The Prose of War
5:30 PM June 5: The Sweep
The sweep across for us, once we had got
clear of the incredible traffic jam east and south
of the Isle of Wight, was simple enough.
We got out our sweeps at 5:30 in the afternoon,
and two hours later we entered the enemy minefields,
my knees shaking with patriotism as I kept close watch
on Cowichan ahead for any mines she should cut.
By midnight the show was on: the air force
began to kick the stuffing out of the coast, and
Port en Bessin ahead was a tremendous spectacle,
with fires raging below and a fireworks show
of flak and searchlights up above.
clear of the incredible traffic jam east and south
of the Isle of Wight, was simple enough.
We got out our sweeps at 5:30 in the afternoon,
and two hours later we entered the enemy minefields,
my knees shaking with patriotism as I kept close watch
on Cowichan ahead for any mines she should cut.
By midnight the show was on: the air force
began to kick the stuffing out of the coast, and
Port en Bessin ahead was a tremendous spectacle,
with fires raging below and a fireworks show
of flak and searchlights up above.
West and south of the Isle of Wight: 'Passing the Needles'
Map from forecast-weather.com
3:00 AM June 6: We Were Home Free
At three in the morning we did our thing,
a slow turn to starboard, with the ship almost stopped,
and so close to the beach we could make out every detail
in the pale light of a wan moon.
When we finished our turn, without a glove
laid on us, we knew we were home free; from
here on it was downhill all the way,
a piece of cake.
Behind us stretched a great wide channel of swept
water, lit up by lighted dan buoys at regular intervals;
off to starboard were two other similar channels,
like lighted streets leading to the beaches,
cut by "the famous Fourth", a fine old bunch of
First World War coal-burners, and the 14th,
a flotilla of mixed British and Canadian ships.
The roads well and duly cut and blazed,
we stood to one side, as the Coxswain said,
"to watch the Pongoes get on with the job".
a slow turn to starboard, with the ship almost stopped,
and so close to the beach we could make out every detail
in the pale light of a wan moon.
When we finished our turn, without a glove
laid on us, we knew we were home free; from
here on it was downhill all the way,
a piece of cake.
Behind us stretched a great wide channel of swept
water, lit up by lighted dan buoys at regular intervals;
off to starboard were two other similar channels,
like lighted streets leading to the beaches,
cut by "the famous Fourth", a fine old bunch of
First World War coal-burners, and the 14th,
a flotilla of mixed British and Canadian ships.
The roads well and duly cut and blazed,
we stood to one side, as the Coxswain said,
"to watch the Pongoes get on with the job".
The five photographs below are from H.M.C.S. by G. A. Milne
'Every ship in the world' passed through swept channels
Before 5:00 AM June 6: Heart-Stopping Intensity
It was full daylight as we
recovered our sweeps, right off the beach.
To seaward was an unbelievable sight;
every ship in the world seemed to be steaming
over the horizon, heading for the beaches,
now lying veiled under clouds of smoke
from the night's bombing.
Troop-carrying liners
were headed for their anchorages,
to off-load their men into assault boats;
long lines of landing craft, infantry,
and landing craft, tanks, were
trundling along in close formation,
while the big battleships and cruisers of
the bombarding squadrons were taking up position
and spitting in their palms, getting ready
to buckle down to work.
For a moment we in the sweepers were conscious
of an instant of almost heart-stopping intensity;
a moment of historical confrontation between
what seemed to us to be the forces of
freedom and tyranny, of good and evil.
recovered our sweeps, right off the beach.
To seaward was an unbelievable sight;
every ship in the world seemed to be steaming
over the horizon, heading for the beaches,
now lying veiled under clouds of smoke
from the night's bombing.
Troop-carrying liners
were headed for their anchorages,
to off-load their men into assault boats;
long lines of landing craft, infantry,
and landing craft, tanks, were
trundling along in close formation,
while the big battleships and cruisers of
the bombarding squadrons were taking up position
and spitting in their palms, getting ready
to buckle down to work.
For a moment we in the sweepers were conscious
of an instant of almost heart-stopping intensity;
a moment of historical confrontation between
what seemed to us to be the forces of
freedom and tyranny, of good and evil.
Past 5:00 AM June 6: Fur Began to Fly
Behind us to seaward all was light,
the pale flush of dawn on the light paint-work,
the bright white ensigns of the ships;
ashore all was dark and sombre and sullen,
the squat grey concrete of the German batteries,
with their black slits and deep embrasures,
like so many malformed skulls.
'We freemen looked for the first time on the dark forces'
For a long moment,
we freemen looked for the first time on the
dark forces we had fought against for so long,
brought to bay at last like some
fearful monster of romance;
and they, in their bunkers and casemates ashore,
surely they looked out at us,
and saw at last their doom.
And then,
sharp at ten minutes past five,
our bombarding ships opened fire,
and the fur began to fly.
'And the fur began to fly'
Please link to Passages: Heaven and Hell
Unattributed Photos by GH
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