N A MOONLIT NIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE O SECOND WORLD WAR, GERMAN TROOPS WERE ADVANCING TOWARDS THE RUINS OF A GREEK TEMPLE ON AN ISLAND IN THE AEGEAN. THEIR APPROACH HAD ALREADY BEEN SPOTTED BY A PAIR OF EYES — VERY FRIGHTENED EYES. OH GAWD, IT’S THEM, AN’ THEY’RE COMIN’ THIS WAY.
STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART BENET COVER BENET
4 THE FRIGHTENED EYES BELONGED TO PRIVATE JELLY JAKES. PROBABLY THE MOST SCARED SOLDIER IN THE BRITISH ARMY, HE WAS QUITE LITERALLY SHAKING IN HIS BOOTS.
MAYBE IT’S NOT AS BAD AS I THOUGHT. I MEAN, NO-ONE CAN CAN ME MORE AFRAID THAN ME, CAN THEY?
THE QUIVERING JELLY LOOKED ROUND AT THE REST OF HIS UNIT — THE CONVICT COMMANDOS. THEY WERE THE COMMANDER, MAJOR GUY TENBY, CORPORAL SMILER DAWSON AND PRIVATE TITCH MOONEY. JERRIES COMIN’! GERMANS? J-JERRIES?
N-NAZIS?
5 THE QUARTET WERE VETERANS OF DARING RAIDS BEHIND ENEMY LINES SO THE REACTION OF THE OTHER THREE WAS, TO SAY THE LEAST, A LITTLE OUT OF CHARACTER.
RUN FOR IT!
HIDE!
DON’T LEAVE ME BEHIND
NO! WAIT! I’M THE COWARD ROUND ‘ERE, NOT YOU THREE!
A SLIGHT NOISE MADE JELLY TURN ROUND, ONLY TO WISH HE HADN’T.
YEEEK!
TIME TO DIE, ENGLANDER!
AS THE GERMAN’S FINGER TIGHTENED ON HIS TRIGGER, JELLY THOUGHT BACK TO HOW THIS SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS HAD COME TO PASS.
6 IN MARCH 1944, A SQUADRON OF U.S.A.A.F. B-24 LIBERATOR BOMBERS WAS RETURNING TO ITS BASE IN ITALY AFTER A RAID ON ROMANIAN OIL FIELDS.
WE’RE OVER NORTHERN GREECE, SKIPPER. I’M RECEIVING THE BRINDISI BEACON LOUD AND CLEAR.
WE’LL BE HOME AND DRY IN LESS THAN HOUR. CALL AHEAD AND ORDER STEAK AND EGGS ALL ROUND.
SUDDENLY THE RADIO OPERATOR’S HEADSET WAS FILLED BY A DEAFENING SCREECHING SOUND.
IT WAS RADIO JAMMING, BUT VASTLY MORE POWERFUL THAN ANYTHING PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED, AND OVER A MUCH WIDER SPECTRUM. EVERY PLANE WAS AFFECTED.
ALL RADIO CONTACT DROWNED OUT.
THE RADAR’S NOTHING BUT WHITE NOISE.
HOLY TOLEDO!
7 THE JAMMING HAD BROKEN THE ALL-IMPORTANT LINK WITH THE CHAIN OF NAVIGATION BEACONS ALONG ITALY’S ADRIATIC COAST THAT THE BOMBERS RELIED ON TO FIND THEIR WAY HOME. WE’VE LOST CONTACT WITH BRINDISI BEACON, SKIPPER, AND WITH ANY OTHERS IN RANGE.
GREAT! SO WE’VE BEEN RENDERED DEAF AND DUMB AND THEN STRUCK BLIND. TRY TO PLOT A COURSE BACK TO BASE, NAVIGATOR, OR AT LEAST DO YOUR BEST!
TRADITIONAL NAVIGATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS DEAD RECKONING HAD BEEN RENDERED OBSOLETE BY 1944. DEPRIVED OF HIS TECHNOLOGICAL AIDS ONE NAVIGATOR SETTLED FOR AN OBVIOUS SOLUTION. TAKE US BELOW THE CLOUD, SKIPPER. IF I CAN SEE THE GROUND I SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND US ON THE MAP.
RIGHT YOU ARE.
8 UNFORTUNATELY THE JAMMING HAD ALSO KNOCKED OUT THE BOMBER’S RADAR, WHICH WOULD HAVE WARNED THE CREW ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN TOP DIRECTLY BELOW THE CLOUD COVER.
AARGH!
THE REMAINING BOMBERS ELECTED TO FLY ON ABOVE THE CLOUDS UNTIL THEY WERE FINALLY OUT OF REACH OF THE JAMMING. SOME TIME LATER, THEIR RADIOS DID INDEED BURST INTO LIFE ONCE AGAIN.
THIS IS TARANTO CONTROL, YOU ARE FLYING OUT TO SEA. TURN ZERO-NINE-ZERO TO STARBOARD IMMEDIATELY.
HECK, WHERE THE DEVIL ARE WE?
9 THE BOMBERS HAD BEEN HEADING OUT ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN TOWARDS NORTH AFRICA. BY THE TIME THEY RECEIVED THE WARNING, NONE OF THEM HAD ENOUGH FUEL LEFT TO REACH DRY LAND. DITCHING WAS THE ONLY OPTION.
SPLASHDOWN. BALE OUT!
A WHOLE SQUADRON OF BOMBERS WAS LOST WITHOUT THE ENEMY FIRING A SHOT… …BUT THAT DISASTROUS EPISODE WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. OVER THE FOLLOWING DAYS THE JAMMING PLAYED HAVOC WITH MILITARY AIR LINKS BETWEEN ITALY AND EGYPT. A TRANSPORT CARRYING SENIOR OFFICERS LOST ITS BEARINGS, THOUGH THE PILOT WAS PRETTY SURE HE HAD FOUND A SAFE LANDING. IT MUST BE CYPRUS. WE’RE ALL RIGHT.
10 UNFORTUNATELY THE AIRSTRIP THEY HAD COME DOWN ON WAS ACTUALLY ON THE MAINLAND OF NEUTRAL TURKEY. BEFORE THEY KNEW IT, THE CREW AND PASSENGERS WERE BEING INTERNED.
WHAT A FIASCO.
IT WASN’T ONLY AIRCRAFT THAT WERE AFFECTED. BRITISH WARSHIPS PATROLLING THE MEDITERRANEAN OFF SOUTHERN GREECE ALSO HAD THEIR RADIO AND RADAR SYSTEMS KNOCKED OUT. THIS LEFT THE SHIPS WIDE OPEN TO ATTACK.
A U-BOAT MOTIONLESS AND UNDETECTED UNTIL IT FIRED ITS TORPEDOES WAS ALL IT TOOK TO SINK THE MOST MODERN OF DESTROYERS.
AAGH!