Geoffrey Jenkins - A bridge of Magpies

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!'