Sword Beach (Combined Operations Book 6) Page 15

  "So you three it is down to the river and canoe practise."

  Ken Shepherd was another of our explosives experts. "Will we need explosives sir?"

  "No Shepherd but I want the three of you to speak in German from now on. Beaumont, you keep testing them."

  "Yes sir."

  We would have the same journey by canoe as we had had before. It was important that each pair worked as one. I had studied the aerial photographs of the northern section of the river. I planned on hiding the canoes on land. I had been aware that without the bad weather of our last raid we might have been spotted. I took Crowe with me. I intended to have three days of intensive training in the canoes before we spent the next three studying maps and photographs. Canoeing is all about rhythm. We paddled from the old E-boat dock up as far as Lamorran. It was a hard paddle upstream. We had no rain but it was as cold as I had ever known it. We used fingerless gloves but the icy river soon soaked them. Hay and Shepherd had to learn to stay in our wake and follow my every move. To do so in silence was equally hard.

  Once we reached the small island on the Fal I stopped. We had some dry rations which we ate. Crowe rubbed his shoulders. Bill Hay laughed, "Are they burning?"

  "German, Lance Sergeant, German."

  He concentrated and said, in German, "Your shoulders they are burning."

  I smiled as Crowe concentrated, "They are hot, yes."

  "You need to be more natural when you speak. You look as though you are thinking about every word you are saying."

  "We are, sir."

  "Don't then Lance Sergeant. Keep it simple. Short phrases are the key. Listen carefully. That will help your German. You need to think like German. They have a sense of humour but they don't smile much." Sergeant Poulson and the others had told them all of our experience. It had both excited and worried the rest of the section.

  When I deemed they had enough time to recover from the hard paddle up the river I led them to the canoes again. "Right now when we go downstream I want to see if we can do it in half the time. I have my watch ready to time us. The day after tomorrow we do this same journey but at night. We will be landing in Normandy at night and that is much harder."

  By the time we paddled down the Fal in the middle of the night we were faster and quieter. I had learned lessons from our first landing. Their German improved as quickly as their paddling skills. That was down to Beaumont who haunted them when they were in the digs. He took to stalking them and listening outside their rooms. If they spoke English he leapt in and snapped at them in German.

  Bill Hay came to me to complain, "Sir there is nowhere to get any peace. Shepherd was on the bog the other day and asked for toilet paper. When he asked in English Beaumont shouted in German. Poor bugger needed more toilet paper after that sir."

  "Bill, one slip over there and we don't come back. Beaumont might be young but he handles himself like a veteran when we are in France. The lads are getting better but we can't just be good, we have to be perfect."

  Daddy Grant had come up trumps for us. Not only did he have the waterproofs he also had more equipment. In the last push in Italy many prisoners had been captured. Through his contacts he had managed to get hold of some it. He had German wallets for us and more German money. He had a proper sergeant's uniform and greatcoat for me and a corporal's for Bill. He even had four German identity cards. As they were for Italy they would not bear close inspection but they would buy us some time if we had to use them. Finally he had some German field glasses. They were like gold!

  Gordy Barker drove us to the submarine. I knew that he was a little disgruntled at not being chosen but he accepted it. "The rumour is, sir, that we will be going over this summer, to France I mean. Not just us but the whole troop."

  I smiled, "And you know I won't confirm that, Sergeant."

  "I know sir but what I wanted to know is when do we start training with the rest of the troop? Sure as shooting we won't be going in by aeroplane or submarine. The rest of the troop have been using that beach in Devon. When do we start?"

  "When I get back I will see Major Rose. And not all of the troop has been practising. Captain Marsden's haven't."

  "That is because they have too many bad apples in it. I am surprised at Ken Curtis. Why doesn't he give that Osborne a good hiding?"

  "Because Osborne is a barrack room lawyer. He is waiting for Curtis to do just that. He knows his rights and he will use them. No we get rid of Osborne but we do it by the book."

  Gordy shook his head, "Time was we would have sorted out our own problems. When we joined the Commandos we were proud to be part of something. Now the likes of Osborne just want shoulder flashes and extra pay."

  Gordy was right and I could not help but agree. However I was an officer now and I kept my counsel.

  Lieutenant Commander Reid greeted me like an old friend. "We have the canoes in the forward torpedo room. I thought you might as well go there directly rather than using the rear torpedo room."

  "Won't that make it more crowded for your lads?"

  "They are going to use the aft torpedo room. It was their idea."

  "Thanks."

  I was the only one who had been in a submarine before and I knew that the others would be feeling nauseous as well as a little fearful. When the hatch was slammed shut and the dim lights came on it was like being buried alive. To keep their minds from it I took them through the German phrases we might need and had one last look at the maps. We didn't need it but it kept their mind from the claustrophobia. We had to check out the battery at Merville and then the route to the bridge over the canal. When their nerves were settled I told them to get some sleep. We would be landing, as we had the first time, in the middle of the night. That would allow us to get to the bridge over the canal by dawn and then work our way back for a dusk pick up.

  Lieutenant Dixon came forrard to tell us we were close. "The weather is helping again, sir. There is a fog."

  Crowe was our signaller, "Sir what about the signal when we return? If there is fog it might not be seen."

  I nodded, "We cross that bridge when we come to it. So the sea is calm?"

  "Like a mill pond. The Captain is a little happier with this beach. We should be away from the patrol route of the minesweeper. We will surface in thirty minutes and make the most of the voyage on the surface." He smiled, "The air will be marginally fresher!"

  We got ready. Already dressed we put our weapons in the canoes and kept our greatcoats to one side. We would use them to sleep on and then put them in the canoes. We had had corned beef sandwiches and hot cocoa. They would be the last food and hot drinks we could guarantee until we returned to the submarine. I rested and told the men to sleep. It would be a long and slow journey across the Channel. We dived a couple of hours short of our destination. The Captain had heard aeroplanes and we did not want to be spotted.

  We began to surface early. I looked at my watch. The lieutenant returned with the torpedo room crew, "Sorry about this, Captain, there is a minefield. You will have further to paddle. The Captain is surfacing but he wanted to know if you wanted to abort the mission?"

  "No, Lieutenant. We will just have a longer paddle. I take it this is a new field?"

  "It wasn't here when we last came. We sailed quite close to the coast to avoid the minesweeper."

  "Then I think we made them suspicious the last time. How much further out are we?"

  "You will have a mile and a half to paddle sir. Are you certain about this?"

  "The mines are there to catch big boys not canvas canoes. We will just take it steady. We allowed time in case there were problems. However the extraction may be more problematic. We might paddle out to the edge of the minefield and then signal you. That way the signal will be easier to see."

  The leading hand opened the hatch and a blast of icy air filled the boat. I scrambled up and moved to the bows. The other three followed me and then the canoes were manhandled out of the hatch. The Lieutenant was right. The sea was calm but you could b
arely see ten feet in front of your face. The leading hand pointed beyond the bows. The captain had brought us as close as he had dared. I saw one of the deadly, black mines bobbing in the water. The Killick shook his head. We donned our waterproof capes. They would give us some protection from the cold.

  I tapped Crowe on the shoulder and we dug our paddles into the water between us and the submarine. We headed towards the mine. By keeping the mine in sight we would avoid another. Methodical Germans laid them in straight lines. It was the detonators which looked like hedgehog's quills which were the danger. I kept them at least four feet from the end of my paddle. The fog shielded us from sight but made navigation more difficult. I had to use my compass more. I was suddenly aware of something to my right. A mine had broken free from its mooring. It was less than three feet from my paddle. I dug in and turned us closer to the mines on our left. They were tethered and safer. I hoped that Hay had his wits about him.

  Once we had cleared the rogue mine I corrected our course and headed towards the beach. The mines stopped and I knew we were close. I heard the hiss of water on sand and shingle. We ground on to the beach. I jumped out with Luger at the ready. Hay and Shepherd slid up next to us. We grabbed the toggles at the bow and stern of our canoes and began to run up the beach. I stopped for I saw, above the high water mark, a depression in the sand. I lowered the canoe and took out my knife. I cleared away the sand and saw the mine. I didn't know if this was the edge or the middle of the field. Had we had better visibility then I would have headed for the river but the mines at sea had forced our hand.

  I crawled forward on my hands and knees looking for another. When I spied, just ten feet ahead, the dunes I realised that we had found the edge of the minefield. Retracing my steps I returned to the others. I picked up the bow toggle and we followed my footsteps to the dunes. Instead of heading inland I took us east, along the sand dunes. Here there was no wire and we made good progress. The dunes descended and I knew that the river was close. I lowered the canoe to the sand and began to unpack our equipment. Once emptied we buried the canoes in the dunes. Bill Hay went to find some stones and he placed them in an apparent random pattern. It would help us find them when we returned. Using the river we headed inland. We had four or five miles to go to get to the bridge. I knew that during the day it would be busy. We had to examine the site the planners had chosen for the gliders to land.

  After crossing some scrubby, sandy land we found a road. I stopped the men and made sure we looked like a German patrol. I said, "March!" Our first mission had made me more confident about this part of the operation. There seemed to be few defences on this side of the river. I saw little evidence of wire. Of course the land to the north of us was higher, not much but enough to enfilade this side of the river with machines gunfire. The fog both helped and hindered us. We almost stumbled into the German checkpoint. Had they not spoken then we would have. I held up my hand as I heard, "Erik, this is the worst coffee I have ever tasted. Did you put any coffee essence in it?"

  "You make it next time."

  I waved us to the left and we headed across the farmland which lay there. I looked at my watch. It was almost five o'clock. I guessed that the bridge over the Orne River was close to the checkpoint but we needed confirmation. I closed my eyes to visualize the maps I had studied. There was another road which ran parallel to the river and then beyond it the main road from Cabourg. There was also a village there, Bréville-les-Monts. If we had the time I would investigate that too but the priority was the land between the canal and the river and the battery of guns. I led my men to the other side of the field and, sure enough, found the road. We headed down it. It met the main road from the north. This was more dangerous now. I risked marching down it towards the river.

  As we walked I saw that the fields had not been flooded as the planners had feared and, more importantly, the anti glider posts had not been erected. The fog was thicker closer to the river. As we approached the bridge I heard muffled voices ahead. I saw a small side road and we took it. We passed a farm. It was boarded up and then we found the track which ran along the river. We used it. There were plenty of trees and bushes for cover. I made my decision. We would wait there until dawn and then examine the landing zone in daylight. We had shelter and the abandoned farm meant it unlikely that we would be stumbled upon. I circled my arm. My men found cover. I found a bush and lay beneath it. Then we waited.

  The weak winter sun was still enough to burn off the fog and we could see all the way across to the canal. We were less than two hundred yards from the bridge over the river and the landing zone between the river and the canal was clearly visible. It was flat. There were no obstacles. We had a perfect view and I used my pilot's eyes to assess the landing. It would be challenging but possible. There were no telegraph or telephone poles and although not totally flat it was possible to land a Horsa glider there.

  Part one of our mission was completed. Now we had to get to the Merville Battery and identify the guns that resided there. Our first problem was to get beyond the road. I chose to use the same method as we had in Ouistreham. We would march. We headed back up the track to the farm and then turned back along the road. Once we reached the road I turned right to head up the Cabourg road. We managed a mile before we met another patrol. It was coming in the opposite direction.

  I began to talk to Hay as soon as I saw them. "So I said to Captain Schwarz, 'when do my men get leave'."

  Hay caught on, "And what did he say?"

  "Oh you know him. He is all spit and polish. He said we had to finish the defences first."

  I saw that we had almost drawn abreast of the eight man patrol. Hay shook his head, "We have almost finished them."

  I waved to the sergeant of the other patrol and said, "I know but we will have to wait a while longer."

  We continued the conversation until we could no longer hear their boots. I saw that the land between us and the coast was filled with little copses and wild bushes. It was pastureland and had dips and hollows. As soon as I could I led us across a field boundary and headed towards the nearest cover. I knew that the battery, which was still under construction, was just a mile and a half from where we had hidden the canoes. I estimated that it lay a mile from where we were.

  Using the compass we headed across country. The maps and aerial photographs had indicated that the battery lay on some high ground. I saw the wire ahead. There was some cover less than half a mile from the wire. We hid ourselves and I took out the field glasses. I could see that they were still building the concrete emplacements. It was obvious to me that there were no guns yet installed. There were, however, anti-aircraft guns ringing the battery as well as many machine gun pits. The emaciated workers I saw building the battery were forced labour. The news that it was still being built was good news but the fact that we did not know the calibre of guns posed a problem. The planners had hoped that we could discover what aerial photography could not.

  I turned to the others. "We have seen enough. I intend to get closer to our beach. I don't want to push our luck any more than we have to." I had wanted to scout out Bréville-les-Monts but time was pressing and the German patrol we had passed was a warning. It was not worth pushing our luck. Our main objectives had been achieved.

  We headed to the north west. The land fell away. It was scrubby bush and tree filled but there looked to be no mines. We were within sight of the sand dunes when there was a sudden and enormous explosion out at sea. It looked to be where the minefield was.

  Hay said, "Have they got the sub?"

  Shaking my head I said, "I think it was that loose mine we saw last night. It must have drifted and struck another mine." I took out the glasses and looked back to the battery. It was as though an ant's nest had been disturbed. I turned the glasses to look at the estuary. The R boat emerged from the harbour and headed for the minefield. She stopped well short and I saw a boat lowered and sailors rowed slowly towards the minefield. Two divers slipped over the side and disappeare
d beneath the waves. It took some time but after a few dives they returned to the ship. Alarmingly the ship dropped its anchor. I wondered what was happening.

  Three hours later another ship emerged from the harbour. This was a smaller version of the R-boat. I saw immediately what they were doing. They were replacing the mines which had exploded and, what soon became clear, they were enlarging it. It took until the middle of the afternoon to complete the job and then the two ships left. I didn't think that it would hurt us for we had negotiated the minefield in the fog. As they had tethered the new mines we should be safer.

  It was the Todt workers who created problems for us and stopped our escape being as it was planned. As dusk approached we heard firing from our right and drew our weapons. We saw a handful of the emaciated figures fleeing the battery and heading for the sea. Rifles and machine guns fired at them but they seemed to bear a charmed life. The six of them managed to reach the sand dunes. I do not know what they thought to do but they ran on to the beach. We could not see them for they were below our eye line. But, once again, it seemed they were going to make it for some managed to get half way to the water before they were unlucky enough to step on a mine. There were a series of some small explosions as mines were triggered. The silence was followed by the cries of the wounded. We saw, from our cover, German soldiers stand on the sand dunes. An officer pointed and shouted something. Machine gun fire ended the cries.

  If I thought that had ended the danger I was wrong. German patrols began to search the dunes. Obviously there were Todt workers who had not been blown up. I looked at my watch. It was less than an hour to dark. There was no way we could approach the beach while they were watching. I prayed for dark. Just before dark we heard the crack of a German rifle. Soldiers ran to a spot to the north of us. I took the opportunity to move closer to the sand dunes. We had just reached the edge of the dunes when the German soldiers began to march south again. They were in a skirmish line and searching the dunes. When darkness fell they were eighty yards from us.