To either side of Omaha the soldiers who landed on Utah and Gold beaches were luckier. They managed to get ashore without the strong opposition which had greeted the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. Further east, the British on Juno and Sword had been opposed by the 21st Panzer Division, which lost almost half its armour to the fighter-bomber and artillery attack. By the end of the day, one hundred and fifty-six thousand men had been put ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Although Major General Huebner said that his 1st Division were only digging in on Omaha beach with their fingernails, the Allies once more had a foothold on North Western Europe, the first since the disaster at Dunkirk. They were determined that nothing would drive them back into the sea again.
150
There was a knock at the back door. Angeline nervously looked up at the clock. It was just after midday. Vincent laid his spoon down beside the bowl of onion soup, and reached out to squeeze her hand.
"I’ll go."
He was nervous as he slowly approached the door. It had been a difficult night. He had eventually managed to get Jean-Paul back to his home at 3.30 that morning, then slipped back into Saint Nazaire with the early morning workers, soon after dawn. The Germans had spent the morning rushing around in a frenzied attempt to get the fires raging in the docks under control, and seeking clues as to who had carried out the attack. Surely they hadn’t made the link between him and what had happened? Vincent would not expect the Germans to come knocking quietly on his back door, but you never knew. Breathing deeply to try to control the rapid beating of his heart, he reached out and opened the door. His breath escaped in a sigh of relief as he saw who was standing there.
"Oh, it’s, you. Come in quickly."
He stepped back to admit a nervous and serious faced Theresa. She quickly looked around the room. Seeing Angeline and only two places at the table, she frowned.
"Is Albert here?"
"No. Didn’t he return to the farm?"
Theresa shook her head, and tears sprang to her eyes. Angeline immediately rose and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Come and sit down, dear, and tell us all about it."
Theresa allowed herself to be led to the table and sat down wearily.
"How is your father?"
Theresa looked at the baker.
"He’ll be all right, Monsieur Vincent. Mamma took out the bullet in his leg and bandaged it. We waited and waited for Albert to come back but when he didn’t, Papa asked me to come to see if he’s hiding here."
"No Theresa, I'm sorry. I’ve been out today. As far as I can make out, the Germans have not said that they took any prisoners last night. Albert could be injured, hiding somewhere between here and your home."
"Or dead."
Theresa was the only one who put their fears into words. They all knew what a risk the attack had been, the more so for Tony because he was a known British agent. Angeline did not say anything, but she realised that if Tony had been taken he would be facing a firing squad in the very near future. She knew that if he did not turn up soon, it must be assumed that they would never see him again.
It was Theresa who eventually broke the gloomy silence. "Papa asked me to come past the railway on my way here, to see if they had tried to move the train."
Angeline frowned. "Which train?"
"The tank transport. Albert had said that it must be out of action for the invasion, so I sabotaged the axle boxes."
"You did that?"
Theresa nodded at Vincent. "Yes. It wasn’t too difficult. Papa said that if the train had moved I was to tell you, and you would let the radio operator know."
Angeline frowned. "And had it been moved?"
"Yes. They hooked it up to an engine and moved it from the siding onto the main line heading northwards. Then the axles froze. It’s now stuck there, blocking the line." For the first time since her arrival, Theresa smiled. "Albert would have been happy to know that."
Angeline turned to Vincent excitedly. "If they’ve tried to move the train, it must mean that the tanks are needed in the north. And that would mean..."
"The invasion!" Theresa leapt to her feet in excitement. Angeline laid a restraining hand on her arm.
"Shhh." She looked at Vincent. "Fetch the radio."
He disappeared into the storeroom and retrieved the radio from its hiding place in the false bottom of the flour bin. Within minutes it was tuned in to the BBC. The three people listened eagerly to the news.
"...this morning. Allied troops are even now on French soil, and the freedom of Europe cannot now be far away..."
Theresa squealed in delight, and threw her arms around Angeline’s neck. The Englishwoman smiled and inclined her head towards the radio. Vincent nodded, switched it off and concealed it once more. Angeline hugged the French girl, then gently disentangled her arms. She looked her nervously in the eye.
“Remember, Theresa, we are not supposed to know that. Tell no one but your parents, or the Germans will be suspicious."
Theresa nodded, still unable to stop smiling. Angeline continued. "Tell your father that last night’s attack was a great success. Vincent and I will make sure that the radio operator tells London about that, and the train. You have all done well."
Theresa nodded, and her smiled faded. "We wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without Albert."
Angeline nodded comfortingly. "I know. Either Vincent or I will bring you news of him, as soon as we hear anything. The most important thing for you to do is to act normally."
Theresa nodded. "I understand. I’ll be going now, I don’t want my parents to worry. And I can’t wait to tell them the news!"
She hugged Angeline impulsively once more then smiled. "Goodbye."
Vincent re-entered the room as she was leaving. "Goodbye. And take care."
Theresa nodded and waved, then was gone. As the door closed behind her, Vincent turned to Angeline with a broad grin on his face.
"The invasion at last! Our freedom can’t be far behind!"
Angeline nodded. "Yes, but at what cost? You said that Albert was surrounded when last you saw him?"
Vincent nodded. "Just about. It would have been difficult for him to get out of that position and, if I’m honest, I don’t believe the Germans were in any mood to take prisoners."
"Then we should fear the worst?"
Vincent nodded sadly. "I’m afraid so."
Angeline’s face was determined. "I am going to spend the afternoon down by the docks and outside the S.S. H.Q. to see what I can find out."
"Is that wise?"
"It's my job." Vincent nodded but said nothing as Angeline continued. "I’ll get in touch with England tonight."
151
Captain Dawson paced the length of the radio hut and back again, time after time. The operators were working hard. There seemed to be a message from every agent in France. Each operator wrote swiftly on the pad in front of them, then de-coded the message before handing the transcript to a runner, who took it across to Dawson. Each time a piece of paper was handed to him, the officer stood still and read it, before giving it back to be filed or placed on his desk for further action. It was a busy night. The messages all brought good news. The sabotage work had gone well, and the invasion seemed to be going more or less to plan, so he was unprepared for the message which came a few minutes after midnight.
'Attack on docks success. Tank transport train out of action and blocking line. Albert missing. Presume worst.
Angeline'
For a moment the full meaning of the message did not sink in. Then he read it again. 'Presume worst'. His face was stony as he looked at the message without really seeing it. It was bound to happen. You could not send hundreds of agents behind enemy lines without expecting to lose some, but each time it happened it came as a shock. To many it would seem like just one more casualty in a war where millions had lost their lives. But this casualty was personally known to him, as was his great contribution to the war effort. Dawson continued to cling to the t
hin shred of hope that Tony might still be alive, but deep down he knew that Angeline would not have sent such a message if she did not think he was dead. He turned and left the hut, still clutching the flimsy piece of paper, so small a thing to represent the loss of a human life.
152
On Omaha beach and beyond, the battle raged throughout the night of June 6th and into the following morning. The tanks finally seemed to be coming ashore in usable numbers. They were moving forward to where the U.S. 1st Division had stubbornly clung on to their tiny beachhead during the night. As the huge behemoths thundered past Bobby, he smiled wearily. At last they appeared to be gaining the upper hand. Falling in behind a tank, he shuffled forward with the other GIs. In over twenty-four hours since hitting the beaches they had managed to snatch only a few moments of sleep. They were exhausted, but it felt good to be moving forwards at last.
The 5th Rangers came ashore and relieved the 2nd on Pointe du Hoc, then surged forwards to secure Grandchamp. The 175th Infantry drove along Route 13 towards Isigny during the night. By dawn on the 9th, the town was in their hands, while the German infantry was beginning to withdraw from its positions on the Arnes.
Behind the troops, the beaches which had seen such fierce fighting on D-Day now became transport depots. The Allies knew it would be some time before they had access to port facilities on the French coast, so they had planned to provide all five beaches with breakwaters called Gooseberries, behind which the merchantmen could shelter and unload. Work on these portable harbours began on 8th June, with the sinking of block ships on the fifteen foot line. It was hoped that the harbours would be in full working order by the 11th, to supply the thousands of men with the equipment they would need to rid France of its occupying forces. By the end of the 9th, the beachheads had linked up although all of the objectives had not been achieved. Caen was supposed to have fallen on the first day but was not in fact taken for four weeks, but the Allied forces were well established, filled with the confidence that the end of a war which had cost so much in suffering and death was now immeasurably closer.
153
Bobby moved cautiously along the narrow lane. The thick hedges on either side reached high above the sunken roadway. They offered ideal protection for the slowly retreating Germans to mount ambushes on the Americans, who sought desperately to reach the port of Cherbourg, where the enemy were equally vigorous in their defence. Ahead of Bobby and his platoon the road turned sharply left, hiding what lay ahead from the approaching soldiers. Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire. The GIs threw themselves against the sides of the bocage, frantically surveying the hedges, hoping desperately that there were no Germans waiting above to fire down on them in such an enclosed place. All was still, and Lieutenant Cooper waved an arm to indicate that his men should climb up the steep banks and through the hedges, so they could attack the ambushing Germans from the flank.
Bobby slung his rifle over his shoulder, and began to scramble up the impossibly steep bank. He clung tightly to exposed roots and the slim trunks of saplings, as he hauled himself upwards and pushed his way through the dense undergrowth. At last he found himself in a small field; crouching low he unslung his rifle and held it ready in front of him. As silently as possible the Americans made their way forwards in the cover of the hedge, moving steadily closer to the sound of gunfire. At last they saw the Germans. A machine gun had been set up in the shelter of an enormous oak tree and from there the enemy were firing down into the bocage on the entrapped soldiers, who could do nothing to relieve their predicament. If they tried to move from what little cover they had found, they were sitting ducks to the enemy in their superior position.
Bobby glanced across at the lieutenant, who held up a hand in readiness. The two Germans operating the machine gun, and the soldiers who surrounded them and were using their rifles to fire on the Americans, had not sensed the danger to their flanks. When Cooper dropped his hand and the GIs rushed forwards, guns blazing, they took the enemy completely by surprise. With fierce determination the Americans moved forwards, bullets slamming into the enemy as they turned with startled eyes to see the harbingers of their doom. The element of surprise was so great that they wiped out the enemy position, while only one of their number was injured.
The relieving Americans climbed down into the bocage, where they began to help their wounded comrades, binding wounds and comforting the injured. They were still there when a soldier appeared at a run, with further orders for the advancing forces. He saluted Cooper and began to speak breathlessly.
"The 101st Airborne have now linked up with the 29th Infantry, sir, and are moving on Carentan. You're to swing your men around to the southwest, to outflank and encircle the town. With any luck, we'll be able to cut off the entire garrison."
Cooper unfolded his map and perused it carefully, then nodded.
"OK. Tell the captain we're moving in. Will we link up with other groups from our division down there?"
The runner nodded. “Yes, sir.”
"Good. Then you get back to HQ." He folded his map and put it carefully away. "Come on guys, we have a job to do."
It was late afternoon of June 11th when Lieutenant Cooper’s group came within sight of Carentan. The officer studied the situation, then pointed to a small copse of trees.
"Bivouac down there, lads. Wesson and Garland on guard. I'm going to try to find HQ, and see what they want us to do now."
As Cooper and two accompanying soldiers moved off, the remainder of his platoon moved into the copse, only to find that it was already occupied by other GIs. Wesson and Garland joined those already on guard, while the remainder settled down to rest. Bobby removed his helmet, and was lying down to sleep when the sound of boots rustling in the leaf litter alerted him to someone approaching, but he was too tired to socialise. He lay there with his eyes closed, waiting for them to pass by.
"Are you deliberately ignoring me?"
Bobby’s eyes opened wide in surprise and he sat up.
"Al!"
Al grinned broadly and threw himself onto the ground. "So you've managed to get this far, Bobby. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too, pal. After our group split up, I didn't know what had happened to you." He frowned. "I've seen so many men go down over the last few days. I was afraid you might not have made it."
Al nodded. "I know what you mean. There were times when I thought I'd never get off that beach alive." He shuddered as he thought of all the death and destruction he had witnessed. "We might be moving now,” he continued, "but it's still slower than I thought it would be."
"Yeah." Bobby grinned. "It seems strange for us to be moving west and then north when Germany lies to our east. But I suppose the brass know what they’re doing."
"You're damn right they do, Wilson." Bobby looked round to see Lieutenant Cooper smiling down at him. "We have to take Cherbourg before we can join the British going east. We attack Carentan in the morning, then head on up the Cotentin Peninsular. Once we have the port in our hands, supply will be easier. And we won’t have to worry about an enemy at our backs." He looked around at the soldiers relaxing in the copse. "For tonight we stay right where we are. Get some rest. It will be quite a fight in the morning."
For once Lieutenant Cooper was proved wrong. During the night the German garrison quietly evacuated Carentan and moved up to join with the garrison defending Cherbourg. The American soldiers were in hot pursuit, but could not bring the fleeing troops to battle.
154
The Allied attempts to confuse the Germans into thinking that the invasion would come in the Pas de Calais rather than Normandy had worked well. Even a week after the landings, Hitler still thought that Normandy was just a diversion. He was waiting for the forces to come over the narrowest part of the Channel. That was the area where part of his new 'secret weapon' was situated and, on 13th June, the first V-I set out on its deadly mission. The small pilotless planes carried a heavy load of high explosive. They fle
w on until their fuel ran out, then they would dive straight to the ground. The ensuing blast was enormous, causing high casualties because most of them came over during the day when it was impossible for the majority of people to take shelter. Once again the children of London were evacuated to safer areas. Once the new menace was fully understood, anti-aircraft defences were moved out towards the coast. They helped to contain the threat by firing shells with proximity fuses, while fighter aircraft brought the flying bombs down in the air. It seemed strange to the British to be under such constant attack again, particularly now that the war seemed to be going so well for them, but they soon became used to the threat. They continued their daily lives in the same stoic fashion which had characterised their reactions since the outbreak of war so long before.
155
The nurses and auxiliaries at Heronfield and other hospitals throughout Britain were under a great deal of pressure as the wounded flooded back from the beaches of Normandy. But the days passed, and the flood slowed as the Allies gained a firmer foothold. No longer was Sarah dealing with wounded who had only been treated at a Forward Dressing Station before being sent to Heronfield. After twelve days they were converting back to their usual role as a convalescent hospital, and the staff had more time to themselves. Sarah and Jane took advantage of this as they walked through the orchard. The apples on the trees were growing fast in the dappled sunlight, and Sarah wondered if the war would be over before it was time to pick them. She watched a butterfly flitting through the trees searching for flowers, and smiled.
"I like it here, Jane. It's so peaceful."
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