Hammond Innes: The Trojan Horse

A moment later the clatter of the destroyers’ pompoms sounded as the aircraft dived to the attack of our pursuers. But already we were drawing away from them at a tremendous pace, the whole boat shuddering under our feet as though at any moment the engine must shake loose from its mountings. And hull down on the horizon ahead we saw two ships. They grew rapidly larger and Schmidt swung our own boat away to port with the intention of skirting them. But David, who had found a pair of glasses in the control room, reported that they were flying the white ensign. It was, in fact, the Thirlmere’ s late escort in company with another destroyer. We closed with them shortly before noon and the enemy destroyers then sheered off. Just before twelve-thirty we were joined by three Avro Ansons of the Coastal Command.

Freya came up the companionway from the engine-room a little later. Her wide eyes were alight with excitement. She went for’ard towards her father who was still at the wheel. As she came abreast of where I stood beside my gun, she paused and looked up into my face. ‘I’m so happy,’ she said. And then suddenly my heart was jumping at the touch of her hand on mine. ‘We owe so much to you,’ she added. ‘I want you to know…’

But her words were drowned in the clamour of the pom-poms on the destroyers. Three black specks swept down at us out of the sun. The roar of them rose to a scream that drowned the thunder of the guns. Huge spouts of water rose all around us. There was no doubt that we and not the destroyers were the target. Suddenly they were no longer black specks but huge winged objects in silhouette against the blue sky as they swept up out of the dive. Three more followed. More spouts of water. The deck was soaked with spray so that the water ran green in the scuppers. They were Heinkels and down behind them came the three Ansons. One of the Heinkels failed to pull out of its dive and hit the water with a crack of broken metal within a hundred yards of us.

And when that first dive was over and we remained miraculously unhit, I found my arm was about Freya and she was clinging to my coat as though for protection from the rain of high explosive. I did not move, and we stood there watching the Avros scrapping with the Heinkels a thousand feet above us in the blue. A squadron of Hurricanes appeared suddenly from the west. The Heinkels broke and with their noses down made off into the sun. The Hurricanes circled above us, and the rest of the way to Harwich we had an escort of fighters. Twice enemy aircraft were sighted, but each time they made off.

The aircraft that had destroyed the Thirlmere was not able to press home her attack on the German destroyers owing to a shortage of bombs. She circled lazily round us like a great buzzard as our little procession made for home. Half an hour later she was joined by three more machines of the Coastal Command.

At the time, I remember, I said to Schmidt, ‘The Government seem determined to make amends.’ I thought the procession unnecessary. But shortly before one, a flight of a dozen Heinkels swept down out of the sun. We were left in no doubt as to the object of their visit, for they avoided the destroyers and dived in formation straight down upon our little craft. Once again Schmidt’s engine showed its paces. The boat skidded to starboard and seemed to crane right up out of the water as we closed with the nearest destroyer for the protection of her guns.

The Heinkel formation was broken up by the skill and daring of our own pilots before the attack could be pressed home. Nevertheless, we seemed to be surrounded by spouts of water. One of these was so close that solid water fell on to us, soaking us all to the skin. The rattle of machine-gun fire could be heard even above the racket of the destroyers’ guns. The action lasted about a quarter of an hour. The enemy was at length driven off with the loss of two machines. We lost one.

Shortly after this, no less than twenty-five aircraft of the Coastal Command joined us. It was borne in on me then that the authorities were suddenly taking the whole thing very seriously. Twice before we reached port enemy aircraft were sighted, but no attack was made.

At Harwich we were met by Sir Geoffrey Carr and Air Marshal Sir Jervis Mayle. Fisher was also there, and it was he who explained to me why the authorities had finally decided to act.

Fisher himself had pressed them to detain and search the Thirlmere , but without success. Sir John Keif had seen the Prime Minister. But the Thirlmere was the toy of big financial interests and no member of the Cabinet was willing to take action on such flimsy evidence. But by Sunday evening Fisher and his proprietor had created sufficient stir in Whitehall for individual inquiries to be made by at least two Cabinet ministers. MI5 contributed an interesting document on the peculiar circumstances of Llewellin’s death linking up with the activities of Sedel. Then there was the trouble at the Calboyd Works at Oldham. Fisher’s local man reported that the body found at Strangler’s Beach corresponded with the description of the missing Calboyd works manager. The Yard’s contribution came from Crisham, who was able to produce the statement I had left with my bank. On top of it all came MacPherson’s story of David Shiel’s capture on the Thirlmere .

Even then no action was taken. But the First Lord decided to keep an eye on the Thirlmere after she had parted from her escort. As soon as the aircraft reported that the munition ship had changed course and was making for Germany, the escort destroyer, together with another, was ordered to capture the Thirlmere by boarding.

‘Keif was with the First Lord at the time,’ Fisher said, ‘and things were apparently pretty tense. Mayle was there with a report from AI about the relative speed of secret German diesels. Combined with the sudden revelation of the attitude of the technical staff at Calboyds, this report had scared him a good deal. From that moment he’d put all his hopes on the engine that was supposed to be on the Thirlmere . Keif says he was almost out of his mind when the message came through that two German destroyers were closing with the Thirlmere . Then, of course, came the news of your getaway. Actual wording of the message was: “Torpedo boat left Thirlmere stop Making tremendous speed due West.” The order was then given to sink the Thirlmere . You know the rest. The quality of that engine was largely measured by the lengths to which Germany had gone to obtain it.’

Fisher was right there. It had needed German initiative to bring the invention of an Austrian Jew to the notice of the Air Ministry. The importance of that invention is best judged by results.