ERMANY’S OCCUPATION OF DENMARK G AND NORWAY IN THE SPRING OF 1940 AND OF FRANCE AND THE LOW COUNTRIES IN THE SUMMER GAVE HER CONTROL OF THE COAST OF EUROPE FROM THE ARCTIC TO THE BAY OF BISCAY, ALLOWING ITS U-BOATS ALMOST UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO THE ATLANTIC. BY SEPTEMBER THAT YEAR THAT HAD BECOME A REAL MENACE.
FEUER!
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE
4 THE FURTHER SOUTH THE GERMANS ROAMED THE MORE LIKELY THEY WERE TO FIND SHIPS SAILING ALONE RATHER THAN IN CONVOY, MAKING THEM EASY PREY. BUT IN THE SKY ABOVE DANGER ALWAYS LURKED.
ACHTUNG, SUNDERLAND! DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!
IT’S STARTING TO SUBMERGE. PREPARE TO RELEASE BOMBS!
UNFORTUNATELY AT THAT TIME THE SUNDERLAND’S ABILITY TO INFLICT REAL DAMAGE WAS LIMITED. DEPTH-CHARGES WEREN’T DESIGNED TO BE DROPPED FROM AIRCRAFT AND THE SO-CALLED 250-POUND ANTI-SUBMARINE BOMBS IT CARRIED WERE UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE VIRTUALLY USELESS.
RUDDY THINGS! UNLESS YOU CAN DROP ONE DOWN THE CONNING TOWER THEY’RE A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME. SIGNAL BASE AND GIVE THEM THE U-BOAT’S POSITION. THERE MIGHT BE A NAVY SHIP CLOSE ENOUGH TO FIND IT.
5 THE SUNDERLAND’S FRUSTRATED SKIPPER WAS FLIGHT LIEUTENANT KERRIE MATHESON FROM NORTHERN RHODESIA. THOUGH THE SUNDERLAND’S APPEARANCE HAD BEEN ENOUGH TO SCARE OFF THE U-BOAT, IT CLEARLY WASN’T ENOUGH. THE SOONER THEY ROLL OUT THOSE AIR-DROPPED DEPTH CHARGES WE’VE BEEN PROMISED THE SOONER WE’LL BE ABLE TO SINK SOME OF THE BLIGHTERS. AT LEAST WE CAN PICK UP SURVIVORS FROM THE SHIP IT JUST SENT TO THE BOTTOM.
WHEN THE SUNDERLAND RETURNED TO ITS BASE AT GIBRALTAR KERRIE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT AN ENTIRE CRUISER SQUADRON HAD ARRIVED IN PORT.
I WONDER WHAT THIS LOT’S DOING HERE. SOMETHING MUST BE UP.
6 KERRIE WAS RIGHT. AT A BRIEFING NEXT MORNING HE DISCOVERED WHY THE CRUISERS HAD COME. THE GERMAN LIGHT CRUISER “FRIESLAND” WAS ON THE LOOSE IN THE ATLANTIC. SHE HAD ALREADY SUNK HALF A DOZEN MERCHANTMEN AND WAS LAST SEEN OFF THE AFRICAN COAST HEADING SOUTH. THE CRUISERS ARE ASSIGNED TO HUNT HER DOWN, BUT WE HAVE TO FIND HER FIRST. A FLIGHT OF SUNDERLANDS WILL BE BASED IN FREETOWN IN SIERRA LEONE TO HELP THAT SEARCH, SO GET READY TO LEAVE, GENTLEMEN.
UNLIKE THE CLEAR LATE SUMMER SKIES FURTHER NORTH, IT WAS THE RAINY SEASON ACROSS WEST AFRICA. WITH MONOTONOUS REGULARITY HUGE STORMS MOVED OUT TO SEA CARRIED WEST BY THE TRADE WINDS, AND MAKING AIRBORNE SEARCHES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
THEY SAY THAT SOME OF THESE END UP AS HURRICANES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, SKIPPER. AS IF IT ISN’T BIG ENOUGH ALREADY. WE CAN SCRUB THIS SEARCH AREA FOR TODAY.
SIERRA LEONE, EH? THAT’LL MAKE A CHANGE AND SO WILL HUNTING FOR A SURFACE RAIDER.
FOR THE RAMPAGING FRIESLAND THE CLOUD AND RAIN WAS SIMPLY ADDED PROTECTION AS SHE WENT ABOUT HER DEADLY BUSINESS.
GRIEF, IT’S THE FRIESLAND. SEND A MAYDAY! AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN!
7 THE MAYDAY WAS PICKED UP BY ANOTHER SUNDERLAND WHICH HAPPENED TO BE CLOSE BY. IT RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY.
WE’LL GET BELOW THESE CLOUDS EVEN IF IT MEANS LANDING ON THE SEA.
IT WASN’T THE SEA THE FLYING BOAT ALMOST LANDED ON, IT WAS THE FRIESLAND, MUCH TO THE SURPRISE OF ALL CONCERNED. STREWTH!
GOTT IM HIMMEL!
8 MOMENTS LATER THE CRUISER’S A.A. GUNS OPENED UP WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAD. AT THE SAME INSTANT THE SUNDERLAND DROPPED ITS BOMB LOAD, ONE OF WHICH WENT STRAIGHT DOWN A FUNNEL.
BOMBS AWAY...AARGH!
DONNER UND BLITZEN!
THE BOMB WASN’T LARGE ENOUGH TO CAUSE FATAL DAMAGE, BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY CAPABLE OF CAUSING SOME DAMAGE AS IT RUPTURED A SET OF STEAM PIPES.
ARRGH!
9 THE CRUISER’S CAPTAIN RECEIVED THE DAMAGE REPORT WITH A GRIM EXPRESSION. URGENT REPAIRS WERE NEEDED, WHICH MEANT FINDING THE SHELTER OF A SAFE PORT.
WE CAN’T FIX THE RUPTURED STEAM PIPES WITHOUT SHUTTING DOWN THE BOILER, HERR KAPITAN. AND UNTIL WE DO WE CAN MAKE ONLY HALF SPEED AT BEST.
AT HALF SPEED THROUGH THE NIGHT WE CAN REACH ABIDJAN IN THE IVORY COAST BY MORNING. IT’S CONTROLLED BY THE VICHY FRENCH, SO WE’LL HAVE THEIR ASSISTANCE.
MEANWHILE THE SUNDERLAND WHICH HAD INFLICTED THE DAMAGE HAD ITSELF BEEN FORCED TO PUT DOWN NOT FAR AHEAD. IT WAS THE CREW’S BAD LUCK TO FIND THEMSELVES DIRECTLY IN THE PATH OF THE SHIP’S VENGEFUL CAPTAIN.
MAINTAIN COURSE AND SPEED!
GRIEF, IT’S COMING STRAIGHT AT US!
10 WITH REMORSELESS DELIBERATION THE CRUISER SMASHED THROUGH THE FLYING BOAT, DESTROYING IT UTTERLY.
AAARGH!
THE SUNDERLAND HAD MANAGED TO RADIO THE CRUISER’S POSITION AND THE FACT THAT IT HAD BEEN DAMAGED. WHEN KERRIE OVERFLEW THE SPOT A LITTLE LATER THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO FOR THE CREW, BUT WHAT THEY HAD ACHIEVED WAS CLEAR TO SEE. NO SURVIVORS, SKIPPER. THEY PAID A HEAVY PRICE.
BUT THEY DEFINITELY HURT IT. LOOK AT THAT OIL SLICK. I’M BETTING IT’S MAKING FOR ABIDJAN AND VICHY FRENCH TERRITORY. IT’LL BE DARK SOON, BUT I’VE GOT AN IDEA.