FTER SICILY WAS OCCUPIED BY THE ALLIES’ ARMIES IN AUGUST A 1943 IT WAS CLEAR THAT MAINLAND ITALY WOULD BE NEXT ON THEIR LIST. IN RESPONSE THE GERMAN WAR MACHINE MOVED INTO HIGH GEAR AS TRAINS ROLLED SOUTH ACROSS THE ALPINE PASSES CARRYING TROOPS, TANKS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER NECESSARY SUPPLIES. THERE WERE, IN ADDITION, SOME SPECIAL TRAINS CARRYING MYSTERIOUSLY HUGE LOADS.
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE
4 THE TRAINS ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF AN ITALIAN RAILWAY WORKER ON THEIR ARRIVAL AT THE ADRIATIC PORT OF TRIESTE.
EXTRA-LONG FLATCARS CARRYING OVER-SIZE LOADS. WHAT CAN THEY BE?
THE CURIOUS RAILWAY WORKER HAD CLEARANCE TO ENTER THE GERMAN-CONTROLLED SECTION OF THE DOCKS. THERE, UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS BECAUSE OF THE EVER-PRESENT THREAT OF ALLIED AIR POWER, HE WATCHED AS THE FLATCARS WERE UNCOVERED AND THEIR LOADS REVEALED.
SAPRISTI! TORPEDO BOATS, GERMAN ONES.
5 THE ITALIAN WAS MORE THAN JUST A RAILWAYMAN. HE WAS ALSO AN ALLIED AGENT. NEWS OF WHAT HE HAD SEEN QUICKLY REACHED A BRITISH INTELLIGENCE H.Q. IN TUNIS WHERE IT WAS RECEIVED WITH GRAVE CONCERN.
AT LEAST THREE OF THESE SPECIAL TRAINS HAVE ARRIVED IN TRIESTE, WHICH MEANS THAT VERY SOON THERE’LL BE A FULL E-BOAT SQUADRON IN THE ADRIATIC.
THEY COULDN’T HAVE ARRIVED AT A WORSE TIME, AT LEAST FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW.
THE GERMANS’ E-BOATS WERE LARGER, FASTER AND MORE HEAVILY-ARMED THAN THEIR ALLIED COUNTERPARTS. IN ADDITION THEY HAD A REMARKABLY LOW PROFILE, MAKING THEM EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SPOT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. THE THREAT THEY POSED TO PLANNED ALLIED LANDINGS AT SALERNO AND TARANTO COULD NOT BE UNDER-ESTIMATED. A SQUADRON OF THESE BOATS INTERCEPTING A LANDING OPERATION WOULD BE A DISASTER. THEY ARE FAST ENOUGH TO DODGE AIR ATTACKS, AND THEIR FIREPOWER CAN SINK ANYTHING FROM A LANDING CRAFT TO A LIGHT CRUISER.
SO OUR BEST OPTION IS TO LOCATE THEIR BASE AND DESTROY THEM. I’LL MAKE IT TOP PRIORITY.
6 AS THE JOB WAS TOP PRIORITY, FOR TWO DAYS BRITISH PHOTO-RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT ROAMED THE ENTIRE ADRIATIC COAST. FINALLY A SPITFIRE STRUCK GOLD AS IT OVERFLEW A SMALL NATURAL HARBOUR ON THE MOUNTAINOUS SHORES OF MONTENEGRO. LUCKILY FOR THE PILOT HE WAS FLYING TOO HIGH TO BE CAUGHT BY THE BARRAGE OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE WHICH GREETED HIM.
VISITORS NOT WELCOME, EH? I WONDER WHY NOT.
THE RESULTING PHOTOGRAPHS CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS THE E-BOAT BASE. THEY ALSO CONFIRMED SOMETHING ELSE.
THE GERMANS HAVE BROUGHT IN PRACTICALLY EVERY ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN IN THE BALKANS TO PROTECT THIS BASE. A LOW-LEVEL PRECISION ATTACK WOULD BE SUICIDAL AND A HIGH ALTITUDE BOMBING RAID WOULD BE TOO INACCURATE.
LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LAUNCH A FULL-SCALE ASSAULT, AND QUICKLY!
7 THERE WERE JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT BEFORE THE ALLIED INVASION OF MAINLAND ITALY BY THE TIME THE ASSAULT FORCE FOR THE E-BOAT BASE ATTACK WAS READY. A TWO-PRONGED ATTACK WAS PLANNED INVOLVING GLIDER-BORNE PARATROOPS AND SEA-BORNE ROYAL MARINES LANDING NORTH OF THE BASE WHERE THE TERRAIN WAS LESS RUGGED.
THIS HAS GOT TO GO RIGHT FIRST TIME. WE SHAN’T HAVE A SECOND CHANCE.
A SMALLER FORCE OF THREE GLIDERS WAS SENT TOWARDS THE FAR MORE MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY SOUTH OF THE BASE, ITS JOB TO PREVENT GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVING FROM THAT DIRECTION. IT WAS A RISKY ENOUGH APPROACH WITHOUT THE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY THE THIRD AND LAST GLIDER IN THE FLIGHT.
WHAT A RUDDY MESS. THE DETACHABLE UNDERCARRIAGE WON’T DETACH, AND THE RADIO’S KAPUT!
8 ON BOARD THE GREMLIN-HIT HORSA THE UNIT’S COMMANDER, CAPTAIN MIKE MARKHAM, WENT FORWARD FOR A WORD WITH THE PILOT, LIEUTENANT PERRY LAWSON.
WHAT’S THE SITUATION?
FORTUNATELY THE PLANNERS HAD TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THAT A SAFE LANDING MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE IN SUCH ROUGH COUNTRY AND HAD ALLOWED FOR THE EXTRA WEIGHT OF PARACHUTES IN CASE IT BECAME NECESSARY TO BALE OUT INSTEAD.
WITH THE UNDERCARRIAGE STUCK FAST WE’VE GOT A LOT OF EXTRA DRAG. BY RIGHTS WE SHOULD TURN BACK, EXCEPT WE CAN’T CALL THE TOW PLANE. IT’S GOING TO MAKE AN ALREADY TRICKY LANDING EVEN WORSE.
WE CAN ALWAYS JUMP IF WE HAVE TO, THOUGH IT WOULD MEAN LEAVING SOME EQUIPMENT LIKE THE RADIO BEHIND. LET’S SEE HOW IT PANS OUT.
OKAY. WE’VE COME THIS FAR SO MAYBE IT’LL BE ALL RIGHT.
9 GLANCING AT THE CHART HELD BY THE CO-PILOT, SERGEANT BERT MORSE, MIKE WAS INTRIGUED TO SEE SEVERAL LARGE CIRCLES MARKED ON IT.
WHAT ARE THOSE CIRCLES? THEY’RE NOT ON ANY OF MY MAPS.
THE LANDING WAS TIMED FOR SUNSET TO GIVE THEM SUFFICIENT LIGHT TO LAND BEFORE THE ASSAULT ON THE E-BOAT BASE BEGAN LATER THAT NIGHT. AT THE APPOINTED TIME THE TOW PLANES CAST OFF THE GLIDERS.
THANKS TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE WE’RE GOING TO FALL BEHIND FAIRLY QUICKLY.
JUST DO YOUR BEST.
WARNINGS OF POSSIBLE THERMALS, SIR, UPDRAFTS OF WARM AIR FROM THE VALLEYS THAT COULD CHUCK US ABOUT. THEY’RE ALWAYS WARNING US ABOUT THEM, BUT THE WORST I’VE EVER HAD WOULDN’T EVEN HAVE SPILLED YOUR TEA.
10 SOON AFTER THEY CROSSED THE COAST OF MONTENEGRO THINGS STARTED GOING DRAMATICALLY WRONG. WITHOUT WARNING THE LEADING GLIDER SUDDENLY SOARED VIOLENTLY UPWARDS.
GOOD GRIEF!
IT TOOK NO MORE THAN A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE GLIDER STALLED AND BEGAN TUMBLING BACK TO EARTH IN AN UNCONTROLLABLE SPIN.
YE GODS, THEY CAN’T EVEN BALE OUT WHILE IT’S TUMBLING LIKE THAT! THE SECOND ONE’S GOING DOWN. THE PILOT’S LOST CONTROL!
WHAT THE DEVIL’S HAPPENING?