I heard the sound of small arms fire in the distance. It was hard to estimate the direction. It was idle to speculate. It might be the other Commandos but it could equally be the French resistance. I turned back to my task. The Major had sent three teams in so that we would not have to worry about the others. I returned to the job in hand and I scanned the field before us.
Once the two had trotted off to check the perimeter Daddy led us to the edge of the road where we waited. It seemed to take the two of them an inordinate amount of time to reach the perimeter and be able to identify the structure but, in reality, it could only have been a few minutes. They returned and the grin on the young lieutenant's face told its own story. He pointed to the right and we followed. After half a mile or so we saw that the ground had been cleared. There was a ring of barbed wire. We set to and cut it. I smiled for all of the men had their own crude cutters. We were through in no time. Once through we peered ahead. I saw a glint and knew that it was a rail. We had found the railway line. Daddy was about to wave us forward when he held his hand up. He pointed ahead to the sign with the skull and crossbones and the single word, 'MINEN.'
I took out my Commando knife and nodded to Daddy. He nodded back. He waved his arm for the section to spread out and I dropped to the ground. The railway line was a hundred yards away but, with a minefield before us, it might as well have been a hundred miles. The sign had been invisible from the aerial photographs. There was no way we could have known that they had put a minefield in so quickly. I began to crawl forward. We had had training in mine disposal. I was looking for freshly turned earth. The guns had only been here for a couple of weeks and they could only have put the minefield in after they had finished the railway line. I knew that, behind me, Daddy would have assigned someone to mark my route.
I edged forward over ground which looked undisturbed. Ahead, and to my right I saw some disturbed earth and I thought I could see the small metal pressure plate which would mark a mine. I moved over to it and put my knife into the ground. It slid in easily until it touched metal. I tensed as I did so. The instructor had told us that the Germans were developing mines which could be exploded from the side as well as the top. This was not one. I was still alive! I dug around and cleared the soil away. In six months time the ground would be too hard to do this. I carefully lifted the mine and placed it to my right. I turned and pointed. It was Ken Curtis behind me and he nodded. He had seen it. He repeated the signal for the others so that they would know there was mine. I was lucky. I only had to move three mines and then I reached the railway line. I crouched next to the metal rail and peered to the east and west. I saw no one.
I turned and saw the line of Commandos snaking across the minefield. Bert Smith was at the back and he was laying a thin rope to give us a quick and safe escape route. When they all reached us Lieutenant Lloyd patted me on the back. I nodded and signalled for Gordy to follow me. We headed down the line to the shed which housed the mighty gun. I was confident that there would be no mines within three yards of the line and so we moved quickly and confidently. I was fifty yards from the entrance when I smelled cigarette smoke. I recognised the smell; it was the same as the cigarette I had given the dying Scouser. I dropped to the ground as did Gordy. I saw, ahead, a German smoking by the shed. I rolled to the side and waved Gordy to the other. The German threw the cigarette away and began to walk towards us. This was the disaster we had hoped we could avoid. If he came close to me then I would have to kill him… silently. That would not be the disaster that would come when he was missed and they searched his patrol area. They would find the charges and then search for us. We had to remain hidden for another twenty hours! We could not afford a hue and cry.
He came closer and closer. I kept my face pressed to the ground and hoped that Gordy would do the same. He was almost within six feet of me when I heard a noise from the bunker, "Heinz, coffee!"
He turned and I heard his footsteps on the gravel between the ties as he walked back east. I waited a moment or two and then lifted my head. I saw him heading towards the door. Our Sergeant Major would have had a fit at the light which shone from it. When it went dark I rose and waved Gordy to follow me. We reached Connor and Poulson who were laying the first charges. The Lieutenant cocked his head to one side. I gave the sign for Germans and he nodded. He made the 'hurry up' sign to the two men. Gordy and I turned and faced east. Our job was to stop any Germans who tried to interfere.
Daddy tapped me on the shoulder and I turned. I could see that the charges had been laid but, alarmingly, I could see the pressure switch. I picked up a handful of soil and spread it across the switches. We moved down the line to the other charges. They had been hidden. The Lieutenant waved us back across the minefield. I went last and rolled up the rope to hide our escape route. The first light of dawn was peering from the east and its rays flashed from one of the mines. I would have to bury them again! I reached the first one and scraped the soil from the bottom of the hole. I laid it in and then covered it again. The mine still stood a little proud but I hoped that it would be hard to spot. It seemed to take forever and I was aware that I was alone in the field now and dawn was breaking. If the German sentries had binoculars they might see me. The one thing I could not do was to rush. When I had buried the last mine I picked up the rope and moved quickly to the hedge.
"What the hell kept you, Harsker?"
"I had to rebury the mines sir or they would have been seen."
Realisation flooded his face. "Well spotted. We have to find somewhere to hide and quickly."
"There was a wood in the middle of that field on the other side of the road sir. It isn't perfect and it is a little close to the line but …"
"Any port in a storm. Lead on."
I ran across the road and, quite literally, dived through the hedge on the other side. Once clear I began to run at the crouch towards the tiny wood which looked like an oasis in the ploughed field. I was just grateful that it had not rained recently or our footprints would have been clear for all to see. There was a farmhouse just a quarter of a mile to the right of us and I kept half an eye on that one. The stand of trees was more of a copse than a wood. There were just fifteen or so trees and bushes but it was cover. I collapsed into it. I saw that there was a small pond in the middle which explained why the farmer had left this anomaly in the middle of his field.
The last one through was Daddy. He grinned and, putting his head close to me whispered, "Well done, Tom, that was quick thinking." He made a circle with his hand; the signal to spread out. We had already made sure that they were in four pairs and I saw that they had followed our orders. The pairs looked north, south, east and west. They were our sentries. One would watch while the other rested and then they would switch.
Daddy and I slithered down to the pond with the Lieutenant. "Well done, Corporal but this hiding place is just too close to the gun. They will search here."
"They may not, sir. Besides it couldn't be helped. We didn't know that Tom would have to clear the minefield did we? Let's just see which way the dice falls eh? " Daddy opened his bag and took out his water bottle. He poured some into his mug and mixed it with some porridge and some salt. It was a disgusting concoction but the powers that be had told us that this would give us energy and stop us becoming dehydrated. I did the same. I could see the frown on the Lieutenant's face as he swallowed the gloop. I reached into my Bergen and unwrapped the greaseproof paper. I broke off two squares of fruit cake and handed them to the other two. It was little enough but it would take away the taste of the salt. They nodded gratefully and we all ate the little luxury slowly to savour the taste. Mum would have approved. I savoured every morsel.
Dawn broke fully and we heard vehicles moving down the road. Then we heard the sound of an engine getting up steam. A cloud of black smoke appeared above the hedge line. At eight o'clock we heard the sound of doors being opened and we moved back to the edge of the wood so that we could see. Only half of the huge bunker was visible but we saw
the steam from the train as it moved the huge gun into position. I was picturing where it would be. I saw the very top of the barrel above the distant hedgerow. It was almost an anti climax when we heard the double explosions and the barrel jumped in the air and then disappeared. There was no flash of fire and the explosion seemed almost muted. The klaxon we heard, however, was a joyous sound. We had succeeded. We had not destroyed the gun but that day in September and the next were two days when they would not terrorise the civilians across the Channel. We now had to stay alive and that would not be easy.
Chapter 21
It was as though an ant's nest had been disturbed. We heard the sound of vehicles as they raced down the road from distant check points and barracks. The noise from the smoking field grew. We could hear orders being barked out. We could not, however, see anything. It was our minds which saw what we had done and that was only guesswork. And then the rain started. I had been so concerned about the gun that, once the sun had risen, I had blocked the sky from my mind. As the first drop fell, however I looked up and saw the heavy rainclouds rolling in from behind me. I pressed myself into the bole of a tree to escape the worst of the rain. It soon became apparent that the rain was not just a passing shower. The sky was rain filled. It bounced down. I was grateful that I had managed to choose an old tree with big branches and I remained mercifully dry.
The Lieutenant crawled to the edge of the woods. Visibility had been diminished but we could still see as far as the hedge. He crawled back, "I can't see anything. What do you think, Sergeant?"
"I think we are nice and safe here for the moment." Sergeant Grant pointed to the pairs of men and added, "The lads will watch. You get your head down Lieutenant. We will keep an eye on things. This suits me. It means Jerry can't see us as well and it will slow down their repairs."
He pointed up, "Sleep? In this?"
Daddy laughed, "Don't worry, you close your eyes, sir and you will be asleep before you know it."
He reluctantly crawled back to join us beneath the tree. There were still plenty of leaves on the tree above us and we had a dry spot. He was soon breathing heavily; Daddy had been right. We moved a little way away so that we could talk. "The rain is a Godsend, Sarge."
"How's that?"
"If we did leave any tracks then the rain will hide them and it will make the ground around those mines that I moved muddy. They will not know how we got there. If they had seen the disturbed soil around the mines they would have known."
"I know but it makes moving harder when we do leave the safety of this wood."
I shrugged, "We have got until midnight. That means we have four hours of darkness to reach the rendezvous point. We can do it in an hour at the most."
"Perhaps. The roads will be crawling with Germans."
"Germans who have been working all day and will be tired. Besides they will think we are long gone."
"I suppose. Best go round and see how the lads are, eh Tom?"
I crawled to the bush under which Polly and Ken sheltered. "How are things? See anything?"
"Not certain, Corp. I thought I heard the sound of an engine but I can't be sure."
"They would be using the engine to pull the gun back on to the rails. That won't be easy. If you see anyone appear then give a whistle. That means civilian or German."
I turned to go and Ken asked, "Do you think we got it, Corp?"
"The charges went off and the gun isn't firing." I looked at my watch, "It is ten o'clock now and we were told that the gun normally fired its first round at nine o'clock. I think we have stopped it firing."
"But they can repair the line."
"Of course they can, Poulson, and the gun will fire again but that won't be for two or three days. They also have to pull the derailed gun back on to the track. That may take them as long ,if not longer than repairing the rails. Even then they will have to check the damage on the gun too. When the skies clear the RAF will send over reconnaissance aeroplanes and, later, bombers. It is easier to slow down building than bomb railway lines."
They nodded, "I wonder how the other teams got on?"
"We will have to wait until we get home to discover that."
"But we will get home, Corp."There was nervousness in Curtis' voice. He was like a child seeking reassurance from a parent.
"You are a Commando, Curtis; you always get home!"
I left them but the confidence I had try to imbue was not within me. The coast would be alive with angry Germans seeking us. We had one chance to get off on a Motor Launch and that was all. It took me fifteen minutes to get around the others. By then the rain had slackened to a drizzle. By eleven it had stopped.
"What worries me, Tom, is that we haven't heard any other explosions. How did the others get on? I would have expected the guns the major was attacking to have made a bit of a noise."
"I know. The railway track explosion was not loud. I didn't necessarily expect to hear the sound of the other railway gun being sabotaged but the guns on the cliffs is a different matter. I wonder now about that small arms fire."
I crawled to the western edge and saw the sky lightening over England. There was a whistle and I scurried, along with Daddy, over to Poulson and Curtis. They pointed towards four Germans, with machine pistols who had entered the field. I slithered down to the Lieutenant, "Germans sir, in the field."
I went back to the other three and armed the Thompson. I saw them scanning the wood with binoculars. It looked as though they were staring at us but I knew that was an illusion. We were blacked up and not moving. One of the exercises back in England we did was an adult game of hide and seek. It was a game at which we excelled. All of us of could remain still for hours at a time. It was movement which gave you away. I breathed a sigh of relief as they put their glasses away. I felt a movement close to my leg and I cautioned the Lieutenant with my hand. He moved imperceptibly until he was between Daddy and me.
The Germans began examining the ground and then they began to move towards us. If they reached the woods then they would see us. I began to calculate if we could escape from the wood and make the next road to the west without being seen. The Germans had vehicles. It was unlikely. Just then we heard, as did the Germans, the sound of a Merlin engine. I glanced up and saw the Spitfire zoom from the west. It was only armed with a camera but it made the Germans scurry back to the safety of the field boundary. They raised their guns and popped away ineffectually at the fast moving fighter. Other guns and anti aircraft joined in the welcome. The Spitfire circled and then spiralled up before heading back west.
The three of us moved back down as the Germans left the field. "Is that it do you think, Sergeant?"
"Dunno sir, but it has given us a little more time. The Spit will report back and then, who knows?"
A short while later we all heard the unmistakeable sound of small arms fire to the south and east. That was worrying for this time it would not be the resistance. It had to be Commandos. That meant it was either the other team who were waiting like us for night to fall or some of the major's men had not made it back home. Worry and concern for Sean and the others nagged in the back of my mind.
At one o'clock we heard the distant drone of engines. It grew closer. Through the foliage I saw to the west fifteen Blenheims. Six of them peeled off and headed in our direction while the other nine continued east. We heard the German siren sound and then the flak as they fired at the bombers. This time we felt the ground shake as the bombs from the Blenheim bombers fell. Some of the bombs had to be incendiary for flames shot up in the air. It was either that or the bombers had hit some vehicles. After their bombing run the six turned and headed west. A pall of smoke covered the field with the railway gun but I saw two of the Blenheims smoking. They had not escaped unscathed.
The bombing raid must have had an effect for we heard more vehicles arriving at the field and more noise of repair. It was as we had speculated our work had enabled the bombers to damage the gun when it was vulnerable and in the open. We had lured
the beast from the safety of its cave. During the afternoon Daddy and I took the opportunity for an hour of sleep. Daddy shook me awake at five in the afternoon. "It's all quiet but we need to get some food and be ready to move soon." I nodded, "When you have eaten you had better check the map for the best way back to the rendezvous."
The first thing I noticed, when I looked up was that I could see the top of a crane which had a cable dangling. They had brought heavy equipment in to right the wrecked railway gun. If the bombers came back now then they could do even more damage. The sky was still filled with rainclouds and the bombers might not be able to take off. I ate more of the dried rations and drank some water. I would not risk refilling with water from the pond. There was no need. I still had a few mouthfuls in the canteen. We tried to use moving water to refill whenever possible. It was healthier. I crawled to the western end of the wood. Our route back would be the reverse of the previous night. The difference was that the Germans would be on the alert now. The empty roads of the previous night might be just a little busier,
As soon as darkness fell I slipped from the woods, leading the others. I had confirmed the route on the map. It would be the reverse of our outward route. The danger this time would be checkpoints which had not been there the previous night. I felt terribly exposed but I knew that was an illusion. It was pitch black. We would be almost impossible to see. The rain might have gone but it had left cloudy skies behind. We were approaching the road on the far side of the field when I heard a vehicle. I waved my hand and dropped down on the muddy field. The sound moved from the north and then disappeared south. I reached the hedge and, after peering through clambered on the road. There appeared to be no one and I waved the others through. I crossed the road and disappeared into the hedge on the other side.
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