Hammond Innes: Attack Alarm

After that ‘plane had passed over no-one seemed inclined to doze again in a deck chair. I felt very wide awake. We all stood around the gun, tensely watching each cluster of searchlights as they ushered ‘plane after ‘plane across the ‘drome. They all seemed to be coming in from the southeast and going out of London by way of the Thames Estuary, where the barrage was incessant. Several times we saw one caught in the beams of the searchlights. But they were all a long way away, and even through the glasses showed as no more than a tiny speck of white in the centre of criss-cross beams.

The second of these was quite invisible to the naked eye. But I happened to be looking at the various clusters of searchlights through the glasses. ‘There’s one,’ I said. I experienced the excitement of a fisherman who has at last got a bite. It was coming out of the Thames barrage and flying southeast. It was nose down for home and travelling so fast that I felt it must be a fighter.

Micky was at my side as soon as I reported it. ‘Let’s have a look, mate.’ I hardly heard him. I wanted to see whether it would turn in our direction. ‘Come on, give us the glasses. Other people want to ‘ave a look besides you.’

‘In a minute, Micky,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to lose it. It’s very faint.’ But the ‘plane held its course, and in the end I let him have the glasses.

‘Gawd, it’s a Jerry all right. You can see the double fin.’

That’s more than I could,’ I said. ‘You can barely see the ‘plane itself.’

‘Well, it’s a Jerry anyway.’

‘How many times have I told you, Micky, that not all Jerries have double fins and not every ‘plane with double fins is a Jerry,’ said Langdon. ‘Here, give me the glasses.’

It took some persuasion even for Langdon to get the glasses from him. And when he had them Micky muttered something about sergeants having all the fun.

‘Well, whose glasses are they?’ asked Langdon tolerantly. Young though he was for a sergeant — he was only twenty-two — he had a fine understanding of the handling of men. Inevitably your first impression was that he was slack. And he was slack in things dear to the tradition of the Army. He had no hard-and-fast rules. His site was often rather untidy. He allowed his men tremendous licence. Yet no-one, not even Micky, took advantage of it. He was cool and efficient in all things that he thought mattered — things that would lead to greater accuracy in firing. His men liked him, and unhesitantly obeyed those commands that he did give. He never upbraided a man. Yet I never heard anyone, not even Bombardier Hood, question his authority. They obeyed him because he was a born leader and not just because he had three stripes.

Faced with Langdon’s tolerant friendly smile, all Micky’s pugnacity vanished in an answering grin. ‘I know, mate. I know. They’re yours, ain’t they. Anyway, I seen all I want to of the ruddy thing.’

For some time we stood watching the cluster of searchlights moving southeast. ‘Cor, love old iron, I’d like to have a crack at it, wouldn’t you, mate?’ Micky asked me.

‘Yes, I would,’ I said. ‘I’d like to send it crashing to earth. Funny how war changes one’s outlook. One gets a war mentality. I never thought Pd exult in killing. Yet here I am wanting with all my heart to kill three men. I suppose one develops the mentality of the huntsman. All one thinks about is the excitement of the chase. One doesn’t give a thought for the poor devil of a fox. And yet inside that ‘plane are three human beings, much the same as you or me. Probably none of them wanted war. They’ve come over just obeying orders. There are shells bursting all round them. There’s probably a smell of burnt cordite in the cockpit. They’re all probably feeling pretty frightened.’

I had been speaking more to myself than to Micky, for I did not really believe that he would understand what I was talking about. And when he spoke I knew that he hadn’t. ‘Course they wanted this war. Machine-gunning women and children, that’s what they like. The cowards! Look at the way they’re running out of the barrage. They can’t take it, mate, I tell you.’ Then suddenly he gave me a sidelong glance. ‘It’s a bastard kind of war,’ he said. ‘Cold steel, that’s what I like. I don’t mind ‘em when we’re firing at them. But I can’t stand just having them coming over and not doing anything. The infantry — that’s what I wanted to join. Did you know I volunteered for the Buffs? But they said there wasn’t no vacancy. I’d have to wait a month. And I couldn’t wait — straight, I couldn’t. I wanted to get at ‘em right away. They said I could go straight into the R.A. That’s how I came to join this bleeding outfit.’

He hesitated, watching me out of the corners of his eyes. I said nothing. ‘You think I’m silly about the lights an’ all, don’t you? You think I’m a coward because I keep my gas mask and tin hat on when there are Jerries about. Well, I ain’t, see. Give me a baynet and I’d go over the top with the best of ‘em and never give a thought to the fact that I might get killed. But I can’t stand this inaction. This place is driving me nuts.’

‘I understand,’ I said. ‘I haven’t been here long, but the atmosphere of the place is too tense to be pleasant.’

‘Remember when that formation came over Wednesday? I was scared stiff, mate, I tell you. They seemed to fill the sky. It didn’t seem as if they could miss. And then we started firing at them an’ I wasn’t a bit afraid, was I?’ And when I made no comment, he said: ‘Funny! I can talk to you.’

‘I know how you feel,’ I said. ‘It isn’t cowardice. It’s frustration. I feel the same myself, but it doesn’t show in the same way.’

‘Gawd! I’d give anything to get out of the place. I’d like to go to Egypt. There’ll be fighting in Egypt — real fighting. Hand to hand, mate — that’s the way to fight. Not like this.’

‘It’s nearly one,’ Langdon said. ‘Will you go and wake the others, Fuller?’

Fuller had barely left the pit when Chetwood suddenly said: ‘Have a look at that bunch of searchlights away to the north, John. Looks like a ‘plane.’

Langdon swung round and put the glasses to his eyes. ‘By God! You’re right, Chet,’ he said. ‘And it’s coming this way.’

I followed the direction in which his glasses were pointing. The criss-cross of searchlights showed quite plainly beyond the downs. And in the centre of it I saw — or thought I saw — a speck of light. I couldn’t be certain. Your eyes play you funny tricks after you’ve been straining them into the dark for some time. One minute it was there and the next minute it wasn’t. But the searchlights came steadily nearer, and I could see little pin-points of shell-bursts very near the centre of the criss-cross.

Soon the searchlights on the ridge of the downs were in action and there was no doubt about there Using a ‘plane in the beams. It was quite visible now to the naked eye and growing more distinct every second.

‘It’s only about eight thousand feet and seems to be coming lower,’ said Langdon. ‘I should say it’s been hit.’ We watched it, breathless, expecting at any moment to see it turn off its course. But it continued to come straight on towards Thorby. ‘I think,’ said Langdon slowly, ‘we’re going to see some action.’

His voice was very cool and calm by comparison with my own excitement. I remember thinking how young and boyish he looked, standing there, his tin hat tilted on to the back of his head and his eyes intent on the ‘plane. There was no ack-ack now. But the searchlights held it, and faintly over the still night air came the throb of its engines. I could see the shape of it now, the wide spread of its wings all silver in the dazzling beams.