Toehold in Europe (Combined Operations Book 5)

by Griff Hosker

My men had had an easy day while I received my briefing and I did not begrudge them that. They were all together when I arrived. There was a rocky headland which overlooked the sea and I took them there. It was quiet and there would be no one to eavesdrop. They sat around me and waited. Gordy broke the silence, "Well sir, where to?"

  "Near to Salerno. We are going to hold the mountain pass which leads to Naples."

  Scouse grinned, "Great. I have never invaded before! We goin' in with all these lads, then sir?"

  "No, Fletcher. We go in an hour before them and hold the beach head. Then we join Number Two Commando and hold Molina Pass."

  Sergeant Poulson rubbed his chin. "Sir, I saw the place you are talking about on our last little jaunt. The mountains rise straight above it."

  "I know but I have seen the aerial photographs and read the intelligence we gathered at Paestum. There is just a company of infantry at Vietri Sul Mare. The odds are that there will just be a platoon, at most, on guard." I stood, "Look, it doesn't matter how many men are there or what the dangers are we get this job done and then we can go home to Falmouth and the Brigade. We get to eat Mrs Bailey's dinners again."

  "Then let's get on with it, sir!" Scouse rubbed his hands together. He enjoyed his food. They had their carrot and they would not let me down.

  The next morning I left the sergeants to gather the equipment while I went to speak with the captain of the motor launch. I wore the best uniform I had with me. I didn't like advertising my medals but if they kept Major Taylor off my back then that would be a good thing. ML 220 was the type I had been on before. Lightly armed they were fast and they had plenty of room. Lieutenant Williams looked like all such captains; young enough to still be at school. The crew were all equally young but I liked them immediately. They had an easy going attitude which appealed to me.

  The fraternity of the small boats was close and the first thing he said was, "Sorry to hear about Alan Jorgenson. He is a good egg."

  I nodded, "The last I heard he was still hanging on. A shame about our E-Boat though. It was very handy."

  "What are they like sir? The rumour is that you captained her when Alan was hit."

  "I had a good crew and I just made a couple of decisions. It was nothing but as for the E-Boat, I have nothing but respect for them. They are one hell of a boat. They can catch anything we have and out gun them too. Still we shouldn't need to worry about them. We have destroyers with us for most of the way. Now I am not being funny but have you done this sort of thing before?"

  "No, sir."

  "Then here is what we will need: four rubber dinghies already inflated and two of your men in each boat to paddle us ashore. Trust me it is better for you. This way you can skedaddle off quicker."

  "What if you need picking up again, sir?"

  "Then we will have failed. Don't worry about that. My men and I can look after ourselves and we have two Brigades of Commandos following us. For us this is going in mob handed. We are used to being alone behind the lines and for some time too."

  Once I was satisfied that he knew what he was doing I left for our camp. I had to pass the American camp. I recognised the Ranger flash on some of the uniforms. I was just turning to head back to our own camp when a couple of officers approached me, "Say, sir, are you one of those British Commandos?"

  His companion said, "Dwight, look at his shoulder flash! Of course he is. And take a look at those medals!"

  Soon I had a crowd around me. I tried to leave but they would not let me. I was rescued when a voice shouted, "Ten shun!"

  "What in God's name is going on here?"

  "Sorry Colonel Darby but this is a British Commando and just look at his medals."

  Colonel Darby shook his head, "Sorry about this, Captain. My men are keen to emulate you guys. Can I make up for it with a drink?"

  "Of course sir."

  He led me to his tent. "What is your name?"

  "Captain Tom Harsker, Number Four Commando."

  He stopped suddenly, "Say you are the guy who said Amalfi couldn't be taken by regular infantry."

  "Sorry about that, sir."

  "Nothing to be sorry about. I have seen the photographs and you are right." He gestured for me to sit and poured me a glass of an amber liquor. I sniffed it. It was Bourbon. "It seems to me I have heard your name before. Didn't you rescue a General from behind enemy lines? And weren't you the one who captured that Italian Intelligence?"

  "Guilty on all counts, sir."

  He shook me by the hand, "No wonder they gave you these medals. It is an honour to meet you. My Rangers are just starting but we aim to be as good as you one of these days."

  "You do yourself a disservice sir. If you and your men can take Amalfi then you are superior to us Commandos."

  "You Brits! I can't get over this god damn modesty. What is wrong with being good and letting others know?"

  I shrugged, "I don't know, sir. I guess it is the way we are."

  "Well Captain Harsker..." he stopped mid sentence, "Harsker. You are related to that World War One Ace aren't you?"

  "My father."

  "Jeez Louise it must run in your family." He poured me a second glass.

  We spoke for some time how about he had been inspired to become a Ranger after seeing the Commandos train. I told him about some of our operations. I looked at my watch. "I am sorry sir. But I have a section to prepare."

  "Quite right, Captain." He leaned over and said, "Listen, son, if you ever need anything then let me know."

  I nodded and rose. "And good luck at Amalfi. One tip, sir. German grenades are not to be sniffed at. If your men can capture them they are great for making booby traps." I patted my Luger, "We are not shy about taking what we can from the Germans. Some of their weapons are better than ours. That's why we use Colts and Thompsons!"

  He nodded, "I learned from you guys in Carrickfergus. I am still learning. Don't be a stranger, Captain."

  By the time I had reached our camp I had decided upon a course of action. Talking with Colonel Darby had reminded me that we had not trained as Commandos since we had landed in North Africa. When we invaded we might be in action for weeks.

  "Right, Sergeant Poulson. I want everyone in full kit with Bergens and Thompson. Twenty minutes."

  "Right sir!"

  I went to my tent and packed my Bergen. I put in spare ammunition and grenades. I had to test myself too. I looked at the map. I could see a ten mile run up into the hills and back down. It would test me and it would test my men.

  I was aware, as I inspected them, that three had been recently wounded. Today would give me a better idea of their combat readiness. If they fell behind then they were not ready to attack Vietri Sul Mare. Sergeant Poulson, take the rear."

  "Sir!"

  Our lack of fitness became apparent just a mile into the run as we began to ascend the steep hills. I could feel my chest burning. I pushed on through. The further we went on the more I could feel the strain in my calves and thighs. They had lost their hardness. We had had months where we had been taken to war by boat. My head began to pound and I could not suck in enough air. As we reached the half way point and turned I was tempted to give them five minutes rest and then I realised that would be a mistake. The enemy would not give them a rest. It was a hot day and I could feel the sweat dripping down my back. My uniform was a winter one and it was wool. I was suffering. Although this was a circular route I saw the end of the line as they ascended the peak. There was a slight gap to the last men but nothing to worry about. I decided to push them on the downhill section. It would test the ones with wounds to breaking point. If they survived this then they could come on the mission.

  It was late in the afternoon as I put in a power surge down the last half mile to the camp. Number Two Commando were resting outside their tents and they clapped us in. I powered the last hundred yards. I stopped and turned. Scouse was almost in my footsteps. His wound had not hampered him. Gordy too had run through the pain. I saw that it was Fred Emerson and Ji
mmy Smith who were struggling. My section stood before me, chests heaving as they gasped for breath.

  I looked at my watch to see how long it took. I nodded, "Right chaps. We are not fit. That is my fault. Sorry. Tomorrow morning we do exactly the same run but we will do it five minutes quicker. Tomorrow afternoon we run in our shorts to the sea. We will have a swimming race. We have less than seven days to become the Commandos we once were."

  They nodded. Fred Emerson said, "Sorry I held you up sir. I'll have to knock the fags on the head!"

  Gordy shook his head, "It makes no odds Freddie. You just have to bite the bullet and take the pain. Don't worry sir, we'll get there. We won't let you down."

  After three days things improved. The extra and more varied exercise regime paid off. Emerson and Smith no longer lagged behind. On the fourth day, with just a couple of days before the off I took them on a longer more extended route. As we came towards a rise I heard the sound of gunfire and explosions. Our training kicked in and we all hit the ground and began to crawl up to the ridge line. The Germans and Italians had all left the island in the middle of August but there had been rumours of Italian resistance.

  As I peered over the top I relaxed. It was the Rangers engaging in a mock attack. I waved my men to their feet and we walked towards them. I heard a whistle and an officer waved his arms and shouted, "Cease fire!"

  I saw Colonel Darby take off his helmet and walk towards me. He held out his hand, "Captain Harsker! Perfect timing. We were just going to take a break."

  "We wondered what the firing was all about."

  "I think you and me are the only two who are still pushing before this invasion. We have seen you out twice a day. It puts us to shame."

  "No sir, us. We have been in action since the end of last year but we didn't train like we used to. We are getting close now." I noticed some men carrying long tubes. "Excuse me, sir, what are those? Short Bangalore torpedoes?"

  "No, Captain. They are anti-tank rocket launchers; M1A1 firing the M6A1 rocket. The guys nicknamed them the bazooka! A little bit like the Boys anti-tank rifle but more powerful. These can stop a Mark III." He waved over a sergeant, "Sergeant Willis give the Commandos a demonstration of the capability of this weapon."

  "Yes sir!"

  We followed them down the slope to a Panzer III which had been knocked out during the invasion. It had thrown a track and its gun had been sabotaged by the crew but other than that it was whole. Colonel Darby said, "We were saving this for later on but you guys might as well enjoy the show too."

  The Sergeant and his loader stopped a hundred yards from the tank. He knelt down with the tube on his shoulder and the loader loaded it and then tapped the Sergeant on the helmet.

  Colonel Darby said, "Stand clear of the rear of the weapon and kneel!"

  We all complied and the Colonel said, "Whenever you are ready, Willis."

  There was a whoosh and the projectile hit the turret. The turret exploded. There was an audible gasp from my men. "Impressive."

  "The effective range is a hundred and twenty yards. That and the fact that the operator has to kneel makes it risky; especially with the machine guns on the tanks. However this baby can penetrate three inches of armour. The front of those tanks is just two inches thick and the sides just over an inch. So long as the tank isn't one of the new Panthers then we can take them. The Panther has an angled front and three point one inch armour."

  "Fantastic sir. You guys are lucky. We just have a grenade launcher. We just give them a headache."

  I saw the sergeant laugh. Colonel Darby turned to the Major who was with him. "Say, Sam, didn't we see a few of these lying in the docks the other day?"

  "Yes sir. They are ear marked for the 46th Texas Division."

  Colonel Darby nodded, "Those Texas boys are tough enough. They wouldn't miss one. Sergeant Willis I have a little extra training for you and your squad."

  "Yes sir."

  "Let's see how sneaky you can be. I want you to get a launcher and a case of ammunition for our British cousins. Call it lend lease on a local level."

  "Yes sir. Just the one sir?" He grinned, "We could do with a couple more ourselves."

  Colonel Darby smiled, "Use your discretion Sergeant!"

  I saw my pilferers nodding. The Sergeant was a man after their own heart. "Thank you Colonel. We had better continue our run. We have less than three days to go."

  I was woken at midnight by Sergeant Poulson. "Sir, care to see this?" I followed him to his tent. There, outside were two crates marked 46th Texas. "Father Christmas has come early!"

  "Did you hear them bring it?"

  "No sir. I got up for a leak."

  "Right, let's get rid of the evidence. Open the crates, quietly, we don't want Number Two to hear. Put the weapon in one tent and the ammo in another. Put the broken crates in my tent. If anyone comes looking then I will carry the can."

  We had been using a campfire to make an early morning brew and I rose at four to light the fire. I used the incriminating stencilled sections of the crates first and soon had a healthy blaze going. The men rose early as the smell of the burning wood woke them. We put a brew on and Sergeant Poulson told them of the gift.

  I nodded to Polly's tent, "We have a rocket launcher and now we need a crew. You all heard what the American colonel said, it is risky for you have to get close. Any volunteers?" Every hand went up. "My choice then. Lance Sergeant Hay you are explosives and we need you for that. That leaves Sergeant Poulson and Sergeant Barker. Gordy you take the bazooka, Smith, you are the loader." I saw the disappointment on the faces of the rest. "You will all need to know how to fire it in case anything happens to our two heroes. After the run this morning we come back here and sneak the weapon down to the launch. It is time we practised loading the dinghies and we might as well do that out of sight. You can try a rocket out, Sergeant."

  "Yes sir."

  We broke our running record that morning by six minutes. They were all keen. To disguise the bazooka we used two Bergens. The bazooka was just over four and a half feet long. Two Bergens hid it. The ammunition was spread amongst the other Bergens. Number Two Commando were used to our weird behaviour and we made it to the harbour without any questions.

  Lieutenant Williams was keen to practise with the dinghies. He and his men had been preparing for the attack and were now just waiting for their chance. "We need a quiet bay. Can you find one Lieutenant?"

  "I thinks so, sir."

  We headed off. Once we were at sea I said, "We need to store some of our equipment on board if that is all right with you."

  "Of course sir."

  "However it is, er, secret equipment. We would appreciate it if your chaps didn't talk about it." I tapped my nose.

  He grinned and nodded, knowingly, "Quite!"

  The practice proved useful. My men knew what to do but the crew were a little awkward the first couple of times they launched us into the dinghies. Some of them were wary of pushing an officer. After the second run I said, "Look lads, the key to this is to get us ashore as quickly as you can. If that means pushing me around a bit then do it! I am not fragile, ask these lads."

  They gradually overcame their fear and soon were as adept as the crew of the 'Lady Luck' had been. On the way back I asked the Lieutenant to cruise slowly around the island on our way to the harbour. I spied what I needed and asked him to head in to shore. There was a damaged Italian truck on the beach. It lay below a cliff. I guessed the driver had been killed and it had landed on this inaccessible piece of sand. Storms and strong tides would soon destroy it but, for now, it made a perfect target.

  "If you could anchor a hundred yards from shore, Lieutenant."

  "Yes sir."

  I could see that he was intrigued, "Sergeant Barker, go and fetch your toy."

  The crew of the ML gathered close to the bridge as Barker and Smith set up the launcher. This was the first time they had used one and they were being both careful and slow. I knew that in action they would be ju
st as careful but much faster. They would have a moment or two only to hit a tank before they were gunned down by the crew. Smith tapped Gordy on the head and there was a whoosh. The truck must have had some fuel on board for it exploded like a Roman candle. Both the crew and my men cheered.

  Gordy beamed, "That'll do for me, sir!"

  "Good, now go and store it somewhere safe."

  As we headed back Lieutenant Williams said, "An interesting weapon, sir. What do you call it?"

  "Secret, Lieutenant Williams, secret!"

  We had one last briefing on the seventh of September. There we were issued passwords and call signs. I made sure that, when I attended, I had a decent uniform and I combed my hair. I did not wish to incur the wrath of Major Taylor. After the main briefing was over Major Taylor and Major General Laycock took me to one side.

  "Is everything going to plan for you, Captain?"

  "Yes sir."

  "Once you have secured the pass I want you and your team to act as forward scouts and push on to Salerno."

  "You will be with us, General?"

  He smiled, "They have yet to put me behind a desk. I will be there. That is why you have been issued radios. I need you to keep me informed about the enemy. Speed is of the essence."

  "Right sir."

  Major Taylor said, "There was a report the other day of some ordnance being stolen from the docks and then a truck being blown up on a beach. Do you know anything about that, Captain?"

  "The truck? Yes sir. That was us. We were practising for the operation. The ordnance? No idea sir? Black marketeers?"

  I saw a wry grin on the General's face as Major Taylor said, "What on earth would black marketeers need with four rocket launchers? The commander of the Texas Division is not a happy chappie!"

  "Well he wouldn't be. Is that all sir?"

  Major General Laycock saluted, "Yes Captain and good luck. I can see I have picked the right man for the job. I like a man with initiative. I shall be sorry when you go back to your unit."

  Scouse had his new radio. It was lighter than the ones we had used previously. He was adjusting the straps. I gave him the sheet with the call signs. "Learn them then destroy them. Shepherd is your back up. Tell him too."