by Griff Hosker
"Aye aye, sir."
Alan took out a cheroot and lit it. We went to the leeward side of the bridge and the lookout vacated it. "I saw you chatting to Bill Leslie. Not talking mutiny are you?" He said it with a smile but I saw worry in his eyes.
"You know me better than that Alan. We were talking about the boat but the Chief's death came up. This new engineer, McGee, he seems to be doing a good job eh?"
"Well yes but..."
"But he isn't the Chief and he can never be the Chief. This is your first command and you wanted it to stay the same right through the war. We both know that can't happen. Look at my lads. We have lost some good blokes. Others have been promoted. How would you feel if they took Bill Leslie off you? Promoted him?"
He sucked on his cigar and stared at the distant coastline of Sicily. After a while he said, "You might be right. The engines do sound sweeter. Mind you they had a good overhaul." He grinned, "I'll give him a chance and..."
Symons voice broke in, "Sir, vessels ahead. They are on course for North Africa."
"How many?"
"Two bigger ones, they look like coasters and then some smaller ones, six of them. If I was a betting man then I would say E-Boats."
"We will keep the radar up until we sight them then get it down."
"Sir."
After glancing in the radar hut Alan grabbed the map and took out a ruler. He measured the distance to the convoy and then to the coast. He looked at his watch. "Tosh, slow down to twenty knots."
"Aye sir."
"We don't want to reach them too soon. Go around the lads, Tom, tell them that we will be going into action in the next couple of hours."
I went, first, to the mess deck where the two sergeants were doing a Bergen check. "We have just spotted a German convoy. One way or another it will get hot soon. Have the men all ready."
"Right sir."
Gordy shook his head, "I envy you, sir. It's like being in a bleedin' coffin down here!"
I went around all the gun positions and reached the bridge as Bill Leslie took over the helm. Bill Hay shouted, "Ships ahead sir, a convoy!"
"Right Symons, take the radar down. Wacker, listen for signals."
"Aye aye sir."
"From now on we speak German. If you don't speak German just grunt!"
Symons mumbled, "Same thing if you ask me! You talk to a Jerry and it's like talking to a Welshman. You get covered in spit and you still understand bugger all that they say!"
I smiled. The men were in good spirits. They could still joke. I went to the fore deck and took out the papers which came with the uniform. It was all part of our cover story. We were a detachment of Engineers from the three hundred and fifth infantry battalion and my name Feldwebel Kurt Planck from Innsbruck. The other four on deck with me had a smattering of German. They had been drilled to reply with their new names if questioned. We hoped it would not come to that for our story was extremely thin. Alan was wearing the uniform of a Korvettenkapitän. The equivalent rank in the Royal Navy was Lieutenant Commander. With any luck anyone we met would be the rank of Kapitänleutnant or lower.
We edged closer to the convoy. I had no doubt that if we had seen them then they would have seen us. We had to appear as though we were relieved to see allies. Timing was all. The afternoon was passing. We needed to be entering the harbour towards dusk. We needed dark to perform our duties.
Wacker's voice came up from his radio shack, "Sir, we are being hailed by the commander of the convoy: Kapitan zur See Zeiss. He wants to know who we are."
"Bugger! He outranks me. Give me the mike." He slipped down to the shack and, after donning the headphones, began to speak in German. Wacker handed him the headphones." Korvettenkapitän Schloss in command of S-175 on detached duty from Reggio, sir." There was a pause. "Yes sir I realise I should have notified you when we first sited you but I did not want to break radio silence. We had to sneak by some destroyers just north of Malta." There was another pause while the convoy commander asked more questions. "Yes sir I am carrying German soldiers. They are railway engineers from Reggio. We have just repaired the damage caused by the partisans and we are ordered to help repair the line to Tunis. We are under the orders of Field Marshal Rommel himself." There was a shorter pause. "Thank you, sir. We will take station astern of the last boat."
He handed the mike and the headphones back to Wacker.
"Well?"
"They bought it. The mention of the Desert Fox was enough. That and the reference to the damage at Reggio. A clever plan, Tom!" he turned to the coxswain, "Let's catch up properly now. We have been formally introduced."
As we neared the ships I saw that none of them looked to be in good condition. The two merchant vessels showed fire damage while the E-Boats looked like they needed six months in a naval dockyard. We waved to the boat in front. It was about two boat lengths away from us.
One of the crew came to the stern for a cigarette. He cupped his hands and shouted, "Where are you from?"
"Reggio!"
He shook his head, "No, I mean where in the Fatherland?"
"Innsbruck!"
"I love Innsbruck. Do you ski?"
I shook my head, "Not since I broke my ankle as a child."
"I like the food there."
I nodded, "My favourite is the Goldenes Dachl."
"You must have money! Too rich for my taste." Just then a Petty Officer shouted something and the sailor waved. "We'll have a drink in Bizerte!"
Bill Hay said, quietly, "What was all that about sir? I caught a few words. Something about a golden roof?"
"My dad told me about it. There is a building in the town with a roof made of gold and below it is a fine restaurant. I was just making my story credible."
In the distance I could see the coast of Africa. We had made it. Just then I heard a shout from the ship ahead, "Aircraft! Tommies!"
I looked aft and saw three Beaufighters. They each had four cannon and carried bombs. We had discussed this already. The gunners had orders to fire but to miss! If the Germans ahead saw that we were not firing they might become suspicious. I took my rifle and knelt on the pitching deck close to the bridge.
Wacker shouted, "Orders from the Kapitan zur See. All E-Boats close up on the merchant men. He has ordered them to go full speed. We have to follow zig zag pattern F."
"What the hell is that?"
"I have no idea Tom. Petty Officer Leslie, just follow the last E-Boat and do whatever he does. Drop back half a length or two eh?"
"Sir!"
The Beaufighters began to dive. They were not the fastest fighter but, in a dive, could achieve over three hundred miles an hour. Dad had flown one once. I knew that they only had two hundred and forty rounds per gun. The cannon shells were deadly but they had few of them. The ship in front went to starboard and we followed suit. Alan shouted, "Shoot!" in German. I aimed well to the right of the leading Beaufighter. We did not have to fire fast. We just had to make sure that smoke came from our guns.
Then the leading Beaufighter opened fire. We had just turned and the shells struck the water where we had been. It would have been ironic to have been hit by our own side! The second Beaufighter, however, corrected his aim and his shells tore into the stern of the E-Boat in front of us. Smoke began to pour from the engine and Bill Leslie had to take evasive action. As we passed alongside there was a huge fireball and explosion as the ammunition exploded. A wave of fire and flames leapt towards us. It rocked the E-Boat to the side. When we righted ourselves all that remained was debris and bodies. My erstwhile friend would not buy me that drink after all.
Then the three fighters began to drop their bombs. Two struck the leading merchantman which began to list to port. The fighters made one last pass and raked the convoy with the last of their cannon shells. I had no doubt they would celebrate their victory in the mess that night. One other E-Boat had been damaged. The undamaged merchant man took the burning one in tow.
A few minutes later Wacker stuck his head out of the radio hut, "S
ir, you are the senior officer now. The Kapitan zur See was killed in the attack. They are asking for orders."
"Tell them that we will cease zig zag pattern F and head at maximum speed to Bizerte. Tell them that we will look for survivors and guard the rear."
"That is a turn up eh, Alan?" This was an unforeseen stroke of luck.
"I shall have to ask for extra pay when I return to camp. I am a Commodore now!"
The attack meant that it was getting dark by the time we approached the narrow harbour entrance. The stricken merchantman would barely make it to the jetty.
"Wacker get on the radio and tell everyone well done. Let them know we are proceeding to Lake Bizerte to carry out our mission to repair the railway line. Tell them the Fuhrer will be proud of their achievements and add a Heil Hitler." He turned to me. "They will expect it."
The part we had thought would be the hardest was the easiest. As we overtook the other ships they all waved and cheered as though we were heroes. Then Wacker said, "Sir, I have the harbour master on the radio. He wants us to dock at the far end of the harbour close to his office. He wants to see our papers."
"Right Bill, let's head that way but keep it slow. When I give the order then full speed eh?" he looked up at the sky. "Where are those bombers?"
As we passed the eighty eight millimetre gun at the mole we heard the sound of sirens. I turned and saw the Martin Marauders. There were ten of them and they were high. They could carry a fair weight of bombs. Every gun in the port started blazing away and the other E-Boats began to speed up. "Right Bill, full power and head into the middle of the lake! It is what everyone else is doing!"
The harbour master had more important things on his mind now and we were, thankfully, ignored. Getting out might not be as easy. Alan's decision proved to be a wise one as the bombs began to fall on the docks and harbour. The stricken merchantman ended up on the bottom when a stick of bombs struck it. The buildings and warehouses adjacent to the docks were also engulfed in flames. Some bombs missed. I saw at least two sticks explode harmlessly in the lake. I guessed the RAF pilots knew nothing of us.
It was now dark and Alan said, "Right Bill, head for the first drop off point." Turning to me he said, "I believe this is your stop, sir!"
"Thanks. It is time to change uniforms." I went to the bow. "Right lads out of the grey and back in khaki."
Below deck the men were already blacking up. They looked at me expectantly as I entered, "Well lads we are in!"
Gordy nodded, "I heard all the German talk. I should have stuck in with the lessons."
"Remember, Sergeant Barker, you are the first one off. Your team will have to hold out the longest."
"Don't worry sir we will give any nosey Eyetie or Jerry the hot foot!"
The only team with just three men was Sergeant Poulson's. I hoped that I was not putting too much pressure on Private Shepherd. I knew that he still brooded about his mistake at the other railway line in Reggio. The explosives behind us lit up the harbour while to our right we saw the searchlights and heard the guns from the airfield. The fact that no fighters had taken off told us the lack of both aeroplanes and fuel. There was a large island which blocked our route all the way along the railway line. It was also the closest place to the airfield. Alan headed in to shore. We had four dinghies ready. Alan spun the wheel and Sergeant Barker and Lance Sergeant Lowe clambered aboard their boats and began paddling for the shore.
The island was less than a thousand yards long and, using the cover of the departing aeroplanes, he covered the distance in minutes. Sergeant Poulson and his men were ready the moment the E-Boat slowed and they were already ten yards from the E-Boat by the time Lieutenant Jorgenson had begun to move towards the last drop off. He would be waiting with us and all his guns would be manned. Even as he edged in the last of the British Marauders were heading east and their airfield in Libya.
We had a short distance to paddle and we all dug in as we travelled as quickly as we could. Time was of the essence. We drew the dinghy across the mud and hurried to the single track line. I held my Tommy gun and led the four of us to the closest section. Hay and Hewitt had the explosives while Scouse and I watched the airfield. It seemed as though we had not been seen. The perimeter fence was a thousand yards away from us but it was much closer to Gordy and George. I did not need to nag them about speed. They understood the need as much as anyone.
Time seemed to drag and move slowly. I looked at my watch and the hands barely turned. The fires in the port were being fought and I heard the sirens of ambulances as they hurried to the wounded. Worryingly I heard the sound of engines at the airfield. Was it aeroplanes or vehicles which were moving?
"All done sir!"
I turned around and saw that Hay and Hewitt had finished. "Have you set the timers?"
"Twenty minutes sir."
We hoped that, by staggering the times of the explosions we could keep the enemy guessing. "Good, hurry, back to the dinghy."
The mud tried to suck us down and I waded a little in the lake to clean my shoes. Friendly hands dragged us up aboard the E-Boat and we were moving even before the dinghy was pulled up. The next air raid was fifteen minutes away. Sergeant Poulson and his men were waiting for us and we barely had to slow to pick them up.
"Well done, Sergeant Poulson."
"I was worried about the other lads, look."
He pointed and I could see that trucks were heading from the airfield. Even as I watched I heard the crack of small arms fire. I cocked my Thompson, "Better get a move on, Lieutenant Jorgensen!"
"Man the guns and begin firing as soon as the Germans are in range."
The Oerlikon was in range and it began pumping out shells. We were moving so quickly and bouncing around so much that any hit would have been a lucky one. I knew, however, that the men on the beach would appreciate it for it meant that the cavalry was coming. Lance Sergeant Lowe and his men were paddling as fast as they could to reach Sergeant Barker. I saw why. One of Gordy's men was down. We were turning around the island but we still had five hundred yards to go. The Oerlikon managed to hit one of the lorries but it was the half track with the machine gun which was doing the damage. Men spilled from the stricken lorry and they began to fire at Gordy and the dinghy they were trying to manhandle into the lake. Disaster struck when a second Commando, Private Grimsdale, was hit and the dinghy shredded.
Sergeant Lowe was left with no choice. He headed inshore to help Gordy. We were now in range and our Thompsons added to the Oerlikon, Pom-Poms and Lewis guns. Sergeant Poulson had brought up the LG 42 and its firepower was added. It was Sergeant Poulson who hit the gunner on the half track and the fire from the shore lessened, marginally.
We spun around the end of the island. My men and I raced to the bow firing as we went. The Tommy gun packed a powerful punch. We drew the fire from the shore and bullets struck the E-Boat. I heard Alan's urgent voice from the bridge. "Tom! We can't hang around here! We need to leave."
I turned, "I am not leaving those men to be captured and shot. Get in as close as you can."
"I'll do my best."
"Hay, Scouse, grab that dinghy and come with me."
I jumped into the water. It came up to my chest. Even as they were launching the dinghy I was striding towards my beleaguered men. I saw George Lowe pitch forward in his dinghy as he was hit by rifle fire. "Get back to the boat. I will take care of these lads!" I sprayed the half track. Most of the bullets clanged off the armour but a couple must have rattled inside for I heard screams as I reached the beach.
Gordy was firing like a madman. I saw that Grimsdale was dead and Jack Jackson wounded. I turned and saw Bill Hay drag the dinghy on to the beach. Scouse fire a burst from the hip. It was more in hope than expectation. I slung my Thompson over my shoulder and took out a couple of grenades. I pulled the pins and threw both as high and as far as I could. I dived at Gordy knocking him and Smith to the ground, "Grenades!" They both had five second fuses on them and they exploded in the air. The
concussion and the shrapnel tore through the Germans. I stood and drew my Luger, "Sergeant, get these bodies back to the dinghy! That is an order!"
"Sir!"
I began to aim at the officers and sergeants who were trying to give orders. The concussion had confused them and I hit two of them before the third shouted to his men to take cover. A shell from the Oerlikon hit the half track. It must have struck the ammunition for the whole vehicle lifted into the air. It was time to leave. I emptied my magazine and ran back to the dinghy. It was full! "Paddle back. I will catch you up. Go!"
Overhead I heard the sound of the American Mitchell bombers as they made their bombing run. I waded into the lake and, reaching the dinghy, pushed it. "Paddle!"
As they paddled I waded further out. Alan had brought the 'Lady Luck' to within thirty yards. I saw George Lowe's section reach the E-Boat and haul my Lance Sergeant aboard. I caught up with the overloaded dinghy and I pushed it closer to the ship. My men on board were too busy firing to help but the remains of Lance Sergeant Lowe's section helped to pull the wounded and the dead from the dinghy. Bullets clattered into the side of the E-Boat as the first bombs dropped from the Americans.
As luck would have it the first bombs fell on the airfield at the end closest to the port. It made the Germans firing at us, hesitate. That hesitation saved us. The rubber dinghy was useless and we abandoned it. I was hauled aboard as the first of the demolition charges went off. It was the one my section had set. It was a bigger explosion that I had been expecting. It lit up the sky to the south and the confused Germans did not know which way to look. Alan took the opportunity to whip the bows around and head for the harbour entrance. As much as I wanted to see how my wounded men were doing I owed it to the living to help Alan extricate us from this hole. I had just reached him when Sergeant Poulson's charge went off.
Alan grinned, "That was definitely cutting it more than a little fine!"
I gestured with my thumb. "But we got the job done. At least two of the charges have gone off."
Alan pointed to the harbour entrance. A couple of fishing boats were being placed across the entrance. "We have to get past those two."