Toehold in Europe (Combined Operations Book 5)

by Griff Hosker

  When I returned to the mess the men had stowed the Bergens neatly around the side and were applying stain to their faces. We still had some way to go but it helped to prepare us mentally. It felt like putting on war paint. I took out the map after I had applied my own war face. We were landing to the west of Agrigento. Sergeant Poulson would have the easiest time and it would be up to him to secure the beach for our extraction.

  "What do we know about this place, sir?"

  "It is an old hill city. There look to be ancient ruins on the top but the photographs we have are from before the war. We have to find what the RAF couldn't."

  Emerson said, "Suppose there's nowt there sir?"

  I smiled, "Then we will have an easy time and a leisurely voyage back."

  Emerson was one of the new members of the section. I did not mind his questions. They showed he was interested.

  "We will be landing about a thousand yards west of the little fishing port, Porto Empedecole. Sergeant Poulson's section will check the port out and then secure the beach four hundred yards to the west of it. I will lead my merry troop up the hill to the old town and, if we can, the temple. George, your section will look to the east. According to the pre war maps and photographs it should be empty. You need to confirm that." I left the map on the mess table. "Study the map in case we get separated. If there are no questions then get some shut eye. I am off to the bridge."

  When I moved the blackout curtain I saw that night had fallen. Alan had his German cap at a rakish angle and above us fluttered the German flag. I jammed the field cap on my head and joined him and Bill Leslie on the bridge. The lookout, Bert Jones, obligingly moved over.

  "How is it looking, Alan?"

  "All quiet although we have no radar. The array would give us away. We are relying on Jones' eyes."

  "Don't worry Mr Harsker, if there's owt out there I'll see it."

  I nodded. Alan was not hurtling across the sea. To all the world we would look like a returning patrol. E-Boats constantly prowled the waters north of Malta looking for isolated ships they could attack.

  "When I drop you off I will head west and do a recce there. The more information we can gather the less likely Major Fleming will send us back. I'll turn around and pick you chaps up four hundred yards from the Porto Empedecole. You have three hours."

  "It will be tight but we should manage it."

  "Aeroplane sir, nine o'clock." We turned to our left. Bert had good eyes. It was a dot and it was high up.

  "Can you make it out Jones?"

  "Looks like a twin engined job. Probably a Junkers 88."

  "Well if we can see him then he can see us. Better get your chaps ready in case Jerry decides to crash this party. Keep the same course and speed Chief. After all we are Germans tonight eh?"

  "Jawohl sir." Bill's accent was awful and Alan and I smiled. It was lucky that we had more German speakers on board. The problem was we had no Italian speakers and I wondered if that would come back to haunt us.

  I returned to the mess. "Right lads, Jerry has spotted us so get your guns in case we are rumbled. This could be a short little excursion."

  We had discovered that the firepower of our nine Thompsons could augment the boat's armament well. I did not take my Thompson back on deck. We were still German and I lifted the flap on my Luger. I thought we had escaped scrutiny. Sicily was a thin line in the distance when we heard the throb of a patrol boat. Bert said nothing but pointed to the east.

  Bill Leslie said, under his breath, "That's a big bugger!"

  Alan said, "German only." As if to make the point he shouted, in German, "Wacker, on deck, relieve Jones. We need German speakers now."

  It looked like an Italian corvette. It had a three or four inch gun forrard and a handful of anti aircraft guns. We could have outrun it and, probably out gunned it but we were clandestine and we had to try to fool them. As the corvette closed with us I saw that they had their gun crews closed up. They were suspicious.

  "How do we play this, Alan?"

  "Arrogant Germans. We know that Jerry has a low opinion of his ally. You back me up."

  The Italian captain used his loud hailer to shout something at us. I assumed it was an order to slow down but we didn't understand it and we ignored it. When it was repeated Alan took his own loud hailer and snapped back in German, "Speak in German if you wish to talk with me!"

  When the voice changed we knew that the Italian captain could not speak German. "Captain Baggio wishes you to slow down. We have some questions for you."

  "Then he should have spoken in German." He put his hand on Bill's shoulder and we began to slow.

  "What ship are you?"

  "We are S-159 from Tunis. Who are you?" There was a delay while the German speaker translated.

  "We are the Regia Marina vessel Persefone out of Licata. What are you doing here?"

  Alan was a fine actor. He snapped, "We are on a special mission for Admiral Doenitz. Do not interfere. You have already slowed us down. We have a schedule to keep. The Kriegsmarine are efficient unlike some other navies!"

  "My captain reminds you that you are a guest in our waters."

  "And I would remind your captain that is was only the German Army which saved you in Greece and North Africa. Now let us be on our way!"

  "Captain Baggio says he will report you to the authorities on Sicily."

  "Good and then he will enjoy a new career as a ferry captain in Naples harbour. Good night!" He said, quietly in English, "Now Chief let us show them a clean pair of heels eh?"

  The E-Boat had far more power than the corvette and we sped away towards Sicily. Wacker said, "She's turning around, sir. Looks like she is going back on patrol."

  "Good. Although we may have to take a different course on our way back."

  "What do you think she was doing here?"

  "Anti submarine patrol. Did you not see the depth charges?" Alan grinned, "Just think you could be going in by sub. I know how much you like that!"

  "Don't even joke about subs! They are floating coffins!"

  I had been in a submarine and suffered depth charges. I did not like the confined spaces.

  Alan kept up the speed a little longer to make up for the time we had lost. "Better get your lads on deck. We will try to get you as close in as we can."

  "Right lads, on deck. Remember we are ashore for just three hours and then we rendezvous at Red One." They nodded.

  "What was all that about, sir?"

  "A nosey Italian. Lieutenant Jorgenson was a little rude about the Italian navy but it seemed to work. Remember either hand signals or speak German when you are ashore." They nodded. In our off duty times I was teaching them French and German. They had awful accents but it was better than nothing.

  I left my Thompson in the mess. I fitted the silencer to the Colt. I was not taking my Bergen. I wanted my hands free. This was a three hour recce. We would not even take the radio. If we needed the radio then it meant the operation had gone badly wrong. When I returned on deck I saw that the island was much closer now. I suppose before the war there would have been dots of lights. It would have been a lively place full of visitors and locals making money. Now there was a black out. Bill slowed the boat down to lessen the white bow wave and reduce the engine noise. The engineer had worked hard to muffle the engines so that we were more silent than most E-Boats.

  The crew of the 'Lucky Lady' had the three rubber boats ready. With five in each boat we would be a little overcrowded. It was another reason I was not taking my Bergen and machine gun. Alan pointed to starboard. I could see the entrance to the fishing harbour. That was Red Two. As he headed up the beach he pointed again. That was Red One. Soon he slowed until we were barely making way. The shore was just forty yards away. We were well practised at this and we quickly embarked and were paddling away from the E-Boat in an instant. My men used the spare paddles and I held the fifth as a rudder. As Bill Hay leapt ashore I dropped the paddle in the bottom of the dingy and hurried up the sand to jo
in him. Scouse followed us.

  We ignored the other two patrols. We all had our own job to do. We left the beach and crossed the promenade. We were heading inland. Up ahead I saw the citadel on top of the hill. It was more than a mile away. We had no time to waste. The night and the dark were our friends and we had to use them.

  Chapter 2

  There was a time when the new smells of Sicily would have seemed alien to us but we had been in the Mediterranean long enough now to be used to it. The lemon and olive trees augmented the smell of the unusual flora which covered this most southern part of Italy. It was almost midnight and although the locals would have only recently retired the streets were empty. Perhaps they had had a curfew. I had the map in my head. The road we ran along was a quiet one and it ran parallel to the promenade and coast road. It was residential. I had chosen it because it headed towards the citadel. As it ascended we were afforded a view south when the buildings became sparser. I saw a half dozen boats in the harbour. None were military.

  Suddenly I held my hand up and drew my Luger. Hay and Fletcher looked at me. I pointed to my nose and mimed smoking. I could smell pipe tobacco. I waved them left and right. Crouching I headed up the track to the left where the smell seemed to be coming from. I heard voices and they were speaking in Italian. I dropped to all fours and crept towards the wall of the building ahead. As I reached it I looked up and saw the barrel of a 75 cm gun. I looked to the east and saw that there were a line of guns every fifty yards. I began to back away. When I was far enough from the wall I looked west and saw more guns. I could now see them clearer. They had camouflage nets over the top. They would have been invisible from the air. This was the line of batteries for the defence of this coast. We would not be able to get by them and up to the temple.

  I led the other two and we retraced our steps to the road. I waved them east. Now that I had seen the artillery I was more alert. It was fortunate that I did so for had I not I would have stumbled into the machine gun pits. None were manned but there was a line of them. I looked to my left and saw the hill city was just half a mile away. They had ringed this ancient walled city with guns. I would have loved to go further into the city to see just what other defences they had but we had been ashore for an hour and a half. We had to return to the rendezvous. However we had discovered enough to satisfy the Major's curiosity. They were ready for an invasion. If we tried to take Agrigento it would be like Dieppe all over again; a disaster.

  As I turned to head back to the rendezvous, a piece of paper in the bottom of the nearest emplacement caught my eye. I grabbed it and stuffed it inside my battledress. I waved my two companions towards to the harbour. There were more buildings close to the fishing port. We had to move carefully and slowly. I was acutely aware of the passage of time but to rush would have risked discovery. Our rubber soled shoes saved us for we heard the sound of boots ahead. We ducked behind a wall. I prayed that the occupants of the small house would not emerge or we would be spotted. I did not raise my head as the patrol marched towards Red One. From their footsteps I estimated that there were five men in the patrol. Suddenly I heard a voice and it spoke German!

  "Halt. Ten minutes rest only!"

  They were less than twenty yards from us. We could not move. We would have to wait. I glanced at the fluorescent dial of my watch. 'Lady Luck' would be at the rendezvous in half an hour.

  "Why do we have to guard this harbour? What is wrong with the lazy Italians?"

  "Franz if you want a job doing properly then you give it to a German. The Italians are cannon fodder that is all. I have heard that their tanks have eight gears, three forward and five back!" They all laughed at the common perception of Italians. They surrendered too easily.

  Another voice said, "The Fuhrer should do what he did to Austria in thirty six and annex it. Send the Italians to the eastern front."

  Just then the first voice we heard snapped, "Quiet! I can hear a boat. Quickly! To the beach!"

  Their boots sounded inordinately loud on the stones. I took out my Colt and tapped the other two on the shoulders. I led them after the Germans. Thanks to our rubber soled shoes we were making no noise and we kept to the shadows. I could hear the E-Boat too. I had to hope that the German patrol would recognise the ship as an E-Boat and stop their search. Those hopes were dashed as I heard them shout, "Halt! Hands up!"

  They had spotted some of our men. I was the only one with a silencer and I pointed to the daggers the other two carried. I saw the five Germans in a semi circle and George and his men had their hands up. Beyond them I could see, in the distance, the dark shape that was 'Lady Luck'. Where was Sergeant Poulson?

  The German sergeant shouted, in English, "Commandos! Gangsters! The Fuhrer has told us what to do with you!" I heard him slide his bolt back and his men copied him. We did not have long. My men all knew what was going to happen. I took aim and nodded. The sergeant might fire first but there would be a slight delay from the others. It is hard to shoot a man in cold blood. My Colt spat out and the sergeant pitched forward. The other Germans hesitated. Bill and Scouse had their hands around the necks of two others as another silenced Colt spat a bullet at a fourth. The fifth died when George Lowe rammed his dagger up into the throat of the last German.

  "Pick up the bodies! We can't leave them here. Hay, Fletcher, hide the signs of the blood."

  Sergeant Poulson and his patrol rose from their place of concealment. "Sergeant get the bodies to the boat. We will watch here until you come back for us."

  "Sir."

  George Lowe wiped his dagger on the body of a dead German before hefting it on to his shoulder, "Sorry sir."

  "Post mortems later. Get the bodies to the boat. Move!"

  I turned to face the town. Had any one heard us? It all seemed quiet. I looked at my watch. It was two thirty. The patrol might not be missed until dawn. They would search for them. I looked at the sand. Hay and Fletcher had done a good job. I knelt down and smoothed out the sand as I backed towards the sea. The other two copied me. If this was France then the tide would have covered all traces of the attack but the bone dry side was testament to the lack of tides. By the time my feet touched the water the three dinghies had picked up the Germans and my men and were heading back to the boat. It would not be a swift journey. To our right, and on the other side of the harbour wall, I heard Italian being spoken. Had we been spotted? Then I heard laughter. It was the Italian fishermen. They were preparing to go to sea. We would have to give them a wide berth and that might make our journey a little riskier.

  When I saw the two dinghies returning to us I breathed a sigh of relief. We all paddled as hard as we could. I was the first on deck and I said, "Alan, the Italian fishing boats are about to set sail."

  "Bugger! Right we will head west. As soon as we are far enough away I will open her up." He gestured to the dead Germans. "What will you do with them?"

  "Strip them and take off their identity tags. We will drop them over the side between here and Malta. The fishes and the gulls will do the rest." I shrugged, "There was nothing else that we could do."

  "I know."

  My men had laid the five Germans out on the aft deck. The crew were unused to seeing death so close to them. "Right lads, we have an unpleasant job ahead of us. Strip the Germans of everything and I mean everything. These five Jerries are just going to disappear. Let them wonder what happened to them. We keep everything that they have with them. Watches, papers, love letters, uniforms, the lot. They will come in handy. Then tie one of the rocks Lance Sergeant Lowe brought aboard to each body. We want them to sink without trace."

  "Right, you heard Lieutenant Harsker, get to it."

  "Sorry we were late getting to you, sir. There was an Italian foot patrol further north. We had to lie up too."

  "We were just lucky that we were able to follow them or George and the others would have been shot."

  It took some time; bodies are not very cooperative but eventually we had them all stripped. I looked aft and could no
longer see Sicily. "Right George, first body."

  He and Groves hurled the body far enough astern to clear the propellers. I was not worried what the blades would do to the bodies but I didn't want the ship harming. I waited until we had travelled a mile and shouted, "Next!" When all the bodies had been thrown overboard I said, "Below decks. Debrief time."

  We always had an immediate debrief just in case something happened on the journey home. At least that way the foray into foreign fields would not have been in vain.

  I allowed the men to smoke as the sergeants made their reports. It was soon obvious to me that they had made Agrigento into a strongpoint. The natural defensive site had been improved. There were guns everywhere. I finished writing it down and then said, "I see German hands all over this. They know that the allies will be reluctant to bomb such a historical site. We gave them Paris in nineteen forty just so that they would not destroy it. They are relying on us doing the honourable thing."

  Private Emerson said, "That's not right sir. Lads could get killed if they attacked here. It's only an old building. That isn't worth men's lives is it?"

  "No Freddie but the war will end one day and you don't want your children asking why you destroyed so much history do you?"

  "No sir but what about those poor sods who won't have any kids to ask that?"

  He was right but we had to concentrate on doing our job. "Sergeant Poulson, make a copy of my report. I will be on deck with the captain."

  Bill Leslie was on the wheel and I could smell aromatic tobacco as I came on deck. Alan had to know that he was using his rum ration. Obviously he was doing a Nelson and turning a blind eye. "Bodies all gone."

  Allan shuddered, " A gory little job. Necessary though. Was the recce worth it?"

  "I should say so. They have made Agrigento into a fortress. They have the harbour covered and the guns are well hidden. It would have to be carpet bombing to get rid of them."

  "And with the ancient buildings up in the hill that is not going to happen." He looked at the sky and then his watch, "Right lads, it's time to get back to being navy again. Switch flags and caps." He pointed aft, "Those German helmets will come in handy."