Toehold in Europe (Combined Operations Book 5)

by Griff Hosker

  The three of them enjoyed the new taste. The Italians were all asleep or else I would have offered them some too. I found myself, despite my words, dozing. Tosh came into the mess, "Sir, Captain wants you. Trouble."

  "Sergeant best wake the lands and have them stand too. Leave Emerson and Fletcher watching these prisoners."

  When I got on deck there was a great deal of action. I hurried to the bridge. Alan pointed to the darkness of the north east. "Symons spotted three E-Boats they are following us." I nodded. We could outrun three E-Boats that far astern. There was obviously something else. "And he saw two more up ahead. They were not moving."

  "It is a trap."

  "Indeed a trap and we have walked or rather sailed right into it. German radar must be getting better. They must have spotted us and sent the three E-Boats to cut off our escape. The three behind us stop us going around the north and these two will blast us as we pass."

  "What's your plan?"

  "Use our speed, our extra firepower and your men to blast our way through them. If we can get by these two we have a chance. It is less than seventy miles from Messina to our base. I have had Wacker signal Hugo and ask for help. There is little point in maintaining radio silence now."

  "I'll go and sort out my lads."

  I went to the mess and grabbed my Thomson. "You two lads sit tight. There are five E-Boats after us. If you have any bother with these six then use your sap." I handed Scouse my Colt with the silencer. "Threaten them with this if you have to."

  "Right sir."

  I went on deck. It was deceiving for the night looked peaceful and the seas empty. I glanced in the radar shack and saw the dots as they flashed up. They had us surrounded.. Whichever way we moved at least two of them could cut off our retreat. They were the same boat as us and two to one were not good odds in such a fight. I had no doubt that there would be shore batteries waiting to join in. The Thompsons and our grenades might be the only difference.

  I went to the bridge. "It looks hopeless."

  Alan smiled, he had lit a cheroot, "Not as bad as the Germans think. We know that every E-Boat is an enemy. In the dark they may hesitate until they are certain we are the enemy. And we have more speed. If we get into a race we can out run them. 'Nils Desperandum'; that was my old school motto."

  "Sir, the ones from the north are closing with us."

  "How about those to the south?"

  "Still waiting."

  "How far between the boats?"

  "I think it is about two boat lengths."

  Alan smacked the bridge. "Then we have them. Petty Officer Leslie, I intend to sail between them. Try to get as close to the one on the starboard side as you can."

  "Right sir." Bill shouted to Symons, "Keep giving us distances to the starboard boat."

  "Right Coxswain."

  "Have you got someone who can use the grenade launcher?"

  "I do indeed."

  "When we get close to the starboard E-Boat the bigger weapons will be useless. Use grenades and charges. If we get rid of that one we have a chance."

  I found my men. They were waiting towards the stern. "Crowe get the new grenade launcher. You are our secret weapon. The rest of you get as many charges and grenades as you can. We are going to close with one E-Boat and try to destroy it. We have to hit them and hit them hard!"

  "Right sir!"

  My men were always happiest when they had something to do. They enjoyed fighting against ridiculous odds. The fact that there were five against one did not bother them in the least.

  "A mile, Coxswain! Ten degrees more to starboard."

  "Thanks Sparks!"

  "Gun crews hold your fire until I give the order."

  Crowe had returned with the grenade launcher. It was a new version and I hoped that it would be more robust than the one which had jammed in Sicily. Crowe, I want you to launch one as soon as you see them. They will not see a flash and have no idea where we are firing from. Even a close hit will scare them witless. Shepherd you load for him. It will save time."

  "Half a mile and you are bob on, Coxswain! Any closer and you would take a lick of paint off him."

  Alan shouted, "How far away are the ones to the north?"

  "Less than a mile and closing."

  "Right, stand by. Full speed."

  Crowe shouted, "I can see him!" He pulled the trigger and the grenade flew into the dark. Ken Shepherd had one reloaded. The German began to fire but the lack of muzzle flashes meant he was firing blind. The second boat began to fire too. They were wasting ammunition. There was an explosion and a water splash. It was short. The second one rose as bullets from the second German hit our hull. It was like a game of dare.

  Crowe got lucky and the second grenade exploded in the air over the E-Boat. The crew of the forward gun were struck by shrapnel. We could all see the boat now for there was a fire. Crowe firing another grenade at a lower trajectory. It exploded in front of the bridge and completed the work of the first one.

  "All guns fire!"

  The ships who were following us could not fire for fear of hitting their own and the E-Boat to port could only use small arms. They were doing damage. I heard cries for the SBA.

  My men opened fire at the rapidly approaching E-Boat. I emptied my magazine and began to throw grenades. There was little chance to aim. We just threw them as far as we could. Symons was right. We almost stuck the bow of the E-Boat. I saw Gordy cheekily roll two primed grenades over the canted bow. And then we had passed it. The Pom-Pom at the rear had an unobstructed view of the E-Boat and he sent shell after shell into the hull. The grenades rippled and exploded along the length of the E-Boat. Perhaps one had found its way below decks. All I knew was that the whole E-Boat seemed to rise out of the water in one enormous explosion. The force of the blast hit us. As it settled in the water I knew it was sinking.

  It was then the shells and the bullets from the other E-Boats began to hit us. I heard cries and shouts from the Pom-Pom crew as they were hit. Our stern was also struck as well as the side of the hull.

  Alan shouted, "Taff! Get your men from the Oerlikon and fire the Pom-Pom."

  "Crowe keep sending the grenades aft. We might get lucky!"

  Beaumont suddenly disappeared below decks. He returned a few minutes later. He had his Bergen. He quickly emptied it and lined it with his oil skin. Then he put in some explosives with a timer. He closed the Bergen and tied a long piece of parachute cord to it. He went to the stern and threw it over. I saw him look at his watch and then release it. He dived to the deck.

  I saw two E-Boats. They were less than a hundred yards behind us and their shells were pounding the stern. Sooner or later they would get lucky and hit the rudder or the engine room and then we were dead. Suddenly Beaumont's improvised charge went off . It explode between the two E-Boats. One of them swerved alarmingly to starboard while the other began to slow.

  Gordy shouted, "Well done that man! Get the rest of the Bergens up. We can all try that!"

  There were now just three E-Boats pursuing us and they were almost keeping pace. Bill was having to veer from side to side to make us a hard target. Our superior speed merely kept us the same distance. We were not out pacing them as we would in a straight race. More shells and bullets riddled the air and smashed into the 'Lady Luck'. I took the chance to go to the bridge. I saw Alan slumped next to Bill Leslie.

  "Corporal Hewitt!" I knelt next to him. "Where are you hit?"

  "I think I copped one in my back. Tell Higgins he is..." Then he passed out.

  "Midshipman Higgins!"

  Bill Leslie did not take his eyes off the bow but he said, "He copped one too sir. I reckon you are the new skipper." I must have hesitated for he said, "You can do it, sir."

  I nodded, "Start heading for the coast. We should soon reach our lines."

  "Righto sir."

  "Symons how far to the British lines and our ships?"

  "Almost forty miles sir." At this speed that meant we had to buy at least thirty min
utes. It would almost be daylight by then.

  "How many E-Boats are left?"

  "Just three, sir but they are keeping pace with us."

  Hewitt came up. "Take Mr Jorgenson below. He is hit in the back."

  "Right sir. It is pretty bad back there sir. The three Germans are making us look like a colander."

  "Do your best. Sergeant Poulson I want all the Bergens launching at once. Gordy and Beaumont are sorting them. Spread them out."

  "Sir!"

  Even as I looked aft I felt shells hitting the engine room again. An oily stoker rushed up. He looked at me in confusion. Bill said, "Tell the officer what the problem is, Harry the Gas."

  "Sir, the Chief says we have to shut down one engine soon or we will seize up."

  "Ask him to keep it going as long as he can."

  "Yes sir." He grinned, "It's a lot cooler with all the new holes though, Coxswain!"

  As he left I said, "Harry the Gas?"

  "Yes sir, he was a gas fitter in civvy street."

  "Wacker get on to Lieutenant Ferguson. Tell him if we don't get help in the next twenty minutes then we are dead men!"

  "Sir!"

  I looked aft and saw that my men were ready. They were lying down to avoid the machine gun bullets. I heard Gordy's voice boom out, "Now!"

  The eight bags were thrown out in a wide pattern.

  "Release and duck!"

  This time the explosions were spread out over a wide area and the three boats all took evasive action. Bullets stopped hitting the hull. Symons voice came up a moment or two later. "Sir, one of the E-Boats has stopped. There are just two."

  That gave me hope until Harry the Gas ran up. "Sir, we have to stop the engine now. The Chief says you will have to make do with just the one."

  "Okay, tell him to let me know when we can have more power. Symons, how far to the coast?"

  "Two miles sir but it is held by Jerry."

  "I know." I turned to Bill. "When I shout I want you to turn to starboard. Head directly for the coast. Hold that course for a mile; no more and then run parallel to the rocks. Get Symons to let you know when we have to turn."

  He nodded, "What do you plan to do, sir?"

  "The only thing we can do; use the firepower of the Thompsons to try to take out an E-Boat. They must be low on ammo. Crowe might get lucky again." I shrugged, "I'll be back!"

  The boat was like a charnel house. I saw that Gordy, Shepherd and Scouse all had wounds. They were still upright but that was about all. Taff and his gun crew were still firing.

  "I am going to turn to starboard. It will bring the end E-Boat close to us. I want Crowe and Shepherd to send every grenade we have at it and the rest of us will use our Thompsons. Taff, you concentrate on the bridge."

  Taff nodded, "What then sir?"

  "We are going to head for the rocks on the coast and see who blinks first, us or the other E-Boats. Ready?"

  They chorused, "Yes, sir."

  "Now Coxswain!" Even though I was expecting it I was taken aback by the turn. The starboard E-Boat saw our move late and made a jerky turn. It threw his gunners. Our men were ready and the noise was so loud that I could not have shouted an order even had I wished to. The grenades cleared the decks and the machine guns ended the lives of the wounded. Taff's Pom-Pom tore through the side of the bridge. I saw the helmsman and the captain fall. The E-Boat continued its turn. With a dead man at the helm it would sail in circles.

  I had bought us some time for the other two boats were out of position and had to readjust to catch us up. I raced to the bridge. "Well done, Bill."

  He nodded to the bow, "All I see, sir, is Mount bloody Etna!"

  "Five hundred yards, Coxswain."

  "Don't worry, we have radar and they don't. In half an hour when it is dawn they would see this. It is our only chance."

  As if to confirm it the nearest E-Boat opened up and I heard shouts from the stern.

  "Two hundred and fifty yards!"

  "Turn!" I could see him struggling with the wheel and I helped him to turn it. The boat almost fought us and I saw a wall of rock looming ahead of us and the white of breakers on rocks. I wondered if we would make it. Miraculously we turned. I glanced astern and saw that the E-Boat had seen our turn late. As I saw his bow come around he suddenly stopped as he struck something. He was not going to turn in time.

  Harry the Gas ran up, "Sir, the chief is dead and there is a bloody great oil leak. What do I do?"

  "Your best." There might have only been one German left but we were as good as dead in the water. I had tried every trick I knew and we had still come up short.

  Just then Wacker's triumphant voice came up, "Sir that was the captain of "H.M.S Daedelus". They are half a mile away."

  "Tell him we need a tow and there is still one Jerry on our tail."

  The last E-Boat had been out of position but she saw our predicament and she was hurtling towards our peppered stern. Tosh ran to us. "Sir, we are taking on water. We are hit below the waterline."

  I looked helplessly at Bill Leslie. He said, "Get the crew on the pumps. If the engines pack up there are hand pumps. Go, son, get to it!"

  The E-Boat got one shot off before a pair of geysers erupted in either side of her. The destroyer had fired a ranging shot. The E-Boat turned and then I heard the sound of four, four and a half inch shells being fired. It only took one of them and the E-Boat exploded in a fireball.

  "You can slow down now, Bill. Well done!"

  "No sir, well done to you. The Lieutenant couldn't have handled it any better."

  Wacker shouted, "'Daedelus' is asking us to be ready to take a tow."

  "Taff and Tosh get to the fo'c'sle. Prepare to receive a line."

  I sank down to my knees. "You all right sir?"

  "Just tired, Petty Officer Leslie, just tired. It has been a long night."

  Part 3

  Italy

  Chapter 17

  We barely made port. We were seriously damaged so much so that we issued life jackets to the whole crew. I genuinely feared that we would sink. Everyone who could manned a pump. The crew were almost as badly hurt too. Twelve crewmen were dead. Alan and the Midshipman were both in serious need of a hospital but the E-Boat would need months of repairs. Even if we had wanted to continue our operation we could not. Colonel Fleming and Hugo met us at the dock along with ambulances and red caps. Alan was too drugged to speak when he went ashore and Bill Leslie was left in charge. I left him on the bridge. I shook his hand. Neither of us said anything, We didn't need to.

  The prisoners looked white as they were taken off. It must have been terrifying for them below decks not knowing if they would live or die. Colonel Fleming looked as though all his dreams had come true. I thought, for a brief moment, that he would kiss me but he just pumped my hand. "What a coup! A general, a senior officer and two bags full of papers. I could never have hoped for such success. Well done!"

  And then he was gone.

  Hugo smiled, "And that is another first: praise from him." He looked at the 'Lady Luck'. I had sailed home in her and yet I could not believe that she was still afloat. Water spat from her pumps and from those the naval engineers had brought. Hugo pointed at the blood running from her scuppers. "And I do not know how you did it. "

  I shrugged, "You deal with one problem at a time. If we hadn't had such good men then we wouldn't have made it. None of them let us down. They all did their duty and more. It was a privilege to lead them."

  Hugo said, "Come on, sir, breakfast. You have earned it."

  "Fine but we will eat with the chaps."

  The Germans had a fine mess and we went there. My men and the survivors of the 'Lady Luck' were there. Cooks were ladling out food. The men who were seated, eating their food, made to stand. "Stand easy. Keep your seats. We are all messmates tonight."

  I was the only officer who had survived without injury. As I walked to the end of the line there were nods, smiles and grins. I saw some of the sailors nudge each other. Bill
Leslie was at the back of the queue. We joined him. "You can go to the front, sir, the lads won't mind."

  "But I would, Bill. I meant what I said we are all messmates tonight. You can't come through something like that and expect privilege of rank." He nodded. "Do we know how the Lieutenant and the Middy are?"

  "No, sir. The SBA went with then and your Corporal. The Skipper was breathing; I heard that much. You now I didn't even know he had been hit until you spoke. I had to keep my eyes forrard."

  "It shows how lucky you were. The bridge has good protection from the front but the back is open."

  We had reached the front of the queue. I picked up the plate and the cooks began to ladle food on to it. I would eat and I would clear my plate but I was not hungry. I realised that I would have to write letters to the families of the dead.

  "Bill, when you have a minute, after this, I will need some help."

  "Anything sir."

  "I have letters to write. The Lieutenant can't do it."

  "Letters? Oh, right. Yes sir I'll help you. I wouldn't be much good at that. I don't have the words."

  "It is not a task I enjoy and I sometimes wish that I didn't have the words either but we owe it to the dead to tell their families how they died."

  We had reached an empty table and we sat down. "And the Colonel will want a report too, sir."

  My eyes flashed as I hissed, "And what the hell else does he need to know, Lieutenant? He has the officers and he has the papers! That should be enough!"

  Bill's voice sounded soothing, "Easy sir. The Lieutenant is right and what about all those photographs you took. He will want to see our holiday snaps too eh?"

  I saw the twinkle in the Petty Officer's eyes. Unlike Hugo, Bill was a warrior and he knew how to use humour in such a situation. I smiled, "I suppose we could have bought some holiday postcards."

  "A stick of Italian rock eh, sir?"

  Hugo looked puzzled, "The Italians don't eat rock."

  For some reason that made Bill and I laugh until we cried. As I say humour is the best release valve in the world. We laughed at something silly and we did not go, as some did, crazy.