By 1944, Major Robert Cain had already plenty of experience in skullfucking Jerry through out Sicily and France with the men of B Co., 2 BN S. Staff. Reg/1st Airborne.
It wasn’t until he arrived in Holland that his exploits would reach a whole new level.
On Sept 19th, he was ordered to hold the vital bridge of Arnhem as part of Operation Market Garden.
What began as an ambitious plan to end the war by Christmas, Cain and his small group of men would fight it out for over a week, outnumbered and outgunned, against German tank and infantry divisions.
Under murderous fire and armed only with his PIAT, Cain began running around the lines, singlehandedly taking out 6 tanks and several artillery pieces, despite being blinded by an explosion, getting shot multiple times by machine guns and, having a chimney fall over him after a Tiger Tank took out the building he was standing next to.
He managed to destroy that Tiger with a 75mm howitzer, and on the last day of the battle, he held back an infantry attack by firing a light 2in mortar from the hip.
With the majority of his company either killed, wounded or captured, and even though his men gave no ground to the enemy, the division was ordered to withdraw.
Cain made sure all of his men were over the Rhine river by dawn, and before crossing over himself, he made sure he was properly shaved. When his men saw the clean looking Major, he simply replied: “I was well brought up”.
Cain would receive the Victoria Cross for his actions, making him the only survivor of the battle to receive it. Another soldier who fought along side him, posthumously received the Victoria Cross; making the 2nd Bn the only British battalion to receive 2 VCs in one engagement during WW2. #ww2 #hardfuck #stayzero #zerofoxtrot