The noise of thunder among the quiet of the woods

On Saturday, November 4, 1944, the assault on the area between the Drongelens Canal and the Meuse River begins, Operation Guy Fawkes. The 51st Highland Division will attempt the crossing. Their attack is not just supported by a large number of artillery, but also by tanks. Hence, early in the afternoon, 48 Sherman tanks of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry drive to the Hoge Heide, north of the Oude Bossche Baan. On this open terrain, a kilometre east of De Rustende Jager inn, they are lined up side by side. Their targets are the church and water tower in Vlijmen.

Rex Jackson, gunner in a tank, describes how nerve-wracking even this relatively harmless job can be for the Yeomen: 'We got two hundred shells per Sherman. (...) The shells had to be picked up by the driver and myself. (...) After a few salvos we got a dud. The prescribed procedure was to try again. If it then refused once more, the loader had to open the breech and see if the firing pin had worked - it could have broken off. If so, you had to wait another fifteen minutes, because the shell could still go off. But on this occasion we had to continue shooting, and so every dud was taken out and given back to the driver or me. (...) I picked up one of those shells and was terrified.'

Rex Jackson continued: 'Imagine the scene: me with my overactive imagination, a pitch dark night, the other tanks firing like idiots, their muzzle flames lighting up the whole terrain, and me standing there with an unexploded shell wondering what to do with that bitch. (...) During this shelling we had three duds, but each time I was as scared as the first. One time I was just near the front of the tank with one of them in my hands when the tank fired. I thought the bitch had gone off in my hand!’ 

Finally the shelling stops and a brief surreal silence falls. Meanwhile, the Highlanders have begun their attack across the canal. This is proceeding well. The next day they arrive on the banks of the Bergsche Maas river, the final objective.