‘What are these for?’ boomed out the voice of Sergeant-Major Stan Hollis, a hulking power-house of a man from the back streets of northern England. ‘Are we going to fight the Germans, or f*** them?’ The cheeky question was typical of the forthright Hollis, a tough, uncompromising veteran with an uncanny knack of making light of the most perilous of situations. The youngsters around him broke into laughter, the anxiety in their guts and minds eased for a precious few moments. They were about to land on the beaches of France. Many would die or be badly wounded in the moments ahead.īut if the Sergeant-Major could make a joke of it, then they might be all right after all. That being said it’s a live explosive you are stepping on so there is always a chance of death. It takes far more resources to treat wounded than remove the dead. Hollis, at 31 was one of the most battle-hardened soldiers in the British Army, having fought at Dunkirk, El Alamein and in the Sicily landings, and knew that the condoms were to cover rifle muzzles and keep them dry as the men waded ashore.īut as a leader, he had an example to set. 4.7K 185 comments Add a Comment Typically these mines are designed to maim not kill. Within minutes of the landing craft grounding to a halt, he showed himself not just fearless but the bravest of the brave and an example to all. 3.99 Add to Cart About This Game He lived happily on his lost in the galaxy planet before the arrival of a race of small and evil beings with a self-destruction mania. Mr Hollis charged it, spraying it with bullets from his sten gun, and killed or injured everyone inside Sentinel: As his company advanced on a German gun position on D-Day, they were faced with a German machine gun position. He was a big man in every sense, with a volcanic temper and huge fists, which he wasn’t slow to use if provoked.

Angry giant stepping on soldiers