Legacy of Hate

by Christopher Nicole

  ‘What about the roads?’

  ‘The other groups have been allotted to handle the roads.’ ‘They have not arrived.’

  ‘They’ll be around. Only the leaders will come to the rendezvous, and that is not until tomorrow.’

  ‘You are so confident.’

  ‘One has to be confident, Li.’

  ‘Oh, I am glad you are confident. It makes up for my lack.’ ‘You, lacking confidence? YouT

  ‘I know that I am living on borrowed time.’ She rolled over to lie on her back. ‘And now I am less confident than ever. Because I have so enjoyed this past month.’

  ‘Sleeping in ditches? Eating once a day? Bathing once a week?’

  ‘Sleeping in your arms? Sharing every minute with you? Knowing that — ’

  ‘Confidence, remember. We’ve blown up a railway line before.’

  ‘And just about went with it. I have been happier this past month than I have ever been in my life before.’

  He kissed her. ‘Hearing you say that makes the whole thing worthwhile. So, afterwards … ’

  ‘Afterwards,’ she said, and took him in her arms.

  Jules cleared his throat, embarrassed. He was a big man, with heavy features and broad shoulders and lank black hair, who had been one of the original members of the band, eighteen months before. Liane could remember with amusement how she had been afraid of him when they had first met, and equally how he had become one of her most trusted aides. She pulled up her trousers and then sat up. ‘Is there a problem?’

  ‘Rostand is here.’

  ‘Already? And what is this name, Rostand?’

  ‘It’s a pseudonym,’ James explained, also dressing himself. ‘They all use pseudonyms, except you. It is to protect their families.’

  ‘But as I have no family to protect … Well, we had better see him.’

  They made their way through the wood to where the Group were bivouacked. It was August 17th. To James’s surprise, and relief, all thirty-one had arrived, and there had been no incidents — but then, he reminded himself, these men were all accomplished guerrillas, and their female leader even more so.

  Rostand was with Pierre. He was a small, dark man, who, to James’s concern, was clearly very tense.

  ‘It is the invasion, yes?’ he remarked. ‘We have waited two years for this moment.’

  ‘It is an assault on the port of Dieppe,’ James said carefully. ‘Our only concern is to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the town for as long as the battle continues. It is very important to remember this. However, as they do not know what is about to hit them, we do not expect any reaction for at least twenty-four, and possibly forty-eight hours.’ He spread the map on the ground. ‘This is the road for which you will be responsible. You will prepare a roadblock here.’ He prodded the stiff paper. ‘But it must be concealed and not erected until midnight tomorrow, August eighteenth. The same with this bridge.’ Again he prodded the map. ‘It must be blown, but not until after midnight. It is essential that you stick to that exact timetable.’

  Rostand nodded. ‘We will do it.’ He peered at the map. ‘It is a big road. They may have tanks.’

  ‘Our information is that the nearest panzer formation is a hundred kilometres away. By the time it can arrive, if it ever does, you should have erected an impassable barrier. You have been chosen for this task because you have the most men and you have been equipped with bazookas. You must hold that road for at least forty-eight hours after tomorrow night.’

  ‘And afterwards?’

  ‘If, at the end of forty-eight hours, the enemy continues to attack you in overwhelming strength, you may withdraw your people and send them home.’

  ‘Just like that, eh? Leaving our dead behind. There will be some dead, Major Barron. Perhaps many.’

  ‘I think you would be unwise to attempt to take your dead; the delays could be costly. Rostand, we know you to be a courageous and determined leader of your people. We know you will not let us down.’ He held out his hand. ‘Good fortune.’ Rostand shook hands, then embraced Liane, shook hands with Pierre, and left the bivouac.

  Jules was hovering. ‘Granville is here.’

  ‘Another pseudonym,’ Pierre remarked.

  ‘All these strangers, knowing the map reference where we are to be found,’ Liane commented. ‘Do you realize that if there is a traitor in this lot we could all be slaughtered in a matter of moments?’

  ‘If there is a traitor in the Resistance we are all dead in any event,’ James told her. ‘Let’s see Monsieur Granville.’

  ‘Herr Colonel.’ Major Hans Rinteler stood to attention. ‘Heil Hitler! Welcome to Dieppe.’ He was a thin man with a hatchet face, who was sweating at the unheralded appearance of the Gestapo chief.

  ‘Heil Hitler!’ Roess acknowledged.

  ‘Is this an official visit?’ Rinteler asked anxiously.

  ‘Yes, it is.’ Roess drew off his gloves. ‘I have been asked by Colonel Weber to visit you. You know Colonel Weber?’ ‘Ah … No, sir.’

  ‘He is a senior officer in the SD. You know of the SD?’ Rinteler gulped. ‘Yes, sir. But … you mean the SD has an interest in Dieppe? I do assure you … ’

  ‘I am sure you will. Shall we sit?’

  He did so, and Rinteler hastily returned behind his desk. ‘I had heard you were not well, Herr Colonel.’

  ‘I am perfectly well, thank you. A couple of months ago you received a visit from Colonel Hoeppner, who was then Commandant of the Bordeaux area.’

  ‘That is correct, sir. Colonel Hoeppner was on his way to Berlin on leave, but he came up here first. He used to command here, you know.’

  ‘I do know. I used to serve here myself. Colonel Hoeppner made certain comments. Do you recall what they were?’

  ‘He seemed to feel that we might be attacked by the British.’ ‘And how did you respond to that?’

  ‘Well, frankly, Herr Colonel, I found it difficult to respond at all. I mean, look out there.’ The office was situated on the top floor of the headquarters building, and the window overlooked the harbour and the sea beyond. ‘Have you ever seen such a picture of calm? Even six months ago there was usually some activity, even if it was only an MTB rushing by at great speed, but for the past few months, nothing.’

  ‘And you do not find that suspicious? How far away from where we are sitting now is the English coast?’

  ‘Perhaps sixty miles.’

  ‘At sea, a distance that can be covered in a few hours.’

  ‘I am sure you are right, Herr Colonel. But no military commander would attempt an assault without proper reconnaissance. As I say, there hasn’t been any reconnaissance since before Easter. Not even aerial, and the RAF used to overfly us regularly.’

  ‘There was no visible reconnaissance before the attack on St Nazaire. Has it never occurred to you that your position might have been fully reconnoitred from within by an English agent? A member of the French Resistance?’

  ‘I hardly think that is possible, sir. All our installations are under heavy guard and cannot be infiltrated.’ He frowned. ‘There was one incident, a couple of months ago … ’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Well, the sergeant in command of the guard at the arsenal was found to have a woman in his bed … Well, I reduced him to the ranks, of course. His was a responsible position.’ ‘I would say you were right. When you say the arsenal, how many arsenals do you have?’

  ‘Well, just the one.’

  ‘Are you saying that all your reserves of arms and ammunition are in one place?’

  ‘Well … yes.’

  ‘I shall refrain from comment. Very good. This woman was arrested, of course. Where is she now?’

  ‘Actually, we let her go.’

  ‘You did what?’

  ‘Well … she was just a whore. Actually, she was rather an attractive piece. You know, excellent figure, yellow hair, a really handsome face, soft voice … I found it difficult to condemn poor Schultz as severely as perhaps
I should have done … Is there something the matter, sir?’

  Roess was staring at him with an expression that was almost frighteningly venomous. Then he opened his briefcase and took out a somewhat battered photograph. ‘Do you recognize that woman?’

  Rinteler studied the face. ‘It is certainly familiar.’

  ‘That,’ Roess said, ‘is Liane de Gruchy. I assume you have heard of Liane de Gruchy?’

  ‘Why, yes, Herr Colonel. But … Liane de Gruchy is dead.’ ‘Liane de Gruchy is very much alive, Major.’

  ‘You mean … Oh, my God!’

  ‘Quite. She was here, on behalf of the British, noting everything about your defences. You had her in custody. And you let her go!’

  ‘How was I to know? I thought she was dead! What am I to do?’

  ‘What you must do, if you wish to save your miserable neck, is take immediate steps to put your command in a state of defence to withstand an imminent attack. How many men do you have?’

  ‘I have a thousand men, officially. But there is a long sick list.’

  ‘Get them out of hospital. Then get on the line to Paris and have them bring in reinforcements. You need at least a brigade of infantry and a panzer regiment. They must be here in twenty-four hours. Then get hold of Luftwaffe Coastal Command and tell them that you will require maximum air cover in the immediate future, and at no more than an hour’s notice. Then get through to Le Havre, and tell them that you want the Channel swept tomorrow night, and every night after that until the order is rescinded. And then send out patrols. You can be certain there is a guerrilla concentration within striking distance of the town. Pay particular attention to the railway line. Oh, and get your munitions out of that one building.’

  Rinteler was gulping like a fish out of water. ‘You are speaking of generals, admirals, Herr Colonel. Are they going to take orders from me?’

  Roess gazed at him for several seconds. Then he said, ‘Probably not. Have a call placed to Berlin. To Colonel Weber. I will speak.’

  The Group polished their weapons as the sun sank towards the western horizon, ate their evening meal and took their drinks of wine. They knew what lay ahead of them, and were not afraid, but none of them had yet had to sustain a full day of action. Even the battle at the cavern the previous autumn, in which the de Gruchys as well as Jules and James had taken part, had lasted less than an hour. But they were all both determined and confident.

  ‘When do we move?' Pierre asked.

  ‘Nine o’clock,’ James said. ‘We need to be in position by midnight.’

  ‘And what is happening over the other side, do you think?’

  ‘The troops will be embarked by now. They will also commence the operation at midnight, to be here at four tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Listen!’ Liane said.

  The men stopped talking and listened to the low rumbling sound in the distance; it was a still night.

  ‘Panzers!’ Pierre said. He had served in the French Motorised Cavalry in the weeks leading up to Dunkirk.

  ‘Moving at night?’ Jules asked.

  James and Liane looked at each other. ‘It cannot be,’ Liane said.

  ‘It is,’ Pierre said. ‘We have been betrayed again.’

  Now everyone looked at James. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Let’s hope Rostand reacts. We certainly must. If they are putting reinforcements into Dieppe, we must stop them, or at least distract them. Liane, you and Jules come with me and we will blow up the railway line. Pierre, you take the remainder of our people and get down to Rostand; tell him my orders are countermanded. A few panzers aren’t going to make that much difference, but the road must be closed before anything else can be brought in. Above all, the bridge must be blown immediately.’

  ‘Understood.’ Pierre hurried off to round up his people. James and Jules shouldered the haversacks containing the explosives. Liane took the one containing the detonators. Then they hurried into the darkness.

  They reached their position just before eleven. Now they could hear gunfire from the south; as Pierre could hardly have reached Rostand as yet, that meant the guerrilla leader had indeed reacted, but he wouldn’t have had the time to block the road. And now, distantly, they heard the whistle of a train, much later than a train would normally be making this relatively brief journey from Paris.

  There was no time to reconnoitre the situation. James ran down the final slope and reached the bottom of the shallow embankment. Liane and Jules panted beside him. James clambered up the other side, took out the sticks of gelignite, and began placing them against the sleepers. Liane waited with the detonators.

  ‘Hey, there!’ someone shouted in accented French.

  Jules immediately put down his haversack and levelled his tommy gun, sending a burst in the direction of the advancing patrol, one of whom gave a shriek of pain. But instantly fire was returned from the darkness. Liane went down, but James knew she wasn’t hurt, merely lying on the ground beside him. Desperately he finished packing the explosive, trying to ignore what was happening about him, reaching for Jules’s bag to add to his own.

  The firing had stopped, and he heard the click of Jules fitting a fresh magazine to his gun. The train whistled again, now appreciably closer.

  ‘Detonator.’ Liane placed it in his hand, and he fitted it. ‘Now go.’

  ‘You come too,’ she reminded him, and slid back down the slope carrying the plunger. Her movement attracted attention, and there was a fresh outbreak of firing, the bullets whining into the night, striking the rails and ricocheting to and fro. If one of those were to hit the gelignite …

  Jules immediately returned fire. ‘You go, Major,’ he said. ‘I will cover you.’

  James hesitated only a moment; the train was now very close. ‘Ten seconds,’ he said, and followed Liane, paying out the wire as he did so. He reached the bottom of the embankment. Liane was already halfway up the slope on the far side. He ran behind her, pausing to look over his shoulder. Jules was still firing, lying flat behind the rail. And now the train could be seen, a glaring light rushing through the darkness.

  James stood up. ‘Jules!’ he bellowed. ‘Come on. I command you.’

  Jules ignored him, continuing to fire into the darkness.

  ‘James!’ Liane screamed.

  He scrambled up the slope, threw himself behind her, plugged the wires in. ‘Down,’ he commanded, remembering the last time they had done this, when they had almost blown themselves up. But this time they were further away. He pressed the plunger and lay beside her, head buried in the earth.

  The noise was enormous, and as far away as they were from the explosion, they were still showered with debris. It was several minutes before they could move. Then Liane said, ‘That was a big charge.’

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I have a bump or two. Listen.’

  Although there was noise in the distance, right here was absolutely quiet save for a loud hissing sound. The wrecked train was a mass of flames, carriages scattered to either side of the track, while a huge hole had been torn in the embankment.

  ‘My God!’ Liane said. ‘Jules!’

  ‘He covered our escape. But I don’t think he’s going to be the only hero tonight.’

  Now sound returned, shouts and screams, overshadowed by a low moan.

  ‘Do we attack them?’ Liane asked.

  ‘It’s going to take them several hours to sort out that mess, much less get themselves organized again. The show could be over by then. Let’s get to where the action is.’

  It was half past three before they made contact with the rest of the Group. The shooting was desultory, but there were some small fires burning on the road itself.

  ‘We’ve knocked out a couple of them with the bazookas,’ Ronsard told them. ‘But they came upon us so unexpectedly. What has happened?’

  ‘I don’t know for sure. Where are the enemy now?’

  ‘They seem to have withdrawn for the time being. I think they are waiting for dawn.’
/>
  ‘What about the bridge?’

  ‘There was no time. This should not have happened, Major.’ ‘Tell me about it. Did any get through?’

  ‘Three or four.’

  ‘Well, I know the British are bringing tanks with them, so that shouldn’t be a problem.’

  ‘Where are the British?’

  James looked at the luminous dial of his watch, and held up his finger. ‘Should be … now.’

  The entire night sky lit up behind them as there came a huge paean of noise, out of which the explosions of guns and the staccato rattle of machine guns could be discerned.

  ‘It is over!' Ronsard shouted.

  ‘I’m afraid it has only just begun,’ James told him. ‘Can you hold here?’

  ‘That depends on how hard they come on. We have suffered losses.’

  ‘So have they. Do the best you can.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘I am going to get into the town and see what I can do. If we can knock out the arsenal, we can still win this.’

  Ronsard looked at Liane. ‘Where he goes, I go,’ she told him. ‘Besides, I know the way.’

  ‘And so do I,’ Pierre said. ‘If the town falls, their attacks will cease.’

  Ronsard snorted.

  The three of them made their way down the road, which, behind the guerrillas, was clear of both people and vehicles. In front of them the sky was still bright with flame, while behind them the first faint streaks of dawn could be seen. The noise from the city and the beaches continued.

  ‘What do you think happened?’ Liane asked.

  ‘We were betrayed again,’ Pierre said, his voice thick with rage.

  ‘James?’

  ‘It certainly looks like it.’

  ‘It can’t have been one of ours. No one knew our destination until after we left Limoges.’

  ‘Anatole knew it,’ Pierre said savagely.

  ‘I think,’ James said, ‘that we need to leave that until after it is over.’

  They were well within sight of the town now, the glare of the fires being overtaken by the steadily lightening sky. ‘Where do we go?’ Liane asked.

  ‘You tell me. We want that magazine.’

  ‘Over there.’ She pointed, and they broke into a trot, only to be halted when, still half a mile from the first of the houses, they heard a shouted command.