The journey to our next aircraft was even shorter than the one in the Flying Boat. We drove directly into a hangar. There a Captain of Intelligence waited for us. He held his hand out to Lieutenant Marsden, "You must be Lieutenant Marsden. I am Captain Lloyd." He waved his hand around the hangar. "Sorry about this but there are German spies in Algeciras. If they saw a bunch of Commandos on the airfield then they would put two and two together and know something was up. Your chutes are over there. Have you eaten?"
"We had something on the Sunderland."
"We have some tea brewed ready for you. I am afraid we will be taking off fairly sharpish. We had hoped you could get here a little sooner. It would be better if you jumped in the middle of the night. Still you chaps know your business eh?"
Lieutenant Marsden nodded, "Sergeant, have the men get their chutes and grab a mug of tea. We are taking off sooner rather than later."
"Right sir." I turned to Gordy, "You heard the Lieutenant; and bring my chute over and a mug of tea."
As if on cue the pilot wandered over from the waiting Whitley. "Whenever you chaps are ready."
"Two ticks and we'll be there." I was pleased that the Lieutenant appeared to be taking charge. "Any more intel on the targets Captain?"
"As far as we know the prisoners are still in the Headquarters building. We send a Hurricane over every couple of days to take photographs. There are the same number of cars and lorries in the vicinity and the same number of guards." He shrugged apologetically, "That's all we know."
Gordy helped me put my parachute on. He handed me a cup of tea and Ken gave one to the Lieutenant. He wrinkled his nose as he drank it. I suspect Curtis had put his normal four sugars in it. "Sir, do we know what vehicles they have there?"
The Captain looked at me as though I had risen out of the ground and appeared magically, "Vehicles?"
"Yes sir you said the vehicles hadn't changed. What are they? Lorries? Tanks? Armoured cars? Half tracks?"
"Oh I see. Well there are a couple of nice Mercedes staff cars. Four or five Kübelwagens. Two lorries and an armoured car."
"Thank you sir, that helps."
I began to work out the best vehicles for our escape with the hostages. I figured on taking two. We would need a lorry; that was obvious but we needed a second one and if they had a Kübelwagen with a machine gun then that would be perfect. The half track would be good in the desert but the Lieutenant had told me he planned on using the road. We had discovered, while on the Sunderland, that there were three west to east roads. One went by the coast and would be out of the question. There was a second further south and that looked to be the most direct route. The last one went perilously close to the Great Sand Sea. If we were taking that route then the half track would be best.
The Lieutenant handed the half drunk mug of tea to Ken Curtis. "Right chaps. Get on board."
The pilot waited for us. "I have checked the aerial photographs. I will drop you south and west of the Headquarters. It means that the German road blocks are to the east of you. There is nothing between you and the target." He grinned, "Of course I have no idea how you jokers are going to get out of there but I am just the delivery boy."
"What is the landing site like? Any trees?"
"This is North Africa, Sergeant, trees are as common as rocking horse droppings around here. It is just scrubland. Tell your lads to watch out for snakes and camel shit."
With that happy thought we boarded the Flying Coffin. I wished it was a Sunderland.
It was too noisy to speak and so we all checked our equipment. After our last jump the Major and I had decided that it was better to attach our Bergens to our bodies by means of a tether. If we had had explosives then we would have worn them but this way it meant we had a clearer view of the ground. We each tied our Bergen to our waists. We would still hold the Bergen until the last minute. We had contemplated tying the machine gun to it too but that was just too risky.
This time I would jump first and Gordy last. The Lieutenant had never jumped under combat conditions. We put the three of us with experience at the front and the back. I put Norm behind the Lieutenant. I told him to give the officer a shove if he hesitated. Ken would do the same for Alan.
I knew that the pilot was getting every rev he could from the ageing bomber. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in daylight. With just machine guns at the nose and at the tail the Whitley was a sitting duck for any fighter, even the ones used by the Italian Air Force. The pilot took us well south, over the desert, and then headed up to the coast and our drop zone. We would be dropping to the west of the town and, even if the sky was becoming lighter, we would be hidden in darkness.
The navigator came aft. "Five minutes to the drop. Better get ready." I clipped my chute to the cable running the length of the empty bomb bay. Bill, behind, checked me and then tapped my shoulder. There was a sudden rush of air as the door in the floor was opened. The noise intensified. The navigator walked down the stick checking the cables and he came back. A moment later the co-pilot stuck his thumb out and the navigator tapped me on the shoulder. I dropped my Bergen through the hole as I jumped. The jerk on my shoulders as the parachute deployed was reassuring. I looked down and saw just blackness. This was not Europe. We were landing in featureless desert devoid of buildings. The others would have to follow me and it would be my task to find the safest place to land. I peered down between my legs to try to spy somewhere flat and rock free. It was strange to be wearing shorts. The air whistled over them. The last time I had worn shorts had been on holiday in France before the war. This was no holiday.
As my eyes adjusted to the night I saw an open and reasonably flat patch of land to the south of me. I tugged on one side of the chute and I veered towards it. The sound of my Bergen hitting the dirt was enough warning to enable me to brace myself. I landed standing up. I quickly gathered the parachute and rolled it up as I walked. I glanced to my right and saw Bill and the others landing. They were some forty yards from me. I took off my parachute pack. Untying my Bergen I jammed the chute into it. As soon as my pack was back on my back I cocked the Thompson and peered around for danger. The sky in the east was becoming lighter but there was no noise save the distant sound of sheep or goats. I was no countryman and could not discern the difference.
I ran back towards Bill and the others. Bill was just cocking his gun. He nodded and followed me. The others were all in the process of removing their chutes and preparing to move. I watched Gordy as he came in to land. We had all made it. The quiet was eerie. While the Lieutenant and the others readied themselves I turned through a full circle checking for danger. As I listened I thought I heard the sound of a diesel engine in the distance. I dropped to one knee and peered north. It was barely visible but I saw a shadow moving from west to east. There appeared to be two very dim lights. It was a truck and that meant we were close to the coastal highway.
The Lieutenant appeared at my shoulder. "What is it Sergeant?"
I pointed north, "I think the coast road is there."
He nodded. "That makes sense. We'll head in that direction. We need somewhere to lie up during the day. You and Becket take the point." He turned, "Corporal Barker, rearguard."
Bill and I moved off. It was not sand we were crossing but poor dirt and scrubby, weedy growth. The ground began to descend towards the road and, I hoped, the hotel. I had studied the aerial photographs and maps on the Sunderland. The hotel we were seeking stood alone at the western end of the town. I think the Germans had picked it for its isolation and, I daresay, the quality of the accommodation. It had been a five star hotel before the war. I did not expect, therefore, to see any buildings in front of us.
I heard an engine and, raising my hand I dropped to one knee. Bill did the same. This time I knew what I was looking for and I saw the German lorry trundling along the coast road from west to east. Its dimmed lights gave me an idea of distance. It looked to me to be about a mile away. This time I followed the lorry as it headed east. I heard the driver change gear as he slowed down. You only did that when you came to a junction or other traffic. I said to Bill, "We'll head further east."
The going was now more difficult. It was uneven. We passed scrubby trees and bushes as we neared the road. I noticed that there was even some scrubby grass. We were closer to the sea and moisture. I used time to estimate distance. When I judged we had travelled half a mile I halted and scanned ahead. The sky to the east was lighter and I could see more. I could just make out a large building in the distance; there were the tiny dots of light which showed it was inhabited. It seemed to be about a mile or a mile and half away; it was hard to judge at night. "Bill, do you reckon that is the hotel?"
He nodded, "Makes sense, Sarge."
"Then we look for shelter."
"I have seen bugger all yet. Not even a hollow."
We moved forward more slowly now. If this was the hotel then we had almost reached our objective. Care was needed. I saw a pile of stones just a hundred yards or so ahead of us. They were too regular to be natural. I went to them. It was an ancient mud hut. The roof had long collapsed, the walls had gradually eroded but, in places, about four feet remained. Bill and I skirted the outside and then waved the others forward. It would be a perfect place to observe. It looked to be about a thousand yards or so away.
"This looks like shelter, sir." I pointed to the north east. "I think the hotel is over there."
"Think Sergeant?" It was a straightforward question. I don’t think the Lieutenant was trying to be funny.
"Becket and I will go and check, sir."
We dropped our Bergens in the old hut and then began to run across the scrubland towards the distant hotel. I noticed that there were more signs of humans all around us. There were pieces of broken vehicles; exhaust pipes, pieces of tubing and patches of oil. I guessed that, before the war locals had brought old cars here to either repair or to cannibalise. I doubted that the Germans would allow them to continue such actions this close to their head quarters. The closer we came to the large building the bigger it looked. When we were four hundred yards from it I waved Bill to the ground. I saw lights on the lower floor. They were dim but then there was a sudden splash of light as a door was opened. I heard the sound of voices. Two locals carried a pan of something which they hurled towards the ground before us. It was close enough for us to see them. They could not see us for we were in the darkness yet. They went back inside and there was just the glow of light from the ground floor. For me that confirmed this was the hotel and I studied it to see if it fitted the building I had seen in the photographs.
If the men had brought something from the kitchen then the vehicle park was to the east. As I looked in that direction I saw a wire fence. It was barely visible in the dark; it helped that I was looking for it. That would be the vehicle park. I was about to order Bill back when I caught a distant red glow. There was a sentry by the car park and he was having a cigarette. I tapped Bill on the shoulder and pointed. He nodded. We would wait until he moved off. Having seen his cigarette we saw his shadow. We waited and I heard the hum of a generator. That was where they got their power. That might prove useful for without power their radio would not work.
As we watched a movement caught my eye. Something scurried across the ground towards the spot the kitchen staff had hurled their refuse. It was a rat or some such creature. Soon it was a writhing mass of vermin as they fought for the scraps. That, too, was useful. If we had to do a closer reconnaissance then the animals would disguise our tracks. All we needed to do was to leave food for them. The sky was definitely becoming lighter. It was with some relief that I saw the sentry move. We turned and ran, crouching, back to the others.
There was relief on the Lieutenant's face when we arrived in the derelict hut, "You had us worried, Sergeant."
"Sorry sir. It is the hotel. There was a sentry on the vehicle park and we had to wait until he moved. It looks like that is the only place they have a fence. When it is daylight we should be able to see it clearly from here."
"Right we will have to wait here until this evening now. Sergeant, organise the watches."
"Right sir. Bill and I will take the first stag. Norm and George will be next followed by Ken and Alan, Connor and Polly, Gordy and Harry and then back to us. We just do an hour each. That way we all get some decent shuteye."
"What about me?" The Lieutenant looked upset I had not included him.
"Do you want the watch with Connor and Poulson sir?"
"Yes that will be fine. I am one of this section too you know."
I grinned, "Yes sir, I know."
The hut was crowded when they all lay down. Bill and I had to find perches in the two corners which remained. I opened my Bergen and repacked it while I watched. I put the parachute in the bottom. I took out the piece of camouflage netting. I had a swallow of water from my spare canteen and then repacked the Bergen. I put the camouflage netting over me. It disguised my shape. Bill saw what I had done and he did the same. Half of us had the netting. It was not desert camouflage but it was better than nothing. We now had bare white legs. They looked quite stark. I wondered if we would be here long enough to get them brown!
Dawn broke and the hotel was clearly visible. It was a large building. It could have held far more than the twenty odd men that the Hurricane pilot had seen. I did not use the binoculars for fear of giving away our position. I saw that the Germans were not wearing grey but a sand coloured uniform. There was more movement around the hotel and we heard the sound of engines being started. There was also increased traffic on the road. Some vehicles came from the east and stopped at the hotel. I saw a petrol tanker come from the west and pull in. I worked out that there must be a port to the west which was supplying the Germans. It made sense that they landed during the dark and used the night time to send lorries and trucks to deliver the supplies. The RAF would be hunting such targets.
We woke Norm and George. I gave my camouflage netting to George. "Here you can borrow this sheet; Norm has one of his own. It will help hide you."
"Thanks Sarge."
"See if you can work out which vehicles would be the best to steal. You can just see them through the wire and they started them a while ago."
I curled up in the warm spot vacated by Norm Ford and was asleep in minutes. Gordy and Harry woke me. I saw that George had put the netting over me like a blanket. "Anything?"
"We saw some British uniforms about an hour ago. Jerry brought them out and marched them around. There weren't three prisoners though there were six. "
"All staff?"
He shook his head, "No, a couple wearing RAF blue, and a naval officer."
"Thanks." He sat in the corner. "Not getting any sleep, Sarge?"
"No I had a good long one. Besides we are a bit close to the Krauts for me to be happy sleeping during daylight."
I wet my finger and held it up. The wind was blowing from the north. "We could risk the little stoves if you lads fancied a brew."
"No petrol yet, Sarge. Still at least we can talk without Jerry hearing us."
"Tell you what, have the lads cut some of the cords from the parachutes. They might come in handy."
I went to my corner and covered myself in the net. I studied the hotel. The problem I foresaw was getting from the hotel to the middle road across the desert. We had no idea if there was a roadblock to the east. I had heard lorries changing gear and stopping during the night. It suggested a road block. We definitely needed two vehicles; especially if there were six prisoners to be rescued. When George woke I would ask him about the vehicles. I saw one Kübelwagen as it was driven out of the compound. I saw that it was open and had a machine gun on the passenger side. That was a good thing. I saw that, strapped to the back were jerry cans. They could have contained water or petrol or both. We would need to carry plenty for our long journey.
I watched as some Arab boys sneaked up to the vehicle compound. They crawled like Commandos. One sprang to his feet and tried the gate. I had seen the German lock it when the Kübelwagen had left. I smiled to myself. I knew why the Germans had a fence and a guard. Anything not nailed down would be stolen. What it did tell me was that the ground was not mined. The German sentry came out and shouted at them. He waved his gun and they ran away laughing. They were opportunists.
A couple of the others chose to go back to bed once they were awake. I was ready for action and I could not go back to sleep. All of used the south side of the hut for our ablutions. The wind from the north took the smell away from us. We were neat campers. The other advantage was that there was a dip there and we were hidden from all sides. Being Commandos we were used to deciding when we ate. We needed no orders. As we all carried our own rations it was our responsibility to eat sparingly. The lads ate either individually or in pairs, sharing their rations.
When I woke the Lieutenant he nodded towards the camouflage net. "Where did you get that Sergeant?"
"The old Quarter Master Sergeant might have been corrupt but he was handy to get stuff like this. Me and some of the lads bought it. It is very useful." He nodded. I could see he was envious. "There are six officers to be rescued sir. There are two RAF types and a sailor."
"We will definitely need two vehicles. I have spotted a Kübelwagen with a machine gun. If we could get that and a lorry then we would be all right." The sun had now risen and it was hot. I pointed up to it. "We will need plenty of water and petrol if we are to make the four hundred miles through the desert."
"I know and what will we find on the other side of the hotel?"
"We have the town to go through…"
Just then Polly said, "Aeroplane, to the east!"
"Cover! Here, Lieutenant, under this netting with me." It was a cosy fit but we managed to snuggle beneath the netting. I saw the spotter aeroplane as it passed overhead. I hoped that the netting would have hidden us. If it came back then we would be in trouble. After what seemed an age but could only have been moments I heard it recede as it continued west.
"All clear."
"Thanks, Sergeant. That came in handy."
As the afternoon wore on we prepared for action. While Gordy kept watch the Lieutenant briefed the men. We had spent some time discussing what to do now that we had seen the actual building.
"We will split into three groups. Lowe and Curtis will break into the vehicle compound and deal with the guards. We leave our Bergens with them. Sergeant Harsker will take Poulson, Moore, and Connor. They will enter the hotel by the front. I will take the rest through the kitchen at the rear. We use knives. If we have to then we use our Colts. I do not want machine gun bullets flying around. We have six officers to rescue. Whoever achieves their objective first secures that entrance and then seeks the prisoners. We have to be quick as well as silent. We leave at seven. It will not be totally dark but we will need to take that risk. I want Lowe and Curtis to be able to have as much time as possible to steal the vehicles." He looked to me.
I added, "I want the other vehicles disabling or destroying. You need to take every drop of fuel and water that you can. It will be a long journey home. Any weapons and grenades, as well as supplies will come in handy."