“Now then Tom, a rare visit. I haven't see you since you came for the new Bergen. I thought you and your lads were up at the mine.”
“I was. The Major needed to have a word with me.”
Daddy was shrewd, “And the two senior officers as well.” He nodded and went back behind his counter. “What do you need then?”
“I don’t need it yet but we will want some camouflage netting.”
He nodded, “Woodland or urban?” I looked surprised, “Aye, we have both now.”
“Three of each. Two good torches too.” He began writing down what we needed. Now that I had started the list flowed. I made it excessively long. I wanted to have everything to hand so that we could pare it down closer to the time.
Daddy nodded when I had finished, “I will keep it all for you until you are ready.”
“This is just between the two of us, Daddy.”
“You’ll be trying to teach me to suck eggs next!”
When the Troop returned from the mine I saw the questions on their faces but I saw them all glance nervously at Reg Dean. I had no doubt that they had been told not to ask me anything.
In the event they did not have to wait too long. Lieutenant Colonel Newman returned in the first week of March and spoke to the sergeants and officers who would be taking part in Operation Chariot. This time he brought his own team with him. We soon learned that his own men called him Colonel Charles. The majority of the Commandos were from his own brigade, Number 2 Commando. He seemed to like the informality of that and so we all adopted the title. He had an easy manner with the men. He told them largely what he had told me except that he left out the actual target. We were told that we would be attacking a port in occupied Europe and that it would be at the end of the month. That, in itself, caused a ripple of conversation. He smiled and allowed it. From the numbers of officers and sergeants in the marquee I estimated that there could be more than five hundred commandos on this attack.
His sergeant came around with specific tasks for each section. Captain Marsden and our Troop were given the task of capturing the lifting bridge and lock gate across the entrance to the old port and holding it. Others were given quite specific demolition tasks. I guessed that they would have to be told more details than the rest of us.
As we left, to brief our men, the others were all buzzing. Troop Sergeant Major Dean gave me a shrewd look, “Something tells me you weren’t surprised by that eh, Tom?” I shook my head. “And unless I miss my guess you have something else you will be doing.”
I smiled, enigmatically, “I couldn’t possibly say, Troop Sergeant Major!”
Falmouth was a hive of activity. Motor Launches arrived daily and an accommodation ship, 'HMS Princess Josephine Charlotte' arrived. Most of the other commandos used her as a floating hotel and she would take in a large number. We had the luxury of staying at Mrs Bailey’s.
We were in the pub one night when some sailors came in. I recognised Bill Leslie and waved him over. I saw that he had gained one stripe; he was now an Able Seaman. “I see you have been promoted.”
“Aye. Is that bastard Grenville still with your lot?”
“No he couldn’t cut it.”
I told him the story of Waller and Grenville. He burst out laughing, “I would have paid money to see him wetting himself. I’ll buy you a pint my friend!”
When he returned I discovered that he would be part of the operation. His ship was ML 160. We chatted about the operation. Like us the sailors only knew the vague target. As he was leaving he said, “You ought to come down to our end of the harbour. We have an E-Boat which was recently captured. They are going to take her off at the end of the week but she is moored next to us for the moment. Enough of them have chased us from one end of the Channel; I reckon it would be good to have a shufti eh?”
“Will they let us?”
“I know the CPO in charge of it.”
“Right, I‘ll bring a couple of lads tomorrow after training.”
I knew that Harry was interested in engines and so I took him and Ken with me. I had almost decided already whom I would take but until the Major confirmed our mission I would not get anyone’s hopes up. Ken was rapidly improving his German and I thought there might be information on the E-Boat which we would find handy.
Bill was waiting for us. The CPO was quite happy for us to go aboard. The captured boat was covered in a huge tarpaulin. “I don’t know why they are being so secretive about this. I think the Germans know what an E-Boat is like.”
Bill and I were interested in the armament. Ken and Harry went with the CPO to look at the engines. The E-Boat, surprisingly, only had three gun emplacements. When they had chased us they seemed capable of firing more guns than the three we saw. When Bill examined them he whistled. “These are big machine guns, Tom, they are massive. They look to be twice the calibre of our Vickers and Lewis guns.”
When we visited the bridge I saw that it was very streamlined. Bill was even more impressed than I was. “This is good. Look at this; steel plate! We have bits of wood!”
When we caught up with the others they were in as much awe of the boat as we were. “These are serious boats,. They have three huge diesel engines.” Harry looked as though he was in love. “How I would like to get my hands on one of them.”
Ken asked, “You understood them?”
“Oh aye, they are simple enough. Diesel engines are better than petrol and Jerry makes good engines. There was nowt wrong with the engines. If they had fuel we could have started them easy enough.”
It was good to understand your enemy. The fact that we had seen how the E-Boats worked meant we had a greater respect for them. Bill had seen that there was little point in firing at the bridge of such a vessel you had to go for the gunners who had far less protection. It was a tiny chink in the enemy armour but you used what you could.
I was summoned to MGB 314 to meet with Colonel Charles and Major Foster. The MGB would be the Headquarters during the raid. It was a cosy place to hold a meeting. “We have the green light for the attack, Harsker. You should choose your men and brief them. You will leave for Southampton on the twenty third. The raid is scheduled for the night of the twenty eight. You will land on the twenty seventh.”
Major Foster handed me a sheet of paper. “Here are the call signs. You and your team will need to memorise them. But you don’t need telling that. If you are not needed then you will have to make your way to the lock gate and bridge in the old port. It may well be that you beat Captain Marsden to that vital crossing. If you do then you will need to hold until relieved.”
“Yes sir.”
Colonel Charles began to fill his pipe, “You are a cool customer, Harsker. I can’t think of many men who would be so stoical about hiding for twenty four hours behind enemy lines.”
I smiled, “It won’t be my first time, sir. And, as you say, I know the area. That helps.”
Major Foster said, “We are going to have a practice attack on the Devonport docks. You and your team will be part of the defenders. You are there to observe. As soon as it is finished then we will have an ML take you to Southampton where the 'Sturgeon' is waiting.”
“Is that an S-Class submarine sir?”
“It is. Why?”
“We have used one before. They are er…cosy.”
Colonel Charles laughed, “Thank God you are human! I was beginning to wonder. Well off you go and pick your team.”
“I’ll come with you, Harsker.” Major Foster followed me out. Once outside on the harbour wall he said, “I take it you know who you will be taking.”
“Yes sir, Ken Curtis; if anything happens to me he is a good leader. Harry Gowland. He is a whizz with anything mechanical. You never know when you need a mechanic and Polly Poulson. He is clever, good with explosives and a sound signaller. He is Ken’s back up.”
“You have thought it all out then?”
I laughed, “As much as you can when you are here where it is safe. Over there? We’ll see. I just hope we don�
�t let you down. There is a lot resting on this.”
“You are just the back up. The 'Sturgeon' should be able to do the job. You might have an easy time of it.”
“And one day they will teach pigs to fly, sir. I always think it is best to expect the worst and then you are never disappointed.”
“Well Captain Marsden knows you are to be detached. He is not planning on using you. if you do help him at the bridge then it will be a bonus.”
The section were with the Captain and they were practising attacking the harbour master’s office in the centre of the complex. The Harbour Master and his men were watching with amusement as the Troop collected rocks to represent hand grenades. When the Captain saw the Major and me approaching he said, “Troop, take five!” The Harbour Master and his men all clapped ironically.
Captain Marsden came over to us, “I hate an audience.”
“They are a better one than the one we will face at the end of the month.”
His face brightened, “We have a date then?”
“A rough one. Harsker is going to take three of your men.”
“I haven’t given them specific roles yet. Who are you taking, Harsker?”
“Curtis, Poulson and Gowland.”
“All old hands. Good choice.”
He gestured with his arm and I shouted, “Curtis, Poulson, Gowland; get your gear. You are coming with me.”
We jogged up to the camp which was now largely deserted. I said nothing all the way up. I forced the pace so that we arrived out of breath.
“Bloody hell Sarge! Are you trying to kill us?”
“Not yet, Gowland! But that day is coming. We will get some gear from Daddy and then I will outline what we have to do.”
Daddy had a kitbag with all my requirements and we took it to the empty marquee. I handed them the pieces of paper with the call signs. “First learn them. We burn the paper in an hour.” While they did so I divided the equipment into four piles.
When that was done and they all looked at me I explained our mission. Ken said. “A submarine again?”
“I am afraid so. I have camouflage nets which I asked Daddy to get. I am not certain yet where we will be laying up so we take both types. From the aerial photographs I think there is some scrub ground just a mile from the coast. We will use that. There are just four of us and we may not be needed but whatever happens we stay there until the attack starts. If they find us we have to hold out and stay put. There are over six hundred men and eighteen ships depending on us and the 'Sturgeon'. We do not run. We stay and we die if we have to. If I fall then Ken takes over. This is the most dangerous mission we have ever been given. We have two days to prepare and then we go to Plymouth. We get to watch the lads go into action.”
We spent the rest of the day poring over the maps and the aerial photographs. We came to the conclusion that the beach to the west of the German gun emplacement would be the best place to land. The Pointe de la Lande hid it from the gunners and we would be just five hundred yards from the wood where we hoped to lie up and wait out the long day. We packed all the equipment we would need into the Bergens and returned the kitbag with the unwanted elements to Daddy.
As we headed down the hill to our digs I warned the three of them, “Don’t let anything slip out. It is as much for our mates’ safety as ours. The only chance the flotilla has lies in the hands of the captain of the ‘Sturgeon’ and us.”
“Right Sarge.”
Harry said, “We’d like to thank you for picking us.”
“Thank me if we get back. I could be signing your death warrants; you know that.”
Ken laughed, “We have more chance with you than without you.”
Troop Sergeant Dean must have had a word with the other lads for there were no questions. He had not spoken, however, with Mrs Bailey and she showed that she knew something was up. “Mrs Ferry was telling me today that there are hundreds more like you all over the town. Is something going on? Are the Germans going to invade?”
The others looked at me, “No, Mrs Bailey. We are just training. We are all Commandos and they want us to get used to working together. That is all. You won’t find Germans landing here. You have my word.”
She looked relieved, “I thought she was wrong but you boys be careful!
“We will.”
Horace Maguire was returned to us the next day. He was determined not to miss this raid. There was an air of excitement from everyone. We had missed the other big raid, the Lofoten Islands. We would be part of this one.
My section packed our bags and headed for Plymouth, just along the coast, on the twenty first. The Major wanted us to try to hide in the port and evade capture. We were given blue armbands to mark us as Germans. We joined the local Home Guard and a company of regulars to act as Germans. The Captain in command was bemused when I said our job was to hide. “Sort of like a fifth column eh?”
“Something like that sir.”
“Well we will give your chaps a stern test when they come.”
They were as good as their word. When Lieutenant Colonel Newman and the commandos attacked on the night of the twenty second they were easily repelled. It was a shambles. Nor did they discover us. We took great amusement from watching Captain Roy and his men of Number 2 Commando walk right past us. When the whistle went to announce the end of the exercise we stood up behind them. Our camouflage nets had worked well.
Captain Roy enjoyed the fact that we had beaten them. He came over to us and spoke quietly. He was third in command. “You are the chaps who are going in early eh? Good. It bodes well. Colonel Charles speaks highly of you. I can see why.”
I heard a voice I recognised, "Hi there Tom. It's me Fred Harris, from the demolition course."
I shook his hand, "Good to see you. Well you will get some action now eh?"
"Aye, me and the lads are fed up of hearing about Number 4 Commando. Folk will be talking about us soon!"
"Well good luck!"
The ML was waiting for us in Plymouth harbour. It was Bill’s boat ML 160. We had a daylight run to Portsmouth. There the ‘Sturgeon’ was waiting for us.
Bill came aft for a smoke as we raced along the coast. “A submarine eh?” I nodded, "You wouldn’t get me in one of them.”
“I know. They are horrible.”
“They should let us take you over.” There was no secret where we were going.
“I think they are using the sub so they don’t alert the defences. An ML would be a dead giveaway.”
"We have never let you down before." I could not tell him the real reason, that the submarine was the beacon for the boats.
The submarine was waiting in a quiet corner of the busy harbour. The ML’s captain, Lieutenant Boyd, nodded as we clambered over the side to the metal hull of the sub. “Good luck you chaps!”
“Thank you sir.”
The Petty Officer on the sub grinned as he opened the hatch and we descended into the bowels of the sub. It felt like descending into hell. All my memories of 'Sunfish' resurfaced. I could still feel the concussion from the depth charges. Just before we entered the dark nether reaches of the sub I saw an ancient American destroyer leaving the harbour. I did not know it but it was the 'H.M.S. Campelltown'; it was the floating bomb which would destroy the harbour. The next time we saw her we would be behind enemy lines and the attack would have started.
Chapter 11
We would be aboard the floating coffin for a couple of days and we were assigned bunks. We stored our gear in the forward torpedo room. That was where we would leave when we disembarked. The captain was another young lieutenant, Lieutenant Wingfield. He seemed a little put out that we were being landed, “No offence Sergeant, but I don’t like this implication that we might not be able to do our job.”
“I think it is just belt and braces, sir. Lieutenant Colonel Newman seems like the sort who wants to cover every eventuality. Besides this just helps our lads when they attack the lock gates."
Mollified he said, “Well
we shall try to make you comfortable eh?”
“We have been in a submarine before, sir, the ‘Sunfish’.”
“Then you know what to expect.”
“Yes sir but I hope we won’t be depth charged this time. Commandos are used to fighting back and not just taking punishment.”
“If we are depth charged then it means the operation has been compromised so let’s hope we have a safe journey. We will travel at night to charge up the batteries and then submerge during the day. We will surface again at night to land you chaps and then return to the Loire and our station.”
The crew were friendly enough and made us feel welcome but the food still tasted of oil and battery acid. The walls were still damp and the whole vessel felt like it was closing in on me. I found the only solution was to keep my mind occupied. One of the officers had a chess set and so the four of us played non-stop. As Gowland could not play when we first started we did remarkably well to teach him to a standard where he could give us a game. We became so engrossed that we barely noticed when we set sail and headed out in the dark night. The conning tower hatch was still open and the air was fresher than it would be when we submerged.
We changed our body clocks. Instead of sleeping at night, when we would have fresher air we waited until the time we would hide on the bottom waiting for nightfall once more. This would help us when we landed and had to lie up during the day. The Germans had anti-submarine patrols in the Channel and they stood more chance of finding us if we were moving. Submariners were the most patient men I ever knew.
Ken and Harry were playing chess. I sat on one of the bunks with Poulson. He seemed in the mood to chat. “What will you do after the war, Sarge?”
“I have not thought that far ahead. I suppose I will go back to University. I had a place at Manchester to study Engineering.”
He nodded, “There will be plenty which needs fixing that is for sure.”
“What about you?”
“I don’t know Sarge. I just had labouring jobs and such before the war. I couldn’t go back to that.” He tapped his head, “I have started to use this a bit more. Besides I like the action. Perhaps I will stay in.”
Behind Enemy Lines Page 13