“Garnett’s foot locker and bedroll?”
“They just came in, sir. Glad you’re back, Colonel Martin.”
“Put them in the Number One guest hut,” said Dennis.
As Evans closed the door Martin jumped up and faced Dennis, his habitual grin a little awry. “Turn around, Casey.”
Dennis did and felt fingers massaging his shoulder blades. He began to grin himself even before Martin spoke.
“Well, the handle doesn’t stick out, anyway.”
“Colonel,” said Dennis dryly, “you are speaking of your revered brother-in-law and a General Officer in the United States Army.”
Martin did not respond; his voice had become serious.
“Any brigadier in the army would give his next star for your job, Casey.”
Dennis knew it was true. Incredible and remote as it all seemed now, he himself had dreamed of this job before getting it.
“When I finish Stitch they can have it for corporal’s stripes. Thank God we’re two-thirds done.”
Martin looked at the bottle. Then, turning away from it, he shook his head slowly at Dennis.
“Casey, that’s the hell of it. We aren’t.”
“Aren’t what! You did Posenleben yesterday and Schweinhafen today….”
“We didn’t touch Schweinhafen today….” Dennis could see that Ted was sober and struggling to force the words out. “We plastered some goddamned place that looked exactly like it, forty miles from Schweinhafen.”
2
Dennis arose from his seat, took a long look at the whiskey bottle. Then he circled the room slowly twice, stopping for a long look at the sky through the window before he broke the silence.
“How did it happen?”
“Sighting mistake,” said Martin. “It was my fault, Casey. When we came to the I.P. there was a little cloud and we were fighting hard. I got one quick gander and it looked like Bindlegarsten so I turned the column. When we came on our run there sat a little town that looked more like Schweinhafen than Schweinhafen does; same confluence of rivers, railroad, and highway, same cathedral a mile to the left, same airfield, same phony road on the roof camouflage. I was still on the nose gun but I switched with Jake long enough for a look through the sight myself. We were both sure of it and Jake threw the whole load right down the chimney. The others salvoed into our smoke.”
“How do you know it wasn’t Schweinhafen?” Dennis knew that he was simply resisting this as Garnett’s mind had resisted that performance graph. It was equally useless and he could see that it was hurting Ted to tell him, but he needed time to face the whole thing.
“Because when we got our fire out and I got time to look down again there was Nurenover and we’d been rallying north.”
“Sure you weren’t turned around in the fighting?”
“I swung east, even with the fighting, to make sure. There was Schweinhafen without a scratch. I’m sorry, Casey.”
“Why didn’t you correct your strike signal?”
“My radioman was dead and the radio was blown all over Bavaria. I’d sent the flash before I realized the mistake.”
Haley stuck his head into the doorway. “Embassy in London calling General Kane, sir.”
“He’s visiting groups. Pick him up on a multiple. And put a red line security stop to all groups on any mention of today’s target; same for the theater censor.”
Ted nodded approval but he waited for Haley to close the door before speaking. “Did you tell Kane we’d hit it?”
“Yes.”
“Has he announced it?”
“Not yet. This will stop it. What do you think you did hit?”
“Goldberg’s checking maps and photos and target folders now,” said Ted, shrugging. “Whatever it was came apart like a powder mill.”
They looked at each other through a short silence. Haley stuck his head through the door again.
“Stop’s on, sir. And we’ve found another straggler. That leaves forty unreported and two in the ditch, so far.”
“Battle damage?”
“They’re still estimating, sir. Looks rough.”
As Haley vanished
“They just came in, sir. Glad you’re back, Colonel Martin.”
“Put them in the Number One guest hut,” said Dennis.
As Evans closed the door Martin jumped up and faced Dennis, his habitual grin a little awry. “Turn around, Casey.”
Dennis did and felt fingers massaging his shoulder blades. He began to grin himself even before Martin spoke.
“Well, the handle doesn’t stick out, anyway.”
“Colonel,” said Dennis dryly, “you are speaking of your revered brother-in-law and a General Officer in the United States Army.”
Martin did not respond; his voice had become serious.
“Any brigadier in the army would give his next star for your job, Casey.”
Dennis knew it was true. Incredible and remote as it all seemed now, he himself had dreamed of this job before getting it.
“When I finish Stitch they can have it for corporal’s stripes. Thank God we’re two-thirds done.”
Martin looked at the bottle. Then, turning away from it, he shook his head slowly at Dennis.
“Casey, that’s the hell of it. We aren’t.”
“Aren’t what! You did Posenleben yesterday and Schweinhafen today….”
“We didn’t touch Schweinhafen today….” Dennis could see that Ted was sober and struggling to force the words out. “We plastered some goddamned place that looked exactly like it, forty miles from Schweinhafen.”
2
Dennis arose from his seat, took a long look at the whiskey bottle. Then he circled the room slowly twice, stopping for a long look at the sky through the window before he broke the silence.
“How did it happen?”
“Sighting mistake,” said Martin. “It was my fault, Casey. When we came to the I.P. there was a little cloud and we were fighting hard. I got one quick gander and it looked like Bindlegarsten so I turned the column. When we came on our run there sat a little town that looked more like Schweinhafen than Schweinhafen does; same confluence of rivers, railroad, and highway, same cathedral a mile to the left, same airfield, same phony road on the roof camouflage. I was still on the nose gun but I switched with Jake long enough for a look through the sight myself. We were both sure of it and Jake threw the whole load right down the chimney. The others salvoed into our smoke.”
“How do you know it wasn’t Schweinhafen?” Dennis knew that he was simply resisting this as Garnett’s mind had resisted that performance graph. It was equally useless and he could see that it was hurting Ted to tell him, but he needed time to face the whole thing.
“Because when we got our fire out and I got time to look down again there was Nurenover and we’d been rallying north.”
“Sure you weren’t turned around in the fighting?”
“I swung east, even with the fighting, to make sure. There was Schweinhafen without a scratch. I’m sorry, Casey.”
“Why didn’t you correct your strike signal?”
“My radioman was dead and the radio was blown all over Bavaria. I’d sent the flash before I realized the mistake.”
Haley stuck his head into the doorway. “Embassy in London calling General Kane, sir.”
“He’s visiting groups. Pick him up on a multiple. And put a red line security stop to all groups on any mention of today’s target; same for the theater censor.”
Ted nodded approval but he waited for Haley to close the door before speaking. “Did you tell Kane we’d hit it?”
“Yes.”
“Has he announced it?”
“Not yet. This will stop it. What do you think you did hit?”
“Goldberg’s checking maps and photos and target folders now,” said Ted, shrugging. “Whatever it was came apart like a powder mill.”
They looked at each other through a short silence. Haley stuck his head through the door again.
“Stop’s on, sir. And we’ve found another straggler. That leaves forty unreported and two in the ditch, so far.”
“Battle damage?”
“They’re still estimating, sir. Looks rough.”
As Haley vanished
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