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CCUPIED FRANCE, 1944, CLOSE TO THE GERMAN BORDER. A PARACHUTE HAD BEEN GLIMPSED IN THE NIGHT SKY AND GERMAN TROOPS WERE SEARCHING THE LIKELY LANDING ZONE WITH LESS THAN FERVENT ZEAL.
H.Q. ARE GETTING VERY TWITCHY THESE DAYS.
JA, WE’LL HEAR ALL ABOUT IT IF WE GO BACK EMPTY HANDED.
STORY MAC MACDONALD ART MORAHIN COVER JANEK MATYSIAK
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ALSO COMBING THE AREA WERE FRENCHMEN WHO HAD ENLISTED IN THE MILICE FRANCAISE, A MILITIA UNIT LOYAL TO THE NAZI INVADERS OF THEIR COUNTRY. THEY CARRIED BRITISH LEE ENFIELD RIFLES AND BREN GUNS CAPTURED IN 1940 DURING THE INVASION.
NOBODY IN HERE, CAPORAL.
KEEP LOOKING THEN. IT WAS A DEFINITE SIGHTING.
THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THIS MANHUNT FOR A DOWNED AIRMAN OR SECRET AGENT PARACHUTING IN WAS SICHERHEITDIENST COLONEL ROLF RASCH. HE WAS A HARD MAN AT THE BEST OF TIMES, AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE ON OCCASIONS LIKE THIS.
NOTHING FOUND SO FAR, HERR STANDARTENFUHRER.
THEN WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR BREATH TELLING ME THAT AND NOT HELPING IN THE SEARCH, DUMMKOPF?
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THERE WAS STILL NO SIGN OF ANY CAPTURE AS DAWN BROKE. CAPTAIN HENRI LEFEVRE, IN CHARGE OF THE LOCAL MILICE, WAS JUST AS GRIM-FACED AS THE NAZI SECURITY UNIT COMMANDER WHEN HE JOINED HIM BESIDE A MERCEDES G4 STAFF CAR.
EVERY LIKELY SPOT HAS BEEN SCOURED AND NOTHING HAS BEEN FOUND.
TELL THE MEN TO KEEP SEARCHING, BUT WE WILL LEAVE THEM TO IT.
BOTH MEN WERE ON EDGE BECAUSE AN ALLIED INVASION WAS FEARED SOON. A HARD-LINE NAZI IN CHARGE OF RUTHLESS SECURITY TROOPS AND A FRENCH OFFICER COMMANDING MEN WHO WERE TRAITORS TO THEIR COUNTRY COULD EXPECT ONLY RETRIBUTION.
I AM CERTAIN THE ALLIES WILL NOT DARE LAND ALONG THE CHANNEL COAST WITH OUR ATLANTIC WALL DEFENCES TO DETER THEM.
NON, MORE LIKELY IN THE SOUTH I WOULD SAY…OUR SOFT UNDERBELLY. THAT WILL BE REMEDIED, THOUGH, I AM SURE.
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RASCH POLICED HIS DOMAIN FROM A HOTEL IN THE NEAREST TOWN. THE FRUITLESS SEARCH HAD ADDED TO EARLIER IRRITATION BROUGHT ABOUT BY AN ORDER FROM H.Q. TO PROPOSE PREMISES SUITABLE FOR SETTING UP AN AMMUNITION PLANT. THEY ARE RELOCATING ONE WHICH HAS BEEN BADLY BOMBED JUST OVER THE BORDER INTO GERMANY. THEY NEED SOMEWHERE SAFE AND SECURE IN DOUBLE TIME.
I MIGHT BE OF SOME HELP THERE. WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL IN THE TOWN HALL WHO IS THE ONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THESE THINGS. ARMAND DANTON WAS THE MAN REFERRED TO. HE WAS A CIVIL ENGINEER, TOWN PLANNER AND KEEPER OF THE ARCHIVES ALL ROLLED INTO ONE. HE WENT TO MANY UNIVERSITIES AND HAS MORE DEGREES THAN IS NORMAL FOR ANY ONE PERSON. HE ALSO SPEAKS GERMAN AS HE STUDIED IN BERLIN AT ONE TIME.
HE SOUNDS JUST THE MAN FOR THE JOB. WHERE DO WE FIND HIM?
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THE TOWN HALL WAS JUST ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE NAZI H.Q. AND WAS WHERE DANTON SPENT A LOT OF HIS TIME IN THE DUSTY ARCHIVES. WILL HE CO-OPERATE FREELY, DO YOU THINK?
OUI, THEY SAY IT’S AS IF THE WAR IS NOT EVEN GOING ON AS FAR AS HE IS CONCERNED. A VERY ODD FELLOW.
THE DUST AND COBWEBS IN THE ARCHIVES, VERY OBVIOUS TO HIS TWO VISITORS, DID NOT EVEN SEEM TO REGISTER WITH DANTON. SO NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IS REQUIRED.
YES, I WILL LOOK INTO IT AS SOON AS I CAN. MAKE IT A PRIORITY AND PUT ASIDE OTHER TASKS IF NEED BE.
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BY EVENING, THE FRENCHMAN, WHO WORKED EVERY HOUR HE COULD, WAS CHECKING OUT THE GERMAN REQUEST.
HE TELEPHONED THE GERMAN H.Q. WHEN HE WAS CERTAIN HE HAD MADE THE CORRECT CHOICE.
THREE POSSIBILITIES SO FAR, BUT THIS COULD PROVE TO BE THE BEST.
THE COMMANDER IS SLEEPING? OH, IT’S THREE IN THE MORNING? I’LL CALL AFTER BREAKFAST THEN.
BUT WHEN THE FRENCH OFFICIAL HEADED FOR HIS APPOINTMENT, RASCH AND LEFEVRE WERE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY TO MEET HIM.
I HAVE THE PLANS OF THE SITE HERE…
NEIN, NEIN, JUST SHOW ME WHERE IT IS. PLANS OFTEN DO NOT TELL THE FULL STORY.
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A ROAD LED OUT OF TOWN TO THE PROPOSED LOCATION WHICH HOUSED A WORKING MINE UNTIL ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE.
THE OWNERS RAN SHORT OF MONEY AND THE COAL WAS RUNNING OUT ANYWAY. THEY DIDN’T EVEN DIG THAT DEEP BEFORE IT WAS CLOSED.
WELL, WE WILL SOON SEE TO JUDGE FOR OURSELVES.
THE NAZI C.O. COULD HARDLY BELIEVE HIS GOOD FORTUNE WHEN HE SAW THAT THE CLOSED MINE HAD BEEN SERVED AT ONE TIME BY BOTH A CANAL AND A RAILWAY LINK, TWO ROUTES ALONG WHICH THE MANUFACTURED AMMUNITION COULD BE FERRIED FAST TO WHERE IT WAS NEEDED.
IT COULD BE ALMOST BUILT TO PLAN FOR OUR NEEDS.
AND AS THE MINE DOES NOT RUN DEEP, ACCESS SHOULD BE SIMPLE.
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THE GROUND BARELY SLOPED AT ALL AS THE FIRST COAL EXTRACTED HAD BEEN CLOSE TO THE SURFACE AND PART OF A VERY NARROW SEAM.
IT COULD EVEN BE LEVELLED OFF IF NEED BE AND THERE IS AMPLE SPACE.
I WILL LEAVE THAT TO OUR ENGINEERS. I MUST SAY THAT I AM IMPRESSED.
SO MUCH SO THAT RASCH CHOSE TO SHAKE A SURPRISED LEFEVRE FIRMLY BY THE HAND.
WITH THAT THE TWO OFFICERS LEFT TO SET THE OPERATION IN MOTION...
YOU AND MONSIEUR DANTON RESTORE MY FAITH IN THE FRENCH NATION.
OUI? AH, MERCI...
...WHILE DANTON CHECKED THAT ALL WAS AS INDICATED ON THE PLANS.