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N A.E.C. A190 131HP DIESEL ENGINE PROPELLED LIEUTENANT CYRIL KNOWLES’ VALENTINE MARK III TANK ACROSS THE DUNES OF THE NORTH AFRICAN DESERT IN 1942. STURDY AND DEPENDABLE, THE VALENTINE WAS WELL LIKED BY ITS CREWS IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE PANZERS OF THE AFRIKA KORPS.
STORY MAC MACDONALD ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE
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LIEUTENANT KNOWLES WAS RESPECTED BY CORPORAL NICK LEIGH, THE GUNNER, LANCE CORPORAL WALTER ASKEY, THE DRIVER AND PRIVATE SID JONES, THE LOADER. CAN’T BEAT A GOOD CUPPA AFTER HOURS STUCK INSIDE THAT OVEN OF A TANK.
NEVER STOP MOANING, DO YOU, SID?
IT’S IN HIS NATURE, MATE.
LINCOLN-BORN NICK WAS MARKED DOWN FOR PROMOTION AND THOUGHTFUL WALTER FROM THE SCOTTISH BORDERS WAS THE REFEREE WHEN SID, ALWAYS THE WILD CARD, KEPT ANY ARGUMENT BOILING ALONG. LISTEN TO YOU, CORP, YOU’LL BE A SECOND-LIEUTENANT BEFORE WE CAN SING LILI MARLENE.
JUST SO LONG AS YOU AREN’T DOING THE SINGING. BLACKPOOL-BORN YOU MAY BE, BUT YOU’D NEVER WIN A TALENT CONTEST THERE OR ANYWHERE!
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SID WAS STILL GRUMBLING WHEN THEY LIAISED WITH ANOTHER TWO VALENTINES AT DAWN AND PUSHED ON.
YOU TWO JUST GOT YOUR STRIPES COS YOU ALWAYS SMILE WHEN YOU SALUTE! AND ALL YOU DO IS SCOWL, LADDIE! AYE, WE KNOW.
THEN TACKLE ANY SNAG HEAD ON, WITH FISTS FLYING.
THEIR LIEUTENANT WAS ABOUT TO TELL THEM TO PUT A SOCK IN IT WHEN TWO GERMAN PANZER IVS, CAPABLE OF ALMOST TEN M.P.H. OFFROAD COMPARED TO THE VALENTINE’S EIGHT, TRUNDLED INTO VIEW.
CLOSE THE JERRIES DOWN!
SKIRT AROUND THEM!
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WITH WALTER STEERING VIA LEVERS LINKED TO THE GEARBOX AND THE BRAKES, NICK FOLLOWED ORDERS FROM KNOWLES AND FIRED THE TWO-POUNDER GUN TO STRIKE AN OPPONENT HARD.
AAGH!
WELL DONE, CORPORAL!
BUT THE VALENTINE COMMANDED BY KNOWLES BECAME SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER BRITISH TANKS IN THIS RUNNING BATTLE, AND ANOTHER TWO MARK FOURS SHOWED UP, THEIR 75MM GUNS BLASTING.
MISSED! FIRE AGAIN!
WE’VE RUN OUT OF LUCK HERE!
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THE GERMAN FIVE-MAN CREWS WERE EXPERTS. MAYBACH 12 CYLINDER 296HP ENGINES JOCKEYED THE PANZERS INTO PLACE TO MAKE TELLING HITS. ONE OF THE VALENTINE’S TRACKS WAS SPLIT, THE TURRET ALSO POUNDED. AAGH!
THE ENGLANDERS ARE FINISHED!
LIEUTENANT KNOWLES HAD BEEN KILLED, THE OTHER THREE SCRAMBLING CLEAR TO FIND THEMSELVES PRISONERS-OF-WAR. TO ATTEMPT TO USE THEIR .38 ENFIELD PISTOLS WOULD HAVE BEEN SUICIDAL, AND ONE OF THE GERMAN COMMANDERS, SPEAKING GOOD ENGLISH, TREATED THEM FAIRLY. THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND IT WILL BE EASIER FOR YOU.
I KNOW WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO...
EASY, SID, OR WE’LL ALL END UP DEAD.
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SID AND THE OTHERS CHANNELLED THEIR ANGER INTO BURYING THEIR LIEUTENANT UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF AN AFRIKA KORPS ROVING PATROL FOLLOWING BEHIND THE PANZERS. THEN THEY BEGAN THEIR JOURNEY INTO CAPTIVITY.
WHERE WILL THEY TAKE US, CORP?
TO SOME HOLDING CAMP PROBABLY AND THEN MAYBE ITALY.
THE THREE TANKIES WERE NOT HELD LONG IN NORTH AFRICA BEFORE THEY WERE PUT ON A PRISON SHIP IN A CONVOY OF ASSORTED VESSELS BOUND FOR ITALY. PACKED LIKE RATS IN A BARREL. THERE’S LESS ROOM HERE THAN THERE WAS IN OUR VALENTINE.
AT LEAST THERE’S NO SAND GETTING IN EVERYWHERE.
WELL, THAT DOESN’T SEEM SO BAD NOW.
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BUT DEATH STILL STALKED BENEATH THE WAVES AS A ROYAL NAVY S-CLASS SUBMARINE SPOTTED THE CONVOY.
THE SUBMARINERS SUSPECTED THAT ALLIED PRISONERS WERE ON SOME OF THE SHIPS, BUT AN ITALIAN TURBINE CLASS DESTROYER WAS THEIR TARGET.
TORPEDOES RUNNING!
AAGH! MIO DIO!
THE PRISONERS FELT THE SHOCKWAVE OF THE EXPLOSIONS. THE LIGHTS IN THE HOLD OF THE TRANSPORT SHIP THEY WERE HELD IN FLICKERED ALARMINGLY. WHAT’S GOING ON?
OUR NAVY OR AIR FORCE HAS STRUCK ONE OF THEIR ESCORTS PROBABLY.
UNDER FIRE FROM OUR OWN SIDE? THAT’S GREAT!
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THE SUBMARINE DID NOT ATTACK AGAIN THAT NIGHT. BY MORNING THE PRISONERS WERE SOON LANDED AND TRUCKED NORTH INTO THE HEART OF ITALY.
GOODNESS KNOWS WHERE WE WILL END UP.
ANYWHERE WOULD BE BETTER THAN GETTING FLUNG ABOUT IN THESE BONE-SHAKERS.
THEIR FINAL DESTINATION WAS A REMOTE PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP WHERE THEY SETTLED INTO A BORING ROUTINE OF TRYING TO KEEP THEIR SPIRITS UP. THEY HAD NO REAL CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, APART FROM WHAT THEY PICKED UP FROM THEIR GUARDS. JERRY SEEMS TO BE TAKING A PASTING IN AFRICA.
THE EYETIES DON’T SEEM SO KEEN ON THEM NOW FROM WHAT WE HEAR.
BUT WILL THEY EVER REALLY FALL OUT?