I looked for my Spit. There was no Spit! All that remained was falling into the sea around me. Pieces of aircraft no bigger than that typewriter. And the scary thing was that there was no other aircraft about. Normally you can hear the aircraft flying away or passing over to gloat. But there was nothing – except……’
‘Except what, Wilson, come on man, spit it out.’ The CO was enrapt by the story but impatient for the punch-line.
‘Except a roar – like thunder – fading into the distance. And as I looked towards France I saw a faint light. Up in the sky – sort of ….like a flame. And then it was gone. And that’s the truth, I swear it.’
Wilson’s CO cut in fast.
‘OK, Wilson, you are dismissed – but you are to keep this to yourself – do you understand? Strictly to yourself! Tell the other chaps it was engine failure. Keep your mouth shut about this!’
Wilson nodded, got up and made his way back to the squadron.
His CO and the debriefing officer made their way to the Station Commanders office.
The Station Commander greeted them sombrely.
‘Another one Harris?’
The Squadron Commander nodded.
‘Well, that’s the third this week; all in different areas but generally all the same story. And to add to our troubles, over forty reports of thunderous noise from the inhabitants of the east coast. We can’t keep ignoring this. It’s now clear that Gerry has some fantastic secret weapon – and I’d stake my life on it being a jet fighter. I’m going to see the PM again this afternoon. He needs to be convinced’
The Station Commander left for Downing Street some twenty minutes later and was greeted by C-in-C Fighter Command, Sir Hugh Dowding on his arrival. As they entered the Prime Minister’s office they found him puffing on one of his habitual cigars.
After they had all settled, it was the Prime Minister who broke the silence.
‘Well, gentlemen, what the hell is going on!’
13
An airfield in Denmark later the same day
The pilot looked closely at the Me 262 gun-camera film on the light table. It confirmed clearly that the Spitfire had been destroyed completely.
The pilot turned to Reichsmarschall Goering with a grim smile on his lips.
‘You can tell the Fuhrer that we are ready.’
***
Somewhere Over Norfolk
Date Unknown
‘What the hell was that?’ yelled Stumpy from the front cockpit.
‘Lightning, Stumpy – and get the bloody jet back straight & level, we’re passing through six hundred feet and descending fast!’
Stumpy reacted immediately and pulled the aircraft sharply back up to one thousand feet above ground level. It wasn’t like him to lose his concentration like this, but the flash of lightning had been incredible. He’d never experienced anything like it before.
Todd quickly scanned the cockpit and asked Stumpy to do the same. Everything seemed OK except that the main compass was spinning rapidly and the Main Computer would need to be recycled. The TACAN navigation equipment was unlocked but they could live without that. Todd glanced outside and was somewhat relieved to see that the guilty CB was moving away to the east, and as he looked up he could see his formation – still circling above. It was time to do a quick radio check and see if any other aircraft in the formation had suffered similar damage.
‘Purple, check?’
Silence.
‘Except what, Wilson, come on man, spit it out.’ The CO was enrapt by the story but impatient for the punch-line.
‘Except a roar – like thunder – fading into the distance. And as I looked towards France I saw a faint light. Up in the sky – sort of ….like a flame. And then it was gone. And that’s the truth, I swear it.’
Wilson’s CO cut in fast.
‘OK, Wilson, you are dismissed – but you are to keep this to yourself – do you understand? Strictly to yourself! Tell the other chaps it was engine failure. Keep your mouth shut about this!’
Wilson nodded, got up and made his way back to the squadron.
His CO and the debriefing officer made their way to the Station Commanders office.
The Station Commander greeted them sombrely.
‘Another one Harris?’
The Squadron Commander nodded.
‘Well, that’s the third this week; all in different areas but generally all the same story. And to add to our troubles, over forty reports of thunderous noise from the inhabitants of the east coast. We can’t keep ignoring this. It’s now clear that Gerry has some fantastic secret weapon – and I’d stake my life on it being a jet fighter. I’m going to see the PM again this afternoon. He needs to be convinced’
The Station Commander left for Downing Street some twenty minutes later and was greeted by C-in-C Fighter Command, Sir Hugh Dowding on his arrival. As they entered the Prime Minister’s office they found him puffing on one of his habitual cigars.
After they had all settled, it was the Prime Minister who broke the silence.
‘Well, gentlemen, what the hell is going on!’
13
An airfield in Denmark later the same day
The pilot looked closely at the Me 262 gun-camera film on the light table. It confirmed clearly that the Spitfire had been destroyed completely.
The pilot turned to Reichsmarschall Goering with a grim smile on his lips.
‘You can tell the Fuhrer that we are ready.’
***
Somewhere Over Norfolk
Date Unknown
‘What the hell was that?’ yelled Stumpy from the front cockpit.
‘Lightning, Stumpy – and get the bloody jet back straight & level, we’re passing through six hundred feet and descending fast!’
Stumpy reacted immediately and pulled the aircraft sharply back up to one thousand feet above ground level. It wasn’t like him to lose his concentration like this, but the flash of lightning had been incredible. He’d never experienced anything like it before.
Todd quickly scanned the cockpit and asked Stumpy to do the same. Everything seemed OK except that the main compass was spinning rapidly and the Main Computer would need to be recycled. The TACAN navigation equipment was unlocked but they could live without that. Todd glanced outside and was somewhat relieved to see that the guilty CB was moving away to the east, and as he looked up he could see his formation – still circling above. It was time to do a quick radio check and see if any other aircraft in the formation had suffered similar damage.
‘Purple, check?’
Silence.
Similar Books
