plunged helpless to death. On the ground the Highlanders took heavy toll of the enemy who succeeded in landing. When the evacuation was ordered on May 28 the Black Watch still held all their positions and the withdrawal was a great disappoint- ment to then.
In the middle of October the Black Watch were taken into Tobruk on a warship. They were part of the division which had been sent to relicve the Australians. In November they advanced with a battalion of tanks to break through the investing German and Italian army and join General Auchinleck's advancing troops. Soon the tanks were held up by a mincfield but the Highlanders, with pipes playing, went on in face of very heavy machine-gun fire. In one company all theficers were killed or wounded but the Sergeant Major and 20 mon stored their objective. It was the Black Watch who broke the crust of the enemy resistence. Later for three weeks, before the opposition outside Tobruk finally collapsed, the Highlanders held every inch they had gained against many and heavy counter-attacks.
OFFICE
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