by Griff Hosker
That was the best news I had heard in a long time. Two people had found happiness long after they thought they had lost it. It gave me hope for the future and world without war. It put a spring in my step. When I reached the beach Alan was talking to Sandy and handing him something. I shook hands with Alan while Sandy opened the letter. "Good to see you. Fully crewed now?"
"We are and they even fitted a couple of depth charge throwers I am not certain why but they will come in handy."
Sandy looked up, "Well this looks like goodbye, at least for a while." He waved the paper in his hand, "Orders!" I knew enough not to ask where. Sandy worked for Major Fleming and SOE. That meant dangerous work behind enemy lines.
I held out my hand, "I hope we serve together again."
"Me too. You remind me of the young officers from the Great War, before they were either killed or had every bit of hope taken from them. Keep that spirit, Tom!" He shook hands with Alan and then shouted, "Right you lubbers! Its back to work for us!"
We watched 'Dragonfly' as it raised its anchor and then sailed north. I would miss the old sea dogs on the schooner. They were the last remnants of a Navy which knew how to sail. In comparison Alan was a glorified taxi driver.
"How are your new crew?"
"Oh fine."
"Alan..."
"They are mainly like the old crew but the chief.... He isn't a chief! He is not even in his thirties. I have underwear older than him!"
"I think people say that about us. Is he any good at his job?"
"Well how do I know? We only sailed from Valetta! Your Fred Emerson could have run the engines for that little jaunt. The test will come when we are under fire!"
"And that is the way we all get tested, Alan. Come on. You know about my reservations about Bill Hay and I was wrong; totally wrong! Give your new chap a chance."
He nodded, "I suppose I owe him that." We started to walk towards the fire. The smell of cooking food was too much. "I hear you blew up half a mountain!"
"That we did and we were nearly killed by a runaway railway wagon!"
He laughed at the image. "What is it like on a schooner?"
"Different. It is quieter and slower. A sailing ship can just sit with idling engines. They were good sailors though. Two of them had been in the Great War."
"I admire them. I know my limitations. I could sail a sailing ship but not under fire."
"That's the other thing. They have no guns. They have steel running through their veins! Sandy's main weapons are bluff and bottle!"
Inevitably a couple of days were spent in catching up about Blighty. Then we began training. I had seen the cliffs in Sicily and Italy. The odds were that we would have to climb at some point and it was many months since we had had the opportunity to train. I left Gordy and Polly in charge. The two sections needed to work each other out. I went in the E-Boat with Alan and Hugo to Marsalaforn. Now that I had had my understanding with Lieutenant Harper we had regular delivery of letters. There was an anti aircraft unit and a naval patrol vessel in the port and they acted as our supply base, postman and, if we needed it, doctor. With more men to feed we needed rations.
"Well I don't know about your lads, Tom, but mine are raring to go. They have sat on their backsides long enough."
"Mine too. The old hands are keen to show the new ones what they do and the new ones are desperate for any sort of action. To be honest I am surprised that there hasn't been more movement towards Sicily."
"Rommel is still holding out in Tunisia. I can't see them lasting beyond April. Malta is now covered with aeroplanes. It is just a hop and a skip to Tunisia. They have to get rid of the North African problem first."
It did not take long to sail around the coast. We docked at the harbour and the three of us made our way to the Quarter Master Stores. We had developed a good relationship with the aged lieutenant, Bernard Devon, who was in charge. He was a regular but he had grown up in a peace time army and being in charge of stores suited him. That said, he enjoyed hearing of our suitably watered down tales of action and excitement. He told us once that he would enjoy telling them to his grandchildren after the war. "I wouldn't want them to think their granddad sat on his backside for the whole war."
He beamed when we strode in, "Ah, real warriors! What can I do for you gentlemen?"
"We have more mouths to feed. "
"Not a problem."
"And my lads need new uniforms. Everything from socks and skivvies up!"
He tapped on the desk with his pipe, "Sergeant! Come and take the orders from our neighbours."
When he came in Sergeant Macpherson said, "Someone is with the adjutant asking about you chaps, sir. A major from Gib."
I had a sudden chill creep down my spine, "Not a little obnoxious chap who chain smokes?"
The Sergeant grinned, "The very chap! Are you clairvoyant then sir? If so I'll be in touch after the war. We can make a fortune with the football pools!"
Lieutenant Devon said, "Who on earth is it?"
"The bloke who sends us on half cocked missions. That is who! Do us a favour eh? Send that stuff to the boat. And any mail. I don't want to run into him unless I have to."
Hugo said, "I think if he came here, Tom, we ought to speak with him."
"He has to find us first!"
We hurried out, foregoing the opportunity to have a drink in the officer's mess. Of course it was all in vain. He was standing next to 'Lady Luck' drumming his fingers on the harbour wall. He threw a stub away as he lit another. "Well gentlemen; you take some tracking down! I thought that this was your base?"
Alan smiled, "It was sir but we thought we might attract too much attention from Jerry aeroplanes. We have found a quiet, empty bay where we can't be seen. We thought you would approve."
"Don't try to flim flam me! You should, at the very least, have told me! Anyway that is by the by." He turned and shouted, "Harrington!"A harassed looking flag lieutenant hurried from the admin building, his arms filled with maps and papers. "Get aboard!" he turned to us, "I take it you have finished here?"
I looked up and saw a line of store men heading towards us. "We have now, sir."
It did not take us long to load the E-Boat and we sped around the headland to our little bay. Major Fleming wrinkled his nose when he saw the huts. "A little primitive isn't it?"
"We are Commandos sir and we are used to roughing it. The benefits of a comfortable bed are outweighed by the camaraderie and team spirit we engender."
"Hmn." It was not exactly a rejection of the idea neither was it a ringing endorsement.
As we edged into the beach I glanced at the charts under the Flag Lieutenant's arm. It was North Africa.
"Stop engines. Drop the anchor. Rig the camouflage netting."
I went forrard and whistled, "Right lads, get these store and letters taken ashore!"
For us this was everyday but I saw the look of horror on the faces of the Major and the Flag Lieutenant. Hugo and I leapt into the water and stood ready to receive the stores which were passed down. We formed a human chain.
"That's it Mr Harsker!"
"Thanks, Petty Officer Leslie."
I turned and began to wade towards the beach. Lieutenant Harrington said, "How do we get down?"
Alan had lit a cheroot and he smiled as he said, "Just jump in. It is only ankle deep. Take your shoes off if you are worried about getting them wet."
Neither officer was happy about the situation but they had no choice. They took off their shoes and socks. As he was about to leave Major Fleming said, "We will need you ashore, Lieutenant Jorgenson. We have an operation to plan!"
If he thought to upset Alan he was wrong. He just said, "Righto!" And jumped straight in. He grinned as he waded towards the beach.
Polly and Gordy came next to me and said, quietly, "We have company then, sir?"
"We do. Make sure the lads are on their best behaviour. I can't see them staying the night."
"It is just fish stew tonight sir."
I laughed, "It
's always fish stew, Sergeant Poulson. Don't worry about it. Give the best chairs to the two officers."
That was a laugh in itself. Our best chairs were a couple of packing cases we had liberated and they had old cushions on them. The table was a door which rested on two other, smaller crates. It was functional furniture.
The Major caught up with me, "Do you want to eat first sir and then brief us or vice versa?"
He spied the cauldron which bubbled away, "Eat? Good God no! We shall brief you and then Lieutenant Jorgenson can take us back to Marsalaforn."
"The men will be disappointed, sir. We don't often get company."
"I can see why. I will need your sergeants at the briefing too."
"Right. Sergeant Barker and Sergeant Poulson would you join us. Lance Sergeant Lowe, take charge!"
Once we were around the table Major Fleming was more in his element. Lieutenant Harrington unrolled the map. Major Fleming jabbed a yellow finger at Bizerte. "You have been here before."
"Not the actual port but close by, yes sir."
"Same thing. We want you to go back and blow up the railway line which runs from Bizerte to Tunis. We nearly have the Axis beaten. Patton and Monty are banging on the door but the enemy are bringing supplies in by sea, at night. We need to stop them supplying Tunis. The air force is bombing during the day and the Royal Navy is stopping as much shipping as they can but the Germans are using U-Boats to bring in supplies. We want you to blow the line up as soon after dark as you can. That is when they are sending material down the lines. The USAAF and the RAF can then bomb the hell out of Bizerte and destroy the supplies once and for all." He lit another cigarette. "Lieutenant."
Lieutenant Harrington said, "There is a large lake and the railway line runs alongside it. We have identified somewhere here for the actual demolition." He pointed to an area a mile or so from the town and from the airfield. "It will be quiet and you should be able to blow up the railway line and escape."
It sounded simple but I knew that it wasn't. "How do we get in sir? And, more importantly, get out."
Major Fleming looked surprised, "I would have thought that was obvious. You sail in on the E-Boat."
I rolled my eyes at Alan who coughed, diplomatically, and said, "The harbour entrance is just a couple of hundred yards wide, sir. There will be guns on both sides. Assuming that we could get in, and I am not certain that we could, after we have blown up the railway every gun in the town will be aimed at the lake. Why not use the air force?"
"We have tried but they get repair crews out. We need a big section blowing up. This has to be a surgical strike. We want you to remove enough of the railway to require a week of work." He smiled, "It was your success in Italy which gave me the idea. When you hit the line at Reggio it took five days to repair it. A very impressive piece of work. Besides the two air forces will be helping you. The RAF will bomb the harbour just before dark and the USAF two hours later. That should give you the chance to get in and out."
I thought that Alan was going to choke. "You want us to get in and out while a bombing raid is going on?"
"Of course! It is the perfect window of opportunity." He pointed his cigarette at me, "Now I have given you more men so that you can use more than one team. The explosives will be delivered tomorrow and you sail the day after. You will have to sail most of the way in daylight. Still, Jerry appears a bit preoccupied with Tunisia so you should be all right. Any questions?"
As with all Major Fleming's plans there was no question of refusing. We would just have to make the best of a bad job. Alan and I shook our heads, "No sir."
"Well the explosives will be at Marsalaforn at nine a.m. Pick them up. And now Lieutenant Jorgenson, I am ready to return to civilisation. Good luck."
We sat and watched as Alan escorted them both to the E-Boat. Gordy shook his head, "Well he is a charming piece of work. Do we have much to do with him, sir?"
"I think, Gordy, that we are his little private army. The sooner we are back with Number Four Commando the better."
"Amen to that."
I shouted, "George, Bill, we need you."
The two of them joined us and took the seats vacated by the two officers. I briefly told them our mission. "Now the Major is right in one respect; we have more men. I intend to use four teams. Each of you will lead a team. I will have the E-Boat drop us four hundred yards apart. That should guarantee the maximum destruction. The last team to be dropped off will have the shortest time and the first will have the longest time to wait. Can't be helped. Now the airfield worries me so the first thing we will do will when we land will be to rig a line of booby traps half a mile from the railway line. Just simple grenade booby traps. I want to slow Jerry up."
The four of them looked at the map. George Lowe said, "I am not even certain we can get in undetected but, supposing we do, how the hell do we get out? I know the Yanks will be bombing the town but it will be night time. I would be happier if it was the RAF. The Americans are new to this."
"We will have to rely on the E-Boat. You have sailed in her, George. Is there anything faster?" He shook his head. "And having just spent a month on a sailing ship I reckon we might be able to pull it off. Anyway pick your own teams. I will be with Bill and we will be the last ones landed. It will be the biggest team. I will just need a crash course in explosives Bill."
He laughed, "You did fine at Reggio, sir. And this time we can use timers."
"Right, off you go and we will have a team briefing after we have eaten. I need to talk to Lieutenant Jorgenson."
When they had gone Hugo said, "I am no expert Tom but this looks impossible."
"Not quite. There will be panic when the bombers come over. It will not look unusual for an E-Boat to be flying through the water at such a time but George is right. Night time bombing over a dark target is not easy. Look at the Blitz. They bombed London by mistake! They thought it was an airfield. It could be that this time, our luck runs out."
When Alan returned he brought with him a bottle of whisky. "A present from Lieutenant Devon. There is little point in saving it. In three days time there might only be Hugo left to enjoy it."
"And I don't even like whisky!"
Alan beamed, "Don't worry, dear boy! Tom and I will enjoy your share. "What was it the old Roman gladiators said? 'We who are about to die salute you'. Well we shall toast you dear boy and leave our letters for our loved ones with you. In my case that is a tailor in London and a rather sweet old aunt who still lives in Norway!"
Chapter 8
The 'Lady Luck' was a little more crowded than we were used to. We had more men and more equipment. We had evolved a plan. Rather than heading directly for the North African coast we were heading north west to run parallel with the Sicilian coast. If we were to blend in with the German and Italian shipping we had to approach from the same direction they did. Once we were well away from the Maltese coast we ran up the German flag. I came on deck with half of my section. We wore the captured German uniforms. The distinctive coal scuttle helmets could be seen from some way away and would, we hoped, make us more realistic looking.
We had the radar array up but we disguised it with washing. I doubt that any senior officer on either side would have viewed it favourably but, until we found some enemy ships we needed it up. We could take it down in minutes. We sailed north west until Pantelleria, the enemy held island, which was forty miles south of us and then we began to head west. We were cruising rather than racing. The gun crews were closed up. It would be standard practice for German ships this close to combat and we had our arms too.
When we saw Sicily end to the north we were half way to our objective. Timing was key. Bill Leslie and Tosh came forrard with mugs of tea. "Thanks Bill! This is welcome."
Bill handed the tray to Tosh who went below. Bill took out his pipe and sat next to me. "It's quiet now sir but I reckon it will get a bit dicey when we spot Jerry. They will be a bit nervous."
I patted the deck of the E-Boat. "You aren't doubting
your own vessel now, are you? We are faster than anything else we will meet."
"Nah. The 'Lady' can fly. And she is lucky but last time when the old Chief copped it, well it brought things home. Those lads we lost were the first. Sailors are a superstitious lot. Some are wondering if we are no longer lucky."
The tea was hot and sweet. We would need the energy later on. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, "But not you."
"You know me sir, I don't believe in luck. Now Fate, that is a different thing. If your number is up then that is it. I just felt sorry for the old chief. He had just become a granddad and he was looking forward to getting home and seeing his grandson. It made me think about a family."
"You know Bill Hay has a son now."
"I know, he told me. He is chuffed to bits!"
"And how are your new lads?"
"Probably the same as yours sir; finding their feet." He glanced over his shoulder and began to speak quieter. "You are a mate of the captain, sir. Have a word with him. He has taken against the engineer. I don't know why but Tom McGee seems like a good lad. He might be young but he knows his engines. He is getting more out of them than the Chief did, God rest his soul. He just larks on a bit more than you might expect. He is newly promoted." He shook his head, "Sorry sir. I have spoken out of turn. Forget what I said."
"No Bill, we are old mates. You know rank doesn't mean much to me. I will have a word and thank you for confiding in me."
He grinned, as he stood, "It's the boat isn't it, sir? She deserves a happy crew."
I finished my tea and lay back on the deck. We were playing a part. We were what Auntie Alice would call window dressing. Any German aircraft would see an E-Boat carrying German soldiers to reinforce the garrison in North Africa. It would not look unusual. Eventually the tea kicked in and I had to take a leak. I went to the stern and, after I had finished stopped at the bridge.
"She is flying, Alan."
"She is and Symons says the seas are clear for the next twenty miles."
"Here you are, Tosh, take over until Petty Officer Leslie takes over. I'm going for a smoke."