A Hot Time on the High Seas
Next morning saw the island base become a hive of activity as ground crew prepared the squadron's aircraft for the day's missions. Biggles gathered his pilots and Sergeant Edgars in the small room they had allocated for briefing and gave them their orders.
"So what do we do when we've finished beating up the Jap 'drome?" asked Angus.
"Just make sure you don't get in the way of any of their fighters," retorted Biggles. "They know we're around and we're not likely to catch them napping a second time. Come back by way of Cape York and approach from the south – under no circumstances is anyone to fly straight back here when you've been over the New Guinea and New Britain areas. We don't know who might be watching our movements."
He glanced around at his team all of whom were watching him expectantly. Biggles knew they would follow his orders unquestioningly and he smiled at them.
"Angus, you and Taffy'll probably be back before Bertie, Algy or myself, so you'll be in command till one of us gets back. Make sure the machines are out of sight under cover at all times – unless you're attacked and have to go upstairs and have a go at them." He looked at Henry Harcourt. "Tex and Henry, as soon as Ted's got those photos done, you come back here – via Cape York, too – and wait for Angus and Taffy to get back."
Biggles, with Algy and Ginger watched as the other officers of 666 took off. Biggles turned to his friends and smiled whimsically.
"Algy, I want you to take up a position to the north of me – keep me just in sight at all times; and Ginger, you're to do the same thing to the south. I should be able to see both of you. We'll need to keep our eyes skinned, especially when we get further west above the Northern Territory. I'm looking for anything that might indicate the whereabouts of that U-boat and this Jap aircraft carrier. I'll signal when to turn back. If anyone sees anything, turn towards me and I'll follow you. That means you each have to keep an eye on me as well as my keeping an eye on you. All three of us will stay together. Any questions?" He looked at them enquiringly. "Right, let's get cracking," he ordered and the three Spitfires roared off into the morning sky, climbing to gain sufficient altitude to provide good aerial surveillance.
Biggles' eyes were never still as he watched the water below, the sky above and around him, and the two Spitfires each roaring along some distance away on either side of him. This continued unchanged for quite some time and Biggles knew the north eastern tip of Arnhem Land, with which they had become so familiar over the past two days, lay to the south. Soon after, Ginger's machine changed direction slightly and began closing the gap between them. Immediately Biggles followed and was gratified to see, in his reflector, that Algy had followed suit. Far towards the south, disturbingly close to the Australian coastline, Biggles soon made out the sizeable shape of an aircraft carrier. Knowing that the three Spitfires would be between the early morning sun in the east and the ship, Biggles turned away and climbed slightly. Breaking the radio-silence he had earlier imposed, he spoke briefly and concisely to his friends.
"We can't make an accurate ID from here so we're going to go in from the sun. I want to be sure it is the Jap carrier before we beat them up. If it is the enemy, we'll do two strafing runs and let them have everything you've got. We'll go along the length of the ship, and break away to the south immediately we finish our second run. We'll fly south over the mainland and turn east when we're well away from them. Hold your first run till I give the signal. We'd look idiots if it's an Aussie ship. I don't think it is, but I want to be sure before we open fire. Got that?"
Receiving words of assent from both Algy and Ginger, Biggles wasted no more time. Keeping the sun behind him, he approached apparently all unnoticed. Then, putting the machine into a dive, he zoomed over the startled crew, seeing the telltale rising sun ensign flying in the breeze. Biggles turned the Spitfire on a wingtip and roared back along the length of the carrier, his guns spitting destruction. He climbed high to the south west, watching with grim satisfaction as he saw Ginger finishing his run as Algy roared along the carrier's length. Already small fires had sprung up and he noted at least one enemy aircraft was blazing on the deck. Biggles absorbed all this with the lightening speed of one well schooled in the deadly art of aerial combat and, lining up his guns, commenced his second and final assault, closely followed by Ginger and Algy. This time the flak was fiercer and the three of them flew through something of a maelstrom. Ginger flinched as he felt metal striking his aircraft, but no major damage was done for the machine continued responding to his demands.
"All right," Biggles said tersely over the radio, "let's head back. We know where she is and we'll come back in force with something more than machine guns. Follow me."
By the time they reached their island base those who had been deployed on the New Guinea based operations had returned. After leading his pilots through a debrief on their assorted missions, Biggles and Algy returned to the airstrip where Biggles was giving instructions to Flight Sergeant Smyth regarding the armaments he required for attacking the aircraft carrier when the distinctive 'whisper' of the Beaufighters could be heard approaching from the south and Bertie's flight landed smoothly. Biggles watched them taxi into their shelters and walked over to meet his pilots. That they were upset was soon evident.
"Found the Gunadoo, old boy," reported Bertie tersely. "She's on her side on a reef near an island cay just to the north west of the mission. We arrived in time to see a couple of Zeros strafing the survivors who were trying to get ashore."
"Were they, indeed?" frowned Biggles. "I trust you put paid to that little game."
"Yeah, they won't be playing that game again," drawled Tex. "One went down a flamer and the other pilot bailed out. He landed right on the cay where the Aussie navy types were heading."
"I dropped a message to the sailors. Told them we'd try to get help for them as soon as we could. Hope that was the right thing to do," added Bertie a trifle anxiously as he noted that Biggles' frown had deepened.
"What? Oh, of course that was right, Bertie," smiled Biggles. "We'll have to let their HQ know what's happened. I'm concerned about those prisoners that the mission people have been guarding. I don't know what happened to the ship, but I could make an educated guess." He turned to Algy who had heard the whole conversation. "Better get everyone in the mess for an early lunch. I'll have to let Townsville know what's happened and see what they have to say before we start anything else. I'll still send some Beaus out to see if we can finish off that carrier. I want to put paid to all these Zeros popping up on our tails out of the blue. You'll have to take charge of that while I wait to see what they want done about the Gunadoo."
"What do you think happened?" asked Algy curiously as they walked towards the mess.
"That damned U-boat. What do you think?" retorted Biggles.
Algy nodded. "My guess, too. That carrier wasn't in the right location to have been responsible for striking the Gunadoo."
In the mess Biggles gathered his officers, together with Ted Edgars, around him and brought them up to date.
"Ted, come over to communications with me and we'll send a message through to Townsville immediately." He smiled at young Roy Smyth who had jumped to his feet ready to assist. "You've been on duty all morning, Roy, and you'll need to stand by for responses this afternoon anyway. Enjoy your lunch. Ted can look after me."
He turned back to the pilots. "Algy is taking three Beaus out after lunch to torpedo this wretched carrier that seems to have a never ending supply of Zeros for the express purpose of annoying us. I want five of you to go with him. That'll be two extra pilots and three for the back seats. Sort out who's who for piloting and doing the bomb aiming amongst yourselves."
There was an immediate clamour from everyone wanting to join in. Biggles looked at Algy and shrugged.
"Your show, old boy. You get to call the shots on this one," he grinned as he left the mess with Edgars in tow. Algy held up his hand to quell the noise around him.
"You can toss for it – or draw lots. I don't particularly care, but just make sure I wind up with five able-bodied people down by the shelters in half an hour. I need my lunch." And he turned on his heel and walked over to the serving counter where the grinning RAAF mess sergeant handed him a plate of fresh sandwiches and a cold drink.
Algy sat and ate his lunch, studiously ignoring the commotion behind him as Bertie and Ginger loudly organised a session of coin tossing until the triumphant five stood grinning at the unlucky losers.
"I say, Taffy, old bean," complained Bertie sadly. "I don't think you need crow quite so loudly."
""I haven't even begun to crow, look you," retorted Taffy rudely. "You and your 'lucky' florin!"
"Serves you right for trying to be greedy," agreed Angus. "You've had all the action these past days while we've sat here twiddling our thumbs. So pipe down. You were beaten fair and square."
"All right," interjected Algy, rising and joining the group. "Settle down all of you. Who're the winners?"
He was inundated by a loud chorus of "me" accompanied by equally loud groans amid accusations of cheating and mutters of "people who use double-headed coins". The five to join the mission were Ginger, Tug, Taffy, Henry and Angus. Algy swiftly appointed Ginger and Angus as the two extra pilots and assigned the other three to the three respective rear cockpits. He looked at his watch.
"You've got ten minutes to meet me down at the sheds," he ordered. "See you there." As they grabbed packets of sandwiches and left, Algy turned to Bertie curiously.
"You didn't really use a double-headed coin, did you?"
"Apparently I did, old boy," confessed Lord Bertie somewhat contritely as he polished his monocle. "At least that's what the boys seemed to find me using."
"I would never have thought it of you, Bertie," laughed Algy rather incredulously.
"Never would have thought it of myself, old boy," murmured Bertie in response, but with a gleam in his eye. "Just never quite know what one is likely to find in one's pocket. Total surprise to me."
Algy shook his head, still chuckling. "I'd better be off. I want to pop in on Biggles before I head off with the boys. Enjoy your lunch."
Algy strode off towards the communications hut, still grinning and shaking his head. The more he got to know his new friend, the more surprises he encountered. He had nearly reached his destination when Biggles exited and the two walked together down to the shelters where the ground crew were finishing preparing the Beaufighters for their mission.
"Get the message off?" he asked companionably.
"Yes. Ted's waiting for the reply."
Algy eyed his cousin curiously. "You're happy to leave him in the communications hut? Thought you were a bit worried about his loyalties?"
"I was initially," Biggles paused to light a cigarette. "Let's face it, he's Intelligence, Algy. If he wanted to send a special comm through to Brisbane in the middle of the night, he'd do it, no matter how much I guarded against it. Look at the things you and I've pulled off in the past. The right man will always do his job no matter what the odds are. So I'd rather he sent any intel stuff through openly and not put obstacles in his way. But I do trust him now. I believe him when he said he's answerable to Ken, through me in the first instance. He may only be a sergeant, but he has as much pull as any brass hat in the service and right now he's working with us. I actually like the chap, now I'm getting to know how he ticks."
"Do you think the reason he keeps knocking back a commission is just to annoy his father?" asked Algy curiously.
"I don't know and he certainly won't admit it, but I do wonder," Biggles grinned. "And I'm beginning to think the man actually enjoys being a NonCom, even if it is just to thumb his nose at tradition."
The two exchanged companionable grins and continued down to where the pilots of 666 were waiting, for the 'losers' had gathered to see their comrades off on their mission.
….
Algy watched Ginger and Angus roar up beside him as they reached altitude and settled down for the westward flight. Tug Carrington was in Algy's rear cockpit, while Henry Harcourt manned the rear guns for Ginger; and Taffy did the honours for Angus. Algy had imposed radio silence – barring emergencies – until further orders from him and the three machines cruised westwards in relative silence, their occupants keeping an ever vigilant watch on the surrounding sky for any lurking enemy aircraft. Finally, Algy saw their target on the horizon, steaming away on a north-westerly course. He waggled his wings, leant out of the cockpit and pointed ahead, looking first at Angus and then at Ginger, each of whom nodded in response. They followed Algy as he altered course slightly to ensure they now had the sun directly behind them and headed unwaveringly towards their target. At Algy's signal, all six airmen reached up and closed their canopies before commencing their bombing run. As they neared the ship, Angus and Ginger peeled away, swinging in a wide arc so that they would each approach the carrier from opposite sides with Angus aiming for the front and Ginger across the ship's stern. They roared low across the water, dropping their torpedoes and, pulling the controls back, zoomed high across the ship and circled above as Algy also came in from behind, releasing his bomb as he roared the length of the ship, zooming high and wide and joined the other two above. As they turned together towards the doomed carrier, ready to complete another strafing run, there was a muffled boom and the middle of the ship erupted in flames.
"Make sure none of those infernal Zeros get off," Algy shouted over the R/T as he roared back down towards the inferno below, focused entirely on the carrier's landing deck. Ignoring the flak from the few anti-aircraft guns still being operated, he roared over the confusion below and, lining up a row of Zeros in his sights, held his thumb on the firing mechanism as he shot across them. Angus and Ginger had followed and as they circled towards the stern, Algy nodded in grim satisfaction when he saw the devastation below. No Zeros from that carrier would bother them again. He watched dispassionately as the carrier broke up and began to sink. In the midst of the inferno below he could see men diving overboard as lifeboats were frantically tossed into the sea.
"A taste of your own medicine, chum. You started it," he muttered as, satisfied that their mission had been successfully completed, he signalled for Angus and Ginger to follow him as they turned back for home. "Keep your eyes peeled, everyone," he ordered. "That was almost too easy. Biggles wants us to take a dekko at the survivors of the Gunadoo on our way back. I've got the bearing."
They had no trouble locating the unfortunate naval vessel and, ordering the others to keep watch, Algy swept down and, holding the machine at not much more than stalling speed, flew along the length of the small cay, waving to the group of men staring up at him. He climbed and circled while he wrote a note, assuring them that help would come as soon as possible, which he weighted and dropped on his next swoop. He circled back and along the beach again, where he noted that one man held the note and waved acknowledgement. Knowing he could do no more, he rejoined Ginger and Angus and continued the eastward flight, keeping a constant watch for enemy aircraft. After an uneventful flight, they landed safely back at Handy Cay to be greeted by their compatriots.
"Any problems?" asked Biggles as Algy accompanied him back to the squadron office. Algy shook his head and gave a concise report on the exercise.
"Any word from Ken yet?"
'Still waiting. He said to stand by for further orders."
Algy frowned. "Those blokes are going to be having a tough time on that coral cay. I hope the powers-that-be don't take too long to get a rescue under way."
"I'm sure they'll be doing their best. This probably isn't the only issue the Aussie Higher Command is dealing with right now."
"Not much comfort to the boys on that cay, though."
"No, it's not. We both know that and complaining isn't going to change it. We still have another job to do today and that's locate that wretched U-boat."
"Biggles, there's an awful lot of water out there and there must be hundreds of islands scattered around and we're still expected to locate one submarine?"
Biggles smiled slightly. "That's right. Ken wanted to know if we'd had any luck with that yet."
"Oh, did he?" sneered Algy sarcastically. "I presume you told him what we've been doing here these past couple of days?"