Wings Over Persia (British Ace Book 7)

by Griff Hosker

  “Sir, I don’t think it is going to get any easier in Baghdad if last night is anything to go by. This way all of our eggs are not in one basket.”

  “You may be right.”

  It was almost dark by the time we landed but I could see that they had repaired all of the damage. A sad reminder of the cost was the new cemetery which lay close to the chapel. I also saw a number of cars parked close to the admin block. Major Fox’s men stood around with rifles and side arms.

  As I walked past them I said, “Visitors?”

  Sergeant Blackwood nodded, “Yes sir. The British resident. Been here a couple of hours.”

  I had expected this. Sergeant Major Davis and his clerks were in the corridor, “A bit crowded in there, sir. We were told to wait out here. I think the Group Captain could do with a little support.”

  I hated politics. Reginald St. John Browne had been an exception. He had been a British resident who was a true gentleman. Others I had met were not. I forced a smile, knocked on the door and entered. There were six men around the tables: Group Captain Wainwright, Major Fox, a white-haired gentleman, a major and two young men who looked to me to be professional diplomats.

  “Sorry, sir.”

  The Group Captain looked relieved, “This is the Right Honourable Sir Percy Cunliffe. He is the British resident in Baghdad. Major Stevens of the Scots Guards, Mr Jenkins and Mr Crane. Wing Commander Harsker.”

  The Major smiled, “Heard about you, Wing Commander, British Ace eh?”

  “Different times sir and I was lucky.” I sat.

  The Right Honourable Percy Cunliffe had a naturally quiet voice. He reminded me of a librarian, “So Wing Commander what do we do about this unrest?”

  I liked his bluntness. He had come directly to the point. “If you are talking about the wider picture sir, we have begun that already. When we have an airfield ay Kirkuk we will be able to control a large part of Mesopotamia.”

  He shook his head, “If we lose Baghdad then that will be of no use to us. The League of Nations made us responsible for Iran. This is our first test and we are failing.”

  “I am sorry, sir, but we are the air force. We can’t control the streets of Baghdad.”

  “Mr Churchill sets great store by you, Wing Commander.”

  I sighed, “What would you have us do?”

  He smiled, “Simple. I would like you to have some of your aeroplanes flying over the city.”

  “When?”

  “All the time! The locals are afraid of them. There are stories of your chaps dropping bombs.” He gestured to the Major.

  “Yes, Wing Commander. When you attacked that column the other day some of the survivors made it to Baghdad. Apparently, you killed over a hundred of their fighters. That has made them more determined than ever to destroy the airfield. So, you see your air force is a potent one.”

  “It is a waste of resources, sir. If we are out in the country then we can stop the enemy from moving. If you don’t mind me giving you advice I would suggest that you find their leaders in Baghdad.”

  The Right Honourable Sir Percy Cunliffe said, “And Major Stevens is doing that along with your Major Fox but it takes time.”

  I looked over to Group Captain Wainwright for help. He tapped out his pipe. “How about this as a compromise? The Snipe can stay in the air for three hours and the DH 9A five and half hours. What say you send a Snipe out in the morning and a Ninak in the afternoon. You will have air cover for eight and half hours a day. That will still leave you with enough aeroplanes to stop the beast.”

  “We could do that but we need to take the head from the beast. This Sheikh Mahmud.”

  “As I am sure you know, Wing Commander, he is being advised by the ones we need to destroy. Besides which we have no evidence that the Sheikh is behind this. That is pure supposition.”

  It was a typically British attitude. Give the benefit of the doubt even though British servicemen were dying because of it. I turned to Major Stevens, “Then Major Stevens, you tell me where they are to be found and we will bomb them for you.”

  The Right Honourable Sir Percy Cunliffe smiled, “Then we have an accommodation. Excellent. We will let you know where they are hiding just as soon as possible. The Major has already arrested dozens of suspects. When he has questioned them, we should find out where they are to be found.”

  “It would appear that it has to be to the east of Sulaimaniya. We still have chaps in the town. There aren’t many of them. The Sheikh says he prefers Kurds around him but my fellows tell me that the Sheikh often leaves Sulaimaniya to travel east. Sometimes he is away overnight.”

  “Thank you Major. It is even more imperative that we build the airfield. Sulaimaniya is beyond the range of all of my aircraft. You have made my task even more urgent.”

  When they had gone I sat with Major Fox and the Group Captain. The whisky was brought out. “It is a waste of an aeroplane you know, sir.”

  “Perhaps not, sir.”

  “Not you too, Ralph!”

  “No, hear me out, sir. The locals only know aeroplanes from seeing them land and take off. Now that they have heard what they can do the myth has become a reality. Make sure your aeroplanes fly with bombs on their wings and fly as low as they can. And don’t underestimate Major Stevens. He might sound posh but he knows his stuff. He has the M.C. too. I will head into the bazaar tomorrow and see what I can pick up.”

  “Very well. I will organize the pilots for the display and the rest will be with me tomorrow protecting the convoy. Until we get the fuel there we are vulnerable.”

  I prepared my weapons before I retired. The insurgents would know what we were doing at the airfield. I suspected attacks on the men building it and I expected ambushes to prevent us bringing more equipment to the site. I had designated the pilots to fly the Baghdad umbrella. With three aeroplanes still being repaired and rebuilt, I could ill afford to have two performing such a futile act. France had been simpler. There we had been free from politics and politicians.

  The aerodrome was a hive of activity before dawn. The faster Ninaks would fly north first while I would have the Snipes weaving above the convoy. The Vernons had fuel on board for we would need refuelling at Kirkuk. It would take the convoy six hours to reach Kirkuk. We only had three hours endurance. The Ninaks would cover the last two hours of the convoy’s journey.

  After the lorries and tankers left the compound the Vernons lumbered down the runway first closely followed by the Ninaks. My ten Snipes looked forlorn on the runway. As we took off I saw the last two birds sitting and awaiting daylight. They were the Baghdad patrol. The sun burst from the east half an hour out of Baghdad. We could see the Vernons ahead of us and the convoy below. I slowed us down so that we zig zagged over the road and the convoy. We were just slightly ahead of the lorries.

  The Vernons had just disappeared north when I saw sunlight glint off something. It was to the north and west. The sun in the south and east had flashed off metal. You ignored such things at your peril. I led Barker down to investigate. The rest of the squadron would remain alert and in position. Our enemy was clever. This might be a distraction to draw us away from our task. Whatever we found would have to be dealt with by two aeroplanes. I climbed to three hundred feet.

  I saw that the road took a loop around a large area of rock. Had the British or the Romans built the road then it would have been straight. I found the enemy. They were in the cleft of the cliffs over the road. I dived towards them and their faces turned. We were too close to the road to risk bombs. I did not want the road blocking. I cocked my right-hand Vickers and, as I zoomed closer, gave a short burst and then another. The rock wall loomed up and I pulled up. I heard Barker’s gun behind me. Climbing, I banked to come around. The enemy were firing at me. The convoy would have heard the noise and be alerted. Each of the vehicles had a Lewis gun mounted on the cab. Those in the petrol tankers would be nervous.

  As I banked I saw that there were some bodies lying around the cleft. Bullets
struck my tail. I swung around for another pass. I used a slightly different angle for my approach. I fired one burst and, suddenly, a wall of flame erupted before me. Rocks and debris flew through the air. I pulled up my nose and hoped that Barker had the same reactions. The insurgents had had explosives. I looked to my left and saw that there were rocks on the road. The convoy would have to clear it before they could continue. Every minute on the road represented danger to the convoy.

  I led my wingman to complete a loop and make sure there were no rebels or assassins left. By the time we reached the rockfall the rest of my squadron was circling and the rocks were being removed. It took half an hour to do so and I was acutely aware that fuel was burning. When I saw Jack leading his Ninaks south to relieve us I breathed a sigh of relief. We descended towards Kirkuk.

  Squadron Leader Harris was a very organized man. The Vernons were lined up on one side of what would become the runway. At we landed, it was just a landing strip. Sergeant Major Hale had erected a pole and from it blew a windsock. That was vital for safe landings. I saw that they had machine guns covering the road from Kirkuk. The airfield was a hive of activity. I had previously landed here and knew more than the rest of my squadron. I landed first, I taxied and lined up on the opposite side of the runway to the Vernons. Everything had been unpacked from the transports and their crews were beavering away with the others.

  I climbed down and Sergeant Major Hale scurried over. “Everything in order, Sarn’t Major?”

  “The little buggers came in the night sir but we were ready. We sent up a flare and the machine guns took care of them. We buried them downwind, sir. In this heat…”

  “Quite.” I had a thought, “Where are their clothes?”

  “Clothes sir?”

  “Yes, these chaps normally wear a bisht, a flowing cloak.”

  He pointed, “We found four of them over there, sir. I was going to have them torn up and made into rags. The mechanics are always in need of them.”

  “Don’t. Have them put somewhere safe. I might have a use for them.” I had an idea in the back of my mind. Scouting from the air was all well and good but sometime we might need to get into one of their strongholds. A disguise might help. Of course, I would need Major Fox but it was an idea for the future.

  “The convoy might be a little late. We foiled an ambush but the road was blocked.”

  “Right sir. I’ll get back to it.”

  I saw that Sergeant Major Robson had the men rolling the cans of fuel towards the Snipes. We were not on empty yet but we would be refuelled and then leave to relieve Jack’s buses before they were flying on fumes.

  I was startled by a crack from the north. I saw a column of smoke rising. That was where Henry and his Ninaks were. I listened and heard the sound of guns. Squadron Leader Harris, stripped to the waist, strolled over. He was grinning, “I don’t think I shall be bored here eh, sir?”

  “No indeed. I had Major Fox get some Mills bombs for you. They are a handy weapon against rebels in the night. The convoy will be arriving an hour later than we thought.”

  “That is not a problem. We are still improving the runway and deepening the ditch. One of my chaps had the idea of putting pointed sticks in the bottom. A lot of these natives are barefoot.”

  “Good idea. When we are refuelled we will take off and escort the convoy the last few miles.” I looked at my watch. “They should be here by eleven.” I nodded towards the smoke in the sky. “The insurgents are becoming more active.”

  Harris took out his pipe, “They are definitely organised. These are not random attacks. They are probing for weaknesses. Whoever this enemy’s leader is, he knows about aeroplanes.” He took out a small bag. “The Sergeant Major found these on some of the chaps they killed last night. It is sugar. I am guessing they planned on putting the stuff in the fuel.”

  “You are right. They must have thought we had fuel here already.”

  “We will put a tight guard on it when it does arrive.”

  I looked at my watch. “It is ten, we had better get aloft and escort them the last part of the journey. We will stay up as long as we can.”

  “At least we have a radio now. We can call in the cavalry any time.”

  “We can be here in just over an hour flying at top speed. You just need to hold whatever the threat is for that length of time.”

  Just then Henry’s Ninaks came overhead and waggled their wings. They were all there but I saw bullet holes in the wings of a couple of them. I would have to wait until Baghdad for that story.

  I whistled and circled my hand. My pilots came running. The lengthened runway was for the Vernons but it was a good surface and we got into the air really quickly. We saw the insect like Ninaks in the distance and they headed south before we reached the convoy. They would be keen to get refuelled. We performed lazy circles above the convoy and, when it was within sight of the compound, I led my Snipes south. As we neared Baghdad I spied a column of smoke rising.

  We had all spent six hours in the cockpit as well as labouring under a Persian sun. We were exhausted. As we headed to the office I shouted, “First round in the mess tonight is on me!”

  They all gave a weary cheer. I went directly to the office, “Problems, Sergeant Major?”

  He nodded, “A riot in the bazaar, sir. They barely controlled it. Luckily the Ninak flew over and the rear gunner fired his Lewis into the air. They scattered but by then the fire had been started.”

  “Any news of those radios for the aeroplanes? We really are blind without them.”

  “They are on their way to Alexandria sir. The REME chaps who are to fit them are with them. Ten days?”

  “That is nine days too long but so long as we get them. And how are the repairs to the three damaged buses coming along?”

  “Five days, sir. They are working flat out.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “Hibbert get the Wing Commander a cup of tea. He needs it. I dare say he will have something a little stronger later.”

  “You are right there, Sergeant Major.”

  Jack and Henry came in looking as dirty and weary as I was. “What happened Henry?”

  “We came upon them setting up a gun. It wasn’t a little one. It looked like an old French 75. We bombed it and one hit the caisson. It went up like a Roman candle. You would think they would learn to travel at night.”

  “Don’t give them ideas like that! I wondered if the new airfield would make them decide to take some affirmative action. The trouble is there are a lot of places they can hide guns.”

  Henry nodded. Hibbert brought in my tea. The Squadron Leader said, “A couple more for us eh, old son.”

  “Righto sir.”

  “The thing is sir, Mosul is in an even worse predicament. The ‘hairies’ are safe over the border in Turkey. The Kurds have their own kingdom, or so it seems. They give the Turks a hard time and the French in Syria. The area to the north of Mosul is rough ground with few roads. I have flown over it and you could hide an army there.”

  “You seem remarkably well-informed Henry.”

  “I was talking to Ralph the other day. Clever chap that. He was reading History at Cambridge before he joined up. Classics.”

  “Then we might have to build an airfield up there too.”

  Sergeant Major Davis said, “Stretching things a bit thin aren’t you, sir?”

  “We are a lot cheaper than thirty battalions and look at the effect one aeroplane had over Baghdad today.”

  “What do we do tomorrow sir? The buses are in need of maintenance.” Jack knew his aeroplanes and crews better than anyone. He was worried.

  “Have half your squadron on the ground with the mechanics. The other half does the same as today. Jack, you escort the lorries. You have the range to stay over them the whole way and then refuel. I will take half of my flight and we will fly to the east of Kirkuk. Use the new field to refuel. When we get ammo facilities there then you can re-arm too. We have good mechanics and riggers th
ere now. I would like to put a lid on this unrest. The resident is right in one respect, our edge is our aeroplanes. Until they get aeroplanes to use against us we should have the upper hand.”

  Chapter 4

  We partied in the mess. The men needed to let off steam. None drank to excess. They knew they would be flying in the morning but they had a good drink. We rotated the pilots who would fly the Baghdad umbrella and increased it to three aeroplanes. We used just five aeroplanes from each squadron to patrol. What Jack had said was right. We did need to rest men and buses. The exception, of course, would be the squadron leaders. We would not rest or stand down.

  I spoke with Flight Lieutenant Ritchie before I left. “I want you and the other chaps to go over the maps of the area. I will be up with you tomorrow and I want to find the route they are sending men over from the east. You are a clever lad, talk to Major Fox and put yourself in the enemy’s shoes. Where is the hardest place for us to find them?”

  I felt better having set someone else the task with which I been wrestling. At the moment, we were just reacting to the enemy. I wanted us to be in the driving seat and asking them the hard questions. We landed at Kirkuk. The Vernons weren’t there; just the Vimy ambulance. The airfield looked bigger. Already two huts had been erected and I saw that work on the storage tank had begun.

  Sergeant Major Hale saluted, “Sir. We had no bother last night. The garrison did in the town though. I think the soldiers are a bit worried. They reckon the rainy season is almost upon us. This place gets cut off. The roads become impassable.”

  “We have aeroplanes.”

  “That is what Squadron Leader Harris said. He went back to Baghdad for more supplies. He said he was going to split his buses and patrol on the way back. That is why you didn’t see them sir.”

  “I wondered. Well get us filled up and we will head towards the east. The Ninaks will get topped up too. If we are up here then we might as well use as much daylight as we can. The lads who fly today will have a rest tomorrow. When do you reckon this will be finished?”