A Bridge of Magpies

C H A P T E R F O U R

She seemed to be having trouble with the machine, which gave out a jumble of Donald Duck noises. Maybe the distortion was caused by the tape snagging in the wind. Whatever the cause, it gave me a chance to observe without being observed. She stood up and busied herself rewinding the spool with one finger, doing it very carefully as if she didn't want to entrust the task to the recorder's own automatic device.

The rock on which she stood was at my eye-level. Her back remained towards me, so I couldn't see much of her face: indeed, even when she half-turned, the wind blew her hair from under her beret, masking her face. The hair itself was enough to stare at, though-red-gold, as if she'd been caught in a desert sunset. What little I did glimpse of her features made me certain she hadn't been out in the wind and Sperrgebiet sun for long. She was wearing a crumpled loose hip-length suede jacket, darker than the sand, and slacks, also crumpled.

I laid the rifle silently on a ledge of rock above my head, intending vaulting up after it. I paused, however, when I caught sight of various objects the girl had spread about: several very large maps weighted down with stones, a small pile of notebooks and some printed books, one of which bore a remarkable resemblance to the Admiralty Pilot for the Sperrgebiet. There was also a compass on top of the books which had been lined up on the wreck: I could tell this because it was one of those instruments with a mirror case, in which I spotted the reflection of the need! e. A man found on the Sperrgebiet with so compromising a load would have to do a lot of fast talking to a diamond patrol. As for a woman… I couldn't begin to guess.

She turned suddenly, and I ducked out of sight. At the same moment the tape started up again. She'd been so near to spotting me that I didn't try to retrieve my rifle, for fear of making a noise. It looked safe enough, however, because the ledge it was on was out of her sight, slightly below the 49 level of her rock.

What the tape said killed my previous intention of getting up there and and demanding what she was up to. It was German. I understand it though my spoken attempts wouldn't win me any language awards.

`Come in, Swakop,' it said. 'U-160 to dinghy. Come in Testing, testing, testing. D'ye hear me? Answer. Over.'

I slid down into a sitting position against the wall of the gully, hunching myself up in defence against the sand blowing in from above.

'Dinghy to U-160: Swakop speaking. Receiving you loud and clear. Do you hear me?'

'Okay. Swakop. Loud and clear. Captain asks, do you sight shore party?'

`Not yet, U-160. Beach not visible. Hidden by big rocks.'

How far to go?'

'Quarter-of-a-mile, maybe. Breakers and rocks to starboard. Can see the Bridge of Magpies. Achtung!

`What is it, Swakop?'

'Beach comes in sight. Recognition flashes. One white, two red, three green. Correct. It's all clear.'

`Captain says pull finger out then. Those flashes can be spotted miles out to sea. This place is a trap. No sea room, no depth of water.'

`Swakop to U-160. Answered code signal, Correctly acknowledged.'

'Sure?

'Sure.'

`Captain says tell those men with you to keep their eyes skinned and guns ready. It could be an ambush.'

`Coming close in now, U-160, See a man standing on the beach.'

'Captain says, re-check that it's Tsushima. Use the code.' `

Swakop to U-160. It's Tsushima all right. I'm going ashore now. Wading. I'll keep in touch.'

'Are you ashore yet, Swakop?'

`No. Still in the breakers. It's bloody cold. Our own Jap is kicking up rough about something. Protocol, 1 think. The man on the beach must be a big shot Lots of fuss and bowing. Our man's taking a parcel from him now.'

'Where are you now, Swakop? On the beach?'

`No, Behind it. On a sandhill:

'Captain says, what the hell's the delay? Why don't those goddamned Japs get aboard the dinghy?'

'Our Jap's wading out first with the parcel. Looks as if he's going to go back for Tsushima.-maybe he's too important to get his feet wet?

'By God he is! Captain says-Gott in Himmel! There's a ship and it's firing at us…!'

Hydrophone operator to Captain: HE bearing red o-five-o!

Propeller noises!'

'Periscope lookout to Captain: Distant mastheads bearing red o-five-o!'

'Number One to Captain: Captain on the bridge, sir!

A big ship entering the channel from the north-west!'

'Captain here. Lookout, what sort of ship?. Warship? I can't make her out from down here on the bridge.'

'In Armed merchant cruiser. A big one, Herr Oberleut' nant'

'Number One, get that periscope down with the bo'sun's chair and the look out! Quick!'

'Aye aye sir!'

'Captain to hydrophone operator: enemy's course, speed, distance?'

'Steering 120 degrees, sir, south-east by east-Sir! AMC is coming round on to a new course… one-one-o degrees. .. coming round still… o-nine-o, steady on o-nine-o, now heading due east, across our bows. •

'Speed? Schnell, man!'

'Twelve knots – weeding up?

'She'll run herself ashore if she holds that course, Number One. Do you see her yet?'

'No, sir.'

'Damn this night sight! It's no bloody use at all!'

'I'd say she's manoeuvring for the mouth of the channel over towards Elizabeth Bay, sir. There's about four miles between us. When she picks up the ten-fathom line, I reckon she'll turn and steer right down the middle?

'And slap into us! Stand by! Action stations!'

'Aye aye sir! She's starting to come round again… turning… turning… steady on course one-eight-o true.. increasing speed. .. fourteen knots now.. distance?'

'Three and a half miles, sir'

`Captain to control room: Group down, slow ahead together, port fifteen!'

`Control room to Captain: Port fifteen it is, sir. Slow ahead together.'

`Helm steady amidships, sir!'

'Stand by to dear the bridge-what is it, Number One?' `

Shore party dinghy right astern, sir.'

`Belay that order. Stand by. Get those men aboard. Captain to control room: Stop engines! Slow astern both! Are all the men there, Number One?'

'All ours, sir. There's only one Jap though. Swakop got ashore all right.'

Get 'em aboard, quick! This is going to be a bloody difficult shot. I can't let her come too close or we'll blow ourselves up at the same time. I want the conning-tower just awash-understood? Just deep enough to be out of sight. Channel's too shallow for a submerged attack. Clear the bridge! Clear the casing!'

Aye aye, sir!'

`Captain speaking from control-room now. Conning-tower clear, Number One?'

`Conning-tower clear, sir. Hatch secured.'

'It's the Jap, sir. He's pretty upset about something. Can't 1 `

Good. Start the attack. Who's that talking? Silence!' understand what he's saying.'

`Tell him to shut up. We're in action.'

`Very good, sir.'

Enemy masts in sight now,'

Up periscope a bit more, sir?'

`No. Hold it. We mustn't be spotted. Their bloody radar's like magic. She's a big one, every bit of ten thousand tons. She's taking a hell of a chance in this shallow channel. What's her speed, Number One?'

'Plot reports fifteen knots-sin,'

`Stand by, torpedo tubes!'

All tubes ready, sir?

`Fire on HE bearings, sir?

`No. Visual. Port five. Easy now, What's her DA angle?' I

`Very fine, sir, Very tricky shot.'

'A quadruple spread should fix her. Flood tubes, open bow doors!'

Tubes flooded, bow doors open, sir!

'Permission to fire, sir?'

'No. Hold it. When she comes opposite the settlement, that's the best place. Slow ahead, Chief, SLOW! Don't let her go! Target's only thirteen hundred metres!'

'Fire now, sir?'

'Hold it, hold it!'

'Now, sir? Fire?'

Geoffrey Jenkins

A Bridge Of Magpies

'NOW!'

'Tube One, fire!'

'Tube Two, firer

'Rohr drei, llosss!'

'Rohr vier, Hone

'All torpedoes running, sir!'

'Coxswain, the time please!'

'Zero minus three, sir!'

'All torpedoes running, sir!'

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten!.:

'Coxswain?'

'Any moment now, sir..

'Torpedoes running..

'Christ, one and two have missed!'

'Hydrophone operator reports three and four still running, sir..

'Donnenvetter! Hear that, Number One! A hit! Gut!' '

Hydrophone operator reports two torpedo explosions.. 'Got her-Number One! Two-right between the tits!' '

Breaking-up noises from AMC, sir. HE bearing. 'She' s coming straight for us, sir!'

'Down periscope. Engines full ahead together, port fifteen, steer two-nine-o. She's trying to ram us!'

'No, sir! She's running ashore!'

'We'll have to cut right scrims her bows-on the surface, too. God, for some bloody deep water! What's the depth now?' '

Eleven fathoms, shallowing, sir!'

'Sir, sir! Hydrophone operator here! New propeller noises. Outer channel. Green o-three-o. Closing fast. Warship!' '

Where the devil's he sprung from, Number One?'

'Coming into the main channel, sir, between Possession and the Kreuz shoals.'

'There's barely four to six fathoms there! He must be mad!'

'Or very brave.'

'Range, speed, operator?'

`Mile and a half, sir. Twenty-two knots,'

`Give me a bearing for the AMC now, too, I want to see what she's up to.'

`Close, sir. Maybe half a mile. Slowing all the time.' 'Sq would anyone be with two torpedoes in their guts.' 'She's still holding to the channel, sir. But coming at us.' Up periscope! Destroyer fires a starshell. No, she's a frigate, Number One. She's made it, too, through that short cut! Into the channel now;

'Orders, sir?'

'Stand by, stem torpedo tubes!'

'Achtung!'

`Set 'em both very shallow-twelve to fifteen feet. Bring the stern to bear, Number One,'

Aye aye-sit'

'Hydrophone operator to Captain: two groups of propeller noises merging. Confused echoes, sir.'

`Damn! The closer they get the tougher our problem becomes. Down periscope a shade! The AMC's blocking our shot at the frigate-Number One! I can't fire like this. Damn and blast! Hold it! Hold the attack!'

'They sound right on top of us, sir.'

'That's the AMC. I could spit on board. If she rolls over now, we've had it.'

'Hydrophone operator to Captain: Sir, warship's screws close! Dead astern!'

'Here she comes! I can't shoot like this! Sweet Jesus, give me a firing angle! Stand by, all! Hang on! Stand by for depth charge attack!'

'Sir

'Gott in Himmel! What hit us?

'You okay, sir?'

'All right, aJl right, Number One. Got chucked against the eyepiece, that's all. Eight bloody depth charges!'

'You're bleeding, sir..

It's nothing, Number One. He'll come back! Damage reports-quick!'

'All compartments report damage, sir. But still in action.'

'Give me a look! She's coming about! This is our chance!

Stand by! Stand by! Continuous reading! Flood tubes, open doors!'

'Flood tubes, open doors it is, sir!'

'Bring her round, bring her round, Number One!' '

Fire both stern tubes!'

'Fire!'

'Torpedoes running, sir!'

°Time, coxswain?'

'Zero minus three, four, five, six, seven, eight… nineteen, twenty…•

'Jesus! Her magazine's gone up! That's knocked the bugger off, all right!'

'Two right up her jack, sir!'

'Christ! For Chrissake, Number One, what hit us then?' '

Dunno, sir. Right on top of the conning-tower. Must be something big blown off the frigate.'

'Big as a bloody locomotive! Maybe one of her own gun turrets! Damage party! Here! At the double!'

'It's slipping clear whatever it is, sir-listen, scraping the casing – there! It's gone!'

'Periscope?

'Out of action, sir.'

'Stand by, the bridge patty!'

'It's no good, sir. The hatch is jammed fast. Can't move it!' '

We must get the hell out of here-quick, Number One!

They'll have seen that explosion fifty miles away! Damage reports – schnell! Is she making water?'

'All valves on the outer hull reported loose in their Beatings, sir. Main ballast pumps out of action. Angle gauge wrecked. Telemotor and gyro compass systems out of action.'

'Those depth charges couldn't have come closer! Engineroom, what does the Chief say?'

'Plenty, sir. Starboard diesel ripped off its bed, camshaft snapped..

'The port engine-is it okay?'

'Okay. Electrics okay too.'

'Gut! Group up, half ahead, together. Steer three-four-o.' '

She's badly down by the head, sir. With the gauge gone, we'll have to trip her by guesswork. The change-over valve's jammed open. I guess it's smashed too.'

'We can't see and we can just about move, Number One. But we've got to get out of here: this channel's a death-trap. Silence, that man!'

'It's the Jap again, sir. He's protesting. Says we're ratting 55 on the mission. The important guy got left behind when the dinghy chased after us.'

'Tell him to save his breath and the oxygen! He can't get out of this boat now -no one can. Where's the AMC?'

'Must have fetched up ashore by now, sir. That magazine blast killed the sound of everything else.'

'Poor bastards! It might have been us,'

'It might still be, sir.'

'Keep your voice down, Number One 1 I want an immediate signal sent to BdU-is the radio still working?'

'Yes, sir. About the only thing left that is.'

'Say, "U-160 to BdU. Attacked by frigate. Flower class, which blew up following two hits ex stern tubes. U-160's main ballast pumps damaged, unable to dive. Jettisoned eight mines. Proceeding seawards partly submerged. Will signaJ position and damage assessment 06.00 hours dawn tomorrow." Well, Number One, what is it?'

'Sir! Radio operator reports ship-to-shore voice radio has been transmitting to Swakop throughout the attack! In the panic somebody forgot to switch it off!'

'I'll have his guts for that! What a giveaway! No wonder the frigate came right at us-he must have heard every word inside the sub and homed in on our signaJs! Switch the damn thing off – now!'

A Bridge Of Magpies