Mission to Britain

by J Eugene Porter

  “Petty Officer Goldsmith, this is my second trip to London, but when I was here in the late ’20s, all was aglow and new. The damage is worse than I had imagined. Are the Germans still coming over in large numbers?”

  Goldsmith could tell the captain was a man in his early forties at best and seemed to be a very kind gentleman. “Sir, they are not too frequent, but Gerry has some tricks up his sleeve, and he does come over occasionally to send us his best regards.”

  Jameson chuckled just a bit at the wonderful English sense of humor and calm in the face of chaos. “I guess, Petty Officer, that you are a Londoner?”

  “Yes sir, I was born, raised, educated and married all in the Knightsbridge area, if you know that part of town, sir.”

  “I have heard of it, Goldsmith, but I doubt I could find it.” He smiled back at her as she looked back at him in the rearview mirror. “If I may ask, does your husband serve in the forces as well?”

  The smile went away in the mirror. “He did serve in the Royal Navy, sir, but he died on the Hood.”

  Jameson felt like an ass for his question and quickly stated, “I am so sorry. I should not have asked the question. You have my deepest sympathy.”

  The smile came back but not as broadly. “Not to worry, sir, you could not have known. There are a lot of widows in England, and we do our best for our loved ones whether they are with us or not. It is a rotten thing war, as you Yanks have been discovering. You are very lucky you don’t have the bloody Germans dropping bombs on your cities and trying to kill you and your families every night.”

  She looked forward again and then looking in the rearview mirror, “I am sorry, sir, for the comment. You are here to help us, and we all do appreciate your help in ways that we cannot begin to imagine. It is good to have you here, sir, as well as your men.”

  Jameson looked at the gunny who sat next to him and looked sadder than he did. “Petty Officer Goldsmith, I’m glad we’re here too, and we’ll do our best to end the Germans’ attacks on you and your countrymen. Then we’ll go over to Europe and reduce their cities to rubble.”

  “Thank you, Captain. We will be at our destination in about two more minutes and thank you for your condolences.”

  A less active conversation was taking place in the car following Jameson’s. Brand glanced out the car window and added notes to his notebook while Flannigan and the two non-coms observed the city as they drove through. When they came to the bombed-out areas, Flannigan did ask about the timing of present-day attacks and Petty Officer Bagley was full of information on the subject. Brand paid attention to Bagley’s commentary but was more interested in the bombing patterns and ensuing devastation. Only once did he ask a question and that was to ascertain the approximate date of the bombing of a destroyed area. Bagley provided a guess of November 1940 during the height of the Blitz when the Germans came every night for months. Some attacks she said were minimal, but others were very heavy. The Germans kept dropping their bombs on the same area. She commented on the September 1940 attack on the Docklands when the Germans used the bright late summer sky to follow the Thames to the main dockyards of London, setting fires which lasted for three days.

  Flannigan looked at the burned-out buildings with a twinge of pain. He knew full well the meaning of the rubble and the lives lost. He could feel the searing heat as the fires consumed the buildings until they lost their structural integrity and fell away burying those unfortunate to have been unable to escape. Yes, he knew the meaning, and the hell of the bombing and the memories started to flood back to him on that warm day in Cavite back in December. Looking at the other Marines and Brand, Flannigan wondered if he would have to face more of these bombings again soon.

  The cars turned a corner and Bagley announced, “Sir, we are facing the War Office. For future reference, Captain, the building is located on the corner of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall. The War Office is a massive structure with over one thousand rooms on seven floors. Someone told me there are two and a half miles of corridors. There is also a new bomb shelter complex next door plus other areas I am not privy to know about.”

  The building was a white stone neo-Baroque style that exuded the power and importance of Edwardian England when it was completed in 1906. The complex held the headquarters of the British army and Royal Air Force, plus the offices of many of the wartime ministers who worked in the dark recesses of the complex developing plans ranging from new weapons to espionage.

  When they pulled up to the main entrance, Jameson could see the sandbag walls of the building built to minimize damage from near misses plus he saw the barbed wire that ringed the building which focused entry into a few points which were guarded by well-armed British soldiers. After they had exited their cars, the Wrens informed the passengers they would be parked in a lot nearby awaiting their return and would be on the lookout for them when they left the building.

  The Americans showed their identification and were cleared to enter. They quickly encountered a wall inside the door which they had to walk around. Again, this was a blast precaution that would limit flying debris from coming into the building. Once around the wall, they were greeted at a desk guarded by two armed British soldiers. The man at the desk was an army sergeant who stood to attention, as did the guards when the American officers walked up to the desk. Again, security was very tight, and their identification cards were examined again. The sergeant checked their names off the approved visitor list, picked up a phone, and dialed a number to request an escort for the Americans.

  A British army major with a corporal in tow came to attention in front of Jameson. “Sir, I am Major Hollister, and I shall escort you and your men to the meeting room. Corporal James will escort your security detail to the canteen where they can have some tea or is it the coffee that you Americans like so much?”

  Jameson returned the salute by the major and thanked him for the kind offer of tea. “Major, I will ask the gunnery sergeant to accompany us to the meeting, and the rest of the Marines can enjoy some tea with the corporal. Is that going to be all right with you?”

  The major didn’t like the Americans being armed but had been told this group of officers had a security team with him. He had also been informed the American visitors could do as they please, according to orders from the Chief of the Imperial Staff Gen. Alan Brooke. Brooke also served as the principal military advisor to the prime minister and was the senior general in the British army. He was also now the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee which represented the Army, Royal Air Force, and the Royal Navy.

  The group of four Americans walked up two flights of stairs and down several hallways to reach the conference room where they were to meet the Air Vice Marshal. The major rapped on the door and a voice on the other side said to enter. Hollister walked in and smartly saluted. “Sir, I have the American naval team outside. Sir, shall they enter?”

  Tedder was standing in the center of the room along with a group of RAF and Royal Naval officers plus Gen. Alan Brooke. “Yes, of course, please bring them in.”

  The RAF Air Marshal turned to face the other officers in the room and looked directly at General Brooke saying, “General, I am sorry, but I offered my services to this American team on the recommendation of Field Marshal Dill. Can you excuse me for a few minutes?”

  General Brooke looked at Tedder who he liked more than most RAF officers and replied, “Of course, Tedder, bring them in here and let’s see what they have to say for themselves. Gentlemen, this may be the first time some of you have ever met some of our Allies so please be on your best behavior.”

  All the officers smiled, and a few chuckled about Brooke’s comment. Many of the officers had met some of the leading American staff officers over the past year in Washington and at the Atlantic Charter Conference held in New Foundland before the Americans joined the war.

  The major brought in the American officers with the gunny staying outside watching and wondering what was going on in the big conference room.

>   “General Brooke, Air Vice Marshal Tedder, gentlemen, may I present Captain Jameson, Captain Flannigan, and Lieutenant Brand.”

  The Americans came to attention in the expansive room with their hats under their arms. Tedder shook the hand of Jameson. “Captain, I have heard good things about you and your team from Field Marshal Dill. May I present to you, the Chief of the Imperial Staff, General Brooke.”

  Once again, the team went to full attention. Brooke smiled slightly while shaking the hands of each of the American officers. When he came to Brand, he was astonished at how young this man was. He had seen the messages coming from the British liaisons in Washington about a young genius who was very quick and wickedly intelligent about the scientific aspects of warfare which he thought he would test quickly.

  Brooke glanced back at the Royal Navy admiral behind him, said to Brand, “I hear, young man, that you are the secret weapon the Americans will use against the U-boats. Is that true?”

  Jameson frowned. He had been briefed about Brooke being unapologetic about what he thought was American brashness and egotism. He also knew Brand would acquit himself well.

  “General Brooke, sir, I offer no secret way to win the war against the U-boat, but I believe with some of our advances on what your excellent scientists have already accomplished and the vast experience of the Royal Navy and Coastal Command, we shall succeed.”

  Brooke peered at the young man very seriously and then with a bit of a smile stated in a loud voice, so everyone could hear, “Gentlemen, we have in our midst what I believe is a very intelligent young man who is also a diplomat. Well spoken, Mr. Brand. I do think we will get along very well.” Brooke returned his attention to a large table holding a series of maps.

  Tedder was relieved at the way Brand handled the general and led them to the map the generals and admirals were examining. He began a quick review of the situation in North Africa and the Mediterranean. “Gentlemen, we are facing more challenges in the Med each day. Rommel has pushed us out of Benghazi, and our new line which runs from Gazala to Bir Hakeim is weak. Our loss of men and equipment has been large, and I do not know if we can hold them back until we can consolidate our supply situation.”

  He pointed to the center of the map at Libya and then the border of Egypt. At this pace, the Germans were going to be knocking on the gates of Alexandria soon. The British command had committed more troops, but the Germans and their Italian Allies were outsmarting them in this fluid desert warfare. The Germans were getting supplies from Italy, but they were offloaded in Tripoli and moved nearly eight hundred miles to the front. Now with Benghazi under their control, the Italian ships could move their supplies closer to the fighting. Adding to this already complex situation, the Royal Navy had a tough time keeping Malta supplied because the island was under daily attack. The strategic island was still holding out, causing the Germans and Italians to be mindful of this mid-Mediterranean fortress with its submarines and aircraft capable of attacking their convoys heading to Africa.

  Tedder now spoke of his command and challenges. “The Desert Air Force is stitched just as well as the army. We need more planes, more pilots, and more supplies. The bloody sand gets into everything and eats away at machinery. Engines wear out in half the time, and pilots get lost from the sheer immensity of the desert. They become disoriented and end up flying the wrong way until they run out of gas. We have found many planes over the past year that simply crashed in the desert and the poor pilot lost never to be found.”

  He turned to listen to the discussion by Brooke on the need to resupply Tobruk and make sure it holds like it did last year. He told one of the other generals he wished he had more of the Australians that held out last time, but they were being pulled back because of the Japanese war.

  Tedder continued, “Yes, the General’s comments about the Australians is one more indication of the severity of how this is a worldwide war and how our thinking must adjust to that reality. We are receiving more of your supplies, but they must go around Africa. Some of your air force people are now flying with us in Egypt to gain experience and to get a feel for the Germans. We have proven that we can beat them, but it will take a long time and serious losses to ensure victory.” He again looked at the staff officers pointing here and there with each one clambering for more of everything.

  Tedder then asked Jameson, “Captain, I know you are aware of many of the issues we are facing. We will hold out until you can get over to this part of the world in significant numbers to help us, but what are your feelings about all that you see around you?”

  Jameson felt like he had just walked into quicksand, but he was a good diplomat and a scientist, so he jumped into the discussion. “Air Marshal, I agree and so do all of our military leaders that it will be a long struggle, and we will eventually win. The issue at hand is about the priorities. Not the things that would be expedient or morale boosting, but what will erode the strength of the enemy. How do we start to wear him down in logical steps based upon our resources plus, if I may add, with the fewest casualties? We must win the war for the soul of mankind plus the physical war on the Axis nations.”

  Jameson looked over the maps and continued, “This requires, like you were discussing, the problems of supply, trained personnel, and equipment that can withstand the tempo of wartime operations. We have also experienced the lack of trained personnel, outmoded equipment, and technology. Science and technology is our mission. We must spend wisely on those things that will work well but in a reasonable time frame.”

  He turned to the Air Vice Marshal saying, “Great technology is worthless unless it has an immediate application on the battlefield. We look forward to helping as much as possible.”

  Tedder nodded his agreement and added, “Captain, you are not Don Quixote tilting windmills, and I appreciate that. Realism with a dash of possibility is what is called for now.”

  Brand had been studying the table map and moved closer to one of the Royal Navy admirals who looked at the young man at first as an annoyance and then as a grandfather expecting a toddler to do something amusing. Brand peered at the map, and most of the other officers watched with a strange curiosity. Only a few of the senior men knew of his mission and fewer still of his capabilities.

  General Brooke became interested in whatever it was that so enthralled the young American. “Lieutenant, what is it that you are looking at which has so captured your attention?”

  Brand continued to look at the map and then turned to the senior officer in the British military. “Sir, the breakthrough by Rommel was accomplished by flanking your positions, correct?”

  Brooke nodded.

  Brand continued, “And it appears the new Gazala to Bir Hakeim line is being improved with minefields and other defensive positions.”

  Brooke was becoming somewhat annoyed at the young American but again nodded in agreement.

  “Then, sir, what is to stop Rommel from doing it again? The ground south of Bir Hakeim is the same as your previous position. There is a lot of room for a flanking attack or an end run around as General Stonewall Jackson described it during the American Civil War.”

  Brooke looked at the map, but before he could disagree, Brand continued. “Sir, there is no barrier for Rommel to run south until you get into Egypt, at this point, a town called El Alamein. South of this area, at least if this map is accurate, is something called the Qattara Depression, which references its topography as being impassable. The Germans will continue to run to the south until they cannot run south anymore.”

  Brand looked at the map and then turned to face General Brooke. “If you have the logistical strength to slow them down in their build-up of men and supplies, the Gazala line could hold but if I recall, Malta has been under increasing attacks, and this may mean the Italians will try to increase their resupply efforts. If Benghazi can be set up as their forward logistical hub, reducing the transport distance by over eight hundred miles, the Germans, even if understrength, can cause you grievous harm. If, an
d I say that without any knowledge of events on the ground, your forces cannot degrade his ability to run supplies and men to Libya, you should be prepared to perform movement to these more defensible locations as shown on the map.”

  Brooke stared at the map, considering the distances involved. He didn’t say anything, but his staff knew what the young man had explained made great sense. Armies under General Richie had been attacked head-on, fixed in place, and flanked before. If this happened again, a near catastrophic loss could be in the winds.

  The British chief of staff looked directly at Brand saying, “Lieutenant, you are a naval officer, but you have a keen sense of strategy. If, as you say, we cannot degrade the Germans in their supply effort, you would suggest we give up the new line for a secondary location at this El Alamein location?”

  Brand gazed at the head of the British army and without regard to his rank stated, “Sir, I would hold the present location, but with the building forces arriving in Egypt, I would also begin a secondary line of defense and develop plans to pull back forces only if necessary. Based upon the battle reports your army has sent to us, it appears the German strategy is to use massed tank forces. They use their speed and abrupt course changes to take advantage of weak lines or communication gaps. History, therefore, is our teacher in how they will attack again. By begin-ning to set up what I call a plan B, you then have a more defensible position to pull back to, but only if required.”

  James looked at the map again and pointed at Benghazi before speaking. “History also tells us that the Germans run out of steam quickly, which is all based upon resupply. Fuel for tanks, ammunition, and above all else, water will slow their advance. Air Vice Marshal Tedder needs to be given more tools to interdict along with the navy, the convoys in the Mediterranean and then the roadways and rail line that connects Tripoli to Benghazi then to the front.”