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

emerging from a number of buildings and making their way towards the incident, whilst officers and NCOs could be heard bellowing orders as they tried to regain some control.

Adding to the general mayhem were Kelly and his team firing bursts into the scattering Germans.

The two explosions that followed were almost but not quite simultaneous. The first came from the far side of the plant as Ashley Dunn’s troop made their move. The second came from the direction of the gate as a round from a three-inch rocket launcher crashed into the gate house, destroying it and its occupants, prior to the frontal assault by Tom Foley.

The roar of “COMMANDO! COMMANDO!” could be clearly heard above the din as the main force started their two-pronged attack. It was a shock tactic Tom Foley had introduced from one of the army commando units, probably Lovat’s. It had made Kelly’s hair stand up on the back of his neck when he had heard it at the slip; he could imagine the effect it had on the German soldiers coming under attack.

One of Kelly’s team made as if to get up, but Kelly waved him down.

“Keep them occupied from here!” he called, the need for silence now passed. “While they are dealing with us, they can’t oppose Foley.”

The Germans, under fire from Kelly’s team, must have calculated that they were not facing a large force and were starting to manoeuvre, clearly with a view to assaulting Kelly’s position. Kelly had pre-warned his team that in such an event they would crash out, but would provide harassing fire whenever they could to keep the pursuers occupied.

As one group of Germans provided covering fire on the team’s position, a second group started to manoeuvre forward. Before Kelly could give the order to move, the advancing German squad were brought under heavy enfilade fire. Several fell and others scattered for cover. Kelly and his team now brought as much fire down on the German position as they could as Sergeant Taff Williams and a squad of marines skirmished towards the Germans.

It was one sided from there. Those Germans that survived the initial section attack quickly made it clear that they had no further stomach for this fight.

Kelly joined Williams and they made their way cautiously, prisoners in tow and under guard, towards the building from which Kelly had made his escape all those months before. The firing had ceased by the time they reached it. Tom Foley waited at the entrance with a demolition team.

“Hello Dan. Situation is under control. Ashley is dealing with the prisoners—rather more than I had hoped I have to say—and Pete Jackson is organising defence. That leaves you and me to sort this place out. Sergeant Williams, would you and three of your stalwarts accompany us in case we have any last pockets of resistance inside?”

Williams barked out a few cursory orders and was joined by three marines.

“Excellent!” said Foley, “Lead on Dan!”

Kelly smiled. Foley, he thought, was completely unflappable, just like Archie Jenkins. No wonder Jenkins liked him and trusted him. Two of a kind.

Kelly led them to the chamber that contained the huge cylindrical water processors he had seen from the upstairs balcony. There were a number of scientists emerging from behind desks and control consoles where they had taken cover during the assault.

Surprisingly, the German scientists made no attempt to interfere with the team. It was instead the Norwegian scientists who had been co-opted onto the project that were pleading with Foley not to damage the equipment and processes they had dedicated so much time and energy to.

Foley waved them away. “You may be happy to live under the German jack boot,” he said, “but I am not! You will leave this building and surrender to the troops outside. You will obey this command now. Immediately! If you hesitate you will be shot!” He motioned to Williams, whose team as a man, raised their weapons and trained them on the bewildered staff.

The unfortunate scientists knew that Foley was serious. They collided with each other in their rush to be first out. Within seconds the building was empty, and the demolition team set about placing their charges.

“Give me a second, Tom,” said Kelly. “There is something I want to collect.”

“You can have ten seconds, Dan, no more!” Foley called after him as he rushed to the staircase and took the stairs three at a time. Kelly raced along the corridor until he found the office he had previously entered. With only a second’s hesitation he burst in, his Sten at the ready. The office was empty.

“Unfinished business,” Kelly said to himself as he grabbed the reports and graphs from the wall. “If these turn out to be the statistics from the laundry, I’m going to be the laughing stock of every Royal Marine mess in the world.” He bundled them together and crammed them into his map pocket.

As he started for the door, he noticed a filing cabinet pushed against the wall in the position the German officer had died, probably hiding a rather nasty stain thought Kelly grimly. He sprinted down the passage, leapt down the stairs and came to a stumbling halt alongside Foley.

“This could be important,” he said tapping his map pocket.

Foley smiled encouragingly. “Good!” he said. “But let’s go.”

Kelly took a last look around as they left the room. There were demolition charges on every cylinder, on every control and instrument console and on every item that appeared even vaguely technical. This will be one hell of a firework display, he thought.

Most of the force were now embarked in vehicles commandeered from the MT compound, engines running, ready to go. The scientists had been shepherded to the shelter of a wooden building. Kelly indicated them. “What about them?”

“Once that building has gone up, they will be redundant!” Foley replied.

“And the prisoners?” Kelly asked.

“In two of their own trucks, with their own drivers and no guards, wedged between our vehicles.” Foley grinned, his eyes alight with