Out by sea .....

a couple of months late - but here is the next installment :)

---oXo---

continued from the previous post ....

The german shore party after getting safely to their inflatables with the airmen - set off down the river ....

After about 10minutes they heard a distant chugging sound, hurriedly they pull up on the river bank and lay low, just in time too avoid river patrol boat on its way upstream ....

After another 15minutes or so paddling downstream, keeping close to the banks, they rounded a bend in the river and rendez-vous'd with their ride home, an E-Boat (a captured british MTB) moored in slight inlet.

The men scrambled on board as fast as they could as the E-Boat engines revved up .....

With all on board and below decks the E-Boat headed out down the estuary and into the open sea. However a shore battery had spotted them and started firing ....

The E-Boat made full speed and zig-zagged,  a shot fell just short of them .....

They soon out-distanced the fire from the shore battery and made way to cross the channel ....

German Airmen make their escape ......

The german airmen have been moved to a farm further down the coast - ready to make their move to a rendez-vous with a german landing party from an E-boat....

---oXo---

The airmen are transferred to the outbuilding of the farm...

British regular troops conduct a search of a nearby windmill and its barn ...

The german landing party move up the estuary towards the rendezvous point....

A patrol of british regulars along the railway line ....

The airmen and their guides cross the road .....

The local home guard setup their command post at the windmill, one of their patrols comes in to report ....

The germans have landed, and move slowly to the rendezvous point at the stone circle on the nearby hill...

The airmen and their guides make their way down behind the hedge; their van will be used to distract the home guard ....

The home guard from the pill box and a local patrol check out the van ... "Papers please" ....

While the home guard were distracted the airmen and one guide jump the hedge and make it part-way across the open area and hunker down in the lee of some scrub.... the home guard patrol starts to move down the road ....

One of the party who had been looking after the airmen fires his gun.  The sound of a few bursts of machine gun fire echoes across the stillness of the evening; a patrol of regulars stops to investigate

Hearing the gunfire the home guard run for cover at the nearby signal box; meanwhile the airmen and their guard run across the railway line.....

The home guard meet up with the regular patrol, neither of them have seen anything .....

The airmen make contact with the landing party .....

and then make their way up the hill to the rendezvous point ....

and then down to the boats .......

---oXo---

will the german landing party with the airmen get down the estuary and be picked up by the e-boat ?

 to be continued .......

In Freazingham by the Sea ..... what about the german airmen ?

With the german airmen still in hiding and waiting to get back across the channel members the local fascist league,were trying to find a better place to hide them than the coal cellar at the factory. Finally some success at Ronnie's Cafe ...

Clarisse: Can you help us out ?

Ronnie: Ok then, we can keep them in the cellar for a bit.

---oXo---

Meanwhile the commander for the coastal sector discusses with the local senior police officer the best way to intensify the search for the airmen ....

By the coast .....

The german midget sub worked its way up by the coast,

It spotted an MTB .....

It watched the MTB slow down and head towards it's base, the captain turned the periscope round to check the surroundings ...

a corvette, there was activity on the deck - had they been spotted ? he couldn't risk staying any longer - 'dive' shouted the captain, the midget sub submerged and turned slowly making its way back out to sea.

The Navy`s Here

Increased activity in the channel off the the Freezingham light has been reported to Herr Smith, combined with the recent increased security searches in the area,this will make it extremely difficult to get the airmen and their photographs back across the channel. He has arranged a meeting with a local smuggler, Ron Adams to try and set up an escape plan, They are to meet at the Cafe by the harbour known as Ron A`s at 7pm.

Plane down near Freazingham .....

Mr Smith (aka Herr Schmidt) the german spy had been active along the south coast; he had made contact with a group of british fascists in Freazingham-by-the-Sea; they had been put on standby as special aerial mission to take photos of the nearby MTB base was planned - the crew of the plane was instructed that if they got into difficulty they were to get the plane down as best they could to the north of Freazingham and head for safety at Nooks farm (suitable maps and code phrases had been provided).

---oXo---

The sound of ack-ack from the area of the MTB base disturbed the late afternoon calm of Freazingham, followed by the sound of an misfiring aircraft engine heading north....the home guard patrol try to figure out where the plane is going down ....

 The grounded german plane, belly flopped, but the crew get out unharmed ...

The aircrew weren't far from Nooks farm and then carefully confronted the farmer and said 'the cigar is burning' to which the farmer replied 'the ashtray is empty' - knowing they were safe they went with the farmer who hid them in the barn. The farmer carefully sent a quick radio signal.

A lorry from the town arrived at the farm, (the local 'nuns' had arrived and acted as lookout), a small group of fascists from Freazingham had arrived to take the aircrew to a safe house.

 Meanwhile the home guard had located the grounded plane and was conducting a search...

 The aircrew get into the lorry....

 A pistol shot is heard and movement seen by the hedge, the home guard move to investigate

 The 'nuns' return to the convent ....

 Having found nothing by the hedge, the home guard assume it was poachers and head back to their transport - they must get back to town to make a report by phone to the local command centre ....

One poor chap is left to guard the plane..

Meanwhile the lorry is on its way back to Freazingham,  the home guard at the road checkpoint make a cursory search of the lorry - but fail to find the airmen who are hidden under sacks of potato's from the farm

 The lorry reaches the outskirts of the town.....

The town patrol passes the factory on the outskirts of Freazingham, and head off back towards the sea front (and a pint at the Hog's Head).

 The lorry makes it way into the town ...

 Finally reaching the factory, where the airmen are led into the cellars - safe for now...

to be continued ....

This is it.

As the last echoes died away,Major Allman could see the smiles on the faces of his men, they got to their feet and shared cigarettes and cheeky grins. All around them the dead and wounded were getting to their feet, whilst the Umpires huddled together looking important.
    The mood didn`t last long as nco s called the men to order.

    General Odd called them all to gather round whilst he thanked them for their part in the exercise and went on to warn them that it had all been a bit of a disaster and lessons would be learned and further drills introduced.
       I leave you all to go back over your actions and inactions this day and answer this question.
  What could you do?

Action this Day

Nine o clock came and went, half past, then ten o clock. The men had dug in to protect the bridge, brewed up and were waiting.
   Just before half past ten, the sound of heavy vehicle engines could be heard approaching from Freezingham.
      Still no sign of the Airborne forces from the direction of Littletown, instead the form of an armoured car could be glimpsed through the hedges, cautiously approaching.
     Fingers tightened on triggers as the first of the infantry came creeping towards Major Allmans position.

     The British commanders were obviously uncertain, from Freezingham came the first of the armour, a light tank, a Vickers mk 4, obviously intending to flush out the defenders whilst the infantry suuport was poised to exploit that knowledge and heavier armour waited in reserve.

      The littletown commander had the opposite approach and a screen of infantry came sweeping across the countryside, covered by the turrets of what appeared to be two Rolls armoured cars.

Major Allmans men sighted their weapons on the approaching forces, helmet straps were given a final tightening and looks of good luck flashed around the group.

A very light lit the sky to signal the attack and then the sound of a whistle, reminding many of their days in the trenches, waiting to go over the top.

0830 Hrs Situation report.

      Using every hard earned skill of fieldcraft at their disposal, the two parties on the West bank made their way forward.

Expecting, at any moment, to hear a challenge from the sentry, or a rifle shot from the tower.

.The Sentry seemed oblivious to their approach, Major Allman could not believe his luck.

      They were within a long Grenades throw of what they could now see was an improvised pillbox, when the sentry seem to stir himself and gaze straight into Major Allmans face.

All fingers took up first pressure on the trigger. This was where it began.

Colonel Anthony Fortescue Ret`d. had in fact not seen them.

Something in the way the early morning sun was glistening on the river took him back to his days in The Frontier Defence Force, keeping watch on the Nile for some Mad Mullah or other. Now he was a private in the Littletown Home Guard tasked with protect another frontier against the forces of some other mad man who wanted to destroy the Empire.           

Something else caught his eye and he glanced downward to see three German Sailors at the loopholes,

mindful of orders to make`` his bullet`` count.  He shouted out the traditional` Who goes there?``, and before any response could come``, Call out the Guard ,Jerries!`

                                                                                    

 It was just enough,

 each of the three sailors dropped their grenades,,  giving RSM Durrington time to put down his mug of tea, grab his rifle and unbolt the door, before three more grenades dropped through the loopholes, killing his squad instantly. 

He had barely time to register the fact and see that the field telephone was u.s. before yet more grenades dropped at his feet.

This time there was no escape.

Private Fortescue`s challenge was answered by a burst of smg fire from behind the hedge, ducking back he heard the grenades go off beneath his feet, he looked out of a crack, sighted on his target and pulled the trigger.

He made his bullet count and the attacker fell, now it would be cold steel.

The enemy had no such restrictions and another burst from another sub machine gun, plus rifles, had him keeping his head well down, his attention still on the enemy outside when two sailors burst through the roof hatch behind him and he was soon their prisoner.

For him this war was over,but next time.

                                                                                               

The flanking party had meantime reached the road, leaving two men to watch the approaches they turned their attention to the bridge, the engineer party hurried forward with their charges.

     Ted Cooper, was having his breakfast, prior to starting the milking when he heard the explosions and went outside to see what the fuss was about.
 Rifle shots from the junction whistling about his ears, soon told him,
Rushing back into the house, he spent a frustrating five minutes attempting to raise the local switchboard, to warn of the invasion.  The damned girl was asleep again, he reckoned, that or gossiping.                                        

                                  

   Leaving his wife to report, he grabbed his pitchfork, and set off in the shelter of the hedgerow, determined to take at least one with him.

     The major was beginning to worry, he had failed to take the bridge silently, and by now alarm bells would be ringing all along the coast road. There was no news from Lt Neuman`s party, total silence from that side of the river in fact

  

The Lt. had approached the bunker with extreme caution, there seemed to be no sign of the enemy beyond the barbed wire, no sentry, no sound, nothing at all.

Suspecting a trap,he edged closer, The wire was cut, with what seemed an almighty crash, but no response.

Creeping closer still, he peered into the bunker.

Inside was.. nothing but an old telegraph post, sticking out of the embrasure, threatening nothing and obviously not worth defending.   Leaving three men to hold the site,he led the rest to join up with the bridge party

With both ends of the bridge now in his hands,the major set his men to work digging in and preparing defences against the enemy forces he expect to soon come pouring along the road,whilst the Engineers wired the explosive charges,should it prove neccessary to blow the bridge.

He was not prepared for the direction of the first attack, as down river came,first the sound and then the reality of the River patrol;

A flurry of shots from his men on the Bridge, soon settled the issue, but he knew the next attack would not be so easy. Where oh where were those damned airborne troops?