FTER THE PHONEY WAR IN FRANCE IN 1940, THE GERMAN A FORCES HAD BEGUN THEIR LIGHTNING ADVANCE, BUT FOR ONE BRITISH ARMY PLATOON RESTING AT A DESERTED FRENCH FARM, ALL WAS STILL QUIET. PRIVATE JOE TRAPP, THE UNIT JOKER, WAS PROVIDING THE ONLY ACTION, JUGGLING POTATOES HE HAD FOUND.
GO EASY WITH THEM SPUDS, JOE. WE CAN MAKE A QUID OR TWO IF WE CAN GET ENOUGH TO SELL.
ROLL UP, ROLL UP, SEE THE SHOW OF THE DAY!
4 PRIVATE BERT HALLEY, WOULD-BE ENTREPRENEUR AND CON-MAN, HAD CHIMED IN. HE CONTINUED IN THE SAME VEIN AS HE CLAPPED PRIVATE ALEC KNIGHT ON THE SHOULDER. MONEY TO BE MADE HERE, ALEC. JUST WATCH US CLEAN UP.
YET ANOTHER MAD SCHEME YOU MEAN.
IT SURPRISED EVERYBODY, INCLUDING THE QUIET, WITHDRAWN ALEC, THAT HE WAS BEST MATES WITH THESE TWO RASCALS WHEN HE HIMSELF BARELY SAID BOO TO A GOOSE. EASY, CLUMSY, YOU’RE DAMAGING THE MERCHANDISE.
WE CAN MAKE ‘EM INTO CHIPS THEN AND DOUBLE THE PROFIT!
5 COMEDY BECAME COMBAT IN A FEW CHILLING MOMENTS WHEN GERMAN MORTAR ROUNDS RAINED IN AND CAUSED DREADFUL CARNAGE.
YE GODS!
THE JERRIES HERE ALREADY?
THE THREE PALS WERE STILL ROOTED TO THE SPOT WITH ALEC LOOKING ON IN HORROR AS ENEMY BULLETS SNUFFED THE LIFE FROM BOTH OF HIS MATES.
AAGH! URGH!
THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING...
6 THIS WAS BLITZKRIEG UP CLOSE AND DEADLY. THE WEHRMACHT UNIT RESPONSIBLE FOLLOWED UP THEIR EARLY SUCCESS IN TEXT BOOK FASHION. THEIR CAPABLE, CONFIDENT OFFICER BARKED OUT ORDERS. DON’T LET THE TOMMIES RECOVER!
THERE WAS ONLY ALEC. THE ENEMY LEUTNANT’S ARROGANT VOICE HAD TURNED SHOCK TO ANGER, BUT IT WAS NOT A WILD-EYED RAGE. HIS PULSE WAS EVEN, HIS BREATHING STEADY AS HE TOOK COVER AND RAISED HIS STANDARD LEE ENFIELD No.1 MARK III* RIFLE.
THOSE HUNS AREN’T GETTING AWAY WITH THIS, NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!
I DON’T THINK THERE ARE MANY LEFT STANDING, HERR LEUTNANT.
7 ALEC SQUEEZED OFF THREE ROUNDS AS FAST AS HE COULD AND EACH .303 BULLET FOUND A TARGET. SEEING THEIR OFFICER, SERGEANT AND A PRIVATE FALL DAMPENED THE EAGERNESS OF THE OTHERS FOR BATTLE.
AAGH!
URGH!
THE EXCHANGE HAD ATTRACTED SERGEANT BRIAN HOOPER, THE LONE SURVIVOR OF HIS OWN INFANTRY UNIT. HE WENT TO GROUND AND ADDED TO THE MAYHEM WHEN HE OPENED FIRE FROM BEHIND THE FOE. I CAN SEE ONLY ONE TOMMY FIRING FROM BACK THERE, BUT HE STOPPED THESE HUNS...DEAD.
NEIN... WAAGH!
8 CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO FIRES, THE GERMANS WITHDREW TO REGROUP. HOOPER, A FIRST WORLD WAR VETERAN WHO HAD SERVED AS A SNIPER IN THE TRENCHES, KNEW A MARKSMAN WHEN HE SAW ONE IN ACTION. HE APPROACHED THE RETICENT ALEC WITH RESPECT. THAT WAS A FINE SHOWING. BEST SHOT IN THE PLATOON, ARE YOU?
JUST AVERAGE, SARGE. SCRAPED PAST ON THE RANGE, BUT SEEING WHAT THESE JERRIES DID SHOOK ME.
THE SERGEANT TOOK ALL THIS IN, BUT HE FINALLY HAD TO DEAL WITH THE PAIN IN HIS LEG WHERE HE HAD EARLIER TAKEN A BULLET. ALEC OBLIGED WITH A CLEAN FIELD DRESSING. AH, THAT FEELS BETTER. I TAKE IT THAT YOU AND ME ARE THE ONLY TWO STILL BREATHING AROUND HERE?
SEEMS LIKE IT, SARGE. MY MATES...THEY ALL WENT SO FAST.
9 HOOPER KNEW THAT IT WAS TIME TO PULL BACK TO THE PORT OF DUNKIRK WHERE BRITISH FORCES WERE HEADING FOR EVACUATION. HE QUIZZED ALEC AS THEY MADE THEIR SLOW AND PAINFUL WAY NORTH. ME, I’M A REGULAR, IN THE ARMY SINCE I WAS A LAD. WHAT ABOUT YOU?
JOINED UP AS SOON AS I COULD FROM MY BORING OFFICE JOB. STATIONERY...COUNTING PAPER CLIPS.
ALEC SAID NO MORE AND HOOPER PUZZLED OVER HIS HELPER.
SO YOU WANTED TO DO YOUR BIT?
YEAH, I SUPPOSE I DID.
HE’S LOST HIS MATES AND HE’S HURTING, BUT HE’S STILL GOT A GRIP. HE’S A LOT MORE CAPABLE THAN HE THINKS.
10 THE BEACHES AT DUNKIRK WERE PACKED WITH MEN PATIENTLY WAITING TO BE EVACUATED. AS ONE OF THE WOUNDED, HOOPER, ON THE VERGE OF EXHAUSTION, WAS TAKEN OFF FIRST BUT NOT BEFORE HE HAD THANKED ALEC. GOOD TO MEET YOU. LOOK AFTER YOURSELF...WE MIGHT LINK UP BACK IN BLIGHTY.
OKAY, SARGE. ALL THE BEST.
THE BEATEN ARMY WAITING TO BE SHIPPED TO SAFETY WAS STILL UNDER ATTACK. JUNKERS 87 DIVE-BOMBERS STRUCK AT THE PACKED VESSELS, OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, WHICH HAD COME TO THE RESCUE. MARK UP ONE MORE KILL, GUNNER!
AAGH!