by Griff Hosker
" Fletcher, Beaumont, lay the charges. The Sergeant and I will keep watch. Listen for a whistle."
Poulson and I slid down the embankment. The railway line ran north to south and the road east to west. I took the west while Sergeant Poulson took the east. Five minutes passed and then I caught the sound of an engine. I whistled and pressed myself into the shadows of the bridge. There was a curve in the road and the masked lights did not pick me up as it sped around the corner. It was a Kubelwagen. There was a curfew and any vehicles we saw were likely to be German army vehicles. When it had passed I whistled the all clear. Ten minutes later Beaumont and Fletcher appeared and gave me the thumbs up. I went under the bridge to whistle Sergeant Poulson.
We now had to hurry. Private Beaumont had used fifteen minute fuses. We ran along the road to the west. If we saw heard anything we would dive into the ditches which bordered the road. We had only to use this main thoroughfare for six hundred yards and then we would take the small side road which led north. We were lucky. We managed to run down the main road unseen and we dived into the narrow side road. Five hundred yards up the side road the night was lit up by the explosion. We could not help but turn back to look. The bridge had been blown. Equally important was the fact that the road was also blocked
No one said a word although we all knew there would be a hue and cry as the Germans sought the saboteurs. We had to leave the road soon as we could. I spied a field to the left. When the hedge became thin enough I led us through it. It was muddier than I would have liked. Our foot prints would be easily seen. It could not be helped. We ran along the scrubby bushes which lined it. It was not a perfect cover but it would have to do. The going was much slower than we might have hoped. Suddenly I caught a flash of light ahead. I dived into the ground knowing the others would copy me. A German truck and an armoured car appeared just moments later. I waited until the sound of the vehicles receded then stood. We had to hurry and I risked the road. We ran as only commandos know how. We had to take cover in the ditch and the field which bordered the road twice but by my estimate we made six miles in just over an hour. We had been lucky.
We stopped just half a mile from the darkened village which lay ahead of us. The way around it involved a long detour. I waved Scouse forward. He could scout better than anyone I knew. We gave him a start of thirty yards and then followed. I took my Colt out once more. I knew it was less than three hours to dawn. We had to be close to the coast by daylight. I hoped to be safely sheltered in the woods I had spied by dawn. Private Beaumont tapped my arm and pointed. Scouse was sheltering behind a corner. He turned and, putting his finger beneath his nose like a Hitler moustache he held out of three fingers; Germans.
Sergeant Poulson also had a silenced Colt. I pointed to Beaumont and signed him to watch our rear. When we reached Scouse I risked a look around the corner. There were three Germans and they had a Kubelwagen parked across the street. It was at a crossroads. The only way through the village was past this roadblock. The range was forty yards. At night that was marginal. Every moment we delayed increased the chance that we would be captured. I tapped Polly. He came forward. I aimed at the one to left, he the one on the right. I hissed, "Fire!"
I squeezed twice and did not wait for the man to fall. I fired another two shots at the last man. All three were dead.
"Move!"
We ran to the Kubelwagen. Two of the Germans had two bullet holes, the last one three. The Colt was as reliable as ever.
"Put the bodies in the back. We head north. I'll drive."
The sound of the Kubelwagen starting seemed like an explosion yet it might be expected for it had been driven into the village by the Germans. I gave the others my amended plan as I drove through twisting and narrow side roads. "We will drive north of Boulogne and abandon the Kubelwagen. It will be missed. Then we head back to the woods. I want them looking north." We now had an advantage and I wanted to deceive the Germans and their search.
"Makes sense sir."
"What do we do with the bodies sir?"
"Leave them in the vehicle."
Ironically driving the vehicle was safer than running. In the dark our woollen hats looked like German field caps. We passed one vehicle heading south as we neared Boulogne. I raised my hand to wave to the driver as we passed.
"Next side road we take it!"
"There sir!"
I almost rolled the vehicle as I threw it to the left. It was a farm track. As soon as we stopped I jumped out. "Get your bags and let's go."
"Are we gonna booby-trap it, sir?"
"No Scouse. Too many civilians." We were skilled at laying booby traps.
We headed back down the track. Crossing the main road was nerve wracking. It was just one and a half hours before dawn but we only had two miles left to run. Once we made the narrow side road I breathed easier. When I saw the woods looming up I knew that half of the danger was past. We still had to lay up during the day but we had done the most difficult part of it. All we had to do now was make the rendezvous with the launch.
We kept running on the hard roadway for as long as we could. When we entered the woods I looked for stones on which to stand. We wanted as little sign of our passing remaining. Forty steps in we found the tumble of rocks and used those. Finally after four hundred more steps we found a clearing. When I dropped my Bergen my men knew we had reached our camp. We each took out our camouflage net and spread them above the clearing. There was no sign of water, we would have to husband what remained. We had a long day and half a night to go.
"I will take first watch. Three hours on. Scouse you'll be up next."
"Righto sir.. So far so good eh sir?"
Polly cuffed him on the back of the head." Don't jinx it! When you see Falmouth harbour then you can be a cocky little bugger again!"
"Sorry, Sarge, forgot!" My men were superstitious about such things. They knew that fate had a way of intervening just when you thought you had everything in hand.
They rolled up in their parachute canopies. They were almost as warm as a blanket and much lighter to carry. Soon they were all asleep and I rose to scout the perimeter. As I went I gathered dead dried wood. I made piles across the main path into the camp. The noise of their breaking would warn us of an enemy. Once I had scoured the outside I returned to the camp and ate some dried rations and washed them down with a little water. I spied a handful of blackberries which remained on the bushes. I picked and ate a handful. They were overripe and the juice spurted out. After dried rations the taste was exquisite.
Scouse had been right. Apart from the German checkpoint the operation had gone as well as we could possibly have expected. We still had the extraction. I checked the maps. We had five miles yet to cover. The cliffs were just eighty feet high and we would be descending to rocks below. We knew they could not be mined. Getting out to the launch might be tricky. We might have to get our feet wet. However, I thought that the journey along the coast road would be the only serious obstacle
It was fifty minutes before the end of the watch when I heard the aeroplane. The sound of the engine told me that it was a spotter. They had found the Kubelwagen. I remained still and trusted to the netting. A pilot would be looking for men moving. They would see trees and foliage. I resisted the urge to look up as its engine drew closer. I would learn nothing. It receded and disappeared to scout further south.
I woke Scouse, "Your watch. A spotter just came over. I've laid dead wood on the paths in. They will warn you of any footfall."
"You get your head down, sir. I'll keep a good watch."
I went to a tree and relieved myself. Taking out my canopy I rolled into it and I was soon asleep.
I woke halfway through Sergeant Poulson's shift. Scouse was still asleep although Beaumont was awake. "Anything?"
"The spotter was back an hour ago."
I looked to my watch." Two hours until dark. We will give Scouse another hour and then we'll be ready to move. We will use the dusk to negotiate the woods. If we get to
the cliffs early it won't hurt."
While we waited we reloaded our weapons. Now that we no longer had support for the Colt we would have to be creative. I managed to get fifty rounds for my Luger from the dead Germans. Although it had no silencer it was a good weapon. I packed the Colt and silencer in the Bergen and along with the Thomson. I would use a Luger if we had a fire fight. Beaumont and Fletcher had to machine pistols with two magazines taken from dead Germans. We were adept scavengers.
Scouse had been up no more than ten minutes when we heard the sound of the engine. It was not far from where we had entered the woods. We grabbed our bags and cocked our weapons. Sergeant Poulson still had a silenced Colt. When we heard the sound of dogs followed by German voices we knew they had found us. I waved Scouse to the west. Sergeant Poulson would bring up the rear.
When they found the camp they would have confirmation that we had stayed there. There would be too much evidence to ignore and the dogs would have our scent. Then the net would begin to tighten. We ran but we avoided making any noise. The sound of the dogs told us that they had our scent. I knew, without turning, that they were closing with us. I turned and took out my dagger. Fletcher and Beaumont did the same. We saw the dogs hurtling towards us. There were four of them and they were huge Alsatians. Sergeant Poulson shot two with his silenced Colt but one leapt at me. I held out my left hand as it lunged. As I pulled my hand back, I drove my dagger through its brain. it made no sound as it fell. Scouse had managed to kill the fourth dog but his hand was bleeding; he had been bitten. German voices sounded in the distance. I saw Beaumont booby trapping the trail leading to the dead dogs. We ran.
When we reached the edge of the woods we just ran across the road and into the field on the other side. It had had animals in it. There was no cover. I spied, up the gentle slope, a low hedgerow; it was a boundary marker. We were halfway to it when the booby-trap went off. It was followed by a fusillade of shots. They had suspected an ambush. Once we reached the hedgerow we lay down.
There was no more cover for half a mile. We would have to wait until dark. We watched as the grey uniforms burst from the woods and spread out with guns at the ready. Twelve Germans appeared and were led by a Feldwebel. He pointed left and right. His men hurried down the road. He and his two remaining men came to the hedge and used their bayonets to cut their way in. They examined the ground. The sun was setting in the west.
I heard another vehicle and the three men returned to the road. Two vehicles arrived, a German truck and an ambulance. I prayed for the sun to set faster. We dared not move while there was any light. The other three were lying in the dell below the hedgerow. I said quietly, "Couple of booby traps!"
Sergeant Poulson nodded. He and the others used the German hand grenades to make booby traps. It was unlikely that civilians would trip them here. The coast would be a restricted area. Already the Germans were spreading out across the field and heading for our position. I checked my watch in the fading light. The motor launch would be below the cliffs from eleven o'clock onwards. It was now five thirty. We had time, perhaps too much time. The Germans were close enough now to smell; pickled cabbage and the smell of German cigarettes drifted over to us. As the light faded to black they were less than sixty yards from us. I risked moving. I slid down to the dell and waved the others to follow me. The ground was rising rapidly towards the cliff. It was also becoming much rougher; there were stones and uneven pieces of ground. I did not head directly for the cliff top. I wanted them to follow us. I saw a cow pat and I stepped in it deliberately so that they would be able to follow. I had seen them using torches to search for us. They were German soldiers and as such very methodical.
Suddenly the first booby-trap at the hedgerow went off and I heard shouting. There was a pop and night became day as a flare was launched. We had moved far enough from the hedgerow to be beyond its light and I hurried south. A second explosion brought machine-gun fire as they fired at shadows. When we reached the cliff top path I headed down it for twenty paces. By that time I had cleaned my shoe of the cowpat and left evidence on the trail.
"Walk backwards in your footsteps and leave the path. We will find somewhere below the cliff top to hide."
We moved backwards leaving as little sign of our passing as possible. I saw lights moving down the field. They were only shining their torches a short way ahead of themselves. They were looking for us and for booby traps. Scouse found some stones leading down to the cliff. It was almost a path but there was a sheer drop to one side. He waved me forward. This was a decision for an officer. A mountain goat would have found it easy and in daylight, with pitons and time it would not be a problem. This was night time and we were being hunted.
It was pitch black now and what we were doing was almost suicidal. One false move could bring us crashing down to the sea and rocks below. The Germans came to our aid. They fired another flare. We were below the cliff top and could not be seen but it lit up, albeit briefly, the cliff and the rocks. I saw the spit of rocks leading out to sea. We were at the right place. Just thirty yards ahead I saw a rock overhang and somewhere for us to shelter. If we could reach it without one of us plunging to our deaths. Stepping carefully along the almost vertical path I made my way to the overhang. I climbed over the top and moved under its protective ledge. The others tumbled in behind me. We all fitted in lying below the rocks but only just. I opened my Bergen and took out my rope. I closed the bag and returned it to my back.
Scouse hissed, "That was bloody dangerous, sir!" I nodded and held my finger to my lips. He nodded and began to bandage his hand, bitten by the dog.
Sergeant Poulson took out his rope. He returned his Bergen to his back. There were still four hours to go. Two snaking ropes would be a giveaway and we had to keep them inside our shelter. After a short time I saw lights playing down the cliff. The German voices appeared and seemed to be just above us. The sound of the surf on the rocks below made it difficult to hear but I did catch the word, "Kommando!"
Another twenty minutes passed and then I heard a shout. They had found my track down the path. Peering over the large rock which gave protection to one side of our den, I saw lights heading down the path. There were still Germans above us. I could hear them talking.
Another hour passed and then the lights approached up the cliff again. They stopped and played their torches on the overhang. My face was blackened and beneath the rock. This time I heard the words as an officer barked out an order. "Weber, fire a burst at the overhang!" He sounded close enough to touch but I knew he was at least forty yards away on the cliff path.
The gun sounded loud but the bullets striking the rock was both louder and more dangerous. Shards of rock ricocheted around us. I felt one hit my back. No one behind me cried out. When the bullets stopped the air was filled with the smell of gun smoke. Torches played down the cliff as they looked for evidence. The silence was broken by the officer again, "You two, make your way along to the rocks. See if there are bodies."
Another voice pleaded, "We would have heard them, Lieutenant. They would have cried out when we fired. It is empty."
"I gave an order. Investigate! They must be somewhere!"
A third voice said, "Perhaps they fell off the cliff, sir!"
"Then where are the bodies? Just do it!"
I risked looking over the rocks. The two Germans were some yards away. The other soldiers played their torches before the feet of the two men so that they could see their way to reach us. I readied my Luger. We would sell our lives dearly. The Germans first five steps took far longer than we had taken. It was a second soldier who initiated the disaster. He slipped and instinctively grabbed his comrades arm. They both cart wheeled to the rocks below. Their screams startled some seabirds which took flight and then there was a splash as one hit the water and a splat as one hit the rocks.
A German voice snapped, "Two good men lost, sir! There is no one there!"
"I want men guarding this cliff until daylight!"
He must have
left because I heard one German say, "Prussian idiot! Hans and Karl dead and for nothing!"
The voices receded and it was silent once more. I checked my watch. It was almost ten o'clock. When I turned I saw that we had not escaped unscathed, Poulson and Beaumont had both suffered cuts from the flying stones. Scouse was tending to them. It could have been worse, much worse.
At ten thirty I tied the end of my rope around the sturdy looking rock. I would delay throwing the rope over until I knew the launch was there. They would not signal us, Scouse would signal them. I tapped Poulson's arm and pointed to his rope. Sergeant Poulson, now looking like Frankenstein's creature, found another rock for his rope. He tied it on and held the coils. Fletcher took out his Aldis lamp ready to signal.
Although it was pitch black we peered into the darkness trying to see the white bow spray which would show us the launch. It was sharp eyed Fletcher who saw it; he waved at me. They were early! I nodded as he began to signal. I threw the end of my rope over the side of the cliff and watched it snake down. I had tied the rope and so I would test it. I wrapped it across my back. The hardest part was stepping out because the Germans might still be looking over the edge. I saw no white faces as I did so and then I began to lower myself until my legs were horizontal. Sergeant Poulson threw his rope out. As my body bent to ninety degrees I looked up. I saw no German faces. I lowered my body until my legs were straight. Then I began to walk down; I could have bounced and done it in three drops but there might be Germans watching. Sudden movements would attract attention. I looked up and saw Sergeant Poulson as he descended. I then watched my feet rather than the cliff top.
Suddenly a flare lit up the sky. The game was up. They had seen either us or the launch. I flexed my knees and bounced outwards. I let the rope run through my right hand. As I came in again towards the cliff I bounced once more and then began to cross my right hand to arrest my descent. As my feet touched the wall again I saw I was just ten feet from the slippery rocks. I jerked my hand across my chest and I stopped instantly. My climbing instructor in Oswestry would have been proud. I walked the last ten feet. As I stepped away from the rope I saw the muzzle flashes as the Germans fired blindly into the dark. They were firing at the launch and not at us. I drew my Luger and aimed it at the cliff. I targeted a muzzle flash. Poulson landed next to me followed by Beaumont. My sergeant drew his silenced Colt and fired at the muzzle flashes.