[Editor’s Warning: Please note that while the “Advance Post” is a genuine WWII artifact, its content is a mixture of fact and fiction. Created as part of the training exercise “Operation Spartan,” the exercise-related articles are written so as to describe events as they are being experienced by the Spartan participants, in an environment where troops and supporting forces have been assigned roles within a fictional military scenario. It was published for internal military distribution among participants and was not intended for public circulation as a factual document.]

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

The Advance Post
Published by the British Army in the Field
No. 11
11 MARCH, 1943
Free Issue

GERMANS FACE ENCIRCLEMENT
ENEMY ARMOUR BATTERED
Great Day for the Royal Air Force

THE following joint official communique as issued by British H.Q. in Southland yesterday:—
     On the Eastland coast our troops have attacked northwards from Southwold and have reached Gisleham.
     In the other areas where bridgeheads have been established there is no change in the situation.
     On Tuesday afternoon the enemy launched an attack with his armoured forces in the area of Westcott. This attack was repulsed with heavy losses, and in the late afternoon and during the night our forces dealt heavy blows to the enemy along the whole front.
     The German retirement shows signs of becoming a rout, and a decisive battle appears imminent, which should complete the destruction of the German forces in Eastland.
     Throughout yesterday our Air Force attacked the enemy wherever he could be found. In the early morning low-level attacks were made on two of his air fields, where eight enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and two in the air. Later our fighters, sweeping the area between Oxford and Aylesbury, destroyed eight enemy aircraft for the loss [of two?] of our fighters.
     Low-level attacks were made on M.T. and guns in the Bicester area. Here, bombs were seen to hit their targets, and many vehicles wert destroyed. M.T. and armour were also successfully attacked on the road from Buckingham to Deddington at Tingewick, and in Balmore and Sheep House Woods.
     Defensive patrols were constantly maintained and successfully prevented the enemy penetrating to our airfields. In all during Tuesday we destroyed 23 enemy aircraft. Six of our aircraft are missing.
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ENVELOPMENT LIKELY
(By our Air Correspondent)

     The communique is the most confident statement so far, and its forecast of a forthcoming collapse of the enemy's Forces in Eastland is more than justified by the reports, official and unofficial, to say nothing of other evidence now reaching Gen. McNaughton’s Headquarters.
     In the face of our Army’s smashing and sustained advance, the enemy has been forced to abandon his earlier apparent intention to stand on the line Banbury—Luton, and is withdrawing in something like headlong fashion northward and eastward. He may make some attempt now to defend the line of the River Ouse from Godmanchester southward through Biggleswade, but the threat by our armoured forces to his right flank will remain, and that of our troops moving inland from the Eastland coast increases. A complete envelopment of his already badly-crippled forces seems to be in sight.
     The situation on the enemy’s right flank is interesting, in view of my forecast published yesterday that the enemy was in for an unpleasant surprise there. It is difficult to see how Von Rundstedt can escape complete envelopment in the west, and (if his armoured forces are smashed) how he can hope even for a “Dunkirk ” retreat.
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Pass round your copy of “Advance Post” when you’ve read it—supplies are limited and your pals want their share of it too.
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World's War News

TUNISIA.—Patrol activity is reported in North and South Tunisia. Two more enemy tanks were destroyed in the Mareth Line sector. Bad weather has restricted air activity.
NAVY.—Our light naval forces had a brush with enemy patrol boats in the Channel in the early hours of yesterday. One enemy ship was left sinking and one seriously damaged. Later an enemy tanker was torpedoed and set on fire. One of our ships did not return. Casualties on the other vessels were slight and damage superficial.
R.A.F.—In daylight sweeps over France yesterday our planes destroyed an enemy fighter. Four enemy planes made a raid on the south-west coast yesterday afternoon.
FRANCE.—Another attempt (which failed) has been made on the life of Marcel Deat, the French traitor.
HOME.—The London “Wings for Victory” Week total yesterday passed the £100,000,000 mark. The target is £150,000,000.
Laurence Binyon, famous author and poet, has died, aged 72.
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SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
[photograph captioned:] With not such a long way to go to the Eastland border, these boys of McNaughton’s Army pause awhile in a quiet Southland village while forward fighting formations pus Bon Rundstedt further back.
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A RIDE INTO HISTORY
By Ted Reeve

THE historic Thames bristled with guns yesterday as our forces continued their advance towards Eastland. Calm reaches of the river resounded to the rumble of trucks and carriers and distant fields and woods came alive with traffic as the columns (turned aside by “shattered” bridges) swung out across almost unused by-paths and overland routes.
     The feats of the supply services were especially noteworthy as they worked their way to the bases with their cargoes. Skilful driving and dispatching, under heavily-congested road conditions, alone prevented this push to the North from developing into what the troops term a wreck trek.
     “Advance Post’s” advance reporters, trying to follow the goat trails taken by some of the hurrying convoys, encountered country that has not been seen by soldiery for a few centuries. Tradition has it that Cromwell went through here in 1650. Yesterday the record was lowered.
“USE A BRASSIE”
     Our longest detour came from a “blown-out” bridge that took us on a wide-open sweep to the left. After climbing a young precipice (the scenery from this exalted position was lovely) we took a turn through an orchard and came out, of all places, upon a golf course. With not a membership card between us!
     “Where are we?” asked the intrepid lieutenant at the wheel of our vehicle, of a sad-looking citizen who was standing in the rough.
     “On the fourteenth,” he replied, “ 524 yards with [a?] dog’s leg, two ponds and a meadow-bottom.”
     But the only advice he could give us about getting out of there was to use a brassie.
     We chose a course towards the sun, and were soon going along a road we once read about in “Canterbury Tales.”
     It cut off into a thicket, then a wood, narrowed down into a path as pheasants and rabbits scattered before us and the branches closed overhead.
     Several times some of us thought we saw flashes of flitting figures in green jerkins.
A GOOD “BAG”
     Through two brooks, across some rocky hillocks and over a ploughed field, and we arrived at a farmhouse. Our bag had been a good one. A rabbit knocked over with each wheel, two pheasants with the windshield, and a couple of trout trapped in the transmission.
     The farmer (or freeman) appeared as we drove up. He was followed by an assistant who was obviously a refugee from a “Punch” cartoon. He allowed us to water our jeep and we slept that night (while the bitterns boomed in the fell) by his outhouse, where, in spite of the presence of three fine cats, we were bothered by scurrying mice.
     We asked Giles a bit testily in the morning about this, but he claimed stoutly that his cats were famous mousers.
STILL IN THE ROUGH
     “But what about all those mice,” said we.
     “Ah,” said he (it was quite a conversation). “Those be our mice. Just wait until some strange mice come around.”
     Some hours later we emerged—upon a golf links. The same one. Our friend of the previous day was still in the rough, but had now reached the seventeenth. He asked us to bring him some news from home the next time round.
     Merrily we cut across the twelfth, ninth and sixth greens and out again on to the broad highway. Thinking back, it was the best driving we have ever done on a golf course.
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R.A.F.’s PART IN THE ROUT
(By our Military Correspondent)

ON their airfields yesterday the fighter pilots and light bomber crews were cheerfully discussing the news that had trickled through to them of enemy retreats, and the progress of the war as presented to them by “Advance Post.”
     From their own experiences in the air they had been justified, in thinking that the battle was going well because, although the enemy had fought bravely, there had been plenty of evidence that his strength was not as evenly disposed as ours and that his numbers were dwindling.
     These pilots were also justified in considering that the progress of the British forces on the ground had been materially assisted (and here I may be widely under-estimating the R.A.F.’s part in the battles by using these sober terms) by the constant activity in the air. It has been obvious to everybody that the R.A.F. and the Army have worked smoothly together, and by acting as the “eyes” of the men on the ground our reconnaissance aircraft have enabled the Army to concentrate their efforts on the right places and to baffle the enemy by locating his movements.
NO ENEMY ATTACK
Only when the war has ended can a proper assessment be made of this close Army and Air Force co-operation, but I think it will probably be found that the havoc created by our fighter-bomber and light-bomber attacks on transports, tanks, roads and strategic positions has provided invaluable help and may have at times turned a difficult position into an easier one for the particular Army units involved. The boys of the R.A.F. have found targets for themselves besides carrying out the routine attacks scheduled for them, and have divided their attention between troops and armour and airfields. This has all been in addition to reconnaissance flights and to the patrolling of our own airfields.
     It is a significant commentary on the enemy’s plight in the air that on 9 March not one attack was made on any of our airfields.
     Low-level attacks on enemy airfields and transports have been a feature of recent R.A.F. activities.
     Both fighters and fighter-bombers carrying out these and other attacks have had fighter escort, and this has considerably reduced our losses.
     The R.A.F. share in any victory must be a large one, as any soldier who has watched aircraft at work or seen the results of their activities will be the first to concede.
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Shortage of Canadian Doctors

     A new plan has been introduced in Canada to overcome the shortage of Canadian doctors. Large areas are zoned and doctors attend only cases in their own district.
     Organisations, such as the police or fire offices, who in their daily routine have to make calls on doctors, have been supplied with zone maps indicating the nearest doctor.
     Meanwhile a publicity campaign on how to keep fit by personal hygiene and diet has been organised.
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CAMP FIRE

     While our Forces are busily driving the enemy back in Eastland, troops in the rear are getting well-earned rest. Some Canadians found a berth in a wood. In order to make room in which to set up for the night, they busied themselves with axes and choppers. In a short while these experienced lumber-jacks cleared a wide area of its brushwood.
     A few others got together and made a fire with twigs and leaves. Within a few moments they had a grand fire and seated themselves in a circle round it and began spinning yarns.
     The party soon broke up on the cries of “Dinner up.” The cook-house consisted of a couple of barrack-room tables. The main feature on the menu was the soup. This was made up from bully beef, tinned peas and anything else the cooks could get hold of. Dinner finished, some of the men returned to their sortie round the camp fire; others got down to their beds deciding to “call it a day.”
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RUSSIAN FRONT
[map of Russia’s western front, captioned:] The Russian threat to Smolensk grows but the Nazis have launched counter-attacks on Kharkov. Soviet forces yesterday re-occupied Byeli. (See story overleaf.)
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[back page of Issue No. 11]
THE ADVANCE POST, 11 MARCH 1943

BYELI EVACUATED BY GERMANS

THE German radio said yesterday that the German troops had “evacuated” Byeli, south-west of Rzhev.
     Yesterday’s Russian communique reported progress in the north and successful resistance to strong German counter-attacks south of Kharkov and near Voroshilovgrad.
     A later message says that “Red Star” reports the capture of Ramushevo, 15 miles south-east of Staraya Russa.
     The Berlin military spokesman, quoted by the German radio, said yesterday: “The Russians launched new mass attacks against Staraya Russa, and on the bend of the Lovat River. They have extended their thrusts up to the shore of Lake Ilmen.”
     Yesterday’s Soviet communique said :—
     “During the night our troops continued engagements in the same directions as before.”
     The supplement to the communique said :—
     “West and south-west of Gzhatsk our troops continued their offensive, in the course of which they occupied several inhabited localities, including the town and railway station of Tumanovo, on the railway line half-way between Gzhatsk and Vyazma
     “The enemy is retreating and suffering under the blows of our troops, which are inflicting heavy losses. At the approaches to an inhabited locality our troops wiped out about 300 enemy officers and men.
     “Our aircraft destroyed about ten tanks and a number of lorries and other military equipment
     “South of Kharkov our troops fought fierce battles against strong enemy forces of tanks and motorised infantry
     “One unit attacked and destroyed 15 tanks and four self-propelled guns. On another sector the Germans attacked with one regiment of infantry and tanks.
     Artillery and trench mortars destroyed 14 tanks. The Germans lost 500 officers and men, and were thrown back to their initial positions.
     “South-west of Voroshilovgrad a detachment of Soviet sappers at night halted a group of 650 Germans. Eight tanks and several motor vehicles containing troops and supplies were blown up on mines laid by the Soviet sappers.
     “West of Sevsk our troops captured an inhabited locality. They also captured nine machine-guns, five mortars, a depot with war material and a food depot.
     “Soviet tanks attacked an enemy column, killing over 100 Germans and destroying 20 lorries.”
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Canadian Ice Hockey
Victoria Army's Success

     Victoria Army (champions of the Vancouver Senior Ice Hockey League) beat R.C.A.F. (champions of the British Columbia Senior League) 11—2 on Tuesday night and thus won the best-of-seven series by four games to one.
     In Quebec Senior League semi-final play-offs Cornwall Army beat Ottawa Commandos 3—2.
     Montreal Army won the quarter-final series when they beat Quebec Morton Aces 6—5.
     Regina Army won the second game in a best-of-seven final series in the Saskatchewan Senior League when they beat Flin Flom 6—5. Both teams have now won one game each.
     Winnipeg R.C.A.F. won the final of the Manitoba League when they beat Winnipeg Chippawas 3—2. R.C.A.F. won by three games to one.
     In the National League on Tuesday night Boston Bruins, who are fighting hard to overtake Detroit Red Wings for the League championship, received a setback when they were held to a draw by Toronto Maple Leafs, each side scoring five times.
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Germans May Bomb Canada

The Atlantic Air Command has stated, says a report that an increased watch is being maintained over Canada’s eastern [?] lest Hitler, seeking to compensate for the reverses in Russia and to indulge in his love of surprises, should launch an aerial attack on the Canadian East Coast to convince his people that the Luftwaffe is capable of retaliatory bombing over longer ranges than the R.A.F. attacks on Italy.
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[cartoon captioned:] Realistic, isn't it?
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“Blitz” Hopes We Give Fritz Fits
Somewhere in Southland

     “Blitz” has had his share of blitzes, but he’s going to see another, and this time he’ll not be on the receiving end.
     “Blitz” is a “Special-Variety” pup, picked up from a blitzed area by Sergeant-Major Pat Forgraves, St. John’s, Quebec, who is now serving with a Canadian reconnaissance unit with the invading Allied Forces in Southland. The dog was shivering, cold and badly frightened when he was rescued from a blitzed and deserted area.
     He’s shivering now, but the lads of the unit, who have made him their mascot, claim it’s the shivering of joy and anticipation at being on the giving, instead of the receiving, end of a blitz against the enemy.
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Allemands En Deroute

LE communiqué officiel de la seconde armée émis à midi le 10 mars 1943 rapporte ce qui suit:—
     De Southwold, sur la côte de l’Eastland, l’attaque de nos troupes s’est dirigée vers le nord et les a portées jusqu’a Gisleham.
     Dans les autres régions ou des têtes de ponts avaient été établies, l’on ne rapporte aucun changement.
     Tôt dans l’après-midi d’hier, l’ennemi a déclanché une attaque de chars blindés dans la région de Westcott. Nos troupes, en plus de repousser cette attaque avec de lourdes pertes, ont, sur la fin de l’apres-midi et durant toute la nuit porté de durs coups à l’ennemi sur tout le front.
     La retraite allemande semble tourner en déroute et l’on entrevoit l’imminence d’une bataille décisive qui devrait compléter la destruction des forces allemandes clans l’Eastland.
     Hier, le 9 mars, notre aviation a attaqué l’ennemi partout ou elle a pu le localiser. Tôt le matin, elle attaqua à basse altitude les aéro [?] ennemis de Duxford et de Debden. Huit appareils ennemis furent détruits sur le sol, alors que deux furent descendus de l’air. Plus tard, patrouillant la région entre Oxford et Aylesbury, nos avions de combat ont détruit huit appareils ennemis ; deux de nos avions ont été detruits.
     Dans lá region de Bicester, des attaques à faible niveau furent concentrées sur des vehicules et des canons ennemis. L’on a vu des bombes atteindre leurs cibles et plusieurs véhicules ont été aneantis. Des voitures de transport militaire et des chars blindés servirent aussi de cibles à nos avions sur la route entre Buckingham et Deddington, à Tingewick, et dans Balmore et Sheep House Woods.
     L’on maintint constamment des patrouilles defensives qui ont empéché l’ennemi de se rendre jusqu’à nos aérodromes. Nous avons en tout détruit, durant la journée d’hier, 23 avions ennemis. Six de nos appareils ne sont pas revenus.
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[photograph captioned:] An R.A.F. pigeon takes-off with an important message. These winged Spartans are doing a grand job of work in this exercise.
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‘NERVE CENTRE’ OF “SPARTAN”

     “Hello, hello, are you there?”
     “Give me Headquarters—and hurry.” So “Sigs” goes into action. One of the most technical branches of Army life, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, involves plenty of good hard work to keep up to scratch on the job, and most signallers feel their department is the “nerve centre” of the land forces.
     From Army Headquarters down through the various channels to platoons, troops and sections, transmission of orders and other communications are vital if a smooth-running organisation is to be maintained. Especially is good—and speedy —communication necessary when a large force is on the move. Control depends upon it.
MAIL MUST GET THROUGH
     “Sigs” will stoutly maintain that he is not merely a technical man—he can get out with the best of them in the fighting line. He is primarily responsible for his own defence, so he must be a good soldier.
     Besides this, Signallers have their own work to attend to. On a nice day, motor-cycle communication is practically a holiday—provided you are a good map-reader. But you’ve gotta carry the mail, come rain or high water!
     Then there is the telephone and “dits and dahs” to look after. Everybody seems to want a phone—and there are only a certain number laid down. Lines don’t spring up by themselves; they have to be picked up and laid down. And there is always the matter of keeping the lines clear. An A.F.V. or carrier track, to say nothing of the other vehicles, can part a wire quite inconveniently.
STORY FROM ICELAND
     Signals have had all sorts of climatic experiences in this present war. In the early days of the Icelandic occupation, for instance, they were asked one day to provide an eight-point exchange in a week, with communications which would cross a glacier. They got it done in one day.
     “Hello, Headquarters? You’re through, sir.”
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ORDERS IS ORDERS

When copies of this newspaper were taken round to an isolated airfield an airman refused to hold out his hand for me. The officer delivering “Advance Post” thought the paper wasn’t as bad as all that, and tried to press it on the airman But the fellow still refused to take it. ”We’ve been told to accept nothing from anybody,” he said.
     That’s not the way to get up a good circulation, but the airman was probably right. Anyway, the paper was left on a sawn-down tree in the hope that the airman would be tempted to look at it.
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MUNICH BATTERED BY R.A.F.

ROYAL Air Force bombers were over Germany again on Tuesday night and their chief objective was the southern city of Munich—birthplace of the Nazi Party—on which 500 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped.
     An Air Ministry communique describes the raid as heavy and reports that 11 bombers are missing from the night’s operations, which included also mine-laying in enemy waters and bombing of targets in Western Germany.
     Enemy reports speak of damage to “cultural places”—perhaps the “beer cellar” where the 1923 “Putsch” used to be celebrated or the “Brown House” which is the headquarters of Hitlerism
     But apart from its historical associations Munich is an industrial and railway centre with a big aero engine factory and many other undertakings connected with the German war effort.
     The city, the fourth largest in Germany, may almost be regarded as a Nazi shrine.
GERMAN ADMISSION OF DAMAGE
     German radio yesterday admitted that there was some loss of life and damage was caused to dwelling houses and cultural places at Munich, and claimed that at least 12 of the raiding aircraft were brought down.
     Yesterday afternoon Berlin radio stated that the Glypother, Pinakothek and Shack art galleries were destroyed. The last-named, it said, had contained the finest collection of modern paintings.
ST. NAZAIRE STILL BURNING
     Vichy radio said that St. Nazaire is still burning after the R.A.F. raid on the night of 28 February—1 March, and that 1,000 houses have been destroyed.
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TWO ENEMY BOMBERS SHOT DOWN

     There was a little enemy activity, mainly over coastal districts of eastern and southern England, on Tuesday night, when two raiders were shot down by anti-aircraft gunfire.
     Six people are now reported to have been killed in Tuesday’s tea-time raid on a south coast town. Six others are seriously injured and in hospital.
     Search was continued yesterday among the debris of bombed areas in yet another south coast town.
     Two bodies recovered are believed to be those of a woman and a child who were on a visit, making the death roll six.
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CONVOY CAMEO
By Ian Bruce

     At twilight the trees come to life, and there’s a stirring and movement in the hedges. In deep country lanes long lines of shadows grow swiftly into the lean outlines of guns, of trucks, and of cars. Dun-coloured men move purposely from shadow to shadow.
     Around village cricket greens, in the avenues of country houses, wherever the winter-stripped camouflage of nature aids the need of men at war—there the coming of evening touches off the long spark of dynamic action.
     The thin blue smoke of cooking fires filters lazily upwards through the branches. Men gather in clusters for the final hot meal. Drivers move methodically about their vehicles, a mug of tea on the running-board, a sandwich in one hand, a spanner in the other.
     A shout goes along the line. The fires are doused, the ashes scattered, the smoke fades finally into the blue of the night. There’s a growl of engines, and a new smoke creeps upward. A flurry of movement among the dun-coloured men.
     A dispatch-rider rips along the column, and the men move quickly up into their places. The guns are limbered up . . . in the distance the beat of the motorcycle lingers faintly. It is drowned by the concert of engines.
     And, in the gloom, the convoy moves off . . .
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Then---As Now

     In 1642, at a crossing of narrow coach tracks on the western slope of a Cotswold foothill, there developed a cavalry skirmish. A small affair, perhaps, but fierce, deadly, and, in its own small way, decisive.
     Yesterday the same crossing of roads was fought for. Close to the crossing is a main road bridge over a railway. Modern dress for an ancient meeting place, but along these routes now, as then, passes the vital life of a country.
     Yesterday’s swift dramatic grapple differs only in detail from that of 1642—the essentials are the same and the principles are identical.
     Communications are the life of a country. To cut the enemy’s communications is to bleed him to death.
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Have You Heard This One?

THE Little Moron wisecracks which are sweeping Canada at present promise to gain the same degree of popularity as the Gremlins did with the British public—the R.A.F. boys in particular.
     The craze has already reached Canadian troops in England and home mail to Canucks in the field on this side gives more and more attention to the L.M. jokes. Incidentally, have you heard about the Little Moron who:
     Put crumbs in his shoes to feed his pigeon toes.
     Saluted the refrigerator because he thought it was General Electric.
     Took a glass of beer up on the roof so he could have a drink on the house.
     Took a yardstick to bed to see how long he slept.
     Went to the lumber yard to look for the Board of Education
And here is a Moron story without a moral
     There was a Little Moron who was having a physical exam before going into the Army. (Poor guy.) The M.O. asked: “What would happen if I cut one of your ears off?” The L.M. replied, “Well, I guess I couldn’t hear so good.”
     “That’s right,” said the doc., “now what would happen if I cut both ears off ?”
     “I couldn't see,” answered the Moron.
     “You must have misunderstood me,” said the M.O. “I said: What would happen if I cut both EARS off ?’”
     “I couldn’t see,” persisted the L.M.
     The the doc., almost exasperated by this time, asked,
     “Well, why?”
     “Because,” said the Moron, “my hat would fall down over my eyes.”
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[bottom left corner of page:] Printed by the OXFORD TIMES, LTD. the Newspaper House, Oxford, and published by the Director of Public Relations, War Office.