Chapter 6: From Tunis to Naples

When we got to Tunis, we were unloaded into a barn. By then it was dark again. It was full of bodies in this barn, I noticed the berets and things and I thought they must be French troops in here, it was uncanny. We weren’t told, we were just thrown into this barn, with straw on the floor. In the morning we realised that the other people were British but they were paratroopers. We’d never seen them in England before, red berets and the camouflaged smocks — we’d never seen them before. They’d been rounded up and caught as well.

After a day in Tunis, we were taken to Tunis airport, put onto these German planes which had brought their troops to Tunis and didn’t go back empty. That was my first ever trip in a plane, a Yonkers 52, I believe. There was the crew of the German aircraft and one guard. And I think I had two paratroopers with me and probably 2 other colleagues with me, I can’t remember the exact number. And when we were flying over, the paratrooper said had we realised that we hadn’t got any parachutes? The crew had, but we hadn’t! And he said, “You know what they’re going to do? They’re going to unload us across the Med” and that would be the end of it. And that was within our thoughts, and we were so hungry and fed up and tired. When the German crew gave out their rations to each other — a sausage on a stick and a piece of bread — we were more or less told politely Sorry, there’s nothing for you! And we thought, well if they’re going to get rid of us, there’s no point! Anyway, it didn’t happen. We circled Versuvius which I remembered from my history books, Versuvius it must be, smouldering. And we landed in Naples.

One of the first sights at Naples airport, we saw Col Lee, we’d wondered whether he’d got through, sitting on a chair with a guard over him, really looking very disconsolate. I felt sorry for him, I really did, the leader of men! Anyway, we were searched, we were handed over to the Italians and searched; watches divulged, domestic watches, anything that looked worthy of taking.

Sue: And they took them from you?

Ron: Oh, yes. I have a feeling that the Germans reprimanded the Italians and demanded that they give them back. The Germans were like us, in a way, they were soldiers, they were like us, they didn’t treat us badly.

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Sue Craig on behalf of Ron Redman and has been added to the site with his permission. Ron fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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