Chapter 5
Under the cover of darkness, made more intense by a new moon and the intermittent cloud cover, Garrison and his men clambered out of the truck and disappeared into the night. It had been a long evening and everyone was glad to be on the move at last.
About half a mile from the road they came across a series of shallow ditches where water had eroded the soil, similar to the ones Garrison and Goniff had followed the day before. From here they climbed steadily upwards, following the rills and gullies which zigzagged up the hillside. The team moved swiftly and cautiously, but met no opposition.
They had made their way to within a few yards of their goal, when the smell of cigarette smoke brought them to a halt. Standing at the rear of the building, a guard was discretely enjoying a cigarette. It was to be his last, as Garrison and Chief crept stealthily up behind him. Both men then separated, making their way around the building and peering through the shutters, trying to determine who was inside. Returning to the others, Garrison indicated there appeared to be two men downstairs and possibly another person upstairs but no sign of any more guards outside. Garrison was beginning to wonder if this building was as important as they had first thought, considering the lack of guards.
Suddenly an explosion rent the air and the sky behind them was lit up with flames and sparks, followed by even more explosions as the vehicles and fuel containers in the village compound erupted. Within seconds, other fires in the surrounding area became evident. From their vantage point, the team could see soldiers emerging from the houses and running in all directions, attempting to quell the flames.
The chaos must have been obvious from the beach but, as if the first explosion had been a signal, flashes from gunboats out in the Channel indicated the start of a sea bombardment which would hopefully keeping the Luftwaffe, who were entrenched below, occupied.
''Good old Senior Service, right on time,'' chuckled Goniff.
Quickly, Garrison led his team to the building. As a guard tentatively opened the door to investigate the noise, Garrison and Casino dashed forward. While Casino barged against the door, sending the guard off balance, Garrison grabbed the man as a shield as he tumbled into the building, breaking the man's neck in the process. Following behind, Chief dispatched a second guard, who had appeared in the doorway of another room. The three men quickly checked the ground floor but there was no one else there.
Waving the all clear to the rest of his team, Garrison indicated that Casino and Chief should head upstairs. While Actor and Goniff keep watch outside, Mike and Garrison made straight for the equipment situated beneath the shuttered windows and began to examine it.
''Do you recognise anything here?'' asked Garrison.
''This is all Radar equipment. There are some interesting features but this is not what we were expecting,'' replied Mike, obviously disappointed. Then, hearing voices from above, Garrison made for the stairs, followed by Mike.
GG
Upstairs, Casino and Chief had discovered a room full of wires, dials, tools and apparatus. At first it had appeared empty, then a noise had attracted their attention. A hand slowly emerged from behind a cabinet, waving a handkerchief. Then someone called out in French. Casino strode across and dragged a man, wearing overalls, out into the room where he continued to speak in French, gesticulating at the equipment. Frustrated, at not being able to quell the man's animation, Casino had considered knocking him out. Fortunately for the Frenchman, Garrison and Mike arrived at the top of the stairs just in time.
While Garrison tried to calm the situation, Mike turned his attention to the contraptions around him. He started to enthuse about what was there, asking questions in French and, before long, Mike and the Frenchman were in full discussions. It turned out the man, a French scientist, had been given the choice of going to a labour camp or working on this system, for the Germans.
Concerned that they are not achieving very much, Garrison interrupted the dialogue. ''We don't have much time. We need to take what we can before the Germans on the beach below, or at the village, realise what is happening here.''
With that, Mike quickly scanned the work bench and began to pick up various components from the apparatus set out there, to place in a bag. The scientist made him stop, then showed them a wooden case which fitted over the main part of the equipment so that it could just be lifted out of its bracket and carried away as a portable device. Then pointing out individual items, which Mike would find useful, they were soon ready to leave.
Knowing the Frenchman would be in extreme danger for helping them, Mike suggested they offer to take him back to England with them. Garrison had already considered this, realising the man's knowledge could also be invaluable. Given the choice of remaining behind in France with the Germans or leaving with the team, the scientist was more than happy to accompany them.
Descending the stairs, they were halted by a strange thudding sound coming from the middle of the floor. When the scientist moved a rug to one side, it revealed a trapdoor. He quickly explained that it concealed the entrance to a tunnel, leading to the bunker on the beach. The bizarre noise they could hear was the pounding of numerous boots making their way towards them and they were coming closer by the minute.
Removing two grenades from Casino's pack, Garrison checked with Actor that all was clear, before ushering the others out into the night and ordering them down to the waiting truck. Crouching by the edge of the trapdoor, Garrison waited as long as he dared, giving the others time to get away. As the sound of men below became more audible, he placed the grenades on the floor by the rim. Judging the distance to the door, Garrison extracted the pins, before quickly lifting the trap just enough to knock them over the edge, then ran from the building.
The explosion that ensued shook the ground, causing Garrison to stumble but he quickly got to his feet and raced after the others. Knowing they are not out of danger yet, everyone kept moving swiftly downhill towards the hidden truck. Seeing the first members of the team running towards her, Gina started the engine. By the time Chief and Casino had helped everyone aboard, Garrison had joined them.
''Let's go!'' he shouted, climbing into the cab next to Gina, immediately the truck moved off along the rugged track making its way further along the coast.
''Can we go home now Warden?'' pleaded Goniff from the rear of the truck, his pale face just visible in the dim light.
''Sure Goniff,'' Garrison grinned at Gina, as she shook her head at the predictability of the comment.
GG
Near the pickup point, Alain and two of his men were waiting, waving them to a stop. Garrison jumped down from the cab, wondering what the problem was now, but Alain spoke first.
''There are Germans on the beach,'' he explained.
''The landing craft won't come in until we signal we are ready,'' Garrison said. Knowing he couldn't risk the landing craft being spotted and blown out of the water, he considered his options. ''How many soldiers are there?''
''There are two portable guns emplacements and several armed men. They seem to be facing out to sea, so whether they are preparing for a landing party or to prevent your pick up we are unsure,'' Alain answered.
Thinking quickly, Garrison asked ''What about the next bay along?''
''My men have just checked, it is clear at the moment but it is not so easily accessible for a boat as it shelves steeply. But it will be high tide soon and then a shallow craft could reach the sand at the far end,'' Alain replied.
'' Unfortunately, we don't know how far out the landing craft are. How long do you think it would take for more German troops to arrive?'' Garrison's mind was working overtime to sort out this new dilemma and he needed all the information he could get to make the right decision.
''We destroyed most of their vehicles at the village but the Germans could radio to other soldiers stationed in the area. Maybe half an hour or so.
At times like this, Garrison's military training kicked in. Knowing the importance of getting the equipment back to England he was already planning ahead. ''Chief, you and I will stay here with Alain and his men. Casino give me the last of the grenades. Gina take everyone else to the far end of the next beach. Actor, signal the landing craft and guide them in there. Gina can help, she knows the codeword. Get everything loaded on board. Chief and I will join you as soon as we can.''
''That's cutting it fine Lieutenant,'' Actor pointed out from the back of the truck, as Chief moved past him and jumped down to the ground.
''If we're not back by the time you are ready to leave, get everything back to London,'' Garrison ordered, turning his back on the truck as Gina put it into gear, effectively ending the conversation. Garrison knew his men would, reluctantly, go without him if they had to and they may not have a choice if the Royal Naval officer in charge of the craft refused to wait.
GG
Garrison and Chief followed Alain and his men towards the beach. From the top of the dunes they could see two shallow dug-outs, encircled by a few sandbags, in an attempt to protect the machine gun and the three men in each. Chief pointed out the positions of a further four armed men, hidden in the rocks on either side of the cove.
Quickly assessing the dangers, they agreed to split up with Garrison and Chief concentrating on one side of the beach, while Alain and his men crept off in the other direction, their movements easily muffled by the soft sand. Once in position, on Garrison signal, Chief and Alain lobbed grenades into the sandbagged areas, killing everyone in those locations. The explosions alerted the rest of the soldiers but, with their positions already noted, another two men were quickly eliminated.
Alain got Garrison's attention and waved towards the next cliff. ''Go, go,'' he mouthed. They could see Alain and his men had the rest of the gunmen pinned down and it was only a matter of time before the shooting would be over.
Waving their thanks, Garrison and Chief turned inland and cautiously began their escape up the dunes. Once they were far enough away, both men raced up the cliff path. The going was rough, with loose stones underfoot, but they soon reached the summit. Their descent led to a pebbled beach, at the far side of which they could just make out a landing craft being loaded. Running across pebbles is not easy and both men were aware that a twisted ankle now would be disastrous. The boat was ready to leave as they dashed across the final few yards and willing hands dragged them into the craft as it slid into the waves.
GG
As the landing craft was manoeuvred beyond the surf, the men could see Gina had been joined by Alain and his men. Reassured that everyone of Garrison's team were heading for the relative safety of the open Channel, Gina raised her hand in farewell. Then joining Alain and his men, she disappeared into the night.
Out in the Channel, the men heaved a sigh of relief as they met up with the gun boats.
''Must've done something right this time, it's not every mission we are escorted home by the Royal Navy,'' grinned Casino, thankful they were at last on their way back to familiar shores.