by Griff Hosker
I took his place and sat so that I could see out of the window without being seen. Gordy had had the most sleep. I pointed to the stairs and he went. I took out the map and my pencil. Looking down the street I saw that it was lighter below me. Then I heard the sound of feet marching along the road. I risked a look to the right and I saw a column of men being marched by German guards towards the guardhouse. As they passed me I saw British uniforms as well as French and what I took to be Polish uniforms amongst them. I watched them pass and then halt at the guardhouse. I now saw that there was a barrier and it was raised to allow them in.
I was the lucky one who saw dawn break. I was the one who saw that the basin below was undamaged. The lock gates at the end still functioned. I discovered that when a small flotilla of fishing boats returned from a night's work. When I lifted the Major's binoculars to examine the Normandie dock I saw that it too was totally undamaged. Either the bombers had failed or the damage was so superficial that it had been quickly repaired.
I put down the binoculars. I did not want to risk the flash of light from the lens. There was no damage to mark on the map but there were gun emplacements. I marked them all on the map. The railway line still functioned. That lay just inside the wire. As the light brightened I saw a lighthouse at the end of a mole close to the entrance of the basin. I saw another entrance to the basin and it was quite close to the entrance of the Normandie dock. Once I had marked all on the map I turned my attention to the soldiers I had seen entering. They were not there to repair the damage to either the dock or the basin. They were undamaged. What were they doing?
I heard the sounds of labour but I could not see anything. What were they doing? About five minutes before I was due to wake the Major I saw concrete mixers arrive. They were building something in the basin. When I woke the Major I told him what I had seen and I handed him my map. I found a corner and curled up in a little foetal ball. I was asleep instantly.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Daddy and, as I looked at my watch I saw that I had slept for three hours. "The Major let you sleep a bit longer. He wants us all awake and ready to move as soon as it is dark."
"It is still light. Is there trouble?"
"Dunno but there has been a lot of German troop activity in the street below. I think he is just being cautious."
"Better to be cautious than dead."
Just then I heard the sound of German lorries. Ken shouted, "Ey up sir, looks like they are searching houses."
"Right lads get into the attic and make sure that there is nothing down here which shows we were here."
None of the lads had smoked and the only thing I could see was that the dust had been disturbed. I found a curtain which had fallen to the ground and I lifted it up and flapped it. The dust from it flew into the air and when it landed, it disguised, somewhat, where we had lain. I threw the curtain on to the area we had used for sleeping. "Hurry up Harsker!"
I clambered up the ladder into the attic. It was quite bright as half of the roof had been blown off. We scurried to the part with the roof and sheltered where we could. I lay down and listened. My German might come in handy. They did not enter our house immediately. They were being thorough Germans and working their way down the street. I had no doubt that this was as a result of the dead Germans and the lorry. I heard the front door being kicked open and then the sound of boots on wood as they entered. I held up my hand for silence. I was hardly breathing. The voices were muffled as they searched the ground floor. They became a little clearer as they ascended. I heard the sergeant telling them to look for signs of British airmen. He was particularly keen for them to find parachutes. That was interesting.
Then I heard one shout, "Sergeant, there is a ladder to the loft!"
I heard the sound of feet moving along the floorboards. "Right Hans you and Frederic check it out. Better go up one at a time. The ladder looks rickety!"
I slid my Colt out and signalled to the others that we were about to be discovered. Just then I heard the rattle of rifles firing and the sound of shouts and screams from the street.
A German voice shouted, "Quick outside!"
Boots thundered down the stairs and then there was silence. I held up my hand for silence and then slid over to the entrance. There was no one on the floor below. I turned and said quietly, "They were about to search the attic."
The Major said, "Let's go down. I don't want to be caught like rats in a trap up here."
I was the nearest one to the ladder and I clambered down. As soon as I reached the floor below I swung my Thompson around. I saw no one. The Germans had all gone. While the others were descending I went to the window we had used to observe the basin. I saw four bloodied bodies lying on the road. There were Waffen SS laughing and pointing to the dead bodies. One of them, a Feldwebel, pushed one body over with his foot and then placed his boot on the dead man's chest as though he was a big game hunter and the body was a trophy. Sickened, I was about to turn and join the others when I saw the uniform of the man who lay below the German boot. He wore the badge of the 1st Loyal Lancashire; he was one of my old comrades. His face had been obliterated by bullets but I could have fought alongside him in the rearguard. I so wanted to poke the machine gun from the window and shoot the whole arrogant bunch of them but I was a Commando. I went and joined the others.
"It looks like they shot four of the prisoners. I don't know if they were trying to escape or what but they looked to have been shot in the back whilst running away."
"Will they search here again?"
"I have no idea but they are SS. I would not even contemplate surrender. If they come back sir, we fight."
"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that. We have valuable information here. We have to get back. We owe it to the dead crew of that Whitley." We crouched at the top of the stairs, guns ready to slaughter any who came in. The front door was still open; we could see the light shining in but no-one returned. Daddy went to check the road after we heard a German truck. The bodies had been removed.
Half an hour after the shooting outside we heard the sound of shooting close to the Basin. What was going on? As the afternoon waned we began to hope that the Germans had forgotten about searching for us and that there was something happening on the other side of the wire.
At six we heard the sound of orders being shouted. They were indistinct but I thought I heard English as well as Polish. Ken was on duty at the window and he came through. "They are marching the poor sods off down the road. It looks like it is getting dark."
One advantage of the blackout and the time of year was that there was little light after six.
""Everybody down to the ground floor. When the street is clear I want Tom to nip out and reconnoitre the street. We might just make it to the rendezvous if we have a clear run."
The Major was even more optimistic than I had been. As soon as the street was silent I slipped out of the open door. I expected a shout in German or a shot, at the very least but all was silent. I pressed myself into the dark wall. I could just see the head of a German in the guardhouse but his back was to me. I slid along the wall to the intersection where we had first seen the basin. I put just one eye around the corner. There was a German armoured car there. That way was blocked. I saw that it was just an armoured car; there was no infantry and no road block. I saw a German face looking in my direction; it was the commander in the turret. I remained still. My blackened face hid me. When he turned I ran across the road.
If we could not go back that way we would have to find another route. The wire on my left showed me that they protected the basin and the dock for its entire length. As I moved towards the sea along the derelict and empty houses and businesses I began to despair. That despair sank to new depths when I saw the barrier and the guards at the end of the street. They had a machine gun. There were sandbags and I counted at least six of them. Behind them were a gate and a wire fence with barbed wire at the top. It was where they housed the prisoners we had seen. I realised that it
was the same building we had seen the previous night. It was impossible to get out that way. There was no escape route left to us. We were trapped.
Chapter 10
I managed to get back to the house safely enough. The eager faces of my comrades soon turned sour as I told them my news.
"I am sorry sir, but whichever way we go there are Germans. There is wire to the front of us, a guardhouse to the left, an armoured car to the right and a prisoner of war camp ahead of us."
The previous optimism of Major Foster disappeared in a flash. No-one said a word. Daddy suddenly slapped his head, "The back! We can go out of the back!"
"Go and recce it, sergeant."
While he was away an idea began to grow in my mind. I remembered a teacher at school who had been talking about logic and engineering. It went along the lines of eliminating the absolute impossible and whatever was left, no matter how improbable was possible. It seemed to me that the only thing which we could move was the armoured car. There were machine guns at the guard house and at the prisoner of war camp. They would not move and they would cut us down. We had to draw the armoured car to us and then destroy it.
Daddy came back. He was shaking his head. "There is a three story building behind us and it looks like it is occupied with barbed wire along the adjoining wall. Even worse, it is flying a German flag."
"There must be something! Come on Tom! What can your fertile mind conjure up?"
"I have one idea but it is madness."
"Go on. Insanity might be the only solution to this dilemma."
"We blow up this building. It is half wrecked as it is. We use the charges and the timer. If we wait on the far side to the road beyond the armoured car it will come and investigate. Their attention will be on this building. It is not a tank, just an armoured car. We can use grenades to destroy or disable it. There looked to be nothing beyond it. If we can pass it then I believe we have a chance to disappear into the dark. I have some stick grenades here as well as the Mills bombs. When we destroy it we leg it down the road."
"It means we will be pursued."
I said nothing for no one had come up with an alternative. Gordy said, "I could use the sniper rifle to hit the guards near to the prison camp. They will think they are being attacked from all directions."
Ken added, "Aye and if we give them a burst or two from the machine guns it will add to the illusion. They will never believe we are just five men. It will be like a conjuror, moving his hand one way to distract you then pulling the rabbit out of the hat! It's worth a try sir."
The Major shook his head, "As I can’t think of a better solution we will go with this one."
I took out the TNT and the timer. At least it would make my Bergen much lighter. I placed the bag under the stairs. They were already weak and they were made of wood. The force of the explosion would bring down the front of the damaged building. Before I set the timer I said, "You have better get a move on, sir. I am setting the charge for five minutes."
The Major nodded, "Good luck Tom. Right lads."
I was alone. I set the clock and then attached the wires. I slipped the Bergen on. I already had my grenades in my battledress and I picked up the two stick grenades from the floor and ran. There was no one outside the front door and I scurried along the wall of the half destroyed buildings. I saw the others on the opposite side of the road crouched against the wall. I peered around the wall and saw that the driver and the commander were out of the armoured car, leaning against the side and enjoying a cigarette. I waited until they turned away. I was aware of the passage of time. When they turned to look the other way I ran. One of them turned back. I don't know if he sensed my movement or heard me, but whatever the reason, the outcome was the same.
"Stop!"
I made the other side of the road and I armed the two grenades by smashing the porcelain tops. The two men leapt inside the vehicle. I grabbed the two cords as the German armoured car came towards us. The others cocked their weapons. Gordy and Ken were aiming their rifle and Tommy gun at the machine guns by the prison camp. The Major and Daddy had their Mills bombs ready. The two guardhouses came to life as they heard the sound of the armoured car's engine. I put my head around the corner and pulled the cords. I threw them both underhand at a spot ten feet in front of the armoured car and then ducked back behind the end of the wall which would shield me from the blast.
The armoured car's gun began to chatter. Gordy and Ken fired at the far guardhouse and the Major and Daddy hurled their grenades around the side of the house to our left. The TNT exploded and, at the same time, my grenades went off under the armoured car. The two explosions lifted it in the air and sent it down the street. It rolled towards us and missed Gordy by feet.
"Run!"
We ran down the road which the armoured car had previously occupied. We would be running the reverse of the route we had taken the night before. The difference was we were now being pursued. We ran as only Commandos can run- hard! Hesitation would have cost us dear. We knew that attention would be on the armoured car and the demolished building. The smoke from the demolition and the armoured car drifted down the street making the visibility almost nil. It was, effectively, the fog of war. We had minutes to disappear. The suburb we had first passed seemed the best place in which to disappear. It was a warren of tiny streets and blind alleys.
As we passed what we now knew was the prisoner of war camp we heard shouts and the sound of gunfire. They must have been firing into the smoke trying to hit us. We did not mind. It would add to the confusion. Even though my chest was hurting I kept running. We heard sirens and the noise of vehicles behind us. When we reached occupied houses the odd Frenchman poked his head out and then ducked back just as quickly. Suddenly I saw a café ahead. When we had passed through the night before, it had been closed up. Now there were four old men sharing a bottle of wine. A waiter or perhaps the owner stood nearby. As we passed them the four of them raised a glass and toasted us. It was one of the more bizarre and surreal moments.
As soon as we passed the outskirts of the town we headed for the wood. I guess the Major, who was leading, hoped that, having removed the vehicle; it would be safe for us. I prayed that it would too. We crashed through the trees and found the blackened and burned clearing. The truck had, indeed, been taken away. The Major stopped and held up his hand. We all halted and began to suck in air. It was tempting to drink from our canteens but that would have been a mistake; we had run too hard.
Behind us we heard, in the distance, the sound of vehicles and gun shots. I wondered who they were shooting at. The Major got his breath back. "So far so good." He took out his map. "Curtis, keep watch while we check the map."
He jabbed a finger at a point on the map. "Guérande is about six or seven miles up the road. There are salt marshes to the south of the town and I think we could lose any pursuit there. It is then another eight or so miles to the pick-up point."
Daddy said, "Sir, it is gone seven. The submarine will only be there until three. That gives us eight hours to cover fifteen miles."
"We have done more than that in training."
"I know sir but that wasn't in the dark and we weren't being chased by Waffen SS."
"We will try, Sergeant. If we miss this one we lie up during the day and wait for the next pick-up."
Suddenly Ken ran up, "Sir, there are men heading in this direction."
"Germans?"
"Not certain. There are Germans but I think they are chasing someone."
"Spread out in a defensive semi-circle. Don't fire until I give the order."
I could hear them approach as I crouched with my Thompson aimed at waist height. There were German shouts coming towards us. They were telling someone to stop or they would shoot. I heard a crackle of rifles, a scream, and a shout. It was in English. I did not need to say anything. The others would have heard it too. There were Englishmen being pursued by Germans. Four men in English battle dress burst into the clearing. The Major shouted, "Get down!
"
They were well trained men and they dropped to the ground. The Germans must not have heard the command or thought it was the men they were chasing who had shouted for they kept on running. As soon as they entered the clearing we opened fire. Five Thompsons can do a great deal of damage. Trees and leaves were shredded as the bullets tore into the German troops. We heard the wounded moaning.
"Cease fire! Harsker, check the Germans. Make sure we have them all!"
I dropped my empty Thompson and took out my Colt. I ran towards the dead and dying Germans. They were SS. I saw a German trying to hold in his guts. I gave him a merciful death. There were two Germans who were wounded in the legs. They were trying to drag themselves away from the scene. I remembered the Waffen SS with his boot on the body of the dead prisoner. I shot them both in the back of the head; it was a quick death for they were bleeding to death.
I ran back towards the edge of the wood but there were no more troops there. I heard firing to the west and the east. The prisoners must have used our attack to make a break out. I picked up another couple of stick grenades from the dead Germans as I returned to the others. The remainder of the grenades I rigged underneath the bodies of the dead Germans as booby traps. It would not hurt the dead soldiers and it would delay the pursuit. By the time I reached the rest of the section there were three English soldiers being given water. The fourth lay dead with a line of bullets in his back. Three dead Germans lay close by. They had been the first to die in the ambush.
I knew that this complicated matters. We would be slowed down by these prisoners of war but we could not leave them there. As I approached the Major asked, "Are we clear, Corporal Harsker?"