by Griff Hosker
We spent the rest of the morning going over what we knew. When the Major and Sergeant Major Dean were certain that everything had been covered we were taken to collect our equipment. The clocks and TNT were waiting for us, as was the sniper rifle. Curtis had an Aldis lamp and we had rations for four days. My section still had their camouflage netting. It was small enough to hide in the bottom of our Bergens. As the weather was likely to be unpredictable we took oilskins which could be used as a temporary shelter. There was a lorry waiting to whisk us away. The other Commandos watched as we boarded. They waved. Sergeant Major Dean saluted us as we climbed in the back, "Good luck, sir. Do your best lads!"
The Major rode in the front with the driver. I turned to Daddy, "You could have refused you know. You are married. You have a family. Us three are single."
He shook his head, "I joined the Commandos. I don’t hide behind our lass!" I nodded. He smiled, "Besides you reckon this is going to be easy."
"When did I say that?"
Ken Curtis laughed, "Back there! You made it sound like a stroll along Blackpool Promenade."
"Just trying to be positive. There's no point in thinking it can’t be done."
"But it is going to be hard, Tom. I reckon they will have guards and sentries all over the dock."
I had had a good look at the map. "The Old Town is the place to go. If it is anything like the other old towns I have seen in France it will have lots of narrow twisting streets and narrow alleys. And it doesn't need all of us to go in. To be honest this job could be done by two just as easily as five." I shrugged, "All the jobs we have done have gone awry at some point and we have adapted our plans. That is what we will do here." I put my hands behind my head and leaned back. "I am going to catch forty winks. We will get no sleep tonight will we?"
I must have dozed off but I woke when the lorry lurched to a halt. The Major appeared at the tailgate. "Right lads, this is our stop."
We were at an airfield somewhere but it could have been anywhere. The lorry was next to a Whitley just like the one we had trained in. It would be a noisy and uncomfortable ride. A Royal Air Force Warrant Officer in flying gear welcomed us and handed us our chutes. After we had thrown our Bergens on board and placed our guns at our feet we put them on. I hoped that they had been packed well. "If you could get a move on, sir. These are not the fastest aeroplanes in the world."
We picked up the cables and our guns and clambered into the aircraft. There was more room than in the one we had used at Ringway. There were just five of us. We sat on the benches at the side and jammed our Bergens underneath them. When the engines spluttered and then roared into life it became almost impossible to talk. I knew that once we were airborne it would be marginally easier. Ken went to put a cigarette in his mouth. The Warrant officer shook his head and mouthed, "Petrol!" He stuffed it back in his battle dress.
The hatch was closed and we braced ourselves for the take off. This one was not as bad as the ones in training. I suspected it was because we had a lighter load and the runway was a little longer. When we reached our cruising altitude the pilot came into the cabin. "Right chaps, Warrant Officer Marshall here will tell you when to jump." He pointed to the floor. I could see that this one had two doors there. "We have no time to hang around. They have increased the flak here. We might be lucky and they might not send night fighters after us. I will try to drop you where I am supposed to but…"
Major Foster said, "Just do you best eh?"
"Will do."
The Warrant Officer went to the rear of the aeroplane and brought back a huge flask and five mugs. "Might as well have a cuppa eh?"
He poured us a cup each and then took two more for the pilots. When he came back he said, "We are over the sea now."
I had calculated that it would take at least two and possibly three hours to reach the target. All of our journey would be over the sea. The pilot would take us south and then turn to head directly east. It avoided enemy fighters and ships. I savoured my tea. It would be the last hot drink we had until we got back to Blighty. Once you were used to the engines it became possible to have a conversation. I could see that the Major was nervous for he kept checking his Colt. Daddy played with his pipe. Ken and Gordy argued football. The aeroplane made me think about my dad and I wondered just where he was. That distraction took my mind from my mission and when the pilot put his thumb up at us I was surprised. I had felt us descending but I thought we had further to go.
Warrant Officer Marshall said, "Right lads hook up."
This was not training. This wasn't a stooge around the quiet Cheshire countryside. This was the real thing. As if to emphasise that we heard the crack of flak and the Whitley bounced up and down in the turbulent air. The Major hooked up and Daddy checked that it was secure. It went down the line until it came to me. The Warrant Officer checked mine. Major Foster had wanted me last as he said I had the most skill with a chute. With my Thompson around my neck and my Bergen on my front I worried that something would snag on the way down. We had not jumped with equipment before.
The flak became worse and the Whitley swayed alarmingly. Suddenly there was a crack as something hit the aeroplane. The Warrant Officer tapped Major Foster on the shoulder. And then he was gone and I was moving forward. The others leapt out quickly. As I reached the hole in the floor and there was an almighty crash as a shell hit the wing. The aeroplane began to bank and the Warrant Officer pushed me out of the door. My head cracked off the hatch and I blacked out.
Chapter 9
The jolt as the chute jerked opened woke me up. I saw that the Whitley was on fire and descending rapidly. The sudden movement of the aeroplane just before I had jumped meant that the other four chutes were far to the south and west of me. I felt blood trickling down my face but I had no time to worry about that. I tried to remember what I had done in Manchester to correct the chute. I tugged on one side and was rewarded by a movement in the right direction. I realised that the aeroplane had been lower when I had jumped. I would land when they did; just not necessarily in the same place.
The Whitley was mortally stricken. The best that the pilot could hope for was to crash land. That hope was dashed when, as it descended, it was hit again. This time half of the port wing broke off and the aeroplane went into a steep dive. At least they would know little about it when they hit the ground. There was a huge explosion. I saw that it had hit close to the town. As I made another correction the thought flickered across my mind that, if it crashed close to the port then we would not be able to get near. That would be ironic.
The ground was racing up and I saw the trees to my left. I made another correction and then braced myself for a landing. This would not be a pretty one where I sprang to my feet. I had extra weight and I could not see the ground. I just knew that we were landing in a piece of open ground. I hit and rolled. The stock of my Thompson smacked me in the face. I would not be a pretty picture when I returned home! I stood as soon as I could and began gathering the chute. That was more important than anything. If the wind caught it I could be blown along the ground. Once it was gathered I folded it and then took off my Bergen, machine gun, and parachute pack. I jammed the chute back in the pack and put it on my back. It was hard but I managed, by loosening the straps, to put my Bergen on top. The chute might come in handy and it saved me having to bury it.
I then had time to look around. The others were shadows to the south of me. I picked up my Thompson and, cocking it, headed towards them. Just then I heard, from my left, the sound of a vehicle. I saw a stone wall and the glint of headlights. I ran away from my comrades towards the wall and lay flat against it. The others had also dropped to the ground. I wondered if they would be seen. I knew where they were and it was hard for me to identify them.
The vehicle stopped. I guessed it was some kind of German lorry. I heard a German voice order men from the inside. Their feet clattered on the road. They were just on the other side of the wall. I mentally cursed myself. My Mills bombs were in my Bergen; I
could not get at them.
I heard a German say, "Sir, I cannot see anything. Perhaps the airmen landed further west."
"I saw them. Use the light."
"But sir, the blackout!"
"Do as I say, Sergeant!"
The light shone out across the field. I knew it would find them. As soon as the beam picked out their parachutes the officer shouted, in English, "Put your hands in the air. You are now our prisoners!"
I saw the four of them slowly rise. Would the Major and the others fight? I knew from their voices where the Germans were and, as I stood, I began to spray my bullets in the direction of their voices. The officer and the sergeant were just feet from me and I cut them in two. I gave another burst at the cab and then a final burst at the light and the man operating it. A bullet pinged off the wall in front of me and I turned and fired at the German who had appeared from the far side of the truck. I sprang over the wall and checked to see if he had been alone. He was.
The others ran up to me.
"Well done Harsker! You saved our bacon." The Major looked at the bodies. "You men throw the bodies in the field. I will search the officer." As we picked up the sergeant I pocketed his Luger and his ammunition. One never knew when it might come in handy. I jammed it in my battledress. It was a bloody task but by holding the head and the feet between us we were able to dispose of the bodies. "Now the officer."
Curtis and Barker threw him over. I picked up three or four stick grenades. They always came in handy.
"Harsker, get behind the wheel. Sergeant you and the others get in the back."
We were too well trained to question our officer but I wondered if he had lost his senses. I did as I was asked. The engine was still running. "Where to sir?"
"First take off your hat." He gave me a German field cap. "Put this on." I did so. "Now carry on along this road. At the end you will come to a village, Saint-Andre-des-Eaux. There you turn left. If we reach any roadblocks we will try to bluff it out. Say we have captured the spies."
"Sir, they think we are the crew of the Whitley."
"Even better. If our luck holds we will take the turn for Le Passouer. It is less than half a mile from the port and we should be able to dump the lorry. This will save us a couple of hours of walking."
As I put the truck into gear I couldn't help thinking that the Major took more risks than I did. The road was hard to see with dimmed headlights and I drove gingerly. It was still faster than running. I saw the small huddle of houses at the crossroads. I put the wheel over and we trundled along the main road in the village until it broadened out into the D 47. This road was easier for it was straight. I kept glancing nervously at the side of the road, looking for Germans. There were none.
"You are doing well, Tom. That was smart and quick thinking back there."
I had no idea how far we would have to drive down the road and when I saw more buildings ahead I began to worry. It was St. Nazaire. "There, Tom, the next right!"
It was a very small road. We passed a track leading to a farm and I began to slow. "Look sir, a track leading to that copse."
"Will this fit down there?"
I grinned in the dark, "I am not worried about damaging the paintwork sir, are you?"
"Go for it."
We did indeed barely fit. The hedges scratched along the side but we made it into the shelter of the trees. There was a clearing. It looked like charcoal burners used this space in the middle of the copse but it was empty. I turned off the lights and the engine as the Major climbed out and said, "Right lads, we are here. Everyone out."
Before I left I booby trapped the door of the lorry with a German grenade. It would let us know when they found it. I put on my comforter and jammed the German cap in my battledress. Who knew when we might need it again?
We gathered in front of the truck. The Major pointed to the east. "Our target is a mile and half that way. Jerry thinks that we were the crew of the bomber. They will find the bodies of their men and the truck but by then, I hope we have managed to do the job and get out. Barker, you take point. Sergeant, bring up the rear."
We moved through the woods and emerged into a field. It was dark and we hurried across it and the next two fields. Then we saw houses. It looked like a village which had been swallowed up by the town. Gordy waited for us and the Major waved him forward. We moved silently, on rubber soled boots, through narrow streets. It was all quiet although, in the distance, I heard the sound of a truck as it headed north. The small suburban streets soon gave way to wider streets. We had been lucky up until that point. Gordy stopped at every intersection before waving us forward. It was a good job he did; at one intersection he put his hand up and we stopped. Ahead of us was a wire fence with barbed wire around it. It looked like a compound of some description with huts inside it. We immediately headed to the left, away from the potential danger.
At one intersection the Major went forward. Instead of going straight he took us up a road to the left. Gordy waited for us and joined the Sergeant at the rear. I looked to the right and saw, less than two hundred yards away, the entrance to the basin where the ships tied up. We had come too far south and the Major was taking us north. The Major gave the signal for danger and we all ducked into doorways. I had recently looked at my watch and seen that the time was two thirty. Any delay now would mean we would be stuck in the town for the day.
Two soldiers tramped their way down the centre of the road. One of them was smoking and cupping the cigarette in his hand so that its glow would not be seen. They were complaining, as all soldiers do, about their sergeant. I think they had done this patrol so often that they were in a routine. Our blackened faces helped and we were stationary in our doorways. I hoped that we would not be seen. Their boots receded in the distance. I glanced behind and saw Sergeant Grant wave us forward.
At the next intersection we turned right and I felt the sea was closer; I could smell it. Here we began to see the damage caused by the bombers. There were two houses which had been demolished by the bombing. Others showed the effects of the attack from the air. We passed through a small square. I daresay that in the summer it would have been filled with old men playing petanque but at that moment it was filled with leafless trees and looked sad. After we crossed it we found ourselves in higher buildings. Major Foster suddenly stopped. He held his hand up for us to wait and then disappeared. I glanced around the street for danger. These were commercial buildings. The area felt empty and derelict and yet not all of the buildings had been damaged.
Major Foster reappeared and waved us forward. Ahead of us was a wall of wire and, down the road I could see a guardhouse of some description. He waved us into the doorway of a building to our left. Sergeant Grant stayed in the doorway as the Major led us up some partly damaged stairs. We went one at a time to avoid further damaging them.
He pointed to the stairs which led up to the next floor and tapped Ken on the back. The Major pointed to the back and tapped me on the shoulder. The building looked to have been offices for there were old filing cabinets lying at awkward angles in the first room. Some of the papers had caught fire and there was the sign of burning in the room. The second room looked to have been a kitchen and dining area. There was a large table and some broken chairs. I spied a sink and a stove. I went to the sink and turned the tap. A trickle of water came out. It still worked. The last room was a French toilet. I smiled. I was used to them but the lads would not think that a hole in the ground with two places for your feet constituted a toilet.
I returned to the Major and gave the sign for safe. He nodded and said quietly, "Go and fetch the Sergeant. Close the door. It was closed before I opened it."
I gingerly went down the stairs and tapped Daddy on the shoulder. I pointed up the stairs. Before I closed the door I glanced down the street. This time I saw German soldiers at the guardhouse. They had their backs to me and I quickly closed the door. Surprisingly the door still worked although as I pushed it too I felt the blackened wood where there had b
een some burning. I returned to the others.
"We are going to have to spend the day here. They have the whole of the dock area protected. You can see that from the street. Harsker, what did you find?"
"A toilet, kitchen, and an office."
"Barker?"
"An office and storage rooms. There is another floor but it looks like an attic. You get there by going up a ladder."
The Major nodded, "The front part is fairly wrecked. There is a gaping hole in the front. We will go upstairs. We might get a better view and we can talk. We will have less chance of being overheard." He turned to me and asked, "Any water in the kitchen." I nodded. "Good then we can refill our canteens. Let's go."
The top floor had suffered the most damage. Part of the roof, at the back had been destroyed and there were more signs of burning. I began to work out that the bombers had not been carrying incendiary bombs. They had wanted destruction of stone. That explained why there was so little fire damage.
The Major pointed to the front window. The glass had gone and it was open to the elements. "We watch from here. One man on the window at all times and another watching the stairs. I will watch first with Curtis. The rest of you get your heads down. I will wake Daddy in an hour. He will replace me; then Tom an hour later. That way we should all get two hours sleep. Mark anything you see on your maps." We heard an explosion in the distance. "I think they found the lorry!"
While the others prepared for bed I went down to the toilet. I couldn't sleep with a full bladder. Once I was back with the others I laid my Thompson next to me and I was asleep as soon as my head touched my Bergen.
Ken's touch woke me instantly. "It looks like they are changing guards. See you in two hours."
I joined Daddy by the window. He nodded and pointed to the stairs. I went to sit at the top of them with my Colt. I checked my watch. It would be an hour before I woke Gordy and it would be my turn to go to the window. Time passes slowly when you are in a black hole watching for a sudden flash of light. However your ears become attuned to the sounds you normally miss. There was movement in the roof above me. I suspected rats. I could hear distant vehicles and, just occasionally a louder one which must have been driving down the street below. After almost fifty minutes I heard the sound of the town coming to life. I went back to Daddy who was yawning. He nodded and rose, somewhat stiffly.