A Night at Alamein

Wrote a U.S. citizen who served with the American Field Service in Egypt:

"I'd like to say something about the British Tommy . . . not only for myself but for every American who has seen active service with the British. . . . For sheer guts and the ability to keep coming back he has no superiors. I remember one night at Alamein. . . . We were trying to get through the minefields. . . . Tanks were to blast their way through, spread out on the other side, and work forward. We were being followed by a unit of light infantry.

"Well, the tanks got through all right. Then all hell broke loose. ... Jerry opened up with everything he had. The tanks were forced to drop back on us and we had so many casualties that we couldn't back up.

"And then, in the face of one of the worst barrages I've seen, the British infantry came up to us and started through. ... At a steady walk, with their rifles at port, they marched into it. I saw men with their heads blown off ... men with arms and legs shot away. There was no hope of getting through. But they kept on, wave after wave of them, and they marched in singing. . . . Under the barrage you could feel the beat of [their singing] . . . then [when] the noise of the firing would lift for brief seconds you'd hear their voices rolling out. I don't think I have ever felt such pride in fellow men."

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