He was a big man in every sense, with a volcanic temper and huge fists, which he wasn’t slow to use if provoked.

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. 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. 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. 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. They were about to land on the beaches of France. The youngsters around him broke into laughter, the anxiety in their guts and minds eased for a precious few moments.

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. ‘Are we going to fight the Germans, or f*** them?’ ‘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. Sergeant-Major Stan Hollis, of Middlesbrough was the only soldier awarded a VC at D-Day and is believed to have gunned down 100 German soldiersĭuring the early hours of JD-Day - lines of scared young soldiers waited in the dark for the order to board the landing craft that would take them into battle on the beaches of northern France.Īt the last minute they were issued with an unexpected piece of equipment - a condom each!

Angry giant stepping on soldiers