Encounter at Exbury.....

The germans had spotted something new on aerial photos - an installation near Exbury in Hampshire.  Attempts by Smith the spy to get close enough failed due to the presence of too many troops and road blocks. After much deliberation it was decided to send a small expedition to land and get the intelligence needed....

---oXo---

An E-boat came in close to land as it could and a small german commando group in inflatables had made its way part way up the river Beaulieu and landed .....

 A home guard patrol nearby ....

 The germans make their way inland towards the installation ....

 A home guard patrol hearing the firing rush up to help, but get taken out by german SMG fire .....

The home guard try and get at the germans in the next field ....

 The home guard lose a man and get pinned down behind the hedge by german LMG fire ...

The germans come through the gap and some more of the home guard go down ....

Meanwhile the officer can see the installation from the low above and is taking some pictures and making notes....

 British regulars are coming up and some are about to man the pill box .... the german officer sees them and signals the withdrawal

 The germans head back to their boats....

---oXo---

After a tricky paddle down the river the Germans find the E-boat waiting for them ... they head out past the Isle of Wight and back to France just missing some naval patrols ... they have the intelligence they need ... they believe it is a special low-level radar installation (?) ....

At Christchurch harbour ...

Henry Smith (german spy) had established himself in Poole as a travelling sales man. He had made some contacts with the local black market - useful for items he needed that weren't readily available and also for scraps of information. 

Smith headed out on one of regular information gathering journies, this day he had gone to Christchurch. He made his way down towards the harbour, had a quick chat with the owner of a local Inn.  As he was chatting he spotted something of great interest...

Security was lax, just a couple of home guard, but to be careful he pottered down to an adjacent stone jetty to ask the way from one of the home guard sentries ...

While there he got a good eyeful - an MTB - that had put in for some running repairs and a bit of fuel.

Smith thanked the home guard sentry for the directions and made his way of off the key and into the town. The presence of MTBs along this stretch of the coast would have to go in his next radio transmission. He would have to find out where they were based and how many - a job for another day he mused ......