by Griff Hosker
“Are you certain, Arthur?”
“Are you joking sir? Much better than being a glorified lorry driver!”
I gathered my squadron together after lunch. “Flight Lieutenant Ritchie, you will command half of the squadron. I will take my half each morning to patrol the Kirkuk to Sulaimaniya road. You will take over in the afternoon. I intend to give an umbrella for the supplies and men on the road. We have done this before on the Cairo to Alexandria road. You have to fly low and to keep a look out for ambushes. Our buses are going to be in the air too much. Until we get the airfield at Kirkuk built I am afraid we have no choice. If we have aeroplanes there we can keep a close eye on this Sheikh and his foreign advisers.”
They were keen young pilots and none of them seemed unduly worried. Suddenly there was a crack in the distance. We felt the vibration and the concussion. It was a bomb. We ran outside and saw, half a mile away, smoke rising in the air. It was beyond the gate but I could see the remains of a lorry.
Corporal Williams ran up, “Sir, the Arabs just blew up a lorry. I was at the main gate and saw it. The poor buggers inside didn’t stand a chance.”
I nodded. “Get the fire out and get their bodies put somewhere.”
It was beginning. This was the start of a revolt. Someone was letting us know that there was no target which was safe from them.
Chapter 3
Ralph Fox had improved the security in and around the airfield. He had ordered the destruction of half a dozen mud huts which were too close to the airfield. Group Captain Wainwright had been going to object until I had a word with him. “Sir, Major Fox needs a clear field of fire. We can’t risk the insurgents getting close to us. We are in a state of siege. Until we are reinforced we have to hunker down and tough it out.”
“Quite.”
There were sandbagged Lewis gun positions and patrols around both the inside and outside of the perimeter.
Jack’s squadron was designated to the Mosul patrol while Henry took the road from Baghdad to the west. The twenty-four aeroplanes which took off seemed wholly inadequate for the task. We would overfly the convoy. Captain Willoughby had told me that the first convoy would be leaving Kirkuk at 0800 hours. That suited us for the air was slightly cooler. I had had a couple of bombs fitted under the wings of each of my flight. I was aware that we only had five hundred rounds of ammunition.
We had good visibility when we set off but there were clouds on the horizon. Group Captain Wainwright had told me that there was little rain in Mesopotamia but when it came then it would be Biblical! I saw the dust raised by the convoy. There were two lorries and the Rolls Royce Armoured car I had previously seen. We flew over the road and the convoy and waved. Climbing to a thousand feet we flew parallel to the road. Not far from Chamchamal the road began to climb and wend its way through the foothills.
I had more experience of spotting ambushes in such terrain. I had learned the hard way in Egypt and Somaliland. My experienced eyes spotted them. The insurgents were hidden from the road by rocks but not from the air. I saw that they had an ancient field piece. I was not certain how accurate it would be but they had found a good position for it. The road twisted and the gun was positioned so that it would be at almost point-blank range to the armoured car when it approached. Even as I signalled the attack I realised that they had to have some means of communicating between Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya.
The insurgents and rebels began firing at us. I dived and released both of my bombs before climbing. The rest of my flight also dropped their bombs. The concussion threw us into the air. I banked and surveyed the scene. There was a great deal of dust. Bullets were still being fired at us but mercifully few of them. I cocked my right-hand Vickers and descended. The gun had been obliterated. They must have had ammunition nearby and that had also been destroyed. The rocks had been thrown on to the road. The convoy would have to clear it before they could advance.
The survivors had fled and they had split up. There looked to be twenty or so men who were left. They had horses and camels. We had worked out a system for this. I waved my arm around my head. We would now operate as three pairs. I headed north. We really needed radios but, as yet only the Ninaks and Vernons had them. We dropped to fifty feet above the rocks and I opened fire with the Vickers. I used short bursts. At a hundred miles an hour you had a second or two to hit the target. I missed but Briggs was more accurate. I saw the horses and camels lying with their riders in my rear-view mirror as I climbed. I banked around. We were at the limit of our fuel. We headed back south. As we passed the convoy they waved. The other Snipes tucked in behind me.
We landed flying on fumes. We needed a refuelling facility. The Vernons had already landed. After I had watched the Snipes take-off I joined Arthur Harris and Ralph Fox in the office. “You had no insurgents on the road?”
Squadron Leader Harris shook his head, “There was nothing. A couple of vehicles were using the road but it was mainly men leading camels and horses.”
“They knew that a convoy was coming from Kirkuk and they knew that they had an armoured car. The ambush would have taken out the Rolls Royce.”
Major Fox lit a cigarette, “And you think they have spies in Kirkuk, sir?”
“It is more than that, Ralph. We know they have spies but how are they getting the information out so quickly? You said they have mercenaries from White Russia and Germany. Those two nations are more sophisticated than this Sheikh Mahmud. They are coordinating the attacks. The sooner we get to Kirkuk and the airfield the better.”
Major Fox pointed towards the busy city, “Sir, I would worry more about Baghdad if I were you. That is closer to home. I have a few contacts who are locals and friendly towards us. They seem to think that the rebels want to hurt us. They believe that if they knock out the airfield then they can take our ground forces out.”
Arthur tapped out his pipe, “And they would be right there. The battalions went to England and Blighty and were replaced by companies.”
This would have to be my decision. “Then we will have to take on the defence of the airfield ourselves. Have the ground crews and admin staff armed. Stress that they must all carry a weapon at all times.”
“Already done and I have more generators and lights. I will make night into day. Now that there are no natives working within the perimeter we are definitely safer.”
The two squadrons of Ninaks landed within twenty minutes of one another. I saw that Flight Lieutenant Green’s DH 9A had large holes in his wings and the others had been fired at.
I waited until Jack and his pilots made their way to us, “Trouble, Squadron Leader?”
“Yes sir. They ambushed us rather than the lorries. They had some heavy machine guns hidden in the hills. When we flew over the road and the lorries they opened fire. Green was lucky to get back. They used dynamite to blow up one of the lorries. The other three headed back to Kirkuk. We watched over them as they headed back.”
Squadron Leader Harris nodded, “Your theory about some mastermind being behind this looks like it is more than just a theory, sir.”
We were in a state of siege. Major Fox had extra men at the gates and every vehicle and delivery was searched. We did not need much from outside and the Vernons could bring in any extra supplies that we needed.
The next day we went up again. This time there were no convoys on the road. The residents in the three towns had decided to sit tight. I would have liked to take my Snipes to escort the Ninaks. We were a much smaller target and could react both quicker and more effectively than the faster but less agile two-seater. When all of the birds returned to the nest I was relieved. After dark, a convoy from Alexandria reached us. It was the men who would be building and running Kirkuk. Sergeant Majors Hale and Robson had served under me before. They were reliable and did not crack under pressure.
They saluted smartly and their grins told me that they were happy to be serving with me again. “Another little jaunt eh sir?”
“Yes, Sarn’t Major. I have
to tell you that this one will be the hardest yet. You are going to have to build and run an airfield in the middle of a revolt.”
Sergeant Major hale was the organizer, “What exactly do you need, sir?”
“We need you to build an airfield so that we are able to refuel our Snipes and the Vernons. The buses won’t be parked there. You are going to be a service station. The Vernons will keep you supplied. You will be self-sufficient. I know there will be a presence in Kirkuk but you will carry on as though there isn’t. We will have wire for you to protect the perimeter. Major Fox will be sending up twenty men from the R.A.F. Regiment as guards. You will have Vickers and Lewis guns. Once the field is up and running, all we need from you chaps is a quick turnaround. We can stay in the air longer this way.”
I did not tell them that we had put in a request for another squadron to be based there. I did not want to get their hopes up.
“Seems simple enough, sir.” Sergeant Major Hale nodded. He was the sort of N.C/O. who took such problems as we had given him in his stride.
“I can see how you can transport the men and the building material but not the fuel.”
“Quite right Sergeant Major Robson, we will fly you up the day after tomorrow. The fuel can follow when there is a perimeter.”
Neither of them seemed overly concerned. “We’ll find our billet, sir and then await your orders.”
Squadron Leader Harris smiled, “The backbone of the service, chaps like that. What about an officer?”
“I am not sure they need one but,” a thought struck me, “how about you? You and your chaps will be back and forth anyway. You know what you want from the field.”
“It suits me. I will just keep one Vernon there and the air ambulance.”
“That makes sense. We haven’t needed it yet but if we do then Kirkuk is more central anyway.”
The logistics would be taxing but it was a solution and, as I had found out in France, there was no such thing as a perfect answer. You compromised all the time. I was exhausted when I hit my bunk. I had not had time to drop a line to Beattie yet and I felt guilty.
I was awoken in the middle of the night by gunfire and the sound of grenades. I grabbed my service revolver and holster. I ran out into the night. It was a warm night. I saw the muzzle flashes and heard the Lewis guns. Others had run out into the night. Suddenly there was a huge explosion at the main gate. I ran towards it. Someone had driven an old truck there and used a Mills bomb to explode it. The gate no longer existed and the two machine gun crews lay dead or wounded.
Dropping to one knee I steadied my arm and began to fire at the figures I could see pouring through the gates. They had a variety of weapons. I recognised the Lee Enfield as I dropped one and then saw that the man next to him had a Mauser. I heard Major Fox shout, “Hold them! Fetch up the two spare Lewis guns.”
I took my time and aimed. I should have brought my rifle. The Webley had a limited range. As soon as I was empty I reloaded. I saw a figure race towards me. He was firing a Lee Enfield from the hip. A bullet zipped over my head. I kept reloading. He fired again and this time the bullet smacked into the ground six feet from me. Raising the Webley, I fired. The range was twenty yards and I could not miss. I hit his chest and he was thrown back.
Corporal Williams appeared next to me with his Lee Enfield. “Sorry I am a bit late sir. Charlie Billings copped one. Some bugger slit his throat.” He raised his rifle and fired five shots in rapid succession. He jammed another magazine in and began to fire his measured, steady shots.
As more men emerged from the barracks they joined us in our improvised skirmish line. The insurgents were using passion to try to overcome us. Williams was an example of how to fight correctly. He was upset about his friend but he was firing calmly and methodically. The rebels ran at us shooting wildly. They seemed more concerned with screaming at us. Firing from the hip rarely resulted in a hit.
Sergeant Major Davis shouted, “Very!”
We instinctively looked down. The flare exploded in the air and then began to descend slowly. As we looked up we saw the last five insurgents. Every gun turned on them and opened fire. They fell.
I stood, “Get the wounded to the hospital. Check the enemy dead and sea if any where the chaps who worked here. Major Fox, secure the gate!”
I reloaded and turned to Corporal Williams. “How did Billings buy it?”
“He nipped to the latrines, sir, for a pee. He hadn’t come back and I went to have a shufti for him. When I got there the bastard was about to take his…” he shook his head, “I shot him sir.”
“Well thank God you did or this could have been worse.” I wondered how the assassin had got in. It took until dawn to clear away the dead, both insurgents and ours. Sergeant Major Davis and Group Captain Wainwright were in the office. “What is the butcher’s bill, Group Captain?”
“Sarn’t Major?”
“Twelve dead sir, and eight wounded. They damaged one of your Snipes and two of the Ninaks.”
“I thought with the Great War over I had written my last letter of condolence.” Group Captain shook his head. “I think, Squadron Leader, they were hoping to stop us flying.”
“Well that won’t work. I will have every aeroplane in the air today.”
“Are you certain? The men will be tired.”
“There is someone behind all this who plays chess sir. This is not the work of a native rebel. There is method here. If they want us grounded it is for a reason. They want to move unseen. We will have eyes on the ground!”
My pilots showed their mettle. They were all angry and wished to fly. The three pilots without aeroplanes flew as gunners on the Vernons. I briefed all of the pilots together. “Look for anything out of the ordinary. They are up to something. It might be booby traps, it might be ambushes. Whatever it is we stop them.”
We had eleven Snipes and I had us spread out so that we had a gap of fifty yards between each aeroplane. I want to cover as much of the ground as I could. It was Simpkins on the far right who spotted them. As instructed he waggled his wings to alert the next pilot when he spied something and then banked in the direction of the threat. We all peeled off to follow him. There was a column of men moving along a wadi. Simpkins had done well to spot them. None of my men opened fire. I dived low. As soon as I did so they opened fire at me. I heard the bullets tear the fabric of the wings. I released one bomb and pulled up. I was just a hundred feet up and the bomb exploded on the top of the wadi. The rest of the squadron dived. The wadi was no more than forty feet wide and was a narrow target but the ten Snipes followed nose to tail and their bombs either hit the bottom or exploded close to the top. By the time I was in position I could see little because of the smoke. I flew down the wadi firing short bursts until my guns clicked empty. Then I rose and waited for the smoke to clear. When it did I saw that there were wounded men there but the threat to Baghdad was gone. This had been a column of insurgents come to replace those we had killed in the night attack.
The men were exuberant when we landed. We had all flown over the wadi and seen the devastation. As the other squadrons landed we heard similar reports. The insurgents had assumed that we would not be able to fly and were sending more armed men into Baghdad. The Ninaks who had been sent to Mosul had seen the least action. That meant that Kirkuk was the flash point. We had to build the airfield as fast as we could. We had stopped the advance on Baghdad. Kirkuk was a softer target. One company of the Ox and Bucks would struggle to hold a sustained attack.
Group Captain Wainwright and Major Fox had not been idle. The defences were repaired and a message had been sent to England about the threat. The Group Captain seemed relieved, “I think they are going to send another squadron of fighters for us. Mr Churchill likes the idea of an airfield at Kirkuk. There will be Bristols based there.”
I sent the squadron out without me the next day, and I went up with the eight Vernons. We carried the men who would be building the field and their equipment. We had sent a message to Ca
ptain Willoughby and there were men waiting for us at the site. Sergeant Hughes came forward. He saluted, “Sorry sir but the captain is a little busy. We have had attacks all night and during the day.”
“Well we can handle it from here, Sergeant. You had best get back and give the captain a hand.”
I had never been afraid of hard work. I donned a sun helmet and went with Squadron Leader Harris and Sergeant Major Robson to start to clear the runway. Half of the men were busy erecting tents. Williams now had his sergeant’s stripes. I had insisted. He was with the men sent by Major Fox. He would be staying at the new field until it was organized.
“Williams, take ten men and begin to start a perimeter ditch.”
“Sir.”
I knew that the ditch would serve two purposes. It would make it harder for an enemy to enter the field and, when the rains came, it would ensure that the field stayed dry. We did not stop for the noon day sun. If we were to leave forty men overnight they needed a perimeter with barbed wire and they needed gun emplacements. We ate sandwiches, somewhat stale by the time we finished them but we did have gallons of hot, sweet tea. It had got us through the Great War and it sustained us in the desert.
We knew we would have to take off before dark or stay the night. There were no lights for the runway. When the last gap was closed with barbed wire Sergeant Major Hale said, “You had best be off, sir. We’ll be fine. We can cook a hot meal and the tents are up.”
I nodded. It made sense. “We will be back in the morning and I will send the tankers off.”
They were going to build one storage tank but use three of the tankers as bowsers. It was a one hundred and seventy miles journey for the tankers. I intended to use every aeroplane to ensure that they were not attacked. As well as the fuel, we would be bringing Nissen huts and more men. Food and ammunition could be brought my air.
I sat with Squadron Leader Harris as we flew south. “Are you certain you are still happy about basing your squadron here, Arthur? It is a bit primitive.”