THE CHINA MAIL SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1985.
Wingate says: I'll live to 85
G
ENERAL ORDE WINGATE knew that things had gone catastrophically wrong with the Chindit operation
thut the code-
word "Soyalink!" repented by Brigadier Calvert's radio meant "Disaster!"
He immediately
ordered
all further flights of gliders · to be halted. But what hud happened?
Four hours later the radio from the Broadway landing } strip in the jungle began to work again.
10 HEAR
DEFEAT..
UNTIL
A
YOUNG
AMERICAN
LANGTO WITH A BULLDOZER.
Chapter 9 is the story of Britain's Strangest Hero by
LEONARD MOSLEY
J
Death-trap
S the Japanese reacted to the
That had been some time: Ngo, in
he had 1943, and. Included a nessuge, for he wife. in Hebrew: "Im cskhokheych Yerusalalm uslika yamini" (And If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget cunning), plus
hor
note
ole for his
I
asti not
his
mother: "tell her wholly useless or harmful."
Now, in his letters to
the phrase Jewish friends,
Yerusaleim "Im eskhokheych And now everything began to
tishka yomini" kept recurring again.
The spelling is Wingte's.
of
Commando put its wheels down Aberdeen after the birthplace on the comparatively flat soll of his wife, of Broadway, and 54 more troop carriers came in that night, In go well. From the seeds the next few days the Dakotas disaster, triumph blooted,
To The Army officers .ot made 600 porties and the gilders
who met 78. and they brought in 0,052 Imphal and Delh!
about this time, he (roops, 1,300 pack animals, and Wingate
happy und super 250 tons of equipment, at the seemed
confident,
serenely absorbed in cost of 121 men.
his cumpalgn Ind concerned
with its only
tlay-to-day operation.
But there must have been eruption in their midst. the moments when his mind left Chindits moved out into the the jungles of Burma and went They Jungle to
centres back to his old love, Palestine on with the upalimbed to file structure hit; the rip and tear climbed down to safety. With of inflammation, Their prin- and the Jews. For it was about
Orde Wingate feet at headquarters said: of
bulldozers trees 115
and in half an hour of the crash, elpal forces marched to a new this time that he started writ
to old friends be to God," in a stall graders tore loose Thanks
and, run Lleutenant Bracket rode on to stronghold,
miles
from ing letters
Akovia. he
eries of the the strip at the wheel of his Broadway, volcc.
previously marked told Then
the amok; and
bulldozer,
Fergusson. by Wingate and
He had already written operator to contact Calvert. " trapped and wounded men.
had captured Since he
It his wife saying how much did want a situation report at once."
wanted to christen wished the war was over, that ho said.
Fergusson it, calling it Elizabeth after the he could go back with her to
It they both loved. by Wingate, Queen, but he was forestalled Palestine to continue the work
Once more it repeated a code-. word, but this one brought joy to H.Q. "Pork sausage, Purke- sausage, porkcnguage," it said, and this was the codeword for "Everything is all right, Carry
operation.
of paper
bags as the boxlike and swung them
the
The medical teams
what they could.. amputating Those first few hours had, in bandaging. staunching blood blood in the effect, been almost unmitigated and transfusing disunter
The glider carrying light of acetylene flares, trying the lighting equipment to
not to duck their bends as new gulde the others into the Broadway gilders swooped clearing had gone astray and new, disasters.
free.
Calvert and Alison werd downhearted. They had 30 men killed and 21 wounded. or 54 gliders which had taken of 37 landed or crashed on had
11
territory, the rest crushed in Assam. There were 350 men under Calvert's com-
clearing was the mand but shambles and most of tho graders and bulldozera And Bad been wrecked. then Lieutenant Broeket was one appeared. He
over them 10 Bronwold wore in Japa-· crashed in the jungie. The For Calvert it was the most gilder of Colonel Alison, com- miserable birthday of his life. mander of the American And then, just before darkness technicians, hit a ditch. The began to pale into dawn, they one carrying Brigadier Calveri heard the sound of an leaped over it by a miracle. aircraft engine. It was - Dakota, tugging a glider; u delayed arrival, obviously,
"Hie
can't possibly cried Alison
kitl himself
Now triumph THEY got down to the job of Bighting petroleum flares to bring the others down, #zzicl almost immediately
realised
that the smooth clearing Broad- way had appeared from aerial photographs was a death-trup
of buffalo holes, trenches, logs, and underbrush.
They were setting s
among that wreckage.'
Many of them turned their heads as the
came down, unwilling
to
sex one more disaster,
But curiously enough
best
It
other
was
not
only
NEXT WEEK
The tragedy In the Jungle
could about the impossible t the end of that glider Lusk of clearing it when Allson crew but the salvation suddenly screamed out: "My
operation. The glider of the God; here
the come
Ameri contained a gliders!" And in come wave
engineer ag ean
Lieutenan! wave of heavily loaded after
and and bulldozer, to- craft.
with a crew. This load The Jungle seemed suddenly crashed heavily into the trees to go mad. At one moment the with such force that both wings gliders
silent, were
graceful were lopped off. The bulldozer black shapes sliding so serenely shot like a shell out of the front through
the, night, and then side of the glider, lodged, they were clumsy jumbles от
of the trees and then slithered to woodwork. The the ground. shredded wreckage piled
up and soon all over the cleared
spece,
In Its passage il there
Were collisions great Brocket and the crew, because hallow explosions, like the pop the crash had opened the door
In
missed
of those thin, tall, shy Americans who rarely. speak even when spoken
to.
"Well, lieutenant, it's isn't it?" sald
mess,
Calvert.
Fir
"Yes, sir, it sure is."
US
to
"Da you think you ean clear it up enough gel small plenes down and evacuate us all back to base?"
"Well, yes sir," sak! Brocket, "It isn't much Calvert said: use asking, but how long do would take to clear you think up this place and get big air into here so that the thecould go on?"
set up new
40
who called
DID IT HAPPEN
Ο
1
10
like
to
he
A will? Why ?·
OWARDS the end of March
TOWARDS
Orde Wingate set off on another tour of the forward
Arens.
The night before the fight ho got into a conversation about death, and was asked if he had ever made a will.
am 4 years old, and I իր will live until I am 85," replied. "Why should I make only for :h will? Wills are people who are going to die."
(Copyright)
(The Wingate serial is adapted GOES TO from "GIDEON
Arthur WAR blished by
Barker.]
TRANSPARENT
AND RADAR OF PAREACONS
MAGNETOMETER
| COUNTER:
SARAY
STORAGE BATTERY
COSMIC RAY AND AURORA *COUNTER
MOTOBYARD: GEARBOX
RECORDING HEAD
ROTATING RECORDING BORUM M
Is THIS the saucer?
DRAWING of an "earth satellite" based on the plans
of Professor S. F. Singer, U.S. space-ship ploneer.
THE MACKINTOSH
7
TOU
reproduce it. So this, in my more effete style, is briefly the Charles fold me as we story chugged along in the misty: landscape, through grey Breton villages, with a late-coloured below on our NE August recently sea glistening
friend and
1. right. with our respective Somc years before the war families, shared a Charles had the idea, he said, small villa on the north of joining the Territorial Army He Breton coast. Personally I to supplement his Income.
held
a university degree, so was would have preferred to entitled to in commission, and make the experiment on in due course the War Offer the Costa sont him a list of the clothing he the Riviera or
must buy, together with friend. many Brava, bit
cheque for £50, known as whom I shall call Churles, Uniform Grant, seemed attached to Brittany
Charles's first impulse was to reason-in fact
cash the cheque and clear off. for some had already spent several But on second thoughts he saw his that such an action would be sir," he said "but I guess if holidays there with
which WAS can borrow your boys we could family since the war and unpatriotie and,
So he bouglit worse, unwise. it. have
ready for this.
we agreed to try it too. the prescribed garments and afternoon."
So, from Southampton" to was a further £50 out of pocket And he did. That afternoon, sure enough, St Malo, we passed a wet by the end. the first Dakota of No. 1 Ar and stormy night huddled. Among the other purchases 1944 there was his mackintosh had anchored quietly in the
on deck with five hundred was a smart cavalry mackintosh, waiting. others. 1 was amazed at the sort of thing you see worn in cigarette advertisements by an
The lieutenant looked it over and shuffled. "It's pretty bad,
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f
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A
Charles put his head out of the car window and safd;
"Hullo, Gaston."
this
FACT or FIC- TION? Did
REALLY story
· happen? All the tales in this series COULD be true. The answer will be published on Monday
Nevertheless i was surprised to
notice the word Plouberg ón, a signpost pointing to the next village. Stpt more surprised was I when we draw up on the outskirts, at a little cafe called Tout va bien.
welcome once again:" shadow of dark clifts. A light
flashed on the cliff-side. Two Perjodle bouts of malaria dashes at 10-second
Intervals
"
A large man with dark curly hair sat outside. He looked st us casually until Charles put his head out of the car window and said, "Hulloj Gaston.Then the Frenchman jumpet up with a shoul of delight. "Charles!
"Monique!" he called, back into tho cafe,' "Moniquel Charles is here.... Charles's high spirits. Be- idealised type of officer and unfitted him for active soldier for a minute.
Well, there. it was, altogether tween my own paroxysms gentleman, with hair greying at ing. He spent D-day in hospital "That will be Monique," whis-
to the wireless news listening
news pered Charles's RNVR friend, The four
very extraordinary business. of sickness, I watched him the temples and a brushed-up.
of us ate and drank and th
thinking of his friends
and a few minutes later he was and talked through most of the enviously as he strode up moustache.
Channel. sailing
and Gaston and
afternoon down among the
"I always feci," interrupted While the Normandy invasion rowing Charles prostrate shapes, sniffing Charles at this point, "that no progressed slowly he came out ashore in a dinghy.
of hospital on indefinite sick A shadowy Bgure ran across ostentatiously the salt air
leave and bung around London the strip of sand to meet them. feeling miserable and drinkting It was Monique, too much,
like a retired admiral.
Military cut [
I also envled him his coat. It an incredibly dirty old Whs mackintosh, of a vaguely muli- tary cut and lined with black sheepskin. It even had a certain chie, 15 worn by handsome Charles, and was obviously both warm and waterproof, just the thing for Breton holiday.
For
summer
the next fortnight the four grown-ups and ten children shivered round a smolcy grate, playing Happy Familles. But at length a day came when it was fine enough to go on the beach.
Since neither Charles
nor I could bear to watch our respec- tive little Russias and Americas squabbling over the
our
+
wives of sand castles, allowed us the day off. Charles sald he would take me to a place
and
by
John
Verney
DOAN in 1973 and adecofed Li Eten and Oxford, John Varnay spent his childhood in India where his father, Lieut.colone) Și Ralph Varney, was Military (Lord Secretary to the Chelmsford) from 1936 to 1923. Verney riadiad architecture, and then entered the film industry. His or service included a porachute drop into Sardinia, es part of an Allied plan to cantuse The Giemons, before the Sicily landing. Before his capture by the italians, he was awarded the MC. A series of excuse attengis falled, but finally hi moda, Ala way through to the British flats, Bể là the author of Going to the Wars, pellished in April,
ncroys
the
"Even in the dark I could see
Or rather they did.
Married
I just ate and drank, ruminat ing on Charles's story."
Then he met a friend in the she was the most beautiful girl RNVR. The friend, Charles dia 1 had ever seen," Charles eald,
"There's one thing I still don't covered, worked in some cloak- The circumstances, Monique quite understand," I said to and-dagger outfit and operated herselt perhaps, something or Charles as we drove homewards an MTB between
another fort Devonshire other, prompted Charles to again, towards and the coast of Brittany make a sudden. wild decision. night of Happy Families over the which, of course, was still occu-
smoky fire. You said you gave pied. He made the trip once a "You can pick me up in a your cont to Monique on the week carrying passengers to and week," he told the lieutenant, beach. When did you got it fro.
back?"
His mission
"when you fetch Gaston."
"Didn't I tell you? I finished Charles, as we turned off the main road along a smaller one the war on a staff job in Paris. towards the sea, was retloent I met my RNVR friend there one About the week he had spent in any and he told me the newe Charles has
persuasive Brittany in 1044 at
Gaston had gone back as soon the cafe
as Brittany was liberated and longue. The very next night he Tout va bien.
The first chance had, I scrounged
Was
#.
salling with his friend "I wasn't married until after had married Monique. across the Channel. As he had the war, you know," he sold. C been warned to dress warmly he leave the rest to your lurid, or wore his wool-lined mackintosh. Imagination. But I will admit
There was a French officer on that Caston was, in the way a board,
a very big man with great deal." dark curly hair, called Gaston. The object of his mission docan't Charles's particularly matter.
Was to step personal object an ashore in Franco for a few
minutes and so refresh himself, turned. After
into his one wearing such a mackintosh he knew. We squeeve west- could
1935 Austin
"
wards along the coast.
possibly
harbour
Ignoble thought or indeed any this is being such a thought at all." #hastly flop," he said after a
"Sorry
while,
to get it off his mind.
"Nevertheless," he said drily, "Oh nonsense," I said kindly, "I myself wore such a mackin
The poor fellow's sense of guilt tosh once."
was most understandable and I
lactfully switched the conversu-
Goodbye......
a weak the MTB re- Monique said goodbye: as he put it, with that much- lo Charles and Gaston on the needed civilising contact..
bench
As a start, he spent the jour- "It was hard to tell which of ney chatting with Guston in the us she liked best," Charles, suid. cabin over a bottle of whisky, "But she was shivering, so with
During the war Charles and Gaston he learned, was to spend u romantic nourish I took this
tion to his extraordinary coat. I his mack stuck together, so to a work in the little fishing coat off and made her keep it. could soo he was grateful to me speak, through two days at Dun- vlänge of Ploubeca contacting Gaston told me afterwards on for that.
fmt.
and drove from Paris to Ploubecq. I found Gaston just
as he was this morning altting calmly outside the Tout va bien, If you please. he was wearing
I this mackintosh, made him take it off pretty quick.
"You've pinched Monique. I said, I'm damned if I'll let you pinch this too."
WORLD COPYRIGHT RESERVED
DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?
YES
NO
given-with
kirk, through two years in the the local resistance and would the bond that I had been a fool. Put your, tick in the spaco desert. Mud, dust and axle be taken care of during that he said it she was caught wear above and keep this panel by grease ruined ita' metace, and a time by a reputedly beautiful ng it she would be shot,, and you until Monday when the In the mist 3.
black sheepskin lining, added young resister, who owned a
gave me a good many answer will be in Cairo, spoilt what was left of cats called the Tout va bien, sleepless nights I can tell you." another story in this series by
Then the MTB "I wouldn't part with this la cut.
would come
Charles's emotion at this point coat for the world," he laughed. Charles was taken primer
was so evident that I began to "There's quite a story. I'll tell at Mareth early in 1949, but his back to felch him off again, It to you as wo'go,
coat escaped and was sent back The noise of the engines believe the story might actually
● Did yesterday's story The For, Charlos, and I Unfortunately. the vivid to England with his kit, Charles, slowing down warned them the be true. Language in which Charles tells escaped, too, later on in Italy, journey was over. Charles joined respect him for it, is never one Burma Road, by H. Le Davies a story would be inprintable, and when after various wander his friend the lieutenant on the to apoll a story by adhering too actually happen? The answer (
accuracy. YES. and in any case I lack the silli angs he returned home early in bridge, and found that the MTB strictly
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN
| EB, MAGGY'S MISSING SPOUSE--
NAW, THAT'S FOR OLD MEN. I WANT. SOMETHING YOUNG AND FLASHY/
YOWIE! YOUNG AGAIN! IKIN HARDLY BELIEVE IT THAT BLAMED PILL REALLY WORKED
THAT'S FOR ME? I HAVEN'T DANCED FOR TWENTY YEARS! I'M RARIN' TO GO!
to factual
By Lee Falk and Phil Davis
ISN'T HEA STORY ABOUT NO.
HER HUSBAND GETTING TWENTY YEARS YOUNGER
PA LULUK ISHALL WE
HAVE HEA
EXAMINED
FIND
HER
HUSBAND,
Norah 7
Lofts