Tony nodded. "Good. I take it you all feel the same way?" The others nodded and Tony continued. "Right, then let's get down to business." He smiled at their expectant faces. "The next target on my list is the rail yard. Are you all with me?"
The smiles and murmurs of agreement were what he had been hoping for and, with a lighter heart, Tony began to outline his plan.
JUNE - JULY 1942
88
May began with a bombing raid by a thousand aircraft over Cologne, in retaliation for the Baedeker Raids which had taken place at the end of April. In the Far East British forces were in full retreat from Burma on a road that led them one thousand miles into Assam. At sea, the Americans surrendered the Philippines at Corregidor with the loss of one hundred and forty thousand men while, on a more successful note, they won the battle against the Japanese navy which was fought in the Coral Sea.
During June, the campaign in North Africa went from bad to worse. The British forces continued to withdraw towards El Alamein. Thirty-five thousand of them were taken when Tobruk fell. In the Far East the news was better. Japanese aircraft attacked the Americans at Midway, but lost the initiative and the Americans won, losing only one carrier, while the Japanese lost four carriers and three hundred and thirty planes in five minutes. The decisive American victory helped to raise spirits a little in an England bowed down but not crushed by three years of war.
89
"Sarah! Sarah!"
The door was flung wide and Jane rushed in breathless and smiling. Sarah laughed.
"What are you so excited about?" She put down her pen. Knowing Jane, she would have to finish the letter to her mother later.
Jane threw herself down onto her bed. "It's the Americans. They've arrived in the area at last. There's a new camp down the road."
"Is that all?"
"Is that all!" Jane sat up, her face a picture of incredulity, and Sarah laughed again.
"Oh come on, Jane. We're not all man mad like you."
"It's not just the men, though I bet they're gorgeous. Haven't you heard of all the goodies they've brought with them?"
Sarah nodded. Like everyone else she was aware of the smart, loud G.I.s who had invaded Britain since the disaster at Pearl Harbour. They came from a land of plenty. They had only just come into the war and their homeland had not been threatened by bombs so that their standard of living had hardly changed from pre-war days. They came to England with their stockings, their excellent tinned foods and their chocolate, and the people who had already suffered through almost three years of war were justifiably envious. The impact of the Americans was great, not least upon the young women on whom they showered their gifts, and the young men of Britain were getting jealous. Sarah wondered if England would ever be the same again.
"So, what are you going to do to get yourself introduced?"
"That's easy. There’s to be a welcome dance on Saturday night, and we’re going."
"Now hold on. I never said I wanted to come to a dance."
"Well you can't stay here locked up like Rapunzel in her tower waiting for her prince. I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind you going to a dance while he's away."
Sarah frowned. "I suppose not. It's just that I don't really feel like going."
Jane looked knowingly at her friend. "Has Tony written to you yet?"
Sarah shook her head. "No. He's probably very busy, and I suppose it would take a long time for a letter to reach me from America. I expect I'll get one soon."
"And what if you don't?"
Sarah shrugged. "I suppose I'll just have to wait until he gets back to find out what he's been up to."
Jane said nothing. She knew Sarah well enough to realise that she was upset because Tony had not written and, privately, she thought that it was because of the difference in their social class. Jane had never believed that Tony was interested in more than a fleeting relationship with Sarah, and she thought the lack of correspondence proved her right. She lay down on her bed again.
"Don't bother arguing, Sarah. You know you'll be coming with me on Saturday."
Sarah smiled as she picked up her pen and continued with her letter to her mother. Jane was right. It would be fun to see the American G.I.s and find out what the fuss was all about.
Saturday evening was warm and sticky, and the two off duty nurses wore thin cotton dresses to the dance at the new American base. The hall was festooned with bunting, and music blared from the gramophone in the corner. Jane turned to Sarah and smiled.
"Even their music is different."
Sarah nodded as she listened to the big band music. It had an interesting sound and a rhythm which made her want to dance. Perhaps the evening wouldn't be so bad after all.
Seeing the two young women standing by the door, a young G.I. detached himself from the small crowd around the bar and made his way over to greet them.
“Hi, gals.”
Jane giggled and Sarah nudged her in the ribs, although she was inclined to smile too. It was the first American they had ever spoken to and his accent sounded strange to them. They had only ever heard an American voice at the cinema before and, somehow, it did not sound quite the same. The G.I. was not put off by their reaction. He grinned broadly.
"My name's Ed. Do you want to come over and meet some of the others?"
Sarah nodded while Jane took care of the introductions. The two young women soon found themselves in the centre of a crowd of G.I.s and fresh-faced English girls who were taking advantage of the chance to break the dreadful monotony of life in a country at war.
"Were you talking about the music when I came over?"
Sarah nodded. "Yes, it's very good. I haven't heard anything quite like it before."
"Really? That's what we call the Big Band sound. It's the Glen Miller Band, the best in America."
Sarah smiled. "I think it's going to be really popular over here."
"Great." Ed got a drink for his two English companions and led them to a table where they all sat down.
"How are you all coping after so long at war?"
Jane shrugged. "All right, I suppose. Everything is rationed and luxuries are non-existent, but we manage."
"What about the bombing?"
"That's mainly in the large cities and industrial areas. It has been pretty bad at times." She turned towards her friend. "Sarah has seen more of that than me."
"Really?"
"Yes. She was in Coventry when it was bombed early on in the war."
Ed raised an eyebrow. "Really? So you've seen action already!"
"You could say that." Sarah was reluctant to talk of her experiences during and after the bombing, the memories were still too deep and cutting. "I was in a shelter during the actual raid. Then I spent the next few days helping the injured."
"Were the hospitals damaged?"
Sarah smiled grimly. "Hospitals? They were totally destroyed. I spent three days in a bombed-out school treating the wounded. It's not like in the movies, you know."
"Sorry. I guess you don't want to talk about it." Ed grinned. "At least we’re getting better news of the war now. Did you hear of the Battle of the Coral Sea? Our Fleet and the Japs were over a hundred miles apart, and they fought with planes from carriers. We lost a heavy carrier but we halted the Jap advance towards Australia. They would be there now if we hadn't won that one. Then there was the Battle of Midway. We caught the Japanese Fleet with all its planes on deck. We sank the four large Jap carriers with something between three and four hundred planes in five minutes. Those Japs are sure taking a licking from us out there."
"How do you know all that?" Jane looked surprised. "The details weren't on the radio."
"It was in all the papers back home, and we get it from the letters from our folks."
"Letters?" Sarah was surprised. "You've had letters from home already?"
"Sure. It only takes a week or two. We don't have to lose touch with our families, just because we're at war."
Sarah’s heart was pounding and
she felt dizzy. Suddenly all she wanted was fresh air and some peace and quiet to think.
"Excuse me. I think I'll just go outside for a moment. It's too hot in here." Sarah rose as she spoke and made her way to the door, unaware of the couples on the dance floor as she passed between them. Jane frowned as she watched her go, sensing something was wrong but not sure what. Ed laid a hand on her arm.
"Do you wanna dance?"
Jane nodded and led the way onto the dance floor, putting all thoughts of Sarah out of her mind.
The night was cooler now. The feel of the air on her brow helped Sarah to collect her jumbled thoughts. She made her way across the car park to a solitary tree and leant with her back against it, gazing out over the countryside which she had come to know and love during her years at Heronfield.
Ed said that letters from America did not take long to reach England. There had been plenty of time for any letter that Tony had written to reach her. She closed her eyes as though to block out an unwelcome thought. The truth was, if she had not received a letter then he had not written one. All the things he had said to her, all their time together had meant no more to him than a passing interlude. He did not really care for her and she realised now that there was no future in their relationship. It was like a physical pain deep inside her. She loved Tony despite his apparent fear of going into action, and the fact that he had used her merely to fill time. The tears flowed from beneath her closed eyelids as she thought of the last time she had been with him. He had given her an address in London and she had written a number of times, hoping that they would forward the letters to him. But he had not received them, or if he did, he had not bothered to reply.
Sarah’s features creased in pain as she remembered how he had held her, so tenderly, and kissed her in a way that convinced her that he really did love her. She remembered the touch of his hands upon her naked flesh as they made love, first passionately then slowly and tenderly. Now she realised with a deep abiding pain that she had been fooling herself. Tony had just been playing with her, using her. How many other women had he used like that? Was he with someone else now? Some beautiful American who could offer him so much more than she could? She had shared something very special with Tony. Something she had withheld from Joe had been given to someone who did not value the gift, who had never really cared for her. Sarah felt dirty, used; she didn't really want to believe that Tony could be capable of such deceit, but what other reason could there be for him not writing?
With a deep sigh, Sarah straightened up and wiped her eyes. She knew it would be difficult when next she saw him but, no matter what the cost, she would not let him hold her and kiss her again. The feel of his arms around her and the promise for the future which his kisses gave would be too painful, knowing that he did not really care for her at all. As she looked out across the fields through eyes blurred by tears she vowed she would never fall in love again. It made her too vulnerable. First the pain and sorrow of Joe’s death, then the slow coming to terms with life without him; then the dawning awareness that Tony had insinuated himself into her heart and would always hold a place there, no matter what happened. Now she felt his apparent rejection of her all the more keenly. She vowed to live alone, as her mother had done, with only the memory of love to lighten the darkest night.
90
The group met in Claude’s garage once again as it was within striking distance of the railway yard which was their target for the night, and only half a mile from the docks where their previous attack had been such a great success. Tony proudly studied his companions. They looked business-like, ready for anything which the night might hold in store for them, and Tony felt a rush of affection for them all.
"Tonight’s attack will be in three distinct areas,” he began. "Madeleine and Claude, you are each to take a bag of clams and do as much damage to the lines as possible. Place the clam where two rails join. The explosion will buckle them both, so the Germans will have to replace two instead of one. There are four lines coming into the yard. I want damage on all four, and then on all the sidings you can manage. The idea is to leave no track available for use in the morning. Understood?"
Claude nodded as he slipped his haversack onto his shoulders. He picked up his Sten gun while Madeleine placed her bag at her feet, waiting until it was time to leave before hefting it onto her back. Tony indicated two more identical bags.
"These are for you, Jean-Paul and Charles, and you are to carry out the second thrust of this attack. I want as much rolling stock as possible put out of action. You may think these clams are too small to do much damage, but you would be wrong." He smiled. "Placed in the right position, they can disable a train and cause the enemy a great deal of trouble. I want a clam on each axle of each wagon or truck or carriage that you can reach. There won't be anything like enough to replace them in stores. With any luck the Germans will have to send to their factories in the Rhur for more. The stock could be out of action for weeks, if not months."
As the two Frenchmen picked up their packs, Tony lifted his own. "I'm going to do as much damage to the engines as I can." He settled the pack on his shoulders and picked up the Sten gun which fitted so comfortably in his hand. "Right, the last thing. There are plenty of fuses in your bags, they aren't set because I want you to use the red tonight. That means that they will explode thirty minutes after you’ve set them."
Madeleine frowned. "That’s not long. It won’t give us much time to get clear."
Tony nodded. "I know. But after our attack on the docks, I expect the rail yard to be more heavily guarded. There is every chance that we might be seen. If we are lucky and manage to set the charges without bumping into a guard, there’s still the possibility of a sentry coming across one of the charges, particularly along the rails. We must be in and out of the yard in twenty minutes. It doesn't give us long, but we should be able to plant enough charges in that time if we work quickly and methodically. Once we get back out of the yard I want you all to head straight for home. Don't come back here. Get your stuff hidden fast and get into bed. The Germans will be after us, and if they start house-to-house searches, your beds must appear slept in and warm. It's no good just pulling the covers back, because they will probably check. Understand?"
The others nodded.
"Good. We'll leave it a week again before we meet. This time I think we'll meet up at the cave at ten." He perused the group once more, each member confident and ready, each pair in possession of a Sten gun to protect themselves should the necessity arise. A group to be proud of. "Good luck to you all. Now, let's go."
The light was switched off and the five saboteurs slipped out into the warm June night. It was eleven o'clock, dark enough for them to slip through the streets unseen, avoiding the few patrols they saw. Eventually they arrived at the deserted Station Master’s house, on top of the embankment which overlooked the yard. As Tony scrutinised the target, he noticed a number of sentries moving about.
"They look more alert than they did at the docks."
Tony nodded at Jean-Paul’s comment.
"Take a good look, everyone. Madeleine and Claude, you move down the bank on the left and get to work on those lines. Jean-Paul and Charles will come with me on the right. Keep an eye on those sentries, and keep out of sight." He looked at his watch. "Check your watches. I want you out of the yard twenty minutes from now. If you haven't completed your task, just leave it and get clear. Split up and head for home. Don't under any circumstances gather here first. Got that?" Four heads nodded in unison. "Good." Tony licked his dry lips. "Right, let's get going. Good luck to you all."
The saboteurs split into two groups before making their way swiftly and silently down the embankment. Madeleine and Claude began setting their clams on the main tracks, then moved back towards the sidings. Each clam was placed where two rails met, the fuse inserted and set within seconds, and Madeleine was pleased with their progress. Further along the sidings, Jean-Paul and Charles were making their way along two lines of st
ationary trucks, fitting clams to the axles of each. Tony was setting charges of plastic on the boilers of the huge steam engines, when a furious barking broke out. Looking around and finding himself unobserved, Tony jumped down. He was met by Jean-Paul and Charles, who slipped between the stationary trucks to stand beside him.
"It's Madeleine and Claude, Jean-Paul whispered "They've been spotted by a guard with a dog."
"Damn!" Tony’s mind was working furiously as he slipped his pack onto his back. "Let's get back to the embankment now, before this place is swarming with Germans. Follow me."
The three men made their way along the lines in the direction of the barking. In the pale light cast by the moon, Tony could see the dim shapes of Claude and Madeleine running towards the embankment closely followed by a guard with a huge German Shepherd dog on a leash. The dog was barking, straining at its leash in an attempt to reach the two fleeing saboteurs, jaws dripping saliva. Another guard ran forward, raising his rifle as he ran. A shot rang out, and Claude threw his arms up into the air as a bullet slammed into him and threw him to the ground. To Tony it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. He ran as fast as he could towards the action. Madeleine stopped running and knelt beside Claude, picking up his Sten gun with one hand and helping him to his feet with the other.
Tony was relieved to see that Claude was still able to run, but his pace was slow despite the urging of his companion. The sentry sighted along his gun again as the second German knelt to release the leash on the dog. With a cry of anger, Tony raised his Sten gun and began to fire. He took the sentry with the gun completely unawares. As the man crumpled to the ground his companion turned and raised his gun, but was taken by the second burst of fire from Tony before he could bring his own weapon to bear. Tony turned his attention to the dog but as he raised the gun again, the chatter of gunfire came from his left. The dog fell in mid-leap. He turned and grinned mirthlessly at Jean-Paul, who lowered his Sten gun and followed Tony towards the embankment.
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