Toehold in Europe (Combined Operations Book 5)

by Griff Hosker

  I was ankle deep in water but I managed to help Hewitt and Crowe to pull the boat out of the sea. I drew my Luger and ran up the slope. I saw, ahead, the cliff and, below it, the railway line. It was eighty feet away. I turned. Bill was struggling up the slope while the other two had their German rifles aimed up towards the railway line. Disaster struck when they tried to land Ken Shepherd. They were lighter than we had been and a freak wave upended them. Ken was thrown into the sea and his Bergen threatened to pull him down. Poulson and Fletcher were struggling to hang on to the dinghy and I feared we might lose Shepherd. Doc dropped his rifle and dived in to pull Ken Shepherd coughing and spluttering on to the rocky ledge. Hay hovered half way between us, "Corporal, move yourself!" I scrambled up the slope and peered north and south down the line. It looked empty. I lay down and put my ear to the rail. I could hear nothing.

  Bill Hay took off his Bergen. I helped him to untie the straps and remove the dynamite. "Railway line first. When Ken gets here we will look at the cliff." He nodded and I left him to it. I crossed the single track line and went to the cliff. I found what I was looking for straight away. It was a large fissure which rose up the mountain and narrowed towards the top. It was a perfect fracture point.

  Still coughing Shepherd joined me, "Sorry about that, sir."

  "Later. Put your dynamite here in this hole. I will pack stones around it."

  "Right sir." We emptied his Bergen and then I took it and went back to the track.

  Hay had moved some ballast and I put it in the Bergen. "How long, Corporal?"

  "Ten more minutes."

  "Good then you run the fuse back to the ledge and attach it to the detonator."

  "Shouldn't I wait until you are back?"

  "Just do it!"

  By the time I reached Shepherd he had most of the dynamite already in the hole. "You attach the cables and head down to Hay. I will finish up here."

  "Are you sure sir?"

  "I am sure." I continued to pack in the dynamite. There was no point in taking any of it home with us! Shepherd began to back towards the ledge, trailing the cables behind him. I was just finishing with the dynamite when he hurried back. I began to use the ballast I had placed in the Bergen to fill in the small holes.

  "What is the problem?"

  "I need to put the fuses under the rails sir, sorry!"

  He had made a mistake; it was a small one but it could be the difference between success and failure. All this was wasting time. He took the fuses from the dynamite and half rolled down the slope to the line. I could not pack the rest of the ballast until he had attached the fuses again. He reached me and began to attack the fuses, "Sir, there is a train coming. I felt the vibration."

  "Get these connected as quick as you can." I emptied the last of the ballast and packed it as quickly as I could. I could now hear the train. I slung the Bergen over my shoulder and half slipped and slid down the slope. I saw the dark shape of the train coming down the line. It was heading towards Reggio from the north. Hay and Shepherd were busy attaching the fuses. "Scouse! Signal the ship! Now!" All that I could see were four shapes but I knew that he would hear me.

  "Ready sir!"

  "Right, Corporal, whenever you are ready. Try and get the engine!"

  He nodded, "Take cover!"

  I lifted the plunger and Shepherd and I ducked down beneath the rock with our hands over our ears. The noise of the train was so loud that I thought he had missed it but he pushed the plunger down and buried his head next to ours. A wall of flame leapt out and there was a wave of concussion. Even though I was deafened I heard the second explosion a moment later. This time I felt the earth beneath me move.

  Shepherd grabbed my arm and shouted, "Sir! The wagon!"

  Above us one of the wagons had been derailed and was tumbling down the slope towards us. A freak of the explosion had severed its connection with the rest of the train and it was now a huge missile heading for us. We grabbed Bill and threw ourselves towards the two rubber dinghies. The wall of air had knocked the two boats a few feet from the ledge and we hurled ourselves into the sea. As I came up, spluttering I saw that our jump had saved our lives. The wagon teetered, alarmingly, on the ledge we had just vacated. I kicked hard, grabbing Shepherd's collar as I did so. We were pulled aboard the pitching, tossing dinghies. As I rolled on my back I saw that a huge chunk of the rock had slid down and had crushed the engine and the tender. The wagons lay spilled along the railway line. Stones still tumbled down the slope. Some of the smaller ones splashed into the sea just feet away from us.

  "Paddle! Before we are seen!"

  I was in the same boat as Hewitt and he said, "Sir, we can't see the 'Dragonfly'. Scouse kept sending but there was no reply."

  I shouted, "Keep paddling! We'll paddle back to Malta if we have to!"

  Although the waves had abated the seas were still rough. As we paddled across the straits I think that the wild sea saved us. I saw the train and the wagons were on fire. I had no idea what was on board but whatever it was it burned well. The light from the fire illuminated the shelf where we had lain in wait.

  I shouted, as I paddled, "Poulson! Come close to us. We'll tie the two dinghies together. "

  He nodded. We dug in from our left and soon the two dinghies bumped up next to each other. I grabbed the painter and tied it tightly to the rope which ran around the edge of their dinghy. Sergeant Poulson did the same with his painter.

  "Now we paddle on the two sides. I will be the rudder!" I put my paddle between the two hulls. It made paddling and steering much easier. We were bigger and had more stability. The easiest thing to have done would have been to panic. However, in my mind I had the map. The wind was behind us and, eventually, we would hit Sicily. We would make landfall. I still hoped that Sandy would find us but he would be tacking into the wind. Our problem was that we were such a small target for the crew to see. Behind us I heard more explosions. The train must have been carrying ammunition.

  Sergeant Poulson's voice carried to me, "Right lads, we can make progress if we do this together. One, two, three, paddle! One, two, three, paddle! One, two, three, paddle! That's it. Now we are motoring!" Our motion was both smoother and faster. Poulson had them working as a team.

  I reached under my bisht and took out the compass I had brought. There was just enough light from behind to see the needle. I made a slight correction. We had been heading west south west. When I was satisfied that we were back on course I replaced the compass. I would check it every ten minutes. It was too easy to get lost in the dark of night.

  The 'Dragonfly', when we did see it, loomed up suddenly and silently out of the night directly ahead of us. "Bloody hellfire!"

  Scouse's shout gave me just enough warning to steer to the port side of the schooner as I shouted, "Starboard side, back water!" The side of the schooner grated along the paddles. Luckily with the wind against her the schooner was barely making any way.

  I looked up and saw white faces. I heard the Chief shout, "Get that scrambling net over the side, chop, chop!"

  Hay and Hewitt grabbed hold of the bottom of the net and we bobbed to a halt. "Get aboard!" I took out my dagger and sliced through the ropes binding the dinghies together. I pulled on the scrambling net to pull us closer. Shepherd reached down to grab the front painter on the dinghy as Sergeant Poulson clambered up the net. I gratefully grabbed hold and then I reached down to help Shepherd with the dinghy. If the enemy found a floating rubber dinghy then they would know who had blown up the line. It was a struggle until hands reached down from above and pulled the two dinghies aboard. I flopped on to the deck with the rest of my men. We were exhausted.

  The Chief said, "Best get below decks, Lieutenant Harsker. We are not out of the woods yet."

  "Right lads. Mess deck!"

  We tumbled through the hatch as the schooner caught the wind and began to heel over. No longer constrained by a headwind she would fly! It was pitch dark in the mess but it was warm and it felt safe. It would have bee
n too easy to lie there and sleep but that would have been dangerous. "Get out of your wet clothes chaps. Sergeant, see if you can shed some light on us eh?"

  "Sir!"

  I had the easiest job for the bisht just slipped off me. Poulson lit the oil lamp and a golden glow filled the cabin. I found my Bergen and took out my dry clothes. I stripped off and dressed as quickly as I have ever done. I found myself shaking with the cold. It was still winter and the Mediterranean could be as cold as the North Sea!

  The cook came through with a dixie, "Here y'are lads. A dixie of cocoa. I have some corned dog butties too." He shook his head, "Sorry about the delay. Lieutenant Magee saw a patrol boat and he took evasive action. It took us some time to get back on station."

  "Don't worry, cookie, you got here and that is all that is important."

  Bill Hay handed me a mug. I wrapped my hands around it to get some warmth from the enamel. When I sipped it the warm glow slipping down tasted like nectar. The shaking began to abate. I sat on my bunk. Sergeant Poulson shook his head, "That was close sir. I thought you and the other two were a goner when that wagon came towards you."

  Bill hay said, "Too much dynamite and I didn't direct it the right way. Sorry sir. I could have got us all killed."

  "We all survived but it is a lesson for the future." Ken Shepherd was still shaking with the cold and, I think, the shock. "Well done Shepherd. It will take them weeks to clear that mountain from the line."

  "I know sir but I should have remembered to put the fuses under the line."

  "No. Listen lads. All of this was my fault. We should have practised more before we left. Major Fleming barks and we jump. From now on we practise everything before a mission. It's what we did in England." I chuckled, "Sergeant Major Dean would have my guts for garters!"

  They all laughed, "I bet old Reg is rattling around in that boarding house."

  Scouse shook his head, "Nah, he'll be happy as a sand boy! Him and Mrs Bailey playing mums and dads! He'll be narked when we get back!" And that set them all talking about home. This time we had no maps to annotate and no reports to write. We had had one task and we had completed it. For a couple of hours they forgot the war and just talked of home.

  When the conversation stopped I knew that most of them were asleep. I felt like sleep too but I had to speak with Sandy. I slipped on my oilskin and headed up on deck. The wind was still blowing strongly from the north east but the rain had ceased. Sandy was at the wheel with his pipe. He looked like a rock.

  I made my way across the canting deck using the mast as a support. I grabbed the stern rail. He nodded at me, "A hell of an explosion!" I nodded. "Sorry we missed the pickup. Best laid plans and all of that..."

  I shook my head, "It couldn't be helped. A train came along. The original plan to signal you and wait until you were close went out of the window. I think the train was carrying ammunition."

  "You and your lads did well. If you hadn't tied the dinghies together I don't think you would all be on board." He nodded to the skies. "The winds are easing. I hope they don't ease too much. We don't want eyes in the sky do we? I am not certain if that patrol boat saw us but the aeroplane yesterday did. All it needs is some smart arse to work out that we are the same boat which was seen in the vicinity of sabotage and they will be all over us. You and your lads get your heads down. It is a long way home!"

  "I think I will take you up on that offer."

  There was a warm fug when I entered the mess. The smell of stale tobacco, sweat and flatulent Commandos filled the air but I didn't care. I lay down in my bunk and was asleep before my head even touched the pillow.

  Chapter 7

  It took all day to reach our base. The winds did not cooperate with us at all. Added to that we had damage. The winds had proved too strong and we had lost one of the sails. Luckily the crew had a spare but it was a nerve-wracking couple of hours as we bobbed up and down feeling naked and exposed while they swarmed up the mast replacing it.

  Sandy looked old and tired as Tosh brought us in to our anchorage. "Well I hope Major Fleming doesn't need us any time soon. We need some repairs."

  "Valetta?"

  He shook his head, "Nah, we can get what we need from Marsalaforn. It will just take a few days."

  I pointed to my weary looking men, "And we need a rest too. I will tell Major Fleming where to stick his orders!" I shook my head, "We should be back with the rest of our lads in Falmouth. I don't trust this Major Fleming!"

  "You should be grateful there is only one of him. In the Great War we had more Flemings than you could shake a stick at! That's why so many lads never made it home."

  Lowe, Crowe and Hugo were like worried mothers as they stood waiting and watching on the beach. It was Lieutenant Ferguson who asked the inevitable question, "Well, how did it go?"

  "Scratch one railway line, one train with ammunition and half a mountain!"

  He nodded, "We know that. The RAF sent a bird to photograph it. I meant did it all go well. Did we lose anyone this time?"

  "It was hairy but yes, it went well." I gestured at the schooner, "The 'Fly' needs repairs and we need rest. If Major Fleming gets on to you let me speak with him."

  "Don't be like that Tom. He is very pleased with the work and the replacements are on their way. They will be here at the start of next week."

  "Good." I looked up and saw that Lance Sergeant Lowe and Private Crowe had built another four huts. "Well done lads!"

  "We would rather have been with you. Did the lads do all right?"

  "They did but I will let them tell you themselves." I headed for my hut. The men had no reports to write but I was the officer. Major Fleming would need to know chapter and verse. Over the next few days my men went through what had gone wrong with the demolitions. We were all very aware that things had gone wrong and we had been very lucky. No one had been hurt but it could have been so different. We also pitched in and helped the crew of 'Dragonfly' with their repairs. We had no skills but we had strength and much of the work just needed that.

  The weather was in our favour for it began to improve and we had blue skies and blue seas. This was more like the weather we expected from this part of the world. The men worked in shorts and soon the redness of their skin would become a golden brown. They would blend in a little more. In any spare moments we improved our camp. It was rough and ready but we had our privacy and we preferred that.

  A week after our Italian adventure 'Lady Luck' appeared around the headland. We gathered at the beach as she edged in. She was able to get closer to the shore and I saw the jumpers ready to leap off with the hawsers to secure her to the land. Even as they slowed I saw the camouflage nets being unrolled. I saw brown uniforms and white skin on the E-Boat and knew that our reinforcements had arrived. I turned to Hugo, "About time too. What do you know about them?"

  He shrugged, "They are Commandos from Number Four Commando."

  I turned to George Lowe, it was his squad's turn to cook the evening meal. "Better treble the quantities, Lance Sergeant."

  "Righto, sir." I saw Hewitt and Fletcher scurry off to the stores.

  When I turned back it was to see Sergeant Gordy Barker jumping into the water with his Bergen and kitbag. Polly laughed, "What the hell brings you here?"

  "It was getting boring in Blighty. We had done nowt since St. Nazaire so when they asked for volunteers for Lieutenant Harsker's section I jumped at it. We all did!" He stood to attention in front of me with a big grin on his face.

  I put my hand out, "Never mind that. It is good to see you, Gordy. How is Blighty?"

  "Happier since we knocked the Afrika Korps out of Africa!" His men lined up behind him. "This is my section. All volunteers so there are none of the lads we served with, sir. Most are either promoted, in the bag or... well you know."

  "I do indeed, Sergeant." It didn't do to speak of the deaths. There would be a time for that. It would be after this war was over.

  He went down the line, "Corporal Jack Jackson, Private Ji
mmy Smith, Private Herbert, Private Grimsdale, Private Roger Beaumont and Private Peter Davis."

  I nodded as each one saluted, "I dare say that I will get to know your names and your skills as we go along. We are a tight knit bunch here. I will say a few words; not that I like the sound of my own voice but you are volunteers and I owe it to you to let you know your prospects out here.. What might have seemed fun in England might not be so much fun out here. If you decide, after a few days, that this isn't the life for you then I will happily give you a transfer out." I looked each of them in the eyes, searching for weakness. "Here we all pitch in. We are proper Commandos here! And it is dangerous. We have lost too many men and remember the Hitler order. If you are captured then it will probably be a firing squad." I smiled, "Sorry if I sound full of doom and gloom but I always worry about volunteers." I pointed behind me. "We made you huts. Feel free to make your own or improve those but at least you will have a roof over your head."

  They saluted and, slinging their bags over their shoulders wandered to the huts. "A bit dour sir, if you don't mind me saying so."

  "Sorry Gordy but there is little point in sugar coating the pill. There is an officer in Gibraltar, Major Fleming, who seems to really enjoy giving us difficult operations. We almost lost the E-Boat and our last mission almost resulted in half the section being wiped out by a railway wagon."

  Gordy rubbed his hands, "Thank the Lord for that then. I was beginning to get bored!"

  Sergeant Poulson picked up the kit bag. "Come on, we have special quarters for someone for your elevated status!"

  "I would expect nothing less, my good man!" He suddenly stopped and turned, "Oh and I nearly forgot. Old Reg Dean married Mrs Bailey! It was a grand wedding! Daddy was best man."