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II July-November, 1937 The Battle of Brunete Saturday, 3rd july. Much to everybody's surprise the trucks arrived promptly at 4.30 this morning. Loaded up and left at once. Going straight in the direction ofMadrid. 12 noon. just my luck! Again dodged Madrid, rode all round the place through the outer suburbs. 1 should have liked to see it. Maybe there's plenty of time. We are now pretty obviously bound for the Guadalajara Front in the mountains. Have stopped somewhere about 15 kilometres from Madrid, name unknown, here till dark. We have connected with our own British Battalion and the 15th Brigade. Terrific concentration of troops and guns etc all around. Talk from Fred Copeman, Commander of the British Battalion, and from Bert Williams, he's the Political Commissar. 19 Copeman left us in no doubt as to the sort of time we are going to have here. It's the biggest thing ofthe war so far, and in his own words-"Sheerf ....g hell. " This evening we went down to the river which flows through a gorge between the hills and had our first all-in-wash for three weeks. Marvellous. Sunday 4th july. Learnt something of our real position this morning. We are at Guadarama, not Guadalajara. Information: addressed by Malcolm Dunbar, our Battery Commander. He told us that about 100,000 men are engaged in this attack. "They" have decided to have a go at breaking right through the fascist lines in the direction of a place called, I think, Brunete, then working left in order either to cut off large sections of the enemy or else cause a hasty retreat for many miles along the Madrid Front. Told us the essential thing was to keep on attacking and that therefore we, by hook or by crook, had to keep up with the infantry. Since the advance is going to be over the mountains this won't 33 34 To TILT AT WINDMILLS be easy. Trucks can only go so far up, the rest must be done by manpower . Water is practically non-existent there, wounded are brought down by mules. What food there is will be taken up by either mules or men. In other words, don't kid yourselves you're in for a good time! Now, at dusk, the road up the mountain is crammed with troops, thousands and tens ofthousands. Monday 5th july. On the road by 10.]0 last night. It took our truck about 4 1/2 hours to travel 15 miles. Of course it was a very bad road, and it went up and up, round hairpin bend after hairpin bend. All the way it was choc-a-bloc with troops, trucks, mules, stores, guns big and small, and then more guns, more trucks, more men. At about 40c this morning reached a large, well-wooded ravine beside a stream. Camouflaged straight away. Told we stay here until to-night and then move up straight into the attack. Slept for a couple of hours, then had some grub. By dint of (accidentally, of course) sending two men from our team we got a double share of marmalade. This marmalade has suddenly appeared in our rations and no doubt will as suddenly disappear, but meanwhile, even without any marge, it's good. just lounging around now. This waiting for Zero hour is a funny business. Can honestly say I'm not nervous in the ordinary way but rather bloody curious, confident of victory, but not looking forward to lugging these guns about! Tuesday, 6th july. Finally moved at 3.15 A.M. Then the long trek began again. This time many ofour tanks helped the congestion. 7 A.M. On top of the world now, and the battle is there opening out before us. Down in the plain are villages held by the fascists and these our side have got to take. From just behind us our artillery is blowing hell out of the villages. This is big stuff, shaking the ground. Villages are onfire. 8 A.M.. Moved up another half mile. From here we have an almost bird's rye view. Immediately in front of our sector is a Village. Dunbar says it's Villanueva de la Canada, a mile or so away, which our troops are attacking. We Anti-tanks are apparently being keptfor the inevitable check which will come-we hope after the village has been taken. We shall then move in. About 25...

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