by Griff Hosker
“Yes, sir.”
I discarded the poncho. The blood on the white made it useless as a disguise. As I ran back to Fort Zinderneuf I saw that the sun was setting in the west. It had a couple of hours to go but it would soon be dark and when it was then the North Koreans would come and come mob-handed. Every man in the town would be armed and they would swarm all over us. We had to leave by sunset at the latest!
Jake and the Sergeant Major were waiting expectantly for my return. “We heard gunfire, sir.”
“There were Koreans aboard. We have one barge which has an engine. It is a go. Sergeant Major have the prisoners of war escorted there along with food, weapons and ammo. Load the barge with Williams on it. Keep the mortars here. Put a good man in charge in case they come again.”
“That would be Sergeant Grant. He may not be fully fit but he has a mind as sharp as any and he knows what’s what!”
I nodded. “As soon as they are aboard, Lieutenant, begin to send the men over. One mortar crew first and then half of the men. I will go and speak with the medics.”
Their faces told me that they were not confident. I fearfully stepped around the back of the hut where I could smell burned hair and flesh. They had cauterized the wound. They were smoking and that told me the operation was over. I looked at Pike, “Well?”
“We took his leg and he is not bleeding. He is sleeping and that is a mercy as he woke up during the operation.” That explained the looks my subordinates had given me. “Now it is in the hands of God.”
I took a deep breath and stepped close to the bloody sheet which covered my friend. I touched his hand and was gratified that it felt warm. I turned to them, “And now the big question; when can he be moved?” I looked at Powell; he was the nearest thing we had to a doctor.
He stubbed out his cigarette, “Are you asking me as a medical man or a commando, sir?”
“There is no easy way out of this one, Powell, both!”
“As a doctor, I would say that he should rest here for at least twenty-four hours but, as a commando, I know that is impossible. They will attack again and when we lose, he will suffer and he will die. All I will say, sir, is to leave it as long as possible.”
“A good answer. We leave when the sun sets. Rig something up to carry him. I will get another man for you. There is a barge and it has an engine; that should ensure that he has a smooth journey but you have to carry him for more than a mile, in the dark.”
They looked at each other and Pike said, “We will manage, sir.”
“Whatever you need on the barge send it now. We just take the Major when it is dark.”
“Sir!” He looked at my hand, “before you go, sir, let me deal with that. The last thing we need is for you to be wounded.”
They tended my wound and I went around to the other side of the hut. Already half of the men had gone. “Smith!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Go to the medics. You will be carrying the Major.”
“Sir!”
Ken Thorpe said, “He is alright then, sir?”
“Perhaps but they want as long as possible. When the sun sets, they will carry him. Send Dixon to tell Grant and the others. We need the engine ready to run. There is spare fuel on the damaged barge. Have it transferred to the one which works.”
Marine Harris came up to me and handed me my Thompson, “Here y’are sir.”
“Thanks. Is there a brew on?”
He grinned, “If there isn’t, I will make one, sir!”
“Good man.” I stood with the Sergeant Major and the Lieutenant and took out my pipe, “They will come after dark.”
Lieutenant Morrison nodded as I reamed my pipe, “I have put some booby traps amongst the bodies, sir. I used the Korean grenades.”
“Good.” I began to fill my pipe. “Sergeant Major, I want the men to be a screen for the Major. The medics have done a great job, we can’t allow them to get hurt carrying the Major to the barge.”
“Right sir.”
“Lieutenant, you know the way so you lead. Lofting and I will bring up the rear. Ashcroft, get in touch with Captain Warwick and let him know what we are doing. You follow the stretcher!”
“Sir!”
I had chosen Rafe Smith as a stretcher-bearer because he was resourceful and he helped the three medics to use a canister as a stretcher. With half of the men now on the barge, we no longer needed the defences. I was watching them attach the parachute cords to their makeshift stretcher when I heard Lofting, “Sir, they are coming again!”
It was twilight and a little earlier than I had expected but it was inevitable that they would try again.” Stand to!”
I grabbed my Thompson and ran to the parapet. It was now devoid of the heavy machine gun and we had just one mortar. Timkins said, “We are down to twelve shells, sir!”
“Then make them count.” Just then I heard an explosion from the north. The first of Williams’ booby traps had been triggered. They were attacking from two directions and we did not have enough men to cover both! “Pike, get the Major out now!”
I heard a distant voice, “Right, sir!”
There was a cheer from the town as the Koreans, emboldened no doubt by the lack of numbers facing them, charged. Lofting’s rifle barked and I saw a leader, hand raised in exultation, fall to the ground. A second, carrying the North Korean flag fell to Lofting’s skill and one who tried to pick it up was also slain. There were more explosions to the north. “Timkins, open fire and spread your rounds. As soon as you have fired the last one, pick up your mortar and follow the others.”
“Sir!”
Slipping my Bergen on to my back I ordered, “Lieutenant, go!” I stood and sprayed a whole magazine as Timkins and Nesbit sent their last twelve mortar shells to decimate the Korean line. As they picked up their mortar, I changed magazines and fired another burst. “Lofting, time to go!”
“Sir!”
I picked a grenade from my belt and hurled it as I followed Lofting. A fusillade of bullets thudded into the parapet and there was another explosion from the north. Then my grenade exploded slowing down the pursuit. The sun had, just to say, set as we ran towards the river. The snow had stopped and the clouds cleared a little. There was enough light to see the ground but no more and the Koreans were charging an undefended camp. They fired blindly as they ran towards what they thought was a defended position. We should have laid booby traps but I had not thought of it. I was slipping. The two of us zigged and zagged knowing that to turn and fire again would invite disaster. Sergeant Grant had the side of his barge defended and they sent mortar shells to the south of us followed by machine-gun bullets as we closed with them. I saw that the mortar crew, Williams, Ashcroft and Geoff Bates, along with Corporal Dixon were standing on the bank.
“What is wrong?”
“The working barge is full, sir. If we hadn’t got out then the Major and the medics would not have been able to board. Any more on board and it would capsize. The injured lads take up more space than we thought, sir, and the stretcher… We put the Korean dog in the barge too.”
I waved my hand. I did not need to know the details and I trusted his judgement, “Lieutenant, set sail. We will follow!”
“No, sir!”
“That is an order.”
Williams said, “Sir, there is a rope. We could tow the second barge. It has no engine but…”
Dixon said, “It is worth a try!”
Williams grabbed the rope and threw one end to Rafe Smith who tied it to the first barge. Already the Koreans were closer and the Lieutenant and Sergeant Major Thorpe were sweeping their machine guns from side to side.
“Take the first barge away but if we get in trouble then leave us and that is an order! Right Sergeant Major?”
I heard his weary reply, “Yes sir.”
“Get aboard.”
We had no sooner clambered aboard than bullets rattled into the wooden hull. While Dixon secured the tow the rest of us fired into the dark at the fireflies tha
t were the muzzles of the North Korean guns. The other barge moved into the centre of the river and I heard the rope creak. I wondered if it had enough power to move us. Suddenly we were sucked from the mud and followed the other barge.
“Cease fire! They can’t see us if we don’t fire.”
I could barely see the other barge as it headed downstream. I did not know who was steering but they wisely kept to the centre of the channel. I went to the stern and took the tiller. It felt loose but I was able to follow the other barge. I knew that the bridge was close to the town and that they would have men there and that they would fire. We would have to endure whatever they threw at us.
“Williams, get below and check on the level of the water.”
“Sir!”
“We were nearing the bridge and men on the bank began to fire at the other barge. My mortar crew must have had mortar shells left for there was an explosion on the river bank and by its light, I saw men falling. If we could get beyond the town then we would have a chance. As we slipped past the ruined bridge, I put the tiller over a little to take us away from the bank. We had travelled twenty yards when I heard a horrible noise and Williams suddenly appeared. “Sir, the water was already rising but we hit something and it is flooding in. We are sinking!”
I was paid to make hard decisions and make them quickly, “Dixon, cut the tow and tell the other barge to proceed without us, we are sinking.”
“Righto, sir.” He was calm and his matter of fact voice told me he had confidence in me. I don’t know why.
I began to put the tiller over to drift us closer to the shore. “Ashcroft, make sure the radio is dry.”
“Sorry, sir. It was hit in the last attack and it is beyond repair. Tomlinson has the only working radio and he is in the other barge.”
There were more men on the other barge and we could improvise. “Well, that is the best place for it. Grab everything you can. We are on our own and in a few minutes, we will be scrambling ashore. Until I say so we use hand signals. Stay close and I will try to get us out of this.” My voice had a confidence not shared by the inner me. At least there were just eight of us and the majority had a chance to make safety. As for us? It seemed to me, a choice between prison camp and death!
Chapter 9
The stricken barge actually touched the bank before the water filled her and we were able to scramble ashore without becoming soaked. No one had seen us land for the night was a filthy one with snow flurries all around us and, for the moment, we were undetected. The snow was lessening and that would make us easier to see; we had to move quickly. I signalled for Lofting to prepare his gun and then, Colt in hand, I crawled up the bank. I saw, more than half a mile away, the town and the bridge. There were lights and a great deal of activity but it appeared to be along the river bank further north. The damaged barge had brought us further south than I could have hoped; we were south of the town and the road lay open before us to the south. I risked standing. I no longer wore my white poncho but it was dark and I hoped all the attention was further north. Just forty yards from the river was the main road running south and that would soon have men upon it. I saw more lights to the west, about a mile away. It was the airfield and, even in the snow, men were working on the aeroplanes. A mad thought came into my head. We could go to the airfield. It was one place they would not think to look for us as we were fleeing them. There had to be vehicles there even if they were just petrol bowsers, small trucks, ambulances and fire engines. There were just eight of us and we only needed to get forty or so miles south and we would reach our troops. It was a mad plan but the best that I could come up with. I slithered back down.
I waved my arm for them to close up with me. The snow stopped and it was now much colder; my breath crystallized before me as I spoke, “We are going to head to the airfield. With luck, we can steal a couple of vehicles. I plan on driving us south if I can. Lofting, you are my shadow. Corporal Dixon, you are tail end Charlie. If we have to use a weapon, make it a grenade.” I handed my Thompson and my spare magazines to him. “I will stick with my Colt.”
They nodded their understanding. The trust they were giving me was a heavy weight upon my shoulders. “Let’s go.”
We sprinted across the road. The snow was more like slush on the road showing me that vehicles had been using it and I saw, to the north, a pair of dim lights which told me that another vehicle was coming down the road. It spurred me on and I ran across the snow, hoping that they would not notice the footprints in the recently fallen snow. My men followed in my footsteps which minimized the trail we left. I kept glancing to the north as we ran west. I could hear the vehicle now. It was a GAZ. I waved the men to the ground and we lay on the ground as it came down the road. I held my breath as it neared our footprints which seemed, to me, to be a sign that they could not miss but they did and continued south. It was as they passed that I saw why. They were looking to their left watching for moving barges. They had a heavy-duty torch which they played in the centre of the river. The sunken barge was hard against the bank and could only be seen if they left their vehicle and walked to the edge of the river. The Lieutenant and my men would be far to the south by now. They would still be in danger but only if the North Koreans on the west bank of the river were watching for them. I put that unpleasant thought from my head. We had cast the die and the barge was beyond my help. I rose and waved my men forward.
We were crossing a field of some sort of spring crop. The snow had made it all flat and it was relatively easy to cross. When daylight came then our footprints would be a clear marker but by then I hoped to be away from here. The lights on the airfield helped us for, illuminating the field and the aeroplanes, they made us invisible. Even so, I approached gingerly. I could see them working on two of the Henschels and the Hudson. I saw that the Hudson had been Chinese, I could still see the red star on the fuselage, but they had attached a North Korean flag. I saw that they had vehicles. A petrol bowser was filling up the Hudson and there was a GAZ and an old truck next to it. We would head for the Hudson for those two vehicles might just suit us. I waved my men to spread out on either side of me. We moved slowly, crouching whenever I thought a head had turned but they were too busy with the engines of the aircraft. I saw a pile of bombs on a cart ready to be loaded. I wondered why they had not used them to bomb us but the reason became obvious when we were just three hundred yards from the field. There was no fence around it and I waved for the men to lie in the snow. They were all invisible for they wore their white camouflage but I was exposed. I heard voices shout and I saw that there was someone in the cockpit of the Hudson. He waved and they tried to fire the engines. One started and there was a cheer. That had been why they had not bombed us. The engines had failed. The second one refused to start and they shut down the starboard engine and continued to work on the port one. The two Henschels they had been working on did fire their engines and there was another cheer. I heard what I assumed was Korean banter from the two sets of mechanics. Then they began to load twenty-five-pound bombs under the wings of the old German biplanes.
An idea began to form in my head. They would not take off at night; only a fool would do that especially with a slushy and slippery runway. Once they had finished repairing and loading the aeroplanes they would retire for the night. If they managed to get the Hudson repaired, we could steal it. I had flown one once. My father and I had been down to a sale of ex-RAF aircraft and that had been one we had considered. My father and I had liked the bus but our mechanics had preferred the Pratt and Whitney engines of the Dakota to the Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines of the Hudson. I had once stolen an aeroplane from Germany but that had been German, I hoped that this would be easier as I was familiar with the layout and design of the aeroplane.
We lay still in the snow and watched. The night was getting colder and I felt it getting into my bones. My men would be warmer as they were lying on their ponchos which would give some degree of insulation. I was getting too old for this so
rt of thing. I looked at my watch. We had been there for thirty minutes and it had been at least ten since they had tried the engines. The North Koreans who had loaded the bombs on the biplanes now cleared the snow from around the aeroplanes. That made sense. It was beginning to freeze and they could grit the runway in the morning. They would not want to chip off the ice and frozen snow first. The Henschels were loaded and their crews left leaving just six mechanics working on the Hudson. The petrol bowser left and then the GAZ. Another thirty minutes passed and then they tried the port engine again. It coughed and spluttered twice before it barked into life. The mechanics cheered and they ran both engines for five minutes to make certain that they worked.
It was now well below freezing. The mechanic in the cockpit switched off the engine, then climbed down the ladder from the hatch and they managed to load the bombs in the bomb bay in less than thirty minutes. They loaded eight twenty-five-pound bombs. I suspected that was far less than the maximum payload and might indicate that the North Koreans were short of ammunition. No doubt spurred on by the cold, they drove the old truck off towards the main buildings. Their laughter showed the relief they felt. That ended my idea of stealing vehicles. It was now eleven o’clock. They had not left a guard on the aeroplanes for they were within sight of the buildings just one hundred and eighty yards away. We could approach from the river side and we would be hidden from the control tower by the aeroplane. I gave the base an hour to quieten and then I rose and waved my arm. I pointed to the aeroplane. I dared not give my men verbal instructions as their voices would carry in the night. They would have to trust me.