Mission to Britain

by J Eugene Porter

  James glanced at the pile of papers needing to review for facts and figures that would help him in his mission. He wanted to spend more time with this young woman. Even though he did not know what love was or how you would measure it, he tried putting the scientist in the corner on this issue. James, the man, was now taking over this internal discussion.

  “Margret, this will be a long story made short. I was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is up in the mountains near the Grand Canyon. My mother taught at the local college, and my father was a mathematician and astronomer at the Lowell Observatory. That is where I first got hooked on mathematics, physics, and science in general.”

  He continued for the next fifteen minutes leaving out only some of the details of his father’s death, his challenges of being the kid on the campus at Cal Tech and Columbia and the experience at the Navy Boot Camp in San Diego. He did tell her about the various degrees he held, the patents and the work he had done so far with the navy. He did not discuss the PBY attack, nor did he talk about the meetings with the president or Admiral King. He thought it would be best if these items were omitted because he did not want to brag about his experiences.

  As James walked her through his life, Margret was taken aback by his vast knowledge of events, physics, and life in general. He had traveled across the United States and worked with some of the most brilliant minds in the world. Having a doctorate from a prestigious university such as Columbia and studying with Enrico Fermi was very exciting to her because of her experiences at Cambridge. Being as young as he was, he was worldly as well. It dawned on her that James was only nineteen or twenty, and she was an old lady of twenty-one, but it didn’t bother her too much. Some of her friends were married to much older men. Many men had died in the war just in the past few months, so eligible young men of any age were a premium. And one with the talents that James possessed were counted on one hand. Each moment that passed, she grew more intrigued with him, and she now had some new thoughts she found wildly erotic involving the physics of love.

  The two young people chatted for another ten minutes about things they wanted to do in life, and both agreed to the powerful attraction of education and the need to expand the knowledge of all mankind. They were seated very close to one another, and the animation of their conversation was getting more heated. Just as James thought he should again touch Margret’s hand, they were interrupted by a knock on the door and a head pushing through the opening.

  “Lieutenant, you’re wanted on the phone. Captain Jameson, sir.” The gunny now pushed his full body into the room and was amazed but happy to see the young scientist with the lovely young Wren. “Sorry to interrupt you, sir, Petty Officer Bagley, but the captain needs you. Can I put the call through, sir?”

  “Sure, Gunny, go ahead. Let’s see what the captain wants.” James stood up and walked over to the desk and looked back at Margret as she sat there waiting for his command to stay or leave. It never came. The phone rang, and James answered.

  “Lieutenant Brand, sir, how can I be of assistance?”

  Jameson got right to the point. “James, can you get Petty Officer Bagley to bring you over to the Admiralty Building now? Make sure you are presentable. Have the gunny come too with one of the duty Marines.”

  “Yes sir, we’ll be on our way in a few minutes.” James did not get an answer from Jameson but only silence from the now disconnected phone.

  “Gunny,” he yelled knowing the sergeant was standing outside the door waiting for orders.

  When Gunny opened the door, Brand informed him of the captain’s orders and told him to meet him outside with Corporal Pride in five minutes. James winked at Margret saying, “Seems that duty has called again, but maybe we can get a raincheck for a tour of the city or maybe dinner?”

  Margret blushed. “All things are possible, Lieutenant Brand, just get your priorities in order. I will get the car and meet you outside.” She smiled, saluted, and walked out of the office. As she walked, she wondered about this strange, yet charming young man. Was he still a boy at heart? Could he be something more than a friend? Time, she told herself, would tell what she wanted to know, but for now, her job was to do the bidding of His Majesty’s government.

  James took about thirty seconds to collect his thoughts about what had transpired with Lady Margret, then put it out of his mind, grabbed his briefcase, put on his jacket and hat, and walked out to meet the gunny.

  *****

  When they arrived at the Admiralty Building, the officer of the day greeted James and Gunny Jones sternly noting their names and Identification Cards. A Royal Marine corporal escorted them to a doorway and then downstairs to another secure entrance. Here they were met by two Royal Marines both armed and again checked for the correct security clearance. Brand and the gunny had no idea what they were doing but patiently waited while the Royal Marines confirmed authorization. The Royal Marine corporal then handed the U.S. Navy lieutenant and Marine gunnery sergeant over to another Royal Marine, this time a sergeant major who looked tougher than even the gunny. He saluted the young U.S. Navy lieutenant and smiled at the Marine gunnery sergeant saying, “Good to have a senior Yank Marine for once. Usually, we get some air force chap who could not load a weapon if his life depended on it. My name is Oliver, Gunnery Sergeant. Good to meet a fellow Marine.”

  The gunny smiled at the nice greeting by the sergeant major and replied in kind, “Good to know some of the Royal Marines are still around to help us junior members in our time of trouble.”

  Sergeant Major Oliver let out a brief laugh and then quickly got his serious face back but looked at the gunny as a fellow conspirator, “Bloody army can’t find their shoelaces without a bloody manual. Same for your army?”

  The gunny smiled and whispered, “Worse than that. Don’t ever tell them how to load a weapon because they may shoot themselves.”

  The Royal Marine smiled and nodded knowingly, turned, and led them down a corridor to another door. It looked like a large metal hatch that was more of a bank vault door than anything else, but the sergeant major opened it very easily and let the two visitors through. Once down another flight of stairs, they walked into a room with a very low ceiling but filled with people and smoke. On the walls were maps of the world with pins pushed all over them and some had strings of assorted colors going from one pin to another. Many females, wearing both army and navy uniforms, were updating the maps under the watchful eye of an army major.

  On both sides of this room were desks with two or three phones on each desk. These were manned by officers of every service who seemed to be constantly on the phones talking to people scattered all over the British Isles. Other people were scurrying about with files and papers all marked in an assortment of colors or stamped in red letters or sometimes, as James could see, both.

  Finally, the sergeant major tapped James on the shoulder and pointed to one of the rooms on the opposite side. There stood Captain Jameson with General Brooke, motioning James over. The gunny and the sergeant major stayed where they were as James made his way through the room packed with people talking and moving through the cramped space. He thought the scene was pure chaos.

  James saluted the general then shook hands with him. The general did not smile but said, “Good to have you here, Lieutenant. It seems you have been making favorable impressions on everyone who meets you. That could be both an asset and liability, young man, so be careful.”

  James looked at Jameson but did not speak.

  General Brooke continued, “Lord Mountbatten has arranged a brief meeting with the prime minister. Be sure to keep it short and do not go into any specifics or you will be here until dawn. The prime minister has lots of ideas, and he may share them with you. If he does, please do not take them as orders to do something. We have to curb his appetite so we only do things that are here and now.”

  “Yes sir, I understand, General.” James was quick to respond and felt like asking some questions but then thought it better to stay quiet.

/>   “Very good. I will see if the prime minister has a minute to meet you.”

  The general walked away leaving Jameson and Brand standing against a wall watching the symphony of chaos play out in front of them. Brand wanted to say something but decided against it, watching and waiting instead. It didn’t take long to be summoned into a small room with maps on the wall and maps strewn across a desk. Sitting in a large chair, staring at the map on the desk sat the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill. He looked up at the new people and immediately jumped up like a large happy dog seeing new play friends. He walked up to the two American officers who were standing at attention, and he grabbed the hand of Captain Jameson first.

  “The president told me about you, Captain Jameson, and informed me of your mission to our beleaguered nation. I hope you have had some success in gaining a feel for our situation as well as some of our technical capabilities.”

  “Yes, Prime Minister, your military leaders have been most kind in arranging meetings with their staffs and many of the scientific and technical people in Britain.”

  The prime minister looking like a mischievous small boy now and in a rakish mood turned to the lieutenant. “So, you must be the young scientific genius who the president told me about. He told me that you came up with an attack plan to kill a Nazi U-boat and then led the attack yourself. Bloody good of you to do that. Too many people don’t want to get out there to meet the enemy and see how their plans work or don’t work.”

  Before Brand could say anything, Churchill began anew. “Tell me, Lieutenant Brand, what do you think is the biggest impediment to winning the war?”

  Brand was shocked by the question but quickly recovered, thinking of not only the question but perhaps the intent of the question. Was he being tested or was Churchill out for a theoretical excursion of possibilities?

  “Mr. Prime Minister, I am not a strategist nor am I a career Naval officer. I can only render an opinion.”

  Churchill looked at him and smiled. “General Brooke has lots of professional men on his staff, and if I asked them that question, which I have on many occasions, I receive significant information but not answers. So, my young Lieutenant, what do you say is our biggest challenge?”

  Brand thought for a second then threw caution to the wind. “Prime Minister, there are many threats, and most involve making either good or poor choices. First, it’s imperative that we keep the Soviet Union in the war. They are fighting most of the German army, and their sacrifices are bleeding the German war machine dry. We must ensure they stay in the fight by whatever means are necessary. Supplying them with the tools of war and maintaining an active fighting posture as you are doing in North Africa provides them with the mental push to retain their fighting stance.”

  He noticed the prime minister looking at the map again and then without smiling or saying anything, Churchill looked at him intensely. James took a breath and continued.

  “Second, to maintain the Russians, we must have control of the seas. The U-boat is our primary enemy, and we must reduce our losses and improve our tactics through better command and control techniques, innovative technology and more escorting ships and planes.” Brand saw the prime minister looking at his cigar and then nodded his head in agreement. Seeing this approval, James spoke again.

  “The third priority is the command of the skies over Europe. We must eliminate the Nazi’s ability to defend their territory thereby reducing their ability to protect essential industry and movement of troops and supplies. Without this, we cannot invade Europe and take the battle directly to Germany.”

  Churchill puffed on his cigar and turned to the map of Europe on the wall. No one spoke for a moment, then Churchill walked back to Brand. “What about Japan, Lieutenant. What do we do about these sons of Nippon?”

  Again, Brand took a deep breath and spoke with as much authority as he could. “Sir, Japan is not as large a threat as Germany. They do not have the same industrial base as the Germans. I think the Japanese will run out of steam in the next few months and will try to consolidate their gains in the Pacific and in the Burma-China theater. They will want to hold on to what they have and will use their interior lines of communication and supply to feed their island nation. Their situation is like yours, but they do not have Allies like you do, sir.”

  Churchill smiled at the last comment and looking at Brand replied, “No, Mr. Brand, they do not have the United States of America as an ally. Your president will make good on all his promises to us and to the enslaved countries of Europe and the Far East. His idea of your country being the Arsenal of Democracy is very true. The Huns and the Japanese did not think this war out very well because to win a modern war you must first win the war for production, correct, General?”

  General Brooke nodded his agreement knowing his boss was now on a mission to win over the two American officers and through them press his needs to FDR on more supplies, troops, planes, ships, and men.

  “Lieutenant Brand, you are a rare young man who has a good deal more strategic thought going on in your brain than most of your elders. Make sure you use your gifts wisely and endeavor to make these points you shared with me in your country as well.” He paused to pick up his cigar and used it now as a pointer.

  “Many of our most talented generals, admirals, and politicians often fail to see the true mission we have embarked upon. We have, as your president has stated, a crusade which will free the people of the world from the dark tyranny of the Nazis and Japan’s militarists. It will be a long war and a costly one. But with the help of young men such as you and Captain Jameson, perhaps we can find the breakthrough technologies and weapons that can help close the gap between the enemy and us.” The prime minister puffed on his cigar for a moment, gazing at the maps on the wall.

  “We will then crush them with our increasing production, our new science, and the bravery of our fighting men. This will win the war, Mr. Brand, and you are an essential part. Please let me know what you need to make your mission a success. And I want to hear from you as often as possible on the progress you are making. I have told the president that I would be making this request and he has approved it. I am sure Admiral King will be informed in due course.”

  Churchill put his hand on Brand’s shoulder, walked him to the maps, and began to give him and Captain Jameson a briefing on the world situation. He talked about the need for significant and bold future operations. General Brooke was not too happy about this turn of events, but was used to Churchill doing all sorts of things with which he disagreed. He accepted Churchill’s position and figured the two Americans were even more well connected than he at first thought, which could be to Britain’s advantage.

  The briefing by the prime minister took only ten minutes. James Brand was amazed at the level of detail Churchill had stored in his brain. He was keenly aware of the units, commanders, supply issues, locations of major ships in the Royal Navy, and knew the enemy units and positions including the great land battles in the Soviet Union. The prime minister detailed his many concerns and how they lined up with what Brand had said previously.

  “The U-boat is the greatest menace we face. We cannot move men and weapons to help the Soviets unless we control the sea lanes. We face a battle of attrition that has no parallel in history, Mr. Brand; nor do we have all the tools necessary to counter the Nazi’s seaborne terror. The Luftwaffe is no longer the major danger we face, but they still range far and wide on all fronts. The summer runs to Murmansk will face increased aerial assault and more U-boats. And always, we have to be on the lookout for the German surface fleet hidden away in the far reaches of Norway.”

  Churchill pointed his cigar at the map and continued, “The island of Malta is key to our survival in Egypt. The Nazis and their Italian friends have not managed to bag this elusive prey, but they continue to try. Our efforts to reinforce continue, but with serious losses. We need more support and more weapons to hold off this pack of dogs. The United States has offered us units of it
s fleet, and they are now in the bays of the Orkneys.” He pointed at the area of far northern Scotland and the base at Scapa Flow which held units of the Home Fleet. This fleet was always ready to dash for the Norwegian coast at the hint of any German battleship leaving the harbor.

  “Having your ships here helps us in the Mediterranean where we continue to have great losses. Crete and Greece alone cost us twenty odd combatant ships. We have two damaged battleships awaiting repair in Alexandria harbor, and our forces at Gibraltar have been punished by the Germans and Italians during their convoys to Malta and south to Freetown.”

  He looked over at another set of maps, this time showing the Pacific and Asian areas of operations. He pulled up his cigar, again using it as a pointer. “All of our Imperial colonies in Asia are gone, and now the jewel of India is under siege. Malaya and her tin and rubber, Singapore and her harbor, Borneo and her oil, are all gone. Burma is now falling to the hordes of Japanese as we continue to pull out of that mythical land and India is now facing the danger of Japanese attacks. All the Dutch possessions are under the yoke of Japan, and your men still hold out in the Philippines, but for how much longer I do not know. The Japanese have pushed into the New Guinea area and have taken over much of the Solomon Islands including the harbor at Rabaul. Darwin was bombed last month, and I am getting countless pleas from the Government of Australia to send back their divisions now fighting in Egypt.”

  Churchill paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, much like making a speech in the House of Commons. Seeing that his audience was waiting for him to continue, he returned to his comments. “All this time, you and your forces are building and attacking against the Marshall Islands and beyond. I know these attacks are not causing great harm to the Japanese, but they gain you experience and time to rebuild your fleet. And in Russia, the Hun continues to attack north to Leningrad and south to the Caucasus and beyond.”