Cast No Shadow, Peter Sharp [books to get back into reading txt] 📗

a moment I didn’t think they were taking security seriously.” There was general laughter around the hall. The CO continued, “A few minor changes: The paras are out. They will be replaced by seaborne commandos from Number 3, and Number 4 Army Commandos.”

This was greeted by hisses and jeers around the Hall.

“Now! Now! Gentlemen! They are, after all, our comrades.” said the CO with a note of cynicism.

“The battleships have now been withdrawn and replaced with destroyers.” He waited until the murmurs subsided before adding, “and there will be no aerial bombardment.” This was greeted by louder murmurs.

Someone called out, “Are you sure we are going to the same place, Colonel?”

Phillips raised his eyebrows, before frowning deeply. “That, I think, gentlemen, is probably the bad news.” He paused, then added, “We must gear the men up for this. Keep their spirits high. Any misgivings we have must be put out of our minds; the men mustn’t get even a hint that we have any doubts about this operation. We go on the 18th of August. I will see Lieutenant Kelly in my office in ten minutes. Dismissed!”

Ten minutes later Kelly stood to attention in front of the CO’s desk. He saluted and waited for the CO to respond.

“Thank you, Dan.” Phillips acknowledged the compliment. “Please stand easy and remove your beret.” He waited until Kelly complied. “I’ve been watching your involvement with Two Troop. I think you’ve really made your mark there. Well done.”

Kelly thanked the colonel and waited. He knew the colonel hadn’t invited him into his office to pass a compliment. What was coming?

“I had in mind to remove you from Two Troop and second you to the headquarters element for the assault. Having a supernumerary in Two Troop is likely to cause confusion and my guess is that there will be plenty of that on the day without adding to it.” He looked down a Kelly’s personal file, which lay open on his desk. “The fact of the matter is that something else has turned up.” He glanced down again, as if to confirm certain facts. “You speak good German?” It was a question rather than a statement.

“Yes Colonel. I can converse colloquially,” responded Kelly.

“And your French?”

“Passable,” said Kelly. “I can get by, but I speak better German than French.”

“Excellent!” said Phillips. “Dan, you are needed in 10 Commando. They need good German speakers, but you will also need to converse with the Belgium element in the Commando.”

“10 Commando?” queried Kelly.

“They are a specialist intelligence unit. Ten Inter Allied Commando to give them their full title,” the CO explained. “Hence the need to be conversant in a number of languages. You are just as likely to be serving with a Frenchman, a Dutchman or a Belgian.”

“And the German?” asked Kelly.

“Interrogation of prisoners,” said the CO. “It’s one of their main tasks, hence the need to go in with the assault, when the information is still fresh.”

“They are involved in the operation then?” queried Kelly.

“Indeed,” confirmed Colonel Phillips. “They will split into two sections. Section A will go in with 4 Commando in the South; Section B with 3 Commando in the North. You have been assigned to section A, hence 4 Commando. Are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely fine Colonel,” confirmed Kelly. “Sounds interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Good man,” said Phillips. “Don’t look forward to it too much. The German defenders at Dieppe know more details about this raid than most of the lads you’ve been training with. Security now has been totally compromised.” He looked at Kelly and gave a shake of the head. “Don’t quote me on that!”

Kelly smiled and nodded.

“Right then, you’d better get transport organised. The sooner you touch base with your new colleagues, the sooner you’ll have the big picture,” said Phillips.

Kelly replaced his beret and saluted. On impulse he stretched out his hand. “Good luck, Sir,” he said. Phillips took his hand and shook it warmly.

“Thank you, Dan. We’ll all need a fair helping of that I suspect.”

Kelly clambered down the rope ladder and into the landing craft. A detachment of 4 Commando was already in the craft, mouths set in a grim line. Their eyes were wide with tension, standing out from the camouflage paint they had smeared on their faces.

The dawn was just breaking as they huddled together in the craft. Gunfire had been exchanged somewhere north of their position about an hour before, so any hope of some element of surprise had now faded. The men in this craft now knew that the enemy they would be facing in a few minutes time was alert and ready to receive them.

Kelly wondered about his comrades in ‘A’ Royal Marine Commando; Colonel Phillips, Gareth Owen, 2 Troop and the others. They were not due to go in until the main assault group had landed, and then they’d have a mopping up mission to secure the dock area.

The destroyers were ‘making smoke’ as the landing craft slipped away and turned south east. They were to land on two of the beaches to the south of Pourville and make their way in two groups to capture the batteries at Verengaville, a classic pincer movement.

At the same time 3 Commando would land at Puys, with a view to disabling the batteries in the north. Whilst this was happening the Canadian South Saskatchewans and the Cameron Highlanders would land at Pourville, partly as a diversionary movement but also to provide a flanking attack on the town to aid the main assault.

With the North and South Batteries disabled, the main force comprising The Royal Hamilton Regiment and the Essex Scottish would then strike at the centre of Dieppe, with a follow up by ‘A’ Commando.

That, at least, was the plan.

As the landing craft emerged from the protective smoke, the beaches were clearly visible ahead. Kelly expected heavy gunfire at this point. At first there was nothing, then some sporadic firing, but none of it effective. Looking north he could see the