by Griff Hosker
I didn’t turn when Bill called out, I just lay flat, rolled over and crawled back to the two of them. It was safe to stand in the lee of the rock. “It looks like the S.S. have gone to work. See if you can work out when they change the guard and count the vehicles on the road.”
“Sir.”
As we headed back I said to Private White, “Get your head down straightaway. A tired man makes mistakes. This mission is already on a knife edge.”
“Your plan is a good one, sir.”
“Well thank you White. Compliments are always welcome. Although there is one flaw in it isn’t there?”
He grinned and suddenly looked much younger than his twenty five years. “Oh yes sir. If anything happens to you then we are up the creek without a paddle!”
I shook my head, “I despair. You are in charge of young minds and you are as mad as a fish!”
“We will survive sir. I can feel it.”
Polly was still awake and, as White rolled up in his blanket I said, “There are twenty four men for us to deal with. Twelve will be relatively easy. They are at the emplacement. It is the others who will cause the problem. The ones at the bridge.”
He nodded, “Gordy and I have worked that one out. We use our two silenced Colts first and then rush them. We man the machine guns while Freddie and Wally Bond go and find us a couple of vehicles. If we have had to open fire and make a noise then we will just hold them with their own machine guns. It might be they just call for help and wait at the bridge. That will suit us, won’t it sir? You won’t be long with the charges. We will have double their numbers to attack them when you have finished with the demolitions.”
“Well there are no obstacles on the bridge. They don’t have a barrier and they don’t have wire. There are two MG 42 machine guns at each end.”
“And this time we have rifle grenades.”
I nodded, “A shame we don’t have Alan Crowe to use it.”
“Give the new lads a chance sir. Alan had to learn.”
“True but he learned at the camp in Falmouth. This pair are learning on the job and under fire. Anyway, I will get my head down. I want waking by one, at the latest.”
“Sir.”
I drank some water and ate the last of my biscuits before I went to sleep. I had an internal clock. I had asked to be woken by one. I knew that I would wake myself up before then. As I came to I heard the unmistakeable sound of aero engines. I was awake in an instant. Gordy was standing close by. “I was just going to wake you, sir. It’s almost one.”
“The aeroplane?”
“It is that Junkers sir. It flew west about half an hour after you got your head down sir and it is coming back now.”
I nodded. “Hasn’t gone far then?”
“My guess was the Rhine sir. The Lieutenant is on duty. I risked another hot brew sir. Fletcher and Beaumont did a quick shufti down the track and there was no sign of anyone.”
“As you say, Gordy, risky, but they must feel secure here. Hitler has his Eagle’s Nest not far from here.”
He handed me a cup of tea and he had used the hot water to make some porridge too. “The last lads who came back from sentry duty said they haven’t changed the numbers of sentries. It looks like they do four hours at a stretch.”
“That is handy. The same time for the bridge and the gate?”
“Yes sir but there is a problem. They come from the castle.”
“It isn’t really a castle, Gordy, just a posh house but that might be a problem. If they have a four hour duty then it must be company strength. Perhaps a hundred and twenty men.” I was already adjusting my plans. “The main entrance to the Schloss is close by the road and the bridge. There are trees and a wall between that and the emplacements. When you have eliminated the emplacements you need to have Foster and White target the entrance to the Schloss. It is a narrow road and grenades could do serious damage. When Freddie gets the vehicles mount the MG 42 guns on them. We will batter our way across the bridge.”
“Then I hope Emerson can find a couple of decent vehicles sir. A tank would be nice!”
I laughed, “I can’t see that but a good solid lorry would do.”
Hewitt and McLean were relieved by Lieutenant Poulson and Private Foster and they came back to join us. “Any change, John?”
“No sir. It looks like they are doing four hour shifts. I reckon there will be a change over at 1600 and another at 2000.”
“That suits us. If we start to go down the cliff at 2100 then we will be in position by 2200.”
Gordy said, “Isn’t that a little early sir? They might still be up.”
I shook my head. “They were heading to work at 0600. From the file I read on Kammler, he works very long hours and is known as a hard taskmaster. They will be in bed early. These are fanatical Nazis.”
Lance Sergeant Beaumont woke and came over to me, “We had a look around, sir and saw no signs of the enemy.”
“Good. Now the timing of these explosions, how are you going to work them?”
“I am guessing that the lifts will not go down empty. There will be some sort of weight sensor. I was going to use the dead Germans as triggers for the bombs.”
“Dead Germans?”
He shook his head, “I am pretty certain that we will not be taking S.S. prisoners, sir. The weight of the Germans will trick the lift into descending. I will used the bodies to hide the explosives. When the lift doors open then the bombs will be detonated.”
“And if they don’t?”
“I will have a backup timer set to five minutes. But as we will already have exploded the bombs at the top the Germans will be rushing for the lifts in any case.”
“I thought you were going to set them all off at exactly the same time?”
“I realised that was too risky. Sealing the top is more important than destroying the bottom. This way I can destroy the entrance too. The rocks here are stratified. I had a look when we went on our walk. It means if I put the charges in the right place then we can use the rocks’ natural structure to seal it up forever.”
“You are the expert, Beaumont, just so long as the job gets done.”
“It will sir. If this Kammler is in the bunker then he won’t be seen ever again! He will be buried under this mountain!”
As the afternoon went on we maintained our vigilance and prepared for the attack. The ropes were taken from the Bergens and moved to the observation point. We would not be abseiling down in the true sense of the word. The cliff was only sheer in a couple of places. The first part was sheer and then it cascaded down in a series of rocky steps. Each team would have two ropes. We already had the parachute cord and that would be used for booby traps and to secure any prisoners we might take. It had already occurred to me that we might just capture one of these high ranking Germans. It was an unlikely scenario but we were prepared. Beaumont had redistributed the explosives, timers and fuses amongst my team. All of us changed into our rubber soled shoes and put our boots in our Bergens. We had more room for the ropes were already out and soon the explosives would be put to good use.
The Lieutenant had the larger team by one man. They would have plenty of firepower. In addition to the two German guns we assumed we would capture there were two Bren guns, the grenade launcher and four Thompsons. Even though the Germans would be sending up to a company against them I was confident that they could hold. What I was less certain of was the number and make-up of the German garrison at the factory. If they had any kind of armoured cars then we were in trouble. From the photographs we had seen and from the intelligence gleaned by the O.S.S. we did not think there were soldiers in either Oberammergau or the small villages through which we would have to pass. There was a garrison at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. If we were going to Switzerland then we would have to deal with them first. That was many hours away. A commando did each job in order while anticipating problems he would have to deal with in the future.
At 2030 we began to break camp. Just as we had with the par
achutes we each checked another man’s pack. I had made sure that I had a fresh magazine in my Colt and two spares in my snow suit pocket. My MP 34 was fully loaded and hung from my Bergen. It had been dark for some hours. As we moved to the departure point I saw dimmed lights as vehicles took advantage of the darkness to move down the road. We had seen no allied aeroplanes but the Germans would be wary of aerial attacks.
We attached one rope to the single tree and the rest to rocks. We used some of the parachutes to stop the ropes chafing on the rocks. By 2050 we were about ready. Gordy, Beaumont, Hewitt and Fletcher would be the last ones down. Lieutenant Poulson, Hay, Davis and myself would be the first. We all had a silenced Colt.
Nodding to the other three I wrapped the rope around my back and below my Bergen. My left hand held on to one end of the rope above my head while my right hand held the other end out. If I started to fall too fast then pulling it across my chest would stop me. I stepped out and lowered myself using my feet until my feet were at ninety degrees to the cliff. I began to walk down. I kept looking over my shoulder for obstacles. It was like trying to pat your head while rubbing your stomach. You had to remember to move your feet while letting the rope slide through your hands. The first fifty feet were the hardest for it was vertical. I could have risked bouncing out and letting the rope run through my hands. It was the fastest way down and the most spectacular but we had time and we needed silence.
The rubber soled shoes enabled me to feel the rougher rock which indicated that I was on rock which was less steep. Falling stones had been stopped by the gentler angle. I was able to walk backwards, just using the rope for support. I knew that the last fifty feet was a sheer cliff once more. The Germans had blasted it to make the lorry and vehicle park.
I saw the cliff and tightened the rope. I moved slowly as I neared the bottom. I wanted no sudden moves to alarm the sentries. We were well within the view of any sentries. The cloudy skies helped for there was no moon. I glanced to my left and saw the shadows, three hundred yards away, of the sentries. I could not see them and that meant they could not see us. However, I knew the men at the gate could, if they turned around far enough see us.
My feet touched the ground and I gave three tugs on the rope to tell those above that I was clear. As I drew my Colt I saw the rope pulled up a little just to make sure that I had let go. I turned and moved along the rock face. The snow beneath my feet was virgin. Luckily it was soft. The crunch of ice could have spelled disaster. When I reached the vehicle park I stopped and waited. Peering in I saw that there were four Kubelwagens and three lorries. I touched the bonnet of the nearest one. It was warm and had been used, After they had secured the emplacements then Emerson would come and start the chosen vehicles. That was his department. He knew what to look for.
Davis tapped me on the shoulder as he joined me. He had his sniper rifle at the ready. He was our secret weapon. It seemed an age before Bond, Pickles and Betts joined me and even longer until Fletcher and Beaumont arrived. All assembled I tapped Lieutenant Poulson on the shoulder and he led his men off towards the gun emplacements. We had to reach the sentries at the door first. We hurried through the snow. When we were a hundred yards away Davis threw himself to the ground. He would shoot anyone who moved before we reached them.
There were just two sentries outside. Obligingly they were facing each other. The smell of tobacco told me that they were smoking. Bill Hay and I walked towards them with levelled pistols. Behind me someone stepped on a piece of ice. It broke. It was a tiny noise but one of the Germans turned. Bill and I fired at the same time. The two of them fell. When I reached their bodies I saw that one had two bullets in him. Davis had done his job. I looked towards the gun emplacements. I could see Poulson and his team crawling towards them. Their backs were towards my men. Every foot closer meant it was more likely that they would succeed. The two sentries might have spotted them had they been doing their job. As Bond and Betts slid their bodies away to remove grenades and guns I saw that they were Waffen S.S. The men inside would be good. Bill and I stood on either side of the door. Fletcher and Beaumont held the handles. We had gone from the known and now we were going into the unknown. We had surmised up to twelve men. When we opened the door we would find out.
Chapter 8
I nodded to Fletcher and Beaumont. They turned the handles and pushed the doors open. Bill and I leapt through the gap with guns levelled. There were two tables and Waffen S.S. were seated around the sides smoking and drinking coffee.
I had to make an instant decision. “Hands up and you will live!” My men’s guns covered them. We had four automatic weapons. If we opened fire it would be a slaughterhouse.
None had a gun in their hands but they were within easy reach. These were Waffen S.S. How far did their dedication go? Just then, from outside, came a single shot. It was like a trigger. The men around the table grabbed for their guns. I was less than six feet from them and I could not miss. The Colt threw the sergeant backwards and the corporal next to him had his head blown off. The next two managed to get hold of their guns but I was faster and the last was thrown six feet from his chair by Davis’ Mauser.
Outside I could hear the sound of an alarm. The men at the bridge had realised something was up. “Beaumont!”
One of the Germans was not dead and he managed to stand and throw himself at a red button on the wall. Even as Hay shot him a klaxon sounded. The Germans in the bunker would know that they had been compromised. They would be racing for the lifts. Bill Hay raised his gun and shot the klaxon. We heard another one from below our feet.
“On it, sir. Scouse, get the lifts, have all the doors opened. Betts, Bond and Pickles throw a body in each one and make sure the doors don’t close.”
While he and Bill Hay began to set their charges, Davis and I went around the huge hall to make sure that there were no more entrances. There were two cupboards. When we opened them we discovered that one was for German uniforms while the other was their armoury. Fletcher was helping to set charges. “You three come and get as many grenades as you can from here and then go with Davis and help Lieutenant Poulson.”
Outside I heard machine gun fire and the crump of grenades. It was difficult to know how it was going. We were using German weapons too.
“Sir!”
Beaumont had briefed Fletcher and Hay well. There were three lifts as the Major had said, Fletcher and Hay were setting the charges around the bodies while Beaumont was at the doorway. He was standing on a chair and packing explosives into a fissure above the lintel. “Need any help, Roger?”
“Yes sir. If you could pass me that plastic explosive.” I picked it up and gave it to him. “Now the timer.” I gave him the timer. He shouted, as he worked, “How is it coming you two?”
“Almost done!”
“Stick any spare German grenades in with them. When the doors open and the charges goes off it will be like a giant shotgun. Jerry will be waiting for the lifts to escape the death trap. So long as they are up here they can’t get out.” He reached down. “Hand me that haversack, sir.”
I picked it up and gave it to him. I saw that about three feet above his head was a hole in the rock. Obviously it was natural and followed the stratum of the rock. Beaumont threw the haversack and it disappeared into the hole. He shouted, “Right lads, down with the lifts and get the hell out of here. I am using an eight minute fuse.”
I hoped that Emerson had the vehicles ready or we could be caught in the avalanche which I knew would ensure. Even as I picked up my MP 34 I heard the sound of vehicles. I looked out of the door and saw a Kubelwagen driven by John Hewitt followed by a lorry with a grinning Fred Emerson at the wheel. We had transport. How many of my men would board them? Beaumont pushed me in the back as he slammed the doors shut. “Come on sir! This is no time to hang around!”
We ran down the drive and followed the lorry and Kubelwagen. We had fifteen hundred feet to run and then a few hundred yards to the bridge. I saw the muzzle flash of bullets. A gre
nade was launched by my two new men and I heard the two MG 42 guns as they chattered death. I had no idea where the enemy were save by the muzzle flashes. As we reached the lorry I saw bodies being carried aboard. We had lost men. Hewitt was dismantling one of the MG 42 machine guns and fixing it to the Kubelwagen.
Lieutenant Poulson said, as I neared him, “Pickles and Bond. They didn’t duck fast enough. We got the bastards who did it though.”
“Inquest later. Get everybody on board. We have four minutes before half of that mountain comes crashing down on us.”
I jumped behind the wheel of the Kubelwagen. As Hewitt finished off loading the machine gun Beaumont and Fletcher jumped in the back seats. I changed the magazine in my Colt. “Let’s go!”
Hewitt stood and began firing the MG 42 as we hurtled down the track. I saw Fletcher holding onto Hewitt’s webbing to keep him from falling out of the vehicle Beaumont had a bag of grenades. A German loomed up five yards from us and raised his gun. I fired at him with the Colt. Two of the bullets hit him. The drive was like a rollercoaster at the fun fair. The road was slick and it twisted and turned. Beaumont hurled a stick grenade high in the air to our left. Ahead of us I saw the bridge. There was still one machine gun firing. White and Foster had done well. Their rifle grenade had been effective. Hewitt turned the gun and the bullets tore through the last of the defenders. I hit the gun and the defenders. Two bodies flew into the river while we crunched over others. The lorry crushing them beneath its tyres would make them unrecognisable. There were still Germans pouring from Schloss Linderhof and firing at the truck following us. We had taken them unawares but these were Waffen S.S. and they were fighters.
Beaumont said, “Floor it, sir! One minute to go!”
I threw the wheel to the left as we cleared the bridge and we skidded and fishtailed into the main road. It afforded me a good view of the mountain as the charges went off. There was a flash and then we heard the explosion. At first I thought we had failed. There was a cloud of smoke and then nothing.