by Griff Hosker
"I thought so and the ammunition too. There were twenty potato mashers amongst the Germans. They always have a use."
By the time dawn broke we were back to being a Royal Navy vessel. We might have raised eyebrows but we were flying under our true colours. Symons had rigged the radar array so that we had eyes in the sky once more. We were almost home when he said, "Sir, three aircraft coming from the north."
"Friendlies?"
"Can't tell, sir, but I doubt it. We would have heard them flying north and we heard bugger all sir. If I was a betting man I would say single seat fighters."
"One nineties then?"
"That would be my guess."
"Action stations. Full speed Chief." He turned to me. "If your lads could add their firepower I would appreciate it, Tom."
"Righto! Commandos on deck!"
Sergeant Poulson must have anticipated my command for the eight of them sprang from the hatch like greyhounds from a starting gate. The men went to their stations with practised familiarity. Polly handed me my Tommy gun and I leaned with my back against the radar hut.
Able Seaman Jones pointed aft, "Three one nineties. And they have seen us."
The crew all wore tin lids. My Commandos did not. I heard the sound of nine Thompsons being cocked. The 'Lady Luck' had more guns than was normal. We had fitted extra Lewis guns as we had acquired them. We would throw up a wall of steel and Lieutenant Jorgenson would make us a hard target to hit.
"I will throw her to port as they attack and then bring her to starboard. It might throw their aim."
We knew that they had a limited amount of ammunition. The Focke Wulf, however, carried bombs and they were the danger. Even a bomb forty yards away could hurt us. They came in line astern. "Don't open fire until I give the command!"
This was Alan's show. We were just the passengers. There was a faint hope that they might take us for an E-Boat. The White Ensign was sometimes hard to identify. When the leading aircraft opened fire I knew that they had not been fooled.
"Coming about! Turn! Fire!"
As Bill Leslie threw the E-Boat to port the guns on the E-Boat opened up. We held our fire. The leading one ninety was committed to the attack and we saw the single bomb as it was released at the place we had just vacated. The second and third aeroplanes had the time to adjust their angle of attack but they were being fired upon. I saw forty millimetre shells striking the leading aeroplane.
"Turn, now!"
As the boat was thrown to starboard my Commandos fired at the second German as he roared over us. He was so low we could see the bomb still attached to his fuselage. Nine Thompsons can do a great deal of damage and our bullets must have penetrated the cockpit from below for it continued to rise in a great loop, smoke pouring from it.
"Come about!"
Bill brought us back on our original course. As the aircraft we had seen plunged into the sea and exploded, half a mile astern, the last two fighters reformed for a beam attack. My men all changed magazines. Their first had not been emptied but we had a few moments to reload and a full magazine was always preferable.
Only one fighter had a bomb and he was the more dangerous adversary. The two came in low with wing tips just feet apart. These were good pilots and they were brave. This time Alan could not avoid them and their shells poured into the hull. He had Bill spin the wheel as they opened fire and the bomb from the last Focke Wulf exploded astern of us. I emptied my magazine at the two of them as did the rest of my men. Smoke came from one of them as they banked and headed north.
Alan had a concerned look on his face, "They walloped us pretty well then. Middy, take the helm. I am going to check below decks. Petty Officer Leslie, head for home but take it steady until I find out the damage."
The Midshipman was a new one. We did not merit two lieutenants and when the opportunity came for promotion he had taken it. Midshipman Higgins had not conned the ship before and I knew why Alan had given Petty Officer Leslie the last instruction.
I saw the fearful expression on the young officer's face, "Don't worry Middy, Petty Officer Leslie has done this before."
He coloured, "I know, sir and I'm not worried, it's just that it is a German boat!"
Bill Leslie shook his head, "The engines make her go and the wheel makes her turn. Ships are ships, sir and the 'Lady' is a little belter." The way he referred to the ship made it sound like a woman. Sailors were unique. Pilots did not get so attached to their aeroplanes although Dad had told me that Spitfires came close.
When Alan returned his face told me that the news was not good. "The Chief Engineer is dead. He was torn in two by the cannons. He knew nothing about it but..."
Bill Leslie nodded, "If you have to go then that is the way. Jock Campbell was a granddad you know, sir? His daughter in law gave birth just before Christmas. You know what they say, one comes in to the world as one is taken away. He never got to see him though. A shame, that."
"What about the rest of the engine room crew?"
"It's a mess. They are all wounded. SBA Johnson has his hands full. It's a good job Hewitt was on board." He nodded to the Midshipman. "Get some stoker's cocoa organized will you Middy? I think we all need one." As the shaken Midshipman went to the galley Alan said, "I am afraid this scuppers Major Fleming's plans. We will be out of action for a couple of weeks and that is if we get replacements."
"I am fairly certain that Major Fleming will strive to get another boat for us.
"I know Tom but we are a team."
"It is just temporary and besides I will use the opportunity to get more men. Nine of us aren't enough for some jobs. Let's look at this positively."
"Ever the optimist. How you can see anything behind this black cloud I have no idea."
I shrugged, "The dark days for me were in Belgium when we were retreating and all my pals were either captured or killed. If you come through that then everything else seems a bonus."
Wacker got on the radio to tell Lieutenant Ferguson what had happened. He was a powerhouse and he assured us that he would have everything sorted out by the time we reached Valetta. We went directly to that battle scarred port. We would need the dockyard there. It was almost dark when we arrived. An irritated harbour master sent us to Marsaxlokk. Our draught meant that we could be repaired there and it would not take away a larger dock for a more valuable ship.
As we edged our way in I saw an old dilapidated two masted island schooner and a couple of naval officers. I wondered if the schooner was being repaired or broken up. It seemed to me that the latter would be the best option. There were also three army ambulances. It was a reminder of the losses we had suffered. We tied up to the side. "Well Tom, I am not certain how you will get back to the base."
"Don't worry about that. I take it that you and the crew will stay here?"
"Too right. I want this repaired and crewed sooner rather than later. When you do get back then badger old Hugo eh? You had better get your lads ashore."
We had already packed the Bergens with everything we needed form the E-Boat. It felt quite sad to be leaving her. I almost felt as though I was being unfaithful. I shook my head, I was becoming a sailor!
As I stepped ashore the two Naval officers approached me. As they did I saw that one looked to be little older than Midshipman Higgins while the other was older than my dad and yet they were both lieutenants.
"Lieutenant Harsker?"
"That's me."
He saluted, "Sub-lieutenant Davis and this is Sub-lieutenant Magee. He is the commander of your new ship, 'H.M.S. Dragonfly'. Temporary, of course. He will take you back to your base. Major Fleming has asked that you use this until Lieutenant Jorgenson's ship is repaired."
I nodded and looked around, "Good. Where is she then?"
The grizzled old sub-lieutenant took his pipe from his mouth and gestured, with the stem, at the schooner. "There she is sir, 'H.M.S. Dragonfly'." My face must have fallen for he laughed, "Don't worry sir, she looks like a wreck but that is just to fool the enem
y. She flies over the water and she is sound. Trust me."
I didn't want to offend the old man's feelings and I didn't want to create a scene. We had been lucky with the E-Boat. This was just the other side of the coin. I nodded, "Of course. Right Sergeant get the lads aboard the schooner. We are going home in style!"
As they passed me I heard Lance Sergeant Lowe mumble, "More like a floating coffin if you ask me. I'd rather be in a submarine and I hate them."
"Lance Sergeant!"
"Sorry sir. Didn't mean for that to come out loud."
I shook my head, I could not blame him. I wondered if it would make it out of the harbour, let alone around the islands. Alan came over to me as my men began to board the ancient vessel. He took the cheroot from his mouth as he said, "Don't make the mistake of judging a book by the cover Tom." He pointed to the motor launches and motor torpedo boats in the harbour. "Hugo could have got any one of those for you. There will be a reason he has picked this one. Speak to Hugo before you say something you might regret."
"When have I ever done that?"
"Sorry. Listen I will get this repaired as soon as is humanly possible." He shook my hand, "Good luck eh?"
I stepped aboard and saw that my men were standing on the decks looking worried. I smiled at Lieutenant Magee, "Shall we stow our gear below decks?"
"Help yourself. There is plenty of room."
I saw an open hatch, "Right lads, down the rabbit hole eh? Let's see what our new home is like." I led the way feeling more worried than I looked. As I bumped my head on the way down I realised that this was not designed for tall men. The captain, however, had been right. There was plenty of room. We found ourselves in a large mess with a long table down the middle. "We will use this for home. It's only a little hop around the coast. There was none of the usual banter and humour. I shook my head. This was my fault, "Sergeant I am going on deck. When I come back down I want to see this section behaving like Commandos and not a bunch of prima donnas!"
When I reached the deck I saw that we were already at the harbour mouth. Lieutenant Magee had his pipe in his mouth and both hands on the huge wheel. I saw that he only had six ratings none of whom looked to be in regulation uniform. They looked more like pirates than Royal Navy. He nodded to the masts, "We'll get the sails down as soon as we clear the harbour, then she will fly!"
"Sorry about before. We have been in action for almost twelve hours."
"Don't worry, old boy. I know exactly what people think of my little beauty. I am not offended. Your Lieutenant Ferguson asked for a ship which the Eyeties and Jerry ignore. This is her. We have been bumbling around the Med for a year now. I speak Italian and German." He chuckled, "They think we are Irish. I make them believe we are gun runners for the IRA. Anyway we will have lots of time to get to know one another eh? I'll have you in Marsalaforn before you know it."
"Actually we are just north of Marsalaforn at a place called Qbajjar Bay."
He gave me a shrewd look, "I know it well. Clever too. No one would look there for an E-Boat sailing under false colours. I think we are going to get on, sir. You sound as sneaky as me."
"Forget the sir, it's Tom." I held out my hand.
He shook it, "Sandy. I am a relic from the Great War." He waved his pipe at the sea. "I stayed here after the war. That's why I am still a subbie! There was nothing back in Blighty for me. Most of the men I joined with were dead. I just stayed on. I ran fishing trips from Valetta. It was a nice little earner until the war. Hang on a minute." He shouted, "Lower the mainsail. Cut the engines."
"Aye aye sir!"
"Anyway when this lot started I volunteered again. Thank God someone saw the potential of a beat up old schooner which had always been here. I get to do my bit again and I don't have to worry about spit and polish."
I regretted my uncharitable thoughts. Here was someone like my dad. Dad had stayed in the RAF but other than that they both believed in the same things. The generation of the Great War were a different breed. I just hoped that we could match them.
"Well we shall need to be sneaky. Our orders are to get close to Sicily and scout out the beaches. We were just coming back from an operation when we were jumped."
"Invasion."
I nodded, "That is what we are thinking."
He nodded. "We can't do what your E-Boat did. We will have to drop you after dark and then stooge around during the day. You lads will have to lay up unless you want to risk a daylight voyage."
"We will have to play that by ear, Sandy. When we were ashore at Agrigento there was nowhere to hide. The place was crawling with troops."
"I see. This won't be as easy as I thought. You see, up until now, I have just dropped off agents and picked them up." He brightened, "Still it will stimulate the old brain cells, what?"
I suddenly remembered the piece of paper I had picked up at the machine guns in Agrigento. I took it out and began to read. It was a piece of German propaganda. It was in German and Italian.
Soldiers,
The gangsters from America and Churchill's dogs of war will soon make an attempt to take Italy from us. We will throw them back into the sea. Be ruthless. You are fighting for your loved ones. Your wives and your daughters will not be safe from these animals. You must fight to the last bullet.
I showed it to Sandy. He read it and nodded. "They used the same tactics in the Great War. You have to be a bit soft in the head to believe them."
"I know but this, added to the Hitler order about Commandos, makes our job even more difficult. Still, it's our job and we just have to get on with it."
The schooner lurched alarmingly as he put the wheel over and the wind caught us. We did begin to fly. He grinned, "Told you. Now you had better reassure your lads that we aren't sinking!"
When I re-entered the mess I saw that all of them looked terrified. "Are we all right sir? I mean I thought we were going over."
"We are fine Hewitt. This is a sailing ship. We will all have to get used to it."
Corporal Hay said, "I told them sir. This will be a lot quieter than an E-Boat."
Lance Sergeant Lowe said, "Aye but did you not notice? We have no guns on board! If Jerry comes then we are sitting ducks!"
I stayed below decks with my men just to reassure them although I dearly wanted to be on deck. There is no finer sight than a ship under full sail. I could see, from the mess, that the timbers on this ship were sound. Sandy Magee had deliberately let the paintwork look neglected but I guessed that the engines would be spotless. "Emerson, go and find the engine room. Have a look at it. Lance Sergeant Lowe, go with him."
"Are you certain sir. I mean it will be even deeper than this!"
"George just go eh?"
"Sir."
"Sergeant Poulson, this will be our home for a while, find the galley. It looks to have a smaller crew than the 'Lady'. We might have to fend for ourselves a little more."
"Right sir, Scouse, go and find the radio room. Crowe come with me. The rest of you, stow the Bergens out of sight. It looks like a knocking shop in Pompey!"
With something to do my Commandos became more positive. "Your heard the Sarge, come on, let's make this ship shape and Bristol fashion."
Now that they were all busy I left them and returned to the deck. It was dark but we were still flying. Sandy was still steering. "Half an hour and we will be tied up. I am guessing that if the E-Boat could anchor in the bay then it is deep enough for us."
"It is but we had a camouflage net rigged over her."
"We won't need one. If Jerry flies over he will assume we are stealing guns from the British Army." He pointed to the taff rail. There was no flag. "We rarely use the White Ensign. We have the Irish flag and a Liberian one. It makes us look more like smugglers."
I sat at the stern and wrote the first draft of my report. There was enough light from the binnacle for me to see and it was pleasant to sit with the breeze and the silence. The occasional flapping of the sail and the snap of the sheets was somehow reassuring.
We edged into our secluded bay under engine power. My men were happier about the prospect of sailing in the schooner once they had explored it and seen that it was not a death trap. They were less happy with the fact that the deeper keel meant we had to anchor in the centre of the bay and we had to paddle back to the shore.
Chapter 3
Hugo was waiting for us. He looked concerned, "It is true that the Chief Engineer is dead?"
"I am afraid so, Hugo. Jock didn't feel a thing. He couldn't have. We were shot up pretty badly."
He nodded, "I know you have just returned but his lordship is keen for a report."
I knew that Major Fleming would not be concerned about any losses we might have incurred. I flourished the report. "In a nut shell they can't use Agrigento to invade. It is a death trap with guns all over the place."
He nodded, "I think we knew that. We have lost too many aircraft who were trying to take photographs. You were just to confirm it."
"Well the family of the Chief Engineer will be happy to hear that, won't they?" I snapped at him. I knew it was not his fault. He didn't have to endure the dangers but it seemed a little cold for me.
"Don't be like that, Tom. You will feel differently in the morning."
"I doubt it. You will probably have more orders from him won't you?" His silence was eloquent. "The next time you speak with him tell him that we need more Commandos. Nine of us are not enough."
He brightened, "Will do. And the ship; is it okay?"
I smiled. He was like a puppy eager to please, "Yes it will be fine. Where on earth did you find him?"
"I met him in Gibraltar. He used to pick up agents there. I heard that he was like a ghost. He appeared and disappeared. When we first came to Malta I saw him in the Grand Harbour. I kept him in mind." He looked worried, "We have only got him for a month you know. SOE are very precious about their resources. It was only the record of your unit which facilitated the loan."