Eric Salop
Elite Member
{As told by Eric's Dad}
Good morning. A late start here, the son was messing around moving sheep. He always did like being outdoors fishing and shooting, although him now spending every spare minute farming is something of a surprise to me. I did a bit of fishing once, near Tripoli ...
Gone Fishing
"After another battle at a place called El Agheilar we made rapid advances towards Tripoli. On Christmas Day we went through a town called Syrt a place I got to know very well after our division was pulled out of the fighting. The tanks needed servicing and we needed re-enforcements and a badly needed rest. We had covered almost a thousand miles from the beginning of the breakthrough at Alemain in November to the end of January, it was quite an achievement.
Tripoli was a lovely town, although it was winter it was quite warm. We swam in the sea and had a good time catching fish. Some South African troops showed us how to catch fish with explosives. A small coral reef went out to sea for a hundred yards or so and from there you threw 1/4lbs of gun cotton explosive with an underwater detonator attached into the sea. The explosion stunned the fish and then we dived in and put the floating fish into sand bags. Of course we got permission first from our major on condition we caught enough to provide meals for the troops, but we only caught enough for the twelve of us."
From Tripoli I was sent on a mine course in Syrt. As you entered the town a big placard had been put up saying "Achtung Minen" Syrty is dirty, meaning that the place was full of mines and booby traps. The devises used by the enemy as booby traps were amazing. Even an ordinary bar of soap could kill, as the inside there was an explosive and a detonator which when wet set of a chemical reaction, caused a spark and off it exploded. Turn the ignition on a car or lorry and bang up it went. There were typewriters which exploded when a certain key was pressed, doors and cupboards which set off an explosion when they were opened. Then there were the anti-personnel mines. They had three wire prongs just protruding above the ground which when stepped on would send an inner canister shooting up into the air about four foot, then explodes sending out a shower of ball bearings. In one class the instructor was demonstrating and he lifted the inner canister and bang it exploded, killing himself and wounding a lot of soldiers. He had picked up a live mine and not the demonstration ones. Some of the mines could be jumped on, (a practise not to be done though) such as German teller mines. They were designed to explode when the weight of a tank or lorry ran over them. Inside was a pressure pad which did not go off with just a man's weight."
Good morning. A late start here, the son was messing around moving sheep. He always did like being outdoors fishing and shooting, although him now spending every spare minute farming is something of a surprise to me. I did a bit of fishing once, near Tripoli ...
Gone Fishing
"After another battle at a place called El Agheilar we made rapid advances towards Tripoli. On Christmas Day we went through a town called Syrt a place I got to know very well after our division was pulled out of the fighting. The tanks needed servicing and we needed re-enforcements and a badly needed rest. We had covered almost a thousand miles from the beginning of the breakthrough at Alemain in November to the end of January, it was quite an achievement.
Tripoli was a lovely town, although it was winter it was quite warm. We swam in the sea and had a good time catching fish. Some South African troops showed us how to catch fish with explosives. A small coral reef went out to sea for a hundred yards or so and from there you threw 1/4lbs of gun cotton explosive with an underwater detonator attached into the sea. The explosion stunned the fish and then we dived in and put the floating fish into sand bags. Of course we got permission first from our major on condition we caught enough to provide meals for the troops, but we only caught enough for the twelve of us."
From Tripoli I was sent on a mine course in Syrt. As you entered the town a big placard had been put up saying "Achtung Minen" Syrty is dirty, meaning that the place was full of mines and booby traps. The devises used by the enemy as booby traps were amazing. Even an ordinary bar of soap could kill, as the inside there was an explosive and a detonator which when wet set of a chemical reaction, caused a spark and off it exploded. Turn the ignition on a car or lorry and bang up it went. There were typewriters which exploded when a certain key was pressed, doors and cupboards which set off an explosion when they were opened. Then there were the anti-personnel mines. They had three wire prongs just protruding above the ground which when stepped on would send an inner canister shooting up into the air about four foot, then explodes sending out a shower of ball bearings. In one class the instructor was demonstrating and he lifted the inner canister and bang it exploded, killing himself and wounding a lot of soldiers. He had picked up a live mine and not the demonstration ones. Some of the mines could be jumped on, (a practise not to be done though) such as German teller mines. They were designed to explode when the weight of a tank or lorry ran over them. Inside was a pressure pad which did not go off with just a man's weight."
