Aussie Coronet
Well-Known Member
As you well know, was primarily a US, Brit and Canadian affair but scattered along the beach were a few soldiers and airmen from a far off, down-under land.
One of them was a soldier named Jo Gullett, an officer who had been sent to the UK as an 'observer' for the Normandy invasion. He was attached with 7th Green Howards (Brits) and took part in all of the pre-invasion training. When the invasion was due he was told he'd be replaced but he cunningly riposted that he was now totally familiar with 'his' company and they with him and that it would be military madness to replace him at this late point in time.
Jo's argument was accepted and he hit the beach on 6 June 1944 in command of his company of the Green Howards. He wore his Australian uniform but was ordered to wear a helmet during the actual landings. However, as soon as he was ashore, he swapped his helmet for his slouch hat and it was while his company was re-organising inland from Gold Beach that an incident with a German soldier happened.
A column of German POW's were being escorted past. Most of them were pretty sorry looking specimens except for one or two, and one of these was a tall, well built Oberfeldwebel wearing an Iron Cross and an 'Afrika' cuff title.
The German saw Jo in his Australian uniform, muttered 'Liebe Gott! Ein Australien!'
Jo, who spoke almost fluent German had seen and heard him, replied words to the effect: "Yes I am Herr Oberfeldwebel - were you with Rommel in the desert?'
The NCO replied that he had been and had been at both Tobruk and El Alamein. He then took off his gold watch and Iron Cross and handed it to Jo with, as Jo recalled, a sigh and another German soldier muttered 'Australien?'.
Jo says that he never felt prouder of being an Australian soldier in his whole life than at that moment, his pride tinged with a touch of wry remorse at the somewhat unsavoury reputation the Aussie diggers from North Africa seemed to have acquired, and then handed the watch back with the advice that his new German friend hide it in his boot to save it from being stolen by rear area troops.
One has to wonder what impact 2 divisions of Australians would have had, had they been let loose on the beaches of Normandy and not been diverted to the Pacific to fight the Japs, needless to say, a lot of gold watches would have made their way back downunder!
One of them was a soldier named Jo Gullett, an officer who had been sent to the UK as an 'observer' for the Normandy invasion. He was attached with 7th Green Howards (Brits) and took part in all of the pre-invasion training. When the invasion was due he was told he'd be replaced but he cunningly riposted that he was now totally familiar with 'his' company and they with him and that it would be military madness to replace him at this late point in time.
Jo's argument was accepted and he hit the beach on 6 June 1944 in command of his company of the Green Howards. He wore his Australian uniform but was ordered to wear a helmet during the actual landings. However, as soon as he was ashore, he swapped his helmet for his slouch hat and it was while his company was re-organising inland from Gold Beach that an incident with a German soldier happened.
A column of German POW's were being escorted past. Most of them were pretty sorry looking specimens except for one or two, and one of these was a tall, well built Oberfeldwebel wearing an Iron Cross and an 'Afrika' cuff title.
The German saw Jo in his Australian uniform, muttered 'Liebe Gott! Ein Australien!'
Jo, who spoke almost fluent German had seen and heard him, replied words to the effect: "Yes I am Herr Oberfeldwebel - were you with Rommel in the desert?'
The NCO replied that he had been and had been at both Tobruk and El Alamein. He then took off his gold watch and Iron Cross and handed it to Jo with, as Jo recalled, a sigh and another German soldier muttered 'Australien?'.
Jo says that he never felt prouder of being an Australian soldier in his whole life than at that moment, his pride tinged with a touch of wry remorse at the somewhat unsavoury reputation the Aussie diggers from North Africa seemed to have acquired, and then handed the watch back with the advice that his new German friend hide it in his boot to save it from being stolen by rear area troops.
One has to wonder what impact 2 divisions of Australians would have had, had they been let loose on the beaches of Normandy and not been diverted to the Pacific to fight the Japs, needless to say, a lot of gold watches would have made their way back downunder!
