I nodded, "And if we want to make a bigger repair job?"
"Firstly you make a bigger charge and you make sure you bury them beneath both rails as well as on the points. Get them underneath the ballast; concentrate the explosion. Then you go here." He walked down the line. "This is where two rails join. You blow up here too. That means they have to replace all four lengths of rail and level the ballast as well. If you do the same on the other side then it will take a few days to repair." He rubbed his hands. "Well that is enough talk. How about a bit of blowing up!"
He had an infectious smile and I saw that my section were smiling too. "Shepherd and Lowe this is your show but you others watch. If anything happens to these before we go into action then you have to be able to do what they are doing."
Albert lost his smile, "What do you mean, 'anything happens'?"
"People shoot at us, sir and we have lost men before."
"Dear me. I suppose I am lucky." He looked at Ken and shook his head, "You young men need to come back. We shall need chaps like you after the war."
Under his keen eye and sage advice Ken and George laid the charges. When we were all happy George said, "We will set the timers now. You had better take cover, sir."
"Of course. This is exciting!"
We all retired a suitably safe distance. Ken and George shouted, "Ready to fire!"and they hurtled towards us. "We set it for five minutes."
Ken looked at Albert, "I should cover your ears, sir!" The old man nodded.
We waited. Suddenly there was a flash of flames, a concussion and then the explosion. It was a good job we had retired a long way away. Ballast clattered down as well as some of the bolts which held the rails together.
Albert stood, "My goodness me! That was noisy."
I headed back towards the rails. They were totally demolished.
Scouse said, "That is great sir! It works!"
Albert said, with his finger in his ear, "How many points and lines are there?"
I almost slapped myself in the head. "There are two lines coming from each direction, going into two." I saw the looks on my men's faces.
Albert said, "You will need four charges!"
Ken proved that day just how much of a thinker he was, "Sir, we have it wrong."
George Lowe shook his head, "You are still wet behind the ears. The Lieutenant doesn't make mistakes!"
"Hang on Lowe, let Shepherd speak. Go on, what have I got wrong?"
"The number of lines. There are four coming in and two heading for... er the target. That means we have eight rails to destroy on one side of the points and four on the other."
I nodded, "You are right, Shepherd." I looked at Albert.
"The small charges would still close the junction for a day but the lad is right you would need more explosives to do a proper job." He swept his hand around the site. "This isn't big enough
"Then what we need to do is to use enough explosive to totally destroy the rails there." I pointed further down the line where a spur ran from the central line.
Most of the men stared at me as though I had made another mistake but Ken and Albert nodded, "Aye that would work."
Ken became animated, "We measure the blast crater and that will tell us if that amount of explosive is enough to destroy the whole junction."
George finally got it, "So instead of smaller charges we use one bigger one."
We began to walk towards the spur. Albert took out a pipe and began to fill it. I smiled, he was thinking. It was just like Dad. He finally got it going and then he spoke. We had reached the spur and the rusted points. "It is not as easy as that." He pointed to the ballast which lay beneath the rails. "You will have to clear all of that out and then repack it back on top."
Ken said, "That's right you need to direct the explosion to the rails and the points."
"Let's get on with it then!" Sergeant Poulson liked to be doing things and he had stood around flapping his gums long enough.
"Fletcher, you go half a mile west and Crowe half a mile east. We don't want any civilians blundering into us."
"Yes sir."
I used my watch to time them as they toiled away. It had taken twenty minutes to set charges under the rails. Some of my men could do that while Shepherd and Lowe made the more important bomb. Even with many spare hands helping it still took forty minutes to complete the task. As we headed for safety so that it could be set off I began to run through the problems the timing might create. The most obvious one was German sentries. We were not far from German Headquarters. It would be easy for them to regularly check the security of the points. The second problem was noise.
As we hunkered down I mentally allocated jobs. Sergeant Poulson and Lance Sergeant Gowland would have to be the security. They could not do it alone. That would leave me and Fletcher. The rest would be setting charges. It was fortunate we had had our replacement. Otherwise we would not be able to do the job.
"Ready to fire!"
This time the shower of debris covered a much wider area. We would wake the Germans up, that was for sure. As we headed back to the crater and Fletcher and Crowe ran to join us, I realised the other implications of my plan, we could not afford to lose any men in the drop. I needed every one of my section.
Albert chuckled when he saw the crater. "That is a grand hole." He tapped his pipe on the rusted rail which twisted up into the air. He pointed his pipe at the rail some ten feet away. "If you were to put the charge yonder on the further rail the odds are it would mean they would have to replace at least twenty four rails. That is a lot of steel! And if you loosen the ballast it will have more of an impact."
Ken's nod told me he had understood the implications of Albert's words.
I patted Albert on the back. "Well Mr Harris, we had better be getting you home. Thank you for your advice. We couldn't have done it without you."
He looked crestfallen, "Oh, you don't need me anymore." He shook his head and berated himself, "Of course they don't, Albert, you dozy old bugger!" He shook my hand, "Thank you for inviting me Lieutenant Harsker. I felt like a vegetable without any purpose. I feel like I am part of the war effort now."
"You are Albert, you are. You watch the newspapers over the next few weeks. You will know when have done our little job."
"It will be that big?"
"We are all little cogs in a big machine. We are one part of a bigger team."
He nodded, "I shall scour the newspapers and look for references to Commandos. It will be better than just reading the obituaries."
After we had dropped him off we returned to camp. I left Ken and George to tell Daddy Grant the exact quantities of explosive we would need. I reported to Major Foster and gave him a full report. "I think you are right, Tom, your numbers are tight. Do you want some men from another section?"
"I would say yes but I am guessing that the ones I want, Gordy's section and the like, will be involved anyway?"
"I am afraid so. It would have to be outsiders."
I shook my head, "It might upset the balance of my team. I will stick with what I have."
"Shepherd is working out then?"
"Today was the day he found his feet and his position. Even George Lowe defers to him on some matters. We will go tomorrow and see Lieutenant Jorgenson and then we will just have to practice our unarmed combat. I think we will need it."
The E-boat had been repaired. As we approached I saw Bill Leslie with a huge grin on his face. Alan Jorgenson shook his head, "If Mr Leslie looks like a dog with two... it is because he is now Petty Officer Leslie."
"Well done Bill. Promotion eh?"
"Yes sir. It was worth getting a soaking for the stripes."
"I am pleased for you." I turned to Alan, "We have to arrange a rendezvous."
"You are going in by air I hear? The 'Lady' not good enough for you these days?"
"Believe me I would rather go by boat but we are going to be well behind enemy lines. I think they do not want to give away the fact that we will be att
acking Dieppe."
He nodded, "We are being used as well. We go in with Number 3 Commando as support. At least we fly British colours this time. Let's go and check the charts."
Alan had already marked Yellow 1 and Yellow 2; the beaches Number 3 Commando would be using for their landing. He jabbed a finger at the map, "I think Yellow beach will be hot. You don't want to risk that. We could pick you up east of Yellow beach. In fact that is what I have been told is the best pick up point."
"The problem is that leaves us with a long hike. The further we have to travel the more chance we have of being spotted. I am guessing the hornets will be well and truly awake when we are heading back. How about here?"
"That is Blue beach. It has a good beach but the Canadians are landing there."
That ruled that one out. We needed one where there was no fighting. I peered at the map. "There, not far from Belleville, that is a beach!"
He looked down and then up at me. "That is tiny and there are cliffs!"
"There are only a handful of us. We need a tiny beach. We are Commandos. We abseil down the cliffs. We have been along the coast there. The Germans don't have any garrisons. Just the regular sentries. They will be busy fighting the Canadians. That looks perfect."
He nodded, "We are just the taxi, you are the customer. I will have Wacker work out call signs with Scouse."
"And we will practise coming down cliffs!"
We had not trained at the cliffs for some time and it proved useful. Putting your life in the hands of a comrade made for closer ties. For Ken this was the first time he had had to do this. I could see why he had been recommended. He had high skill levels and was totally confident with a rope. By the time came for us to head for the aerodrome we were as ready as we ever would be. The extra weight of the ropes was a problem. I wrestled with it all the way to the airfield.
When we arrived a Flight Sergeant greeted us, "I am Flight Sergeant Richardson and I will be looking after you on the jump. The Hampden is on its way down from Ringway sir. Lieutenant Rogers is the pilot. He said for you and your lads to wait in the hangar."
"Right. "Bring the gear, Sergeant."
"Right Lieutenant Harsker."
"Sir, are you related to Group Captain Harsker?"
"He is my Dad. Do you know him?"
"My Dad served with him in the Great War in France. He was the armourer. He speaks highly of him."
"You must be Percy Richardson's son then. My father rated your Dad too."
"Things have changed since then eh sir?"
"They have indeed." An idea came to me. "We have a problem Flight and you might be able to help. We have to take explosives and ropes with us. Normally we carry them in the Bergens but I worry that will make us too heavy. We can't afford any broken limbs when we land. The extra weight increases that risk. Any ideas?"
We had reached the hangar and Sergeant Poulson and the men were making themselves comfortable. The Flight Sergeant looked around and pounced on a large kit bag. "We have some of these spare. If you put explosives in one and ropes in the other that might work. We attach a static line just like yours and drop them out. They would land in the same area as your lads. You will have to unpack them once you land."
"That is not a problem. Well done Flight. I'll get the gear. Sergeant Poulson, have the ropes and explosives taken out of the Bergens. We will pack them in the kit bags the Flight Sergeant will provide."
I could tell that the section was relieved to have lighter Bergens. Hurtling towards the ground was bad enough without pounds of extra weight. Once the kit bags were filled I was happier. The bags were robust canvas.
The Flight Sergeant said, "What you could do, sir, if you wanted the kit bags to land close to you would be to tether them to two of your men."
I shook my head, "We will put the kit bags in the middle of the stick. We should find them. It will be safer for my lads that way."
"You are probably right."
We heard the unmistakeable sound of the flying coffin, the Hamden, as it came in to land. Flight Sergeant Richardson said, "It will take some time to refuel and the crew will need a break. I think there is food for you in the mess if you wait until the crew arrive."
"Will our gear be safe here?"
"I'll keep an eye on it. The ground crew know better than to cross me!"
They taxied the bomber right up to the doors of the hangar. The crew came down to join us,
The pilot held out his hand, " Lieutenant Rogers, I am your taxi driver tonight. Weather forecast is good. Let's go and get something to eat and we can chat about the drop zone. Apparently you know it better than we do."
I nodded, "We have been there before."
We left the hangar and headed towards the mess, "That is what I heard. You are a cloak and dagger specialist eh?"
I laughed, "If that means spending longer behind enemy lines than is healthy, then yes."
"We just swan in, drop you off and then head on home."
The memory of the crew who had dropped us at St. Nazaire and then went up in a fireball filled my head but I said nothing. Pilots were a superstitious bunch. It would not do to jinx the mission.
The smell of frying bacon greeted us. Lieutenant Rogers rubbed his hands. "One advantage of being on Ops is bacon and egg. With any luck there will be a few sausages too!"
I must confess the smell of frying bacon always had the same effect on me, it made me hungry and I began to anticipate the taste. The plates were brought to us in double quick time. I saw the men's eyes light up at the filled plates. The waitress said, "You lads enjoy it! The eggs were still inside the chickens this morning!"
There was even a bottle of HP sauce on the table. This was luxury indeed! When we had cleared our plates, and it did not take long, the air crew lit up. "So, we are heading east of Dieppe?"
"That's right but you need to come in from the north." I took out my map. "Here is the drop zone, Dampierre-Saint-Nicholas. Here is the German Headquarters of the 302nd Division. They have anti-aircraft around there and that is one wasp's nest we do not want to disturb."
He nodded and stubbed out his cigarette, "You do know the area. Well we shall carry on south and do a loop. We will avoid the area completely."
"I would keep going almost to Fecamp. There are some big guns here and here." I pointed at the map. "There is a gap close to Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Not as many AA there."
"Thanks for the tip." He stood, "We will just use the facilities and then see if the ground crew have finished. Take off in ninety minutes if all goes well."
"Right, see you on board." I turned to the men, "We have ninety minutes. Use it wisely. Check weapons and remember this will the last chance to use a toilet for some days."
Once back in the hangar I went through my routine. I took out all my magazines and checked they were filled. I replaced them. I checked my grenades and then my tool kit: wire cutters, toggle rope, blackjack, knuckledusters. They were all there. I repacked the bag so that the balance was right.
"Sergeant Poulson check that no one has any papers on them."
"Sir."
I knew they wouldn't but you could bet the one time I didn't have Polly check would be the day someone did take an incriminating letter or photograph.
The aeroplane was familiar. It smelled of aviation fuel and, when the engines started speech became impossible. Flight Sergeant Richardson had done as I had asked. The two bags were in the middle of the stick. Lance Sergeant Harry Gowland had them before him and behind. Sergeant Poulson was the last man in the stick and I would be first. I had young Ken Shepherd just behind me. I had no doubt he had been trained but this was his first drop over enemy territory. I wanted him close.
The flight would take less than two hours. We could have done it even quicker but Lieutenant Rogers want to have as much altitude as possible when we crossed the French coast. We had to use hand signals. Flight Sergeant Richardson pointed to the static lines. I nodded, stood and hooked on. He checked my chute and I turned and
checked Shepherd's. When the Flight Sergeant was satisfied he pushed Polly in the back and we shuffled up to the bomb bay. As soon as it was removed there was a cold wind and a roar. We waited. The Flight Sergeant was looking in at the cockpit. Lieutenant Rogers would give him the signal when we were to jump. As we had had no flak I knew that we had crossed unobserved. I prayed that would continue.
Chapter 6
The Flight Sergeant pointed and gave me the thumbs up. I crossed my hands over my straps and took that leap of faith into the dark. It was always the same. You waited for that jerk and then the billowing chute. You hoped it would not be a flare and a Roman candle which would mean a messy death two thousand feet below you on the ground. When I saw the chute open I breathed again and looked down. I grabbed the cords. We did not want to land in Dampierre-Saint-Nicholas. I wanted to be west of the village. There was a wood there and an ancient track way. I scanned the blackness below me for a sign that we were close.
I saw the snake that was the River Béthune. The wood was just half a mile to the south. I pulled on one side of the chute and I began to move south. I kept my eye on the ground. Ken would have to follow. I kept adjusting my cords as I descended. I was looking for an area clear of trees. When I saw the ground I began to flex my knees. By pulling on the chute I managed to land upright. I quickly gathered the parachute in before it lifted me up again. To my great relief I saw Shepherd and Fletcher on the ground, rolling up their chutes. I had my radio operator and one of my demolition experts.
I ran to them. "Keep hold of the chutes!" They naturally followed me as we headed back down the line to make sure that everyone was down. "Grab the kitbags."
It was with some relief that I saw they had all landed. "Empty the kitbags and disperse the ropes and the explosives. Put your chutes in the kitbags. Cut off some of the cords as you do so. They will come in handy." I said that for the benefit of Shepherd, the rest of us were aware of the uses for the cord. " George and Harry you take one and Crowe and Hewitt take the other. Polly, you are tail end Charlie. I will lead."
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