1955-02-26 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY

Another China Mail

Mail Saturday Special Begins Today

FANTASTIC EXPLOITS OF THE CLOAK AND DAGGER SQUADRON

T

HE winking green light bathed the in- terior of

the

bomber. I wriggled unenaily on the hard seal. Nothing must stop us now. A1 800 feet we crawled to- wards the Hook of Holland, garlsh moon- spotlit by

beams that made us an easy

target, An uncomfortable

peace

Boothed

occupied

flown right into a trap!' 'Des

The closely-guarded war secrets of the Royal Air, he pulled on the Joy- Force's most amazing unit revealed for the first

Fur the

By LESLIE MONTGOMERY

we Norwegians, Europe on this cold night parachuted skis and sleighs For the French Maquis, Jeeps, of October 29, 1942.

mortars, bicycles and tyres-

The tension was razor: made in England, but disguised sharp as the foam-flecked with French trade marka. Dutch coast glinted below. The green light switched to red.

Somebody stared in the air- craft's waist, then lumbered lu- wards two doors set in the foot. They swung

open, helling in a key wind

The lumpy, muflexi figure slithered closer to the halchy, paused for a moment, then vanished into the night,

I had dropped my first spy in World War Two-and become a fully-fledge! incular of the HAP's most fantastic squscirons. 1 was known as 138 Squadres, stationed at Tempsfond, in murul Bedfordshire. But few people knew that W were the first special 11 ኢ squaftan to ferry agents atd drop supplies tu resistance forces in Europe

KA

Every one of our adventures the Bricing Room, started guarded 24 hours a day by men Who had unders to shoot first and ask questions later. As soon as en operation started, the air- field was sealed off. The two publle telephone boxca were chained and padlocked, and the station exchange vetted all calls. The gates were closed, and the guards increased their vigilance. It was like sitting on powder keg....

BRIEFING

Fun-

The Briefing Room was lined with maps, pluts and churia. A blockboard fur sketching in further details stood on a shallow dats.

the Streamers indicated spy-inpping routes. Here were

Back in Tempsford Operations worked out details which meant Roo, ny dag wa

the difference between Bic and

were

of

ETOP SECRET

Britain's Cloak and Dagker Squadron was formed during the darkest days of the war. Month of careful planning and selec- tion passed before the squadron

started operating in March 1942 from Tempsford.

aix

months Officer

A spy

ones.

(AS TOLD TO GORDON THOMAS) ·

Waiting to jump

time

the jump-master and the spy watching the light signal.

Down the

stuck in a giant wall map at the spot we death. hast dropped the spy. There

thousands

General briefing over-during nags, from

gave a broad the tip of Norway

which the C.o. to the IV-

outline of Dozens

the operation-wo motest part of Austria. chustered around Paris,

Oslo, Were then briefed by Intelligence They Copenhagen, Breat and Brussels, meers.

introduced the The tell-tale flags even appeared

"Vegetable Code" for the night. near Barlin and the Bavarian

All Europe was divided into Alps.

areas, aut given vegetable code Each flag pointd to

dores

Holland, for instance, successful spy drop.

It's a clear and frosty night was known

"Marrow" and spy's life. It spotlit the stamp But a car would soreech along- sples dropped there were called for met

aide, driving all thoughts of home in mid-Decanber 1943. *Marrows,

I arushed it between my away. In a flash, a bulky bundle in Tempsford village, Next, we were told the Ground

The fingers.

sgent'a eyes the spy-was helped aboard, children aro carol-singing and Reception Letter-a morse code flickered for

a moment, We and we were away.

guessing what will be in their symbol that changed daily, and both know that if the stamp had

Christmas stockings. relped us to identify real drop- been found blowing about

I made 25 of these righten- village street, the ing trips and never grew used, ping zones from German faked French

Germans wouldn't have hesitated to them. No man can really get Joined them

Shortly before lake-off, wo had to wipe out the whole popula- accustomed to toying with death.

But in

tion and the spy, if they found our final instructions, Warant later. I was i Wistles Operator esponable done.

between there was a lot to be him.

Flak positions had to tre Slip-ups like this wete must for signalling base when

studied and nuted. New unca had been dropped. A lot of

were always springing up along thorough Intelligence officers in what we did is still top secret--

route, Equip- the world. 0 spy-dropping and will may like that henver,

ment had to be checked and Our methods are being copied

parachutes coflected. And various parts of the world

Everybody

tried to

get as much But nobody will be able

Each spy was clad in a baggy to copy the glory that belonged rest as possible.

were Jumping sult. 11 its spacious Meanwhile, the agents

A blacked-cut pockets were a revolver, a dng- briefed. beung

them brought

10 the d to 139 Squadron in I

ger, hard rations, a finshlight, few hours before rst aid kit, radio parts and maps. aerodrome a late September

In my take-uit. Intelligence

officers Within easy reach was a suicide pocket

typewritten slip take-

chem.

A bus ticket, pull. "Posted Searched paper which sold:

A rubber cushion was placed a cigarette stub, a tailor's tag- to Tempsford for special duties!"

What these duties might be, any of these might lead to death in the seat of the jumping suit, before a German firing squad, and waterproof cloth was wound 1 had no idea, Nor did the air-

Ankle- who drove me from Sandy

This was brought home to a round the agent's wet.

Ho had been bouts and a rubber crash helmet railway station to the aerodrome py one night. seek to enlighten me.

searched, had drink a toast to completed his outfit.

Came the success

instructions our Anal of his trip, had All I could

I nered bec as Tempsford was an airfield that shaken hands with senior officers when we closely Inspected large- And all the scale maps of the dropping point. seemed derelict. Nothing more

stame Trees, roads, railway lines-any- of Shan

penny collection of Д

untidy

that would help us to find Nissen huls and hangars, front- was clinging to the instep of his

emorised. The wore memor ing on to narrow runwaya that jumping borts.

was down by the entrance Then, pockets empty of any cut through lush green fofis.

the

And jump they didi On land- agent came thing that could trace us, we For three weeks nobody told hatch when

I tried to clambered into the bombor. Often, ing in England, we saw that flak me why I was in the camp. My aboard our Halifax. comrades w Bre friendly but make conversation with him. But we waited an hour before going had domolished half the tail!

ha was

Unarmed Lysanders played doep avasive,

in thought and to the runway, each man alone scarcely heard what was said. with his thoughts. I always used big part in our cloak and dagger Moonlight fitored into the air- to think of my wife, wondering methods. Come with me on one craft-and possibly saved the what she was doing right then. of those hair-raising trips.

01 textury

to

of

man

whe

original

1942.

EMYSTERIES

Flying

Many things puzzled me--the two farms, complete with duck pand, that stood in the middie Į

aerodrome, and had guards instead of farm animals

Almera. It in the yards,

stood

от

the

idle all day, yet sneaked sky- wards in the small hours. And

there seemed far too many armed gards patrolling at right...........

At the end of three weeks, my

car

པ་

time,

en the nerodrome

a British

JUMP SUIT

1

engine spluttered, coughed, then picked up again. He rumbled down the field for a desperato take-off. The Ger mens scattered and opened fire at the same time.

Bullets, haummod Uko

angry

hornets all round him. He felt

д

singing pain in the neck, but- he was too busy getting the

plane into the air to worry.

It was only when he got back to Tempsford that he found a bullet had scared his neck. But he had escaped. That was oli that mattered.

OUT

The most fantastic operation 1 took part in was dropping sup- plies to French troops holding out in the Alps. Because of moonlight, there were only two- suitable evenings to do the job in, The Germans knew those evenings, and intensifed their defores ndong

probable route.

Londed to bursting" point, tho Halifaxes look oft. My job was to listen out for enemy radar! signals and to tell Tempsford when we had dropped the sup- plies. Hugging the ground, we mosed towards the Alps. Then we zoomed upwards, while the enraged Germans fred wildly from the lower slopes.

CRAZY RUN

The French

soldiers had 113

hugo bondres to guide us in. They lit the mountain peaks for miles around! Hardly had wo

tuned to

to Tempsford than came another cryptic signal: "Enemy aircraft attacking. Send suitable

Ungent!""

guns.

We were dog-tired, but one again we set out on the crazy run Dodging the snowy peaks, we dropped anti-aircraft guns. When we touched down at base, "Guns most useful. this signal was waiting for us: We have shot down two Geaman aircraft already."

That seemed to make it all worth while.

of

From the very beginning we At the serodrome, the ground

relled on Clouk und dogger staff wheels a flims looking

methods. Our curlist big success Lysander out of a hangar. Quick-th

Lo Jata 1942. Reinhard the pilot gets in the cockpit,

Heydrich, ruthie:s adjusting a

a map strapped to his Hangman) Most of the spies either slept knee. Slowly, but with gather Gestapo boss of Czechoslovakia or smoked during a trip. Their

was murdered near the limeIRI ing speed, the aircraft rumbles villego unusual. Tempsford had the most absence of nerves was in a way down the runway and trove off knows that the Nazis razed the Like. The world annerving! They were all dead into the night. Soon, the French village to the ground in revenge. keen to jump. On the few oc-

coust tooms abead. German But few people know that it was vesions conditions stopped them, aircraft spotters are puzzled by Czech parachuttats they almost cried!

who killed this add-looking plane.

Heydrich. They had come from of theirs Was it co

cno cil

retum- Tempstond. dropping Approaching

Was point, the most Important ing from a secret mission?

Soon, there 'were other member of

the crew was the

off course? It an Italian plane

which I wil they hod decided successes-about Despatcher-u man responsibio By the thro

aircraft that sneaked across the for seeing that an agant jumped to investigate, the Lysander had all you next week. The homely from the aircraft at the correct reached its

Improvised landing Channel became a symbol of

toucher turo. But a lot

stcolds

fear for the Nazis and one of could happen down, never stops moving, and freedom for the oppressed. We before a/spy baled out.

is airbourno again.

But this were firing ghosts

who packed I remember

one night taking time it is crying a couple of lethal punches. two French sples to a Dijon Allled agents back to safety. dropping point. We gained the French coast without trouble. IN A TRAP Everything was going smoothly.

But not

all trips were Ono moment the sky was simple as that one. empty; the next it was a cauldron I remember one night when a

bursting shells, weaving plot took a Lysander across acarchlights and dodging air- France. He reached the land- aradt. We were holed-but the

ing feld without Inciden

spies insisted we press

A FIGHTS

HUSBAND ON

new. Commanding Offer solved PROVERBIALLY, the

these moeterits for me.

preamble, he ran

Without

P

my over

toughest spot for a Service Carter, noting that I husband to Occupy is just had logged 584 flying hours. outside the circle of lime-

"Now, you have been selected light

for a special task-helping the

that

underground in Europe," Ho Hollywood star,

continued.

surrounds

&

But Squadron Leader An- You have become a member of thony Bartley, DFC, was in different of way before he

hero

巍

☛ the RAF's most secret squadron.

Everyons

to a here is Sworn society; every man and woman sort from me down to the char-married Deborah Kerr in

with 1945. And at that time the woman have been chosen special care.

"Don't ask questions, and don't social heroism of being a answer any not even to your Hollywood husband was not You will be told all you demanded. Miss Kerr was a wife. need to know."

British star A quick handshake, and I was out of his office. Everything "We were very happy," re mado sonse now. The farms collects the man who married were cover for supply stores. Misa Kerr, "I had my own Joh The lonely planes that took off of. palling aircraft for Vickers, as darkness. were my carrier, and she had here,”.

BACK

When

ex-squadron leader Bartley found his film actress wife had boon bought by Hollywood he' might have become jurt "the man who is 'married to Deborah Kerr." But he not decided · that going to happen to him.

THE

strip.

Iz

it

Torches flickened their signal to him. He moved the aircraft northwards. The wheels touched down.

He rolled towards the torches,

Suddenly, he spotted them.

each torch heavily armed Germant. He had

Behind

wps 3

SPOT

By Anne Sharpley

It was to make TV serials for the slightly nasal tones adopted America in Britain. He has had by Mason, Granger, Simmons.

Why? Because we have to two attempts,

"I produced the first films at get over this strange language Walton-on-Thames for Amerl- barrier, English simply isurt con TV. Later, with Douglas understood in parts of America,

And Fairbanks, I did another series,”

Mr Bartley will be And Mr Bartley had another something which is in its way idea that he stuck to. This was more startling than a New Eng- to make a series on the Foreign Ikhman. He will be an "ocesn Legion, with Errol Flynn star, commuter.". ring. I have been selling this

The Atlantic is not going to iden for three year",

provide any obstacle to his Today the ex-özkter. marriage, nor any interruption

pilot

to his career either, this time, now, "If we were to have any sort ---38-

father of two

He expects to do the two-way of married life it meant my daughters, Melanie, eight, and

30 times this Uke crossing at leng four-Looks career as an aircraft salesman Fronesia,

your. had to go.

pranging his target.

been signed up

by the ane Columbia Broadcasting

Was

"I decided it would have to be Foreign Representa...

"But I did refuse to do the tive." He has sold them his with Deborah almost as" tre- show businem for me, too,

*t shall be able to work-End obvious thing and go into MGM, Errol Flynn series, zot Flymas to quently as I did when I was in agree, and the 'fiming will take the USA. It's so bony, Jun 11 paco almost at once in England hours to New York over Friday night and I can be back in my The extra guards were to stop The one day Miss Korr

"No, I decided to try Tele and North Africa, ĮTAK anyone from finding out about woke up and found she had vision

- Only one thing remains to Lonción altce on Monday.. Home our work.

boer nok to 'Hollywood. The "This decision needed bravery cut English corpmercial TV for the Bartier family will soon For three

the aquadron unpredictable Gabriel Pascal of a kind, too.

Interested in the worlog we well be in Greenwich, Connecticut, delivered DATA, smmunition, bad handed over his half of Television was going through Mr Bartley do not el it will My Bartley how destroyed two T230 #ole, food and other sup- Min Kew contract to altam, ita

and impile: be Underground who dready held the other half, bukt

(now)

Tafilber from the Artic Circle to fund willy olly, Miss Kere was Squadron 1,

#somhed Tamo HOBI Hollywood Stars

What: toda la Husband to dor

didn't

forino, herons don't. Angelvilinna?life ond, thint

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