by Griff Hosker
“Of course, sir.”
We went to the room they used for the wounded. I had been there. There was a corporal and five privates. Two of the privates needed stretchers. As they were carried out to the lorry I tried one more time, “Doctor I am not exaggerating the situation. Mosul and Ebril are both surrounded by a sea of Kurds and Turks. Kirkuk is stuck out here and Sheikh Mahmud is closer than the Resident thinks.”
“I am a doctor, Wing Commander. His lordship listens to the military men, not me.”
Sergeant Williams met me at the door. “The patients are in the back sir but we better get a move on. The gunfire has been getting closer. I think they are closing in.”
The lieutenant who had taken me to the Resident nodded, “I fear the sergeant is correct, sir. The men who were guarding the buildings to the north are pulling back.”
I saluted, “Good luck Lieutenant. I will have to pull our men back. If you are overrun try to get to the airfield.”
“Thank you, sir but I suspect the colonel will have us stay at our posts until the very end.”
I climbed into the cab. “When we reach our men, Corporal, stop to pick them up. Until then drive as though the devil himself was behind us.”
“Sir!” Corporal I’Anson roared towards the airfield. We still had to negotiate streets filled with insurgents and rebels. I had my pistol and a grenade ready. I saw the flash of muzzles and heard the reports as the Kurds fired from concealed positions. I fired at the flashes and I heard Sergeant Williams shout, “Open fire!” The Corporal was magnificent. He kept driving even though the windscreen was shattered by bullets. I saw that his face was cut by flying glass but his dour face never changed. With no windscreen, I was able to fire out of the front. I drew my Webley and fired both guns. As we neared the corridor guarded by our men he slowed.
Sergeant Williams shouted, “All aboard lads! Our shift is done!” There was a wan cheer and I felt the lorry rock as they climbed aboard. A hand banged on the side and we drove off. As our gates closed behind us I wondered just how long we could hold out.
Chapter 14
The wounded men we had brought were taken to the sick bay and Sergeant Williams and his men went for some well-deserved food. I had to forego my repast for I needed to speak with Baghdad. This time I did not write my report to be read, I spoke with Baghdad. I wanted Sir John to know just how dire the situation was.
Sergeant Major Hill found me as I had just finished, “Come along, sir. I had the cooks keep you something hot. You have done all that you can. Whatever happens in Kirkuk is out of your hands now. You’ll do no-one any good if you fall sick.”
I smiled, “Yes mother! I am coming.”
I did feel better with food inside me. Jack and some of my officers had stayed in the mess. I had company while I ate. The sounds of firing grew as the Kurds did what I had predicted and launched an attack at night when we were grounded. I finished and pushed the plate away. After lighting his pipe Jack asked, “Well sir, what is the plan for the morrow?”
“That is a tough one. Ebril and Mosul need support too. We have three squadrons. I will have to let Squadron Leader Williams watch out for Mosul. Jack, you will take your buses to Ebril. You know it better than anyone. Paul and I will try to help Kirkuk.”
They nodded. Acting Squadron Leader Ritchie said, “We won’t have as far to come and rearm sir.”
“True but we are running out of munitions. Mosul needs supplies but so do we. It may be we have to do what we did in Baghdad and take out large areas. If we can clear a field of fire for the defenders then, at night when we cannot fly they will have a better chance of keeping them at bay.” I stood. “Get some sleep and I want us in the air as soon as dawn breaks. I will go and see Sergeant Major Shaw. I need to know how many kites we can get into the air tomorrow.”
The Sergeant Major was in the Sergeant’s Mess. They all stood when I entered, “At ease. Just wanted a word with Sergeant Major Shaw.” He was seated with Sergeant Major Hill.
“Drink sir?”
“No thanks, Daddy.” I turned to face Shaw. “How many kites can we get into the air tomorrow?”
“One of your Snipes needs a major overhaul. A bullet cut an oil pipe. There are gaskets which are shot. That will take a whole day sir. Two of the Number 18 Squadron’s Bristols need re-rigging. They were badly shot up. They might be ready for late afternoon. Squadron Leader Thomson’s squadron will be lucky to get eight up sir. The interrupter gear has gone on one. A second needs a new undercarriage. A third will need a new fuel tank and a fourth has to have a new engine. We are going to cannibalise what we can. Sorry sir. I know it isn’t what you wanted to hear. The lads worked until dark. We tried to work with lights but that attracted snipers who started taking pot shots at us.”
I held my hands up, “No criticism. Your lads are doing the best that they can. Tomorrow will be a critical day.” I told the two of them what we had planned. “The Snipes will come back to rearm as often as we can. If we can hang on for tomorrow then Sir John might get reinforcements to us.”
“We will hold on sir. We can’t let the buggers drive us out!”
“You are right, Sergeant Major Hill, but I am not certain that this desert is worth the deaths we have suffered already.”
I added more to my letter to Beattie and then retired. I was asleep in an instant. I was woken by gunfire. I looked at my watch. It was 0315. Grabbing my pistol, I ran outside. I saw the flashes of guns outside the perimeter and then heard Captain Daniels shout, “Open fire!” I heard the rattle of Vickers and Lewis guns and the cracks of rifles. Our double ditches would keep them from getting too close to the fences but a stray bullet could hit one of the aeroplanes. They were three hundred yards from the fence but a Lee Enfield could travel much further than that. In a way, I was relieved that they were firing at my men. They, at least, had the protection of sandbags.
I ran to the Captain. “Captain Daniels, we have some grenade rifles, don’t we?”
“Yes sir, about half a dozen of them but what good are they going to be? We can just see the muzzle flashes.”
“When we have spotted these chaps from the air they tend to bunch up. There might be one muzzle flash but that might conceal eight men. When you kill one of them another takes his place.”
“It is worth a try. Sergeant Coates go and fetch the rifle grenades. Have them at ten-yard intervals. Send a barrage over towards the muzzle flashes.”
I aimed my pistol at one such flash and fired four shots. I had no idea if I hit anything but even a ricochet could cause damage. Our heavier firepower meant that we had the upper hand but we could not allow the firefight to continue. The longer it did so the more chance we had of losing another aeroplane. As soon as the grenades were used we saw, in the flash of the explosions, that there were large numbers of tribesmen. The grenades broke the back of their attack. After half an hour, there were no flashes. They had withdrawn.
Captain Daniels looked at me, “Off back to bed sir?”
I shook my head, “I am flying at dawn. I will go and have an early breakfast.”
“Right sir.”
“As soon as it is dawn get your men to make sure that the men outside are all dead. Collect their weapons.”
The gunfire had woken most of the pilots and the sergeant cook looked in dismay as we all entered the mess. “Sir, we haven’t got it all ready yet!”
“Well give us a cup of tea and get a move on!” As we drank our tea I went over with my pilots, what I intended. After my talk with Sergeant Major Shaw I knew that I would have far less aeroplanes than I needed. There would be just fifteen of us in the air. I nodded to the Bristol pilots, “Have your gunners keep the heads of the rebels down. Use Mills bombs if you have to. Use your bombs judiciously. You have four times the bomb load of the Snipe but don’t drop them all at once. There is too great a risk of collateral damage.”
The breakfast came and we all ate well. We knew that it would just be corned beef sandwiches for lunch if we were lucky enough
to have the time to eat. Jack stood, “I will keep you informed by radio of the situation at Ebril, sir.”
“We just need to hold them back, Jack.”
As I headed towards my aeroplane Marshall ran from the radio room, “Sir, a message from Baghdad. They are sending the Vernons with four hundred Sikhs and 11 Squadron is heading up to Mosul. It is escorting a convoy with supplies.”
“That is excellent news. Tell Sergeant Major Hill and then radio both Mosul and the residency to let them know that help is on the way.”
I felt more confident as I climbed into my Snipe. We had just a few hours to hold and then the 14th Sikhs would arrive. As soon as I was in the air I flew a box pattern to allow the rest of the two depleted squadrons to form up on me. It allowed me to see that the residency was surrounded. I saw Kurdish and Turkish flags all over. That would make it easier for us. I would attack wherever I saw a flag. Once we were all in formation I led my squadrons towards the flags.
They had learned to respect aeroplanes and they had created a gun emplacement on every flat roof. With sandbags in front of them they were protected from machine gun bullets but not from bombs. My Snipes had to endure the worst of the ground fire but our bombs cleared the guns and the Bristols had an easier and less dangerous task as they used their bombs to clear large swathes of the city captured by rebels. While the Bristols used their bombs, we flew closer to the residency and fired our Vickers to clear away the rebels who were getting closer to the defenders.
Without bombs and bullets, we headed back to the airfield. Sergeant Major Shaw and his men raced to rearm the Snipes. As they were doing so I heard the familiar throb of Napier Lion Engines as the Vernons of 70 Squadron brought in the first contingent of Sikhs.
Sergeant Major Hill came over to me. “45 Squadron left Mosul this morning sir. They are going to follow with the rest of the men. There will be four hundred and eighty reinforcements. That will sort the buggers out, eh sir?”
“I hope so, I sincerely hope so.”
I decided to delay the next flight. I wanted to coordinate with the Sikhs. I watched the huge aeroplanes land and then taxi. Colonel Pemberton strode over to me with his adjutant, Major Goodall.
“Wing Commander. We have two hundred and eighty men here. Can you give me an assessment of the situation?”
“I can do better sir. If you would come up in a DH 9A with me I can show you.”
“Good gracious.” He smiled, “Well it will be something to tell the grandchildren.”
I turned, “Flight Lieutenant Cartwright, I will take your kite up. Get the Colonel a helmet, goggles and a flying jacket.”
“Sir.”
“Come with me Colonel.” As we walked I told him what we had done, “We have slowed down their advances but they have large numbers. My aeroplanes can go up as soon as your chaps attack. You just need to tell me what you want us to do.”
Cartwright arrived with the equipment and he helped the colonel to don them. We managed to get the bemused colonel into the gunner’s cockpit and secure him in. “We can talk but you will have to shout. Just ignore the gun. I will fly as steadily as I can. Don’t be afraid to hang on. It can be quite scary.”
I did not mention that I had been thrown from a Gunbus and had to hang on for dear life. I still remembered my comrades singing the Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze in the mess!
I took off and climbed gently. Cartwrights’ gunner would not appreciate having to clear vomit from his seat. I flew over the places we had bombed. “This is where we hit this morning!” I flew over the residency. “They are getting closer by the minute.”
The colonel shouted, “How accurate are you chaps with these bombs?”
“I can show you. Pick a target!”
He shouted, “Over there about a hundred yards behind us I can see a fellow with a machine gun on a roof!”
He was looking behind us and I looked in the mirror. “I see it. Hold on!”
I turned and attacked at thirty feet above roof top height. Ignoring the bullets flying towards me I dropped one bomb and then pulled up. I heard the colonel shout, “Good gracious!” as the bomb took out the machine gun and the men on the roof of the building.
I headed back to the field and landed. The colonel was flushed but he was also grinning. “Extraordinary. Better than artillery. Look Wing Commander if you can clear us a path to the Residency that would be tickety boo!”
“We can do that.”
He looked at his watch, “1400 hours?”
“Yes colonel. I will get the radio operator to warn the garrison in Kirkuk.”
I gathered my pilots around me. “We go in this afternoon three abreast. I want to progressively bomb the route into the town. The Sikhs will be following close behind us. When you have dropped your bombs then strafe the streets to the side. You Bristol pilots can have your gunners cover the Sikhs as they go in. When you are out of ammunition then head back and rearm.” I paused. I had debated whether to tell them about Barnes. I decided I had to. “One more thing. When I found Squadron Leader Barnes and his men I saw that they had been beheaded. I hope they were dead before that happened but if you are forced down then do not surrender. We are fighting fanatical savages.”
Their faces were sombre and I saw that my words had hit home.
Just then I heard the sound of Jack’s squadron as they returned from Ebril. I saw that a couple of them had been damaged. He would be lucky to be able to take half a squadron out. I walked over to him. He lit his pipe and nodded towards the Vernons, “That is a sight for sore eyes.”
“It is.” I told him what we intended. “Ebril, what is the situation there?”
“They are holding. They have solid walls there and we managed to stop the rebels from infiltrating.”
“Then have your aeroplanes serviced today. Tomorrow I will give you the remains of 18 squadron and you can get rid of the last of the rebels. Henry is heading to Mosul.”
“You are confident that the Sikhs will do the trick here, sir?”
“I am.”
We took off at 13.45. That allowed us to get into formation and begin our attack precisely at 1400. The Sikhs were waiting just beyond our gates. They were used to dealing with fighters like the Kurds. The Afghans on the north-west frontier fought the same way. I waited until we were fired at before I dropped my bombs. My wingmen dropped theirs a few moments later. It meant we cleared a large area. The concussion swept down the road. We climbed and banked so that we could take the streets to the east of the main road. I saw, in my mirror, the second three drop their bombs a further one hundred yards along the road.
I dived and looked out for targets. Rifles fired at us but I saw no targets. They were using cover. Simpkins’ guns sounded and I saw men fall. He either had better eyes or more luck. I banked to starboard and saw men on a roof with a machine gun. Their attention was on 18 squadron. I opened fire and killed them and demolished the gun. By the time the bombing run had finished the Sikhs were at the residency. As we landed I saw the Vernons of 45 squadron approaching the field from the south as they brought the rest of the Sikhs.
I landed and the mechanics and armourers raced to refuel and rearm my Snipe. By the time we were ready the Sikhs had disembarked and were heading out of the airfield towards Kirkuk. Any doubt that they were going to win, now evaporated. We took off and I heard, on the radio, that the enemy were fleeing and heading to Sulaimaniya. That changed everything. Instead of bombing Kirkuk we chased the survivors east. We didn’t waste bombs for they had spread out. Instead we used our guns. When they were empty and we turned to head home we passed over many bodies and dead animals. Sheikh Mahmud had lost. The Turks who attacking Mosul and Ebril were still a threat but we could now turn our whole attention to them. The airfield and Kirkuk were safe.
When we returned to the airfield I saw that Sergeant Major Shaw and his men were busy working on the damaged aeroplanes. I headed for the shower. I did not think that having a somewhat pungent, not to say downright
smelly commanding officer, would do anyone any good! I stayed in the shower longer than I had planned. The water was hot! That in itself was a novelty. It was usually lukewarm. When I was dressed I headed for the office.
I was greeted by a serious Sergeant Major Hill. “Sir, we have had a message from Mosul. Those Halberstadt attacked the Ninaks when they were on the way back to the airfield. They were out of ammunition and they lost two of them. Even worse they managed to damage the Vimy Air Ambulance.”
“Damn!” I had been too smug. As soon as I had discovered that the Count had not died in the raid I should have expected something like this. Of course, the Halberstadt was too slow to engage any of our buses in combat but an aeroplane which had no ammunition was an easy target.
“Send a message and say that I will bring my Snipes there tomorrow and we will deal with the Turks once and for all.”
I summoned Acting Squadron Leader Ritchie and Jack Thomson. I told them of the disaster at Mosul. “Jack, you and I will head up to Mosul tomorrow. I know half of your buses are being repaired. We will use the ones that remain. Paul, I need you with the Snipes tomorrow. How is Cartwright?”
“Better sir.”
“Can he command?”
There was a slight hesitation and then he nodded. “He will be fine sir.”
“Good then go and fetch him and I will give him his orders.”
After he had gone Jack took out his pipe and, after he had it going, he said, “You have a plan, I believe?”
I nodded, “We will try something I learned in France. We will use the Hun in the sun.”
“Hun in the sun?”
“You and your Ninaks will be bait. You are going to bomb Faysh Khabur and Kahnik tomorrow. You will use up your ammunition. I will wait in the south east as high as I can get. If you have your gunners take a Lee Enfield with them then you won’t be entirely defenceless. We will dive from the sun and, hopefully, end the threat.”
“Seems a good idea to me.”
Cartwright and Ritchie returned, “Sir?”