From Arctic Snow to Desert Sand (British Ace Book 6)

by Griff Hosker

  The field was just five miles away from the port. The road leading to it was reasonable and the airfield was slightly elevated. That would make take-off and landing easier. I saw that the King’s African Rifles had established a perimeter with guards. That was good. There was neither sight nor smell of the Camel Corps. Ted had told me that you knew when camels were around from the smell. I saw that they had the aeroplanes parked closely together. “Head for the other aeroplanes.”

  I climbed from the cab and took out my pipe. This would be our new home. I looked around. It had been chosen well. Nothing overlooked it. There were patches of high ground but they were more than half a mile from the end of the field. The road passed through a narrow gap in the hills. That would be our route in and out of the field. The tents were neatly laid out. There was no mess tent. I saw that each section had their own fire and dixie. That made sense too. I had no doubt that Sergeant Major Hale would organize our own men. Selfishly I watched as my Dolphin was unloaded. That was my priority. Knowing it was the Commanding Officer’s the riggers did it with kid gloves and I breathed a sigh of relief as they pushed it to join the others. We would fire them up the next day.

  Sergeant Major Hale, Sergeant Major Robson and Captain Connor strode over to see me. “Colonel Pritchard is the commander of the Rifles and he has taken a company out to check on a report that there were Dervishes seen on the ridge yonder, sir. He said he will speak with you on his return.”

  I nodded, “Reports?”

  Sergeant Major Robson said, “All the aeroplanes have been landed safely, sir. We have fuel for tomorrow but we need to find somewhere secure for the rest. I left it on the freighter. I thought it was safer.”

  I turned to Sergeant Major Hale, “And the ammunition and the food?”

  “The same sir. It is just a five-mile journey to pick up fresh supplies and the two ships are safer than here.”

  Captain Connor, “Where will headquarters be?”

  “I have used one of the larger tents. We will have to have squadron briefings outside but we will need shade to work, sir.”

  “Quite. And we will be having the same arrangement for food as the colonials?”

  “Yes sir. The rigger and mechanics will cook their own. The gunners theirs and the officers and warrant officers will share one mess. Williams and Swanston have volunteered to be cooks, sir.”

  I smiled, “Volunteered?”

  “Actually, yes sir. They are good lads. I would like to put them in for promotion. They are what the service needs.”

  “I agree, Sergeant Major. With Mr. Churchill behind us then I think that the Royal Air Force may become even more important. Don’t forget to ginger up the lads. They need their side arms at all times and we all need to be vigilant. These Dervishes are nasty pieces of work and they are religious fanatics.”

  “Don’t worry sir. I told them the stories.”

  Williams and Swanston cooked a basic meal but we were all so hungry that we wolfed it down as though it came from the Café Royal.

  Colonel Pritchard and his men arrived back late. They were in two lorries. They had taken casualties but, thankfully, none had died. He saluted, “Sorry I wasn’t here to greet you, sir.”

  “Don’t worry about it. What happened?”

  “The usual. The Dervishes are good at letting sentries see them and then fleeing before they can be apprehended. We chase them and they ambush us. We have five men wounded.”

  The Colonel and his men appeared to be playing into the hands of these Dervishes. “How many of them did you get?”

  “We haven’t a clue. I am guessing some but they carry off their wounded and dead. All you find is a patch of blood. They have learned how to control the land and to avoid us. They stopped using bases by the coast for our ships were able to blast them. They are the masters of disguise and terror.” He shook his head. “It is almost like a game to them.”

  “Then as from tomorrow we change the rules. We don’t chase them. Where are the Camel Corps?”

  “They are still on their way. They are good lads and they can cover terrain which our lorries can’t but they have a large area to police.”

  “Then when they get here the three of us will sit down and work out a better way to deal with these Dervishes. I have been promised that I can go home when they are eliminated. I have a real incentive. This Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan has plagued Somaliland for long enough. We will stop him.”

  “We have been trying since 1904 to bring him to book. We know where his forts are but they are hard to attack. I admire your determination sir but you have just thirteen aeroplanes.”

  “Have you seen the Royal Air Force in action Colonel?”

  “No sir, I spent the Great War in East Africa..”

  “Then I think you are in for a pleasant surprise.”

  Chapter 13

  The first thing I did when I awoke the next day was to get Sergeant Major Robson to have my aeroplane readied. Once I had spoken with Colonel Pritchard I intended to launch an attack on the nearest Dervish stronghold. I was anxious for the arrival of the Camel Corps. Ted had told me that the camel was the best way to get around the desert. Having been here for less than twenty-four hours I could see why. Once it was eight o’clock it was so hot that it was almost hard to breathe.

  I ate with Jack and Ted. “I want us up in the air as soon as we can. If there were Dervishes close enough to draw out the Rifles then they must have a base close by. I want pairs of aeroplanes radiating out from here. I will take three o’clock.”

  Jack nodded. “The lads are keen to get on with something.”

  “Ted, when the Camel Corps arrive I need to speak with their Colonel. We have to use every element of Force Z if we are to defeat this Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. We must work as a team.”

  It had been more than a week since I had flown combat. With the help of Aircraftman Williams, I prepared myself as much as possible. I placed four grenades in the pockets I had had fitted to the cockpit. I placed my Lee Enfield in the cockpit. I had a flare gun in case I crash landed and I had the emergency kit I had instructed all of my pilots to carry. I flew with Lieutenant Canning. The runaway still needed work; Sergeant Major Hale and Colonel Pritchard had work parties ready to clear it after we had taken off. Only Lieutenant Sanderson remained behind. He was the air ambulance.

  I led the take-off and I headed through the gap between the two ridges. We headed dues west. I had instructed Canning to stay above me. His gunner could act as a spotter. I flew at a hundred feet. It was quite hairy for the ground rose and fell quickly and you needed quick reactions. My aim was for us to search within forty miles of our base. Once we reached forty miles then we would turn south as would the rest of the squadron. We would fly for ten miles and head back to the base. I hoped that, by doing so, we would either find the Dervishes or establish that they were further away than we thought.

  We were just fifteen miles south when I saw a line of camels and riders with rifles. I wondered if it could be the Camel Corps and I descended. They did not have khaki nor did they have sun helmets and they fired at us. They were Dervishes. I banked and cocked my Vickers. As they came into my sights I gave them a burst. I hit one of the camels and its rider. Behind me Lieutenant Canning and his gunner joined in. As I banked around and flew over them I saw that we had killed two camels and there were two dead Dervishes. I did not think we had found their base but we had established that they were close to us. I waved my hand around in a circle and we headed back. We had made a start.

  There were aeroplanes on the ground when I landed and I saw tethered camels. The Camel Corps had arrived. I climbed out and went over to Lieutenant Canning, “What did you see?”

  “Albert here, said there were ten of them. We killed two but another three were hit and they headed for cover.”

  “Well done, Albert.”

  He grinned, “They just vanished sir. One minute they were there and the next they had gone.”

  “It is t
he terrain. Had there been more, then it might have been an opportunity to drop a bomb.” I had a sudden thought, “Next time take some Mills bombs up. Your gunner can drop them if the numbers are too small for a bomb.”

  I left my goggles and flying helmet in the cockpit and strode to the tent we used as admin. Inside was Jack, Lieutenant Hobson, Colonel Pritchard, Captain Connor and a Colonel I did not recognise.

  Jack was excited, “Sir! Hobson here has found them.”

  “The Dervishes?”

  “Yes sir, they are sixty miles to the east of us.”

  “Sixty miles? I thought I said for you to patrol to forty miles and then turn around.”

  Hobson looked apologetic, “Sorry sir. We had an engine problem. I sent Lieutenant Hooper to continue the patrol and I descended. I saw an area I thought I could use to land. However, as I descended the problem cleared itself. It was as I was climbing again that I saw the Dervish camp. It is on a high piece of ground here.” He pointed to a map.

  The Colonel I did not know said, “It is known as Medistie or Koolo depending upon whom you talk to. Little nothing of a place and hard to get to.” He smiled, “Colonel Farquhar, Somaliland Camel Corps.”

  “Pleased to meet you. How many men, Hobson?”

  “Hard to say sir. They were camouflaged but they had walls and what looked like ancient artillery pieces.”

  “Then this is our chance to strike at them. Colonel Pritchard and Colonel Farquhar, could you have your men a mile from Medistie by dawn? Not all of your men, say fifty Camel Corps and fifty Rifles?”

  “Yes sir. What do you have in mind?”

  “Simple, Colonel Pritchard. If between you the two of you can close the road in and out of Medistie then we will bomb it tomorrow at nine in the morning. We will strafe it. I guarantee that any Dervishes we do not kill will run away. You get as many as you can. Once that is done you enter their base and destroy any ordnance and defences.”

  Colonel Farquhar said, mildly, “Suppose they are not there? Suppose this officer made a mistake?”

  I saw Eric Hobson colour, “My officers do not make mistakes like that, Colonel. If Lieutenant Hobson said there is a base at Medistie then there is one. We attack at nine!”

  When the two colonels and Lieutenant Hobson had gone, Ted said, “You came on a little strong there, sir.”

  “Neither officer knows what we can see from the air. Jack, do you believe Hobson?”

  “Of course. He is as reliable as they come.”

  “And that is my view too. I trust my officers. I do not know these two units. They may be good fellows but, as I recall, it was the Camel Corps which Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan defeated all those years ago. If the Rifles and the Camel Corps had the ability to defeat the Dervishes then they would have done so long before now. Tomorrow we show them just what we can do!”

  We had our engines fired up before dawn. I had Eric Hobson lead the squadron to attack the next day. We headed first out to sea so that we could approach from the east with the sun behind us. One thing I had learned in my time in the Middle East was that every sunrise was bright. I wanted our twelve aircraft to appear from nowhere. They had never seen an aeroplane. I wanted to terrify them.

  We had sixty miles to the target but my attack route meant more like a hundred and ten miles. I was not carrying any bombs. My Nanaks had forty-four between them. That would be enough. I knew that Eric Hobson was nervous. Jack had told me so. The Colonel’s questions had made him doubt himself. I didn’t doubt him for a moment. The men we had fired at had been just twenty odd miles from Medistie when we had shot them up. It made sense. The sun came up as we were heading along the coast. Hobson banked to begin our bombing run. We were ten miles from the camp and flying at four hundred feet. I hoped that the Rifles and Camel Corps were in position.

  Hobson waggled his wings when we were just five miles from what passed for a town in these parts. The spirals of smoke ahead told me there were fires and people were cooking. Jack, who was flying alongside Hobson, signalled for us to descend and we dropped to two hundred feet. I cocked my guns. I had the easy job. I would just have to fire my machine gun. The Nanaks had to drop bombs and fire their guns.

  Because we were low and coming from the sun the Dervishes heard only the buzz and hum of our motors. Ted said, later, that we would have sounded like a horde of locusts. I could only imagine what these primitive warriors thought as out fiendish machines suddenly appeared through the heat haze. Even before the first bomb had been dropped or the first bullet fired some fled for their lives. It would be a fruitless flight if my two colonels had not done as I had asked. I opened fire. My bullets tore through the branches and bushes they had used to disguise their position. Then the bombs dropped. Jack would make two passes to ensure that the encampment was totally destroyed. I did not waste more bullets. I would wait until the bombs had done their work and attack any other target which was belligerent.

  As I made a lazy loop around the hill top refuge I checked my fuel. I had enough to get home. I saw dead camels and donkeys. I saw dead men. What I did not see were women and children. This was a warband of Dervishes. Colonel Pritchard told me that they operated much the way that they had done for hundreds of years. They rode their land taking what they wanted while their families were hidden in safety. When their appetites had been sated and they had enough treasure and glory then they would return, briefly, to their families. I found no targets for my guns. The ancient cannons had been destroyed. When I saw the first of the Camel Corps troopers enter the camp I signalled for us to return.

  Flying along the road we saw where some of the Dervishes had been ambushed by the Rifles. The colonial troops waved in greeting as we zoomed overhead. There were knots of prisoners. We had our first victory.

  The Nanak pilots were exuberant. I went over to Lieutenant Hobson. “Well done, Lieutenant. You led us there perfectly. I shall mention you in despatches.”

  “Thank you, sir. If it all goes like this then it will be over before Easter!”

  “I hope, Lieutenant, that it is over sooner than that.”

  The men we had left behind had not been idle. Sergeant Major Robson and Sergeant Major Hale had finished clearing the airfield of rocks. We could now have three Nanaks taking off at once. We might not need to but it was good to know that we could. The two colonels had both opted to take part in the attack. Their adjutants were with Captain Connor. Jack had told them of our success over the radio.

  “Well done, sir. A great victory.”

  I nodded, “Thank you Captain Reed. We caught them napping. We had surprise on our side. I am not certain that we will be so lucky a second time but it is a good start. There will be prisoners. I cannot see them reaching us before dark but you and your men might want to make a pen in which to hold them. I will pop down to the Ark Royal and report our success to Cairo.”

  Aircraftman Williams appeared with a mug of tea, “Here y’are sir. This will wash away the dust.”

  I took the mug and swallowed. He was right. It cut through the dust wonderfully well. “Get a motor cycle. We will go back to Berbera and I will visit with the Captain.”

  “Sir.”

  It was not a dignified ride as I clung to the back of Williams but it was quick. Aircraftman Williams enjoyed the machine. I was pleased to see that, as I went aboard the carrier, he stood guarding the motor bike with a Webley at the ready.

  Captain Mainwaring was waiting to greet me. “We heard your aeroplanes take off this morning. I said to Number One that you would be in action. Well?”

  “One camp destroyed and we have prisoners. I do not think we have taken casualties but we will have to await the return of the two detachments I sent.”

  “Well done. Marley!” His steward appeared, “Two Pink Gins!”

  “Sir.”

  “What now?”

  “Well, we found the camp which was closest to us. Now that we know what we are looking for we can spread our search. This is a big country. If this Mull
ah spreads his men out then it will be a long job.”

  The steward appeared with the gins, “Cheers. I am not certain he will disperse them, Bill. I had dinner with the Resident last night. He told me that Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan likes to keep his men close to him. They are like his bodyguard. They swear a blood oath and, of course, he is their religious leader too.”

  “I know, Captain Connor told me. So, this chap is like a vicar?”

  “I know, strange isn’t it. Still it is their religion. I take it you want me to report to Cairo?”

  “Yes sir. If you let me have pen and paper I will write it as a report. I know that the atmospherics affect the radio. Your chap may have difficulty.”

  “Of course. Use my desk. I will pop along and have him warm it up.”

  I spent an hour writing my report. This was the first time that we had operated with two different arms and I wanted to make sure that I omitted no detail. I listened as the radio operator read my report back to me. I wanted no misunderstandings. It was afternoon by the time we reached the aerodrome. A wire enclosure had been built to secure any prisoners which were brought back.

  It was after midnight before they did so. I was woken by Corporal Swanston, “Sir, the colonels are back.”

  “Thanks.” The two colonels were weary and dirty. I met them in the admin tent. Williams had lit an oil lamp. “Everything go well?”

  Colonel Pritchard nodded, “It did. We took fifteen prisoners.”

  Colonel Farquhar said, “The trouble is Wing Commander, that the hundred and odd miles we have done has taken it out of the camels. We will need a day or two to rest.”

  “I can see that. Look, you are both tired. Get a good night’s rest. I will take the squadron up in the morning and see if we can find the rest of their strongholds. When I get back we will have a meeting to discuss strategy.”

  They both nodded, “By the way sir, I see what you meant about aerial power. I watched through glasses. Artillery could not be that accurate.”