Nazi vehicle recognition flag captured at Tobruk : Captain A G Smith, 2/15 Battalion

Large elongated rectangular cotton Nazi flag in red cotton with central white and black swastika symbol oversewn to front. There is no corresponding swastika on the reverse. There is an alloy eyelet attached to each corner. Some grease and blood staining.

German Nazi vehicle recognition flag presented to Captain Alfred Greig Smith, 2/15 Battalion by members of his company. Born 2 March 1912 at Brisbane, Smith was living in Asgrove in Queensland when he enlisted on 12 May 1940. Assigned service number QX6199, he was posted to 2/15 Battalion which had only just been raised at Redbank army camp in Brisbane on 1 May, as part of the 20th Brigade. He undertook basic training at Redbank and moved with the battalion to Darwin to undertake three months of garrison duty in July. After journeying aboard the ‘Zealandia’ to Brisbane in late October, the battalion embarked aboard the ‘Queen Mary’ on Boxing Day 1940 with the 20th Brigade, travelling to Palestine via Ceylon.

The 20th Brigade arrived at Egypt at the start of February 1941 and moved to Kilo 89 in Palestine for desert training where, on 26 February, they transferred from the 7th to the 9th Division. At the end of the month the 2/15th travelled through the Libyan Desert to the front line at Kilo 789 near Mersa Brega, relieving elements of 6th Division at the most advanced part of the line. The 2/15th moved to Gabel El Gira on 27 March and then Barce. German forces then landed at Tripoli and started advancing east while British forces fell back. The withdrawal stopped at Tobruk on 11 April, with the decision to hold the town which was further fortified in depth in preparation for the German assault. As Rommel started concentrating his troops and armour in the vicinity of the El Adem Road, the British and Australians prepared for the coming battle. Captain Smith then commanded A Company, 2/15 Battalion. Recent research indicates they were dug in south of the El Adem Road junction, ready to counter-attack in 2/17 and 2/13 Battalion’s area, supporting the 25 pounders of A and E Batteries, 1 Royal Horse Artillery.

The German assault on 14 April was preceded by an artillery bombardment. Smith’s Sergeant-Major, Kevin Robinson, relates: ‘After midnight the noise and shelling intensified and at about 2 am, Captain Greig Smith our CO issued instructions for the company to stand to. ...As dawn broke and visibility cleared about 7 – 8 am, a detachment of tanks was seen manouvering about 1,000 yards in front of us and behind the 2/17 Battalion defensive area. A Company was dug in around and protecting a troop of four 25 pounder guns of the Royal Horse Artillery.’

Once the tanks were identified as German, the artillery opened fire, disabling one but coming under fire themselves and losing crew killed or wounded. Concentrated fire from A Company and a dummy minefield halted the tanks and saw the three lead tanks retreat towards their starting point. Confusion started reigning amongst the Germans and A Company ‘got out of our pits and started to observe what was going on in the German tank area.’ Sergeant Major Robinson ‘saw 12 or 15 German tank crews from the knocked out tanks taking cover on what appeared to be a half dug tank trap’ as the 25 pounders concentrated their fire there. He alerted Captain Greig Smith to the situation and requested permission to attempt to capture them. ‘By this time the remaining 8 or 10 going tanks had headed off back towards the perimeter ... Captain Smith agreed to my request and sent me to Lieut Yates of 9 Platoon to take his platoon to the area, guided by me, and try and clear the enemy...’ after advancing 1,000 yards, the platoons came under fire ‘by several rifles and what appeared to be 2 machine guns ... in a line directly in front of us. The whole platoon went to ground ... suddenly surprised by the opposition we had struck.’

Yates and Robinson decided to attempt to flank and enfilade either side of the German position and, having made ground with no casualties, brought fire to bear on the Germans. After 10 minutes the while platoon started running out of ammunition and Robinson sent a runner back to Captain Smith asking for more ammunition and some mortars. As it arrived, small groups of Germans started surrendering and after 10 mortar rounds were accurately landed along the length of the ditch, ‘this seemed to demoralise them as they stopped firing’. Once a universal carrier mounting a Vickers machine gun positioned itself to enfilade the whole ditch and shot a ‘few long bursts the Germans started standing up in groups all along the ditch ... and they all surrendered - about 80 odd. They were a full Company from a Machine Gun Battalion and had ridden through the perimeter defences on the tanks. When the tanks were fired on by the RHA [Royal Horse Artillery] they took cover in the half-dug tank ditch... I believe one of the Bren gunners on Lieut Yates’ group shot the German Commander, a Lieutenant Colonel, through the neck and killed him and that seemed to demoralise the Jerries. They had him covered with a big Swastika flag when we cleaned up the area. It was surprising to me from the amount of equipment the Germans had and the number of men available that they didn’t offer much resistance.’

The German commander whose body was wrapped in this flag is thought to have been Obersleutnant Gustav Ponath, CO of 8 Machine Gun Regiment.