The Odin Mission sjt-1

by James Holland

  Chapter 15

  There had been no movement by the Germans all night, and neither was there as the morning wore on.

  Tanner's mood was not good. Not good at all. Nor was it improved by Chevannes, who had joined him and Sykes at the lookout only to pace about, clicking his fingers and grimacing. Trying to ignore him, Tanner watched another German army truck trundle down the valley. An aeroplane droned above.

  Chevannes lifted his binoculars and Sykes cried out, 'Sir, no! With respect, sir.'

  Chevannes stared at him, then slowly lowered them.

  'For God's sake,' muttered Tanner.

  'The sun, sir,' added Sykes. 'It could reflect in the lens.'

  'Yes, of course,' said Chevannes. 'You are quite right, Corporal.' He pursed his lips, then said, 'Perhaps we should go over the mountains.'

  It was something Tanner had thought about as well. Yet behind them there was a range of snow-covered peaks, as much as six thousand feet high. From the map - and Anna had confirmed this - it appeared to be a snow-covered and largely barren wilderness, with no roads and a number of difficult mountain lakes they would be forced to navigate round. Perhaps they could cross them successfully and reach the valley beyond, but there was no knowing how long it might take. 'Sir, I think we should sit tight and hold our nerve,' Tanner said. 'Jerry hasn't taken Sulheim's truck. It's still there. If we trek across the mountains we'll lose more than another day.'

  Chevannes was gazing out towards the farm, biting his lip. Then, without another word, he left them and returned to the seter.

  'A real decisive one there,' said Sykes, once the lieutenant was out of earshot.

  'Oh, I don't know, Stan,' said Tanner. 'He was pretty decisive yesterday when he ordered us to stay here. His problem is that he digs his heels in when he shouldn't and not when he should. I've seen his type before. Bloody brilliant officers in peacetime. They can run further than anyone else, they're a damn good shot, they know all the drill, carry out exercises to the letter. They always look spick and span. But when the fighting starts, they're all over the place because the one thing they can't do is lead men in battle. Real fighting isn't like practise fighting. It doesn't follow the training manual. And golden boys, like Xavier bloody Chevannes, find out they're not quite so bloody marvellous as they thought.'

  'And they don't like being shown up by NCOs, hey, Sarge?'

  'Well, what I am supposed to do? Sit back and let him make disastrous decisions?'

  'No, I didn't mean that, Sarge. But it's why he hates you. That's clear enough.'

  'Yes,' said Tanner, spitting grit out of his mouth. 'Believe me, Stan, the feeling's mutual.'

  The hours rolled by slowly. At around four, the German troops left the farm, yet there was no movement from the church.

  'What are they playing at, Sarge?'

  'I've been trying to work that one out all day.'

  'I mean, we've seen patrols go up into the mountains but they've made no attempt to search the forest.'

  'It's strange,' agreed Tanner. 'But I've been thinking about that. I suppose they must be trying to save casualties, but I also think they believe it'll be easier to take Sandvold alive in the open than in dense forest. They're waiting for us to come to them.'

  'Yes,' said Sykes, nodding. 'You're right, Sarge.'

  'They're assuming we're still somewhere in this valley,' Tanner went on. 'After all, we were seen by a number of Norwegians, and although they've had recce aircraft out in force, they haven't spotted any sign of us crossing the mountains. I suppose they think we'll have to show ourselves soon and are waiting to pounce on us when we do.'

  'They've been a bit bloody obvious about it.'

  'I suppose they think we won't have seen the men in the church. It's obvious they don't know where we are, just somewhere in the j0ra valley. But put yourselves in their shoes. With every hour that passes with no sign of us, doubt will be creeping into their minds. My hunch is they'll think we'll come down tonight when it's dark.'

  'And if we don't?'

  'Hopefully they'll give up and bugger off.'

  'And if they don't?'

  'Don't know, Stan. We think of something else.'

  Shortly after six, three trucks of troops pulled into Uksum Farm. The men jumped out and made a show of searching the entire settlement at Alstad once more. A little under three hours later, they loaded up again and, with much revving of engines, drove away in the direction of Lillehammer.

  Chevannes appeared at the lookout shortly after.

  'So they are leaving,' he said, triumph on his face. 'We set off as soon as it is dark.'

  'It's a trap, sir,' said Tanner. 'They've still got men in the church.'

  Chevannes' expression changed. 'Are you sure, Sergeant?'

  'Yes.' Tanner observed him. The only consolation, he thought, for the enforced frustrating delay was the obvious discomfort it was causing the Frenchman. 'As I said earlier, sir, we need to keep our nerve.'

  Chevannes snorted, then sharply turned away.

  Not long after, Anna joined them at the lookout. 'I've come in my role as chief medical officer,' she said.

  'Is that what you are, Miss?' said Tanner, grinning.

  'Yes, and I want to know whether either of you has had any sleep.' 'I have, Miss,' said Sykes. 'Took forty winks earlier this afternoon.'

  'Sergeant?'

  'Not today,' admitted Tanner.

  'Then you must get some,' she told him. 'We need you fresh and alert.'

  'Is that an order?'

  'It is.' Anna smiled.

  'And how about you, Miss?' asked Tanner. 'The lads are minding their manners, I hope?'

  'They've been most courteous.'

  'What - that lot?' said Sykes. 'I don't believe it.'

  'Well,' she said, 'they swear often, but they always apologize afterwards.'

  'It's because they're Yorkshiremen, Miss,' said Sykes. 'Me and the sarge are from the south, but those lads are northerners. They're born with filthy mouths. Can't help themselves.'

  'I don't mind.' She laughed, then stood up to leave. 'Now remember, Sergeant,' she said, 'sleep. It's very important.'

  She was right, Tanner realized, and once she had gone, he lay back, his pack as a pillow, and closed his eyes.

  He was asleep in moments, despite the discomfort of his surroundings, and by dawn, he felt refreshed; despite hunger, his head was clear. He watched the sun rise over the mountains on the far side of the valley, casting a golden light over the snow and dazzling him.

  It was a little after three when he suddenly saw troop movements at the farm. There were eight men, and soon after he heard the rumble of an engine starting up.

  Immediately bringing the binoculars to his eyes, he peered at the farm and watched the troops disappear behind a shed. Soon after, a small truck he had not noticed the day before, emerged and turned right on to the road, heading south.

  Tanner reported this to Chevannes. 'It could still be a trap, though, sir.'

  'What about the soldiers in the church?'

  'That might have been them. But I couldn't say for certain.'

  Chevannes nodded. 'We'll wait here a while longer.'

  At nearly half past four, Tanner spotted Sulheim emerge from the farmhouse. Constantly glancing around him, he hurried out of the yard, across the river and pastures towards the trees.

  When he reached the seter, he was short of breath, but his eyes were wide with excitement. 'They have gone,' he told them, then grinned. 'You have been spotted back over on the other side of the mountain. They think you crossed into the Gudbrandsdal valley again.'

  'What about the men in the church?' asked Tanner. 'Was that them leaving earlier?'

  Sulheim nodded. 'Yes. I did not let them know that I speak German, but the officer was becoming increasingly agitated. He was convinced you would appear when it was dark. I think he was on the point of leaving anyway when he had the signal.'

  'How could we have been spotted?' Chevannes asked.
r />   'A Norwegian reported seeing you.' He grinned again. 'You see? We are mostly patriotic countrymen around here.'

  They loaded their packs hastily and headed back down the mountain to the valley. Unease dogged Tanner's every step, as though they were heading inexorably into a trap. Yet no shots were fired, neither did enemy troops appear. At the farm, anxious minutes ticked by as Sulheim replaced the alternator in the truck. His wife gave them bread and cold meat, but Tanner's appetite had left him.

  At last they were ready to go. It was some time after six o'clock on the morning of Saturday, 27 April.

  'What will you say if the Germans return and see the truck gone?' Tanner asked Sulheim.

  'That you came back and forced us to hand it over.'

  'Perhaps we should tie you up. Otherwise you'd be obliged to contact them the moment we left.'

  'All right.'

  Shortly after, with the family bound and left in the house, they loaded themselves into the truck. 'I'll drive,' Tanner told Chevannes. 'I know these vehicles. The British Army's got hundreds of them.' It was true, although the military versions were larger, heavier, and of a more basic construction. Nonetheless as Tanner stepped into the cab with Anna and Lieutenant Chevannes beside him, the driving mechanism felt familiar. Turn the ignition key, pull out the choke and press down the starter in the footwell. The engine turned over a couple of times then fired into life, the speedometer and oil pressure gauge flickering. Tanner put his foot down on the deep clutch, pushed the shaking lever into gear, released the handbrake, then eased them out of the yard and on to the road.

  *********

  In Lillehammer, Reichsamtsleiter Scheidt had spent another wretched night sleeping little, drinking too much brandy, smoking too many cigarettes and railing against their continued inability to find and capture Odin. With the arrival of morning and his return to the SD offices, his mood had worsened when a signal arrived from Zellner informing him that the night's search had been fruitless and that misinformation from a Norwegian farmer had sent them on a wild-goose chase back to the western side of the Gudbrandsdalen.

  'Please stop fretting, Herr Reichsamtsleiter,' Kurz had told him. 'Go out and get some fresh air. Take a walk. But, for God's sake, stop glowering in here.'

  Scheidt was contemplating doing as Kurz suggested when a clerk knocked at the door. Kurz looked up.

  'A signal, sir. It's just come through.'

  Scheidt strode over and snatched the thin transcript paper. As he read it, a smile broke across his face. 'At last,' he said. 'Perhaps your brand of optimism is justified after all, Sturmbannfuhrer.'

  'Atmospheric conditions have changed, then?' grinned Kurz.

  Scheidt nodded. 'It would seem so, Sturmbannfuhrer.'

  A different message was tapped out to Zellner, now back at Tretten after another exhausting night in which he had felt the fear of failure clawing at him. As the clerk brought it to him, he snatched the piece of paper from his hand and read it with mounting excitement.

  'Odin located in J0ra valley. They have M/T and are heading north. Stop them. Do not fail. Kurz.'

  Tanner glanced in the mirror. Through the window at the back of the cab, he could see Erwood and Hepworth manning the Bren, its barrel resting on the tailgate. Next to them Larsen was scanning the valley with his binoculars to the south. It was meandering and close, narrowing to no more than a few hundred yards wide, the steep, wooded slopes rising above them. It gave Tanner a claustrophobic feeling, as though the world was closing in on them.

  They drove in silence at first, which suited him. He wanted to concentrate and keep a watchful guard on the road ahead without distraction, but at length Chevannes spoke. 'Tell me, Anna,' he said, 'have you always lived here in the Gudbrandsdalen?'

  'My family have, yes,' she said, 'but I have been studying in Oslo for the past three years.'

  'Studying what?'

  'Medicine - at the university.'

  'A doctor in the making. You must be very clever.'

  Anna looked down, embarrassed. 'Perhaps I will not be able to finish now. I still have another year. Everything has stopped with the war.'

  'I am sure it will not go on for ever. In any case, people will still need doctors.'

  'I will not become a doctor under the Nazis,' Anna replied, anger in her voice.

  'No, no, of course not. Anyway, I am sure we will send them packing. Most of the French forces are in the north. With the British and our joint naval forces we will turn the tide. Lack of proper planning has been the problem here, but that won't be the case on the coast.'

  'I hope you're right.' Anna sounded doubtful.

  'I am, and let me tell you why. France has the largest army in the world. I know we have all seen pictures of Germans goose-stepping at Nazi rallies, but that is for show. They might have swept aside Poland, but the Polish cavalry was still on horseback. There is nothing so very remarkable about beating Poland. France, on the other hand, has an army of more than two million men, and more tanks and guns than Britain and Germany put together. In any case, we have sent some of our best troops to Norway - the Chasseurs Alpins, of course, but also the Legion Etrangere. So all will be well, you'll see.' He patted her knee.

  Tanner felt her flinch. Shut the hell up, you French bastard, he thought. This was no time to sweet-talk Anna Rostad.

  'Of course,' said Chevannes, after a short pause, 'I never went to university myself, but I did study at St Cyr. That's our national military academy.'

  Anna nodded.

  'Yes,' he continued, 'it is a fine place. It was established by the emperor himself, Napoleon Bonaparte. Near Versailles. Ah, it was a wonderful time in my life, training to be a soldier - training hard, I should add. It was something I had always wanted to do. And with Paris on our doorstep. I have never been to Oslo, but Paris is a beautiful city. A wonderful city. You must visit one day, Anna. Come to Paris and I will show you around myself.'

  'All clear at the back?' yelled Tanner, leaning out of the open window.

  'All clear, Sarge,' came Sykes's muffled reply

  'And Versailles is magnificent, of course,' continued Chevannes. 'A stunning palace but also the gardens—'

  'Where are we now, sir?' said Tanner.

  Chevannes stopped speaking and opened the map on his lap.

  'We're leaving the river behind,' added Tanner.

  Anna peered over Chevannes' shoulder. 'Yes,' she said. 'We are here.' She pointed a finger. 'We are climbing to the Espedalen where there is a mountain lake.'

  Tanner dropped down a gear as they drove out of the valley. The road was now rough and potholed, and the truck laboured as the track steepened. 'Come on,' muttered Tanner, 'you can do it.' The Morris kept going, but more slowly with every yard. 'Are you scanning the skies, Dan, Hep?' he shouted.

  'Yes, Sarge,' came the reply.

  'Don't worry, Sergeant,' said Anna, 'the road soon levels off again.'

  'Good. I don't like going so slowly. Too bloody easy for any passing Jerry aircraft.' He leant forward and tried to look up. A few bulbous white clouds but otherwise the sky was a deep and bright blue. Not good for spotting enemy aircraft.

  They inched round a hairpin bend and hit a pothole, which jolted them sideways. Amid groans from the back, Anna was knocked against Chevannes. 'Sorry,' she said.

  'Why would I mind having you thrown against me?' Chevannes smiled, and Anna, flustered, brushed her hair off her face. 'I must say,' he continued, 'I do admire you. It was a very brave decision you made, to come with us.'

  'I wanted to help my country,' said Anna, quietly.

  'Yes, but for us - well, we are soldiers, and we expect—'

  'What's that noise?' snapped Tanner.

  'I didn't hear anything,' said Chevannes.

  Of course not, thought Tanner. You're bloody yapping too much. He strained his ears. Yes, there it was again, unmistakable - an aircraft, maybe two. His body tensed and he bounced up and down in his seat, willing the truck to go faster. 'I can hear an
aircraft!' he yelled. 'Can anyone see it?' He turned to Chevannes. 'Sir, can you see anything?'

  Chevannes leant from the cab, but as he did so, Hepworth shouted, 'Got them, sir! Two aircraft at five o'clock. Coming up the valley.'

  'Get some bloody binoculars on them!' Tanner shouted.

  Chevannes turned in his seat and leant out of the window, glasses to his eyes. The truck was gaining momentum once more. Beneath them was a steep, almost sheer, wooded valley. On their right, the mountain continued to climb. An old farmhouse now, perched on a cliff-top; more grass-roofed shacks. Tanner searched ahead for a place to shelter at the side of the road, but there was nothing. Rather, as the road straightened he could see the deep ravine to their left rising towards the long, narrow lake Anna had spoken of. Christ. They were even more exposed up here.

  'Single engine, Sergeant!' Larsen called out. 'Two.'

  'Stukas!' said Chevannes. 'Mon Dieu.'

  Tanner tried to think. Drive straight on. Keep going. If they know about Sandvold, they're not going to hit us. He could hear them clearly now, the thrum of their engines. The road was rough, but clear and straight - almost dead straight. He put his foot on the accelerator and watched the needle flicker on the speedometer. Sixty, sixty-five, edging seventy kilometres per hour. What was that? Forty miles an hour? Come on, he thought. Keep going for me.

  'They're right on top of us, Sarge!' said Hepworth. 'Bloody look at them bastards!'

  'What are you doing?' said Chevannes, swinging back down into the cab. His face was tense, his eyes wide.

  'I'm going to bloody well keep driving. The faster we move the harder it'll be for them to hit us. If I need to swerve off the road, I will.' His hands tightened around the steering-wheel.

  The two Stukas flew on, until Tanner could see them, small but distinct. It was hard to know how high they were, but he guessed at least six thousand feet.

  'They're flying past us,' said Anna.