The Way of War

Chapter 1

He checked his face in the small mirror hanging on the tent post. Satisfied, he wiped the blade of the cutthroat razor and placed it against its twin in the leather case.

The razors had belonged to his Grandfather, liberated from the saddle bags of an Ulan officer during the First World War.

He slipped on his shirt shivering in the cold, morning air. The sun had not yet fully risen over the horizon, but soon it would be hot, very hot.

Putting on his Australian Slouch hat and carrying his washing bowl, he ducked under the camouflage net that hid his tent.

He poured out the water and watched the sand greedily soak it up, placing the bowl by the box next to his tent's entrance, he then turned to walk towards the mess tent.

The men were already sitting there eating their breakfast before the flies arrived with the heat of the sun.

"Morning Boss," Sargent Blake murmured, "bloody bullied beef again."

Lieutenant Shaun Ramage smiled and nodded. Taking the mug of tea handed to him by Sammy, he sat down, removing from his top shirt pocket a pack of twenty five Gold Leaf cigarettes. Selecting one he lit it with his brass Zippo.

"Cuppa tea and a cough as usual Boss?" Corporal 'Titch' Anderson, the patrols mechanic, observed.

"You know me too well," Shaun murmured, "have you had a chance to look it over?" Referring to the engine belonging to 'Sue,' the patrol's 30cwt Chevrolet truck.

"The valves are shot and the rings on three, four and six need replacing. The whole engine is pretty well knackered boss." Titch replied mournfully.

Titch had worked for the Bentley racing team before joining up, and was in Shaun's opinion, one of the best mechanics in North Africa. The fact he had managed to coax Sue back to base after their last road watch spoke volumes for his ability.

"I'm going into Alex tomorrow, we'll call in to Aly Barber's Bazar and see if he has anything. I've given up hope waitin' on channels, the request for a new engine has been in for over a month now." Shaun replied.

He turned to Sargent Blake, "What do we have to interest Aly Barber Jack?"

Sargent Jack Blake was ex-Guards, a survivor of Dunkirk, and had twenty years of service behind him. He had lost his wife and two kids in an early Luftwaffe raid on Portsmouth, and had requested his transfer to the Long Range Desert Group in order to hurt the enemy.

Initially he had found the casual attention to military discipline within the group somewhat strange after the rigidness of the Guards. But had soon learned that each member of the patrol was an expert in their own field, and respected has such.

"Four Lugers, two P37's, and two Leica cameras. We have four Iron Crosses and a Knights Cross. There's a couple of their flags, a bit scorched around the edge. A case of Johnny Walkers and 800 cigarettes... oh, and 6 jerry cans, 'Betty' won't be needing them now."

'Betty,' another 30cwt truck in the troop had been shot up by the Luftwaffe and written off. The crew had all been killed apart from Ken.

"I've got 200 cigarettes you can add to the pile. Find out if there's anything else we need. I'm going to see Ted." Shaun added finishing his tea.

Captain Edward Frazer was sitting in the command tent going over the latest Intel reports when Shaun walked in, he waved him to take a seat as he placed the latest dispatches to the side of his desk.

"Bobby reports the usual traffic," he murmured, referring to Lieutenant Robert Dole, who had relieved Shaun on the Benghazi road watch.

Shaun knew that Second Lieutenant Tim Morris was due at the end of the following week to relieve Bobby.

Ted looked at him, "Problem?" he enquired.

"Sue's engine has had it; if we can't replace it, we won't be going out."

Ted rocked back in his seat, "As bad as that?"

"Titch has looked it over, if he says its Kaput then you know it is."

Ted nodded understanding, "I'll contact command again and raise hell with them. But I know what they'll say beforehand. The convoys are not getting through. The Jerrys have increased their Luftwaffe at Dena. They have 40 Dornier's and 30 Henkel's as well has 109's based there by last reports.

Ted sighed, "Any ideas?"

"It's a long shot, but what about Aly Barber?" Shaun asked.

Ted smiled, "Well if anyone has one, then you can bet that old rogue is the one to have it. Are you going into Alex tomorrow?"

Shaun nodded. Ted continued "I'll give him a ring to pave the way for you."

Chapter 2

The Ford staff car pulled up outside the small shop in the poorer part of Alexandria. A weather beaten sign announced it has the Egyptian Curio and Memorabilia Bazar.

Shaun climbed out of the back as Titch and Sargent Blake extracted themselves from the front.

"Let me do the talking," he warned the two, as he opened the door.

The shop was cluttered with phony Egyptian artefacts, German and Italian medals, uniform parts and webbing. Helmets and Afrika Korps caps. The junk that the Bedouins had found at the various battles and skirmishes that had taken place, somehow it had all arrived here.

Shaun knew that Aly did a thriving business with the Officers and men, who because of their position in the rear areas, were never likely to hear a shot fired in anger. Keen to buy something that would prove what a warrior they had been when they returned home. What was on display, was only a fraction of what Aly kept in the back room where the good stuff was.

At the sound of the bell that hung over the door Aly appeared. For once he didn't appear so happy to see customers.

"Ah, Lieutenant Ramage, your commanding officer said I should be seeing you today." He said something to his assistant, then indicated to Shaun to follow him into his Office.

"You will take coffee with me please?" He murmured has they passed into his office.

The room was small and cluttered with ledges and bric-a-brac. Aly indicated a chair to Shaun, as he squeezed his bulk into a leather chair behind his desk.

Aly was about Fifty, Shaun thought. The conflicts of the war had given him the chance to become rich, and Aly had sized that chance. After two years of war in North Africa, there was no aspect of it that Aly didn't have his finger in the pie of it. He ran the black market, the brothels and the procurement of items that couldn't be obtained any were else. He kept on the right side the law by giving information to the military, which had led to the arrest of at least two Italian spies that Shaun knew off.

Now sitting in front of him in his rumpled white linen suit with his red fez on, he looked strangely uncomfortable.

"I had a phone call from Captain Frazer yesterday regarding a certain item that you are most anxious to obtain. Alas, I have tried all my contacts to try and assist you in this matter but unfortunately I have had no success." He paused, wetting his thick lips with his tongue.

"However it has come to my attention that there may be a way to help you. It seems that a truck of the kind you use had unfortunately lost its way when it was unloaded from the ship it arrived on. It seems that the vehicle was intended for the RAF. Perhaps it would be possible for you to take what parts you need from it?"

Shaun glanced at Titch propped up against the wall, seeing the gleam in his eyes.

"How much would this 'ahh', service going to cost me?" He asked Aly.

Aly spread his pudgy fingers, "There is no charge, I only wish to help our valiant allies. You will tell Captain Frazer that I have been of service to you."

Ted must really have something on Aly to get this sort of cooperation, Shaun thought.

"Thank you Aly, I shall be sure to inform Captain Frazer what a great help you have been. If you will show my men where the, 'err', article is so they can begin work on it immediately."

He turned to address Sargent Blake, "Jack, you and Titch take Aly to where he wants to go. You may need the three tonner and tools. Get the other lads to help has well. I'm going to the hospital to see Ken before they ship him home, I'll see you back at base tonight."

Before they left, Aly surprised Shaun by presenting him with a pair of binoculars, adding "these are civilian Carl Zeiss 10x50's that an E-Boat Officer no longer requires."

In return Shaun presented Aly with their goods, but holding back on the scotch, cigarettes and jerry cans.

****

He watched as the Ford with Aly in it drove away before hailing a taxi.

The pretty Nurse showed him to where Lieutenant Ken Whitehead lay.

"Nice for some" Shaun greeted him with a smile.

Ken looked up from the book he was reading. "Shaun, you old bastard, how come you aren't dead yet."

Shaun and Ken had trained together in Rhodesia before being shipped to North Africa. Ken, like Shaun, came from Kenya, Ken's folks had a farm just outside Nairobi, and he had been a frequent visitor to the Crater, Shaun's home.

"So what's happening with you now?" Shaun asked.

"There shipping me out to Salisbury, I'll get my new leg there, and then hopefully back to Nairobi."

Ken was the only survivor of his patrol when it was strafed by a ME-109, but had lost his left leg below the knee in the action.

They talked about home, deliberately staying clear of the war. Ken's war was over and he was out of it. They chatted for about an hour before Shaun left, leaving a bottle of scotch with Ken.

Chapter 3

It was strangely quiet with all the members of the patrol gone, even Ted was off base. Shaun got a bacon sandwich from the mess tent and cup of tea before heading back to his own tent.

Stretched out on his cot, he wondered how they were getting on with Aly.

'They're a good crew,' he thought, all from different backgrounds. Jack, who was second in command, was solid. He was the patrol's heavy weapons expert. Ex-Guards Machine Gun Company, he looked after the Vickers Medium machine gun and the twin Vickers K that sat in front of Shaun in the truck.

Titch was the driver and their mechanical wizard.

Corporal 'Prof' Workington was the patrol's navigator. A former Cambridge graduate who had refused a commission, stating he was no leader of men. Oddly, he now lead the patrol in the harsh deserts of Libya; where, if he got it wrong could result in their death. Prof had spent five years out here in Egypt before the war, studying Egyptology. He had spent time roaming around the deserts hoping to find another "Valley of the Kings". While doing this he had become adept in navigation, using the sun and stars to find his way. Now he relied on the Bagnold Sun Compass, invented by the founder of the L R D G {Long Range Desert Group}, along with his P8 Tank compass, a Theodolite {Land Surveyor instrument} and Astronomical position tables.

Lance Corporal Sammy Owen was a 'Kiwi' and the patrol's wireless operator. He had grown up on a farm where the only means of communication was with the farms radio transmitter. As a young boy, he had become interested in radios to the extent that he had even built his own transceiver. Now he looked after the "11" set and the Philips model 635 receiver, indispensable for receiving the GMT time signal, vital for accurate navigational positioning.

Lance Corporal 'Cookie' Yates was the patrol's medical and explosives expert, who also doubled as cook when out on patrol. He was Rhodesian having worked as a blaster in the gold mines. The things he could do with plastic explosives was legendary, as was the food he could make out of basic army rations, supplemented by the food parcels that Shaun received from home, tinned peaches, coffee, and biltong amongst other things. He kept a box on board Sue, with his herbs and spices that helped to make the inedible - edible.

Shaun smiled to himself, he had dropped on lucky with his team.

Most of them were survivors from other patrols, and made up the numbers to form new patrols. Captain Frazer had inherited these make-up patrols to form his own "O" patrol section, comprising initially of five patrol vehicles, now sadly only four. The men in the section laughed that the unit "O" stood for 'odds and sods'. But since the demise of 'Betty', they no longer said that.

Shaun had arrived in North Africa as a fresh faced Second Lieutenant of 21, fresh from his training in Rhodesia. That had been in early 1940, he had been bitterly disappointed to be posted to liaison duties at Allied Headquarters, when all the action was taking place in the West as the Italians were pushed back.

But when he heard of the unit Major Bagnold was putting together, he had volunteered for it. He was accepted and began training with other like-minded volunteers.

The equipment and trucks were adapted as their experience grew and to suit the task for which it had been formed. Deep penetration behind the enemy's lines, to observe and report back to base.

They also had carried out raids on the Italian truck convoys and forts, creating mayhem deep behind their lines. But such actions were not without their costs. The harsh terrain took its toll on machines and men, as well as the ever present worry of discovery by either enemy land-forces or aircraft.

"O" patrol group had been formed from the survivors of other patrols under the leadership of Captain Edward Frazer.

Then in April 1941, Field Marshall Rommel arrived in North Africa and the stage had changed, with the Afrika Korps swiftly reversing the ground won by the Allies. So that now they were back at the frontier of Egypt.

But Shaun knew, the Afrika Korps' successes had its own draw backs. They had to transport all their supplies from Tripoli, over a thousand miles away. Rommel had hoped to take Tobruk but the Australian's stubborn resistance had thwarted him.

The information from the road watches was now vital to the war effort.

Shaun had drifted off to sleep with the sound of the flies buzzing near his head.

He was woken from his sleep by an excited Titch shaking his shoulder.

"Boss, you have to see what we have. We've striped that truck down of everything. There's only the chassis and panels left."

Shaun swung his legs off the cot, running his fingers through his light brown hair as his eyes focused.

"So have you got an engine for Sue then?"

"An engine. We've got a gearbox, drive shaft, back axel differential; the bloody works, Boss," he excitedly laughed. "It only had 200 miles on the clock."

Shaun smiled at Titches display, "So you're happy now?"

"Not only me, Jack too. He picked up a Browning 50 calibre with ten boxes of API bullets for it."

Shaun walked over to the three tonner where the rest of the team were busy unloading it.

Jack came over to him, "I don't know what has got into Aly, but I've never known him to be this forthcoming with his stuff. I thought he would cry when he saw what was left of the truck after we stripped it."

"I understand you picked something up has well," Shaun murmured.

A slow smile appeared on Jacks face, "You mean the M2HB? Well I had a nose around the shed and found it under a tarp with the boxes of ammo. It seemed a shame to leave it there. We can put it to better use here, we won't need the bloody Boyd Anti-Tank rifle any more once I get it fixed on Sue."

"I wonder where Aly got it from." Shaun mused.

"The Yankee destroyer they gave us, it's in dry dock being repaired. They stripped it of weight before putting her in there." Jack surmised.

Shaun nodded, it made sense he thought.

He left them to the unloading and made his way to the command tent to see if Ted was back.

He was sitting behind his desk rummaging in his briefcase.

Shaun knocked on the tent post before entering, taking a seat at Ted's wave.

"So how did it go today?" Ted inquired.

"Just what the hell did you say to Aly? He practically handed us the keys. We've literally got a brand new truck, not to mention a .50 calibre machine gun and ten boxes of ammo, plus he gave me a set of 10x50 Carl Zeiss binoculars. He was shitting his pants over something you had said."

Ted rocked back in his seat with a laconic smile on his face. "No names, no pack drill, but a certain high placed lady in the Consulate has developed a habit that Aly has been feeding. If it came to light then Aly would be in very hot water. I merely let him know that I know."

Shaun chuckled, "Well, we owe you big time for that."

"A bottle of scotch and some fags would not go amiss," Ted replied smiling.

Shaun sent 2 bottles and 400 cigarettes over later that night.

Chapter 4

By the end of the week Sue was back in action with a new engine, gearbox, driveshaft and differential. Titch had replaced her old sand tyres with the new ones. He had taken great pains to paint over the RAF blue, replacing it with the sand coloured paint. Sargent Blake had fixed a mounting for the .50 machine gun, and had checked out the Vickers K's.

Captain Frazer had been called to headquarters and every one was speculating on the reason for this, it became clear when he returned. He called a meeting of Officers and senior NCO's.

Jane's Second Lieutenant, Tim Morris and his Sargent Walker, Gloria's Second Lieutenant, Bill Drake and his Sargent Haney, along with Shaun and Sargent Blake were in attendance.

Once everyone was in the tent he began.

"Tim you won't be going out on road watch, as soon as Bobby gets back we are going to prepare for a special operation. Until he returns you will be making a cache of fuel, water and provisions ready for a deep offensive into enemy territory. The target gentlemen is the airbase outside of Dena."

He watched their reactions to the news. Smiles appeared on all their faces.

Ted continued, "The object is to destroy as many of the bombers as we can. There is a large convoy that will shortly be running the blockade to reach Alex. Malta will supply air cover when it is in range. After that it is Command's wish to assist that convoy by reducing the enemy's capacity to harm it. "O" Patrol has been given the task of achieving that, we will be using all four trucks is this attack."

He looked around the room before continuing, "Shaun will be in command, with Bobby 2nd IC. I shall let Shaun develop a plan of action for consideration. That will be all Gentlemen."

Once outside, Shaun told the other officers to start rounding up all the jerry cans they could find, and asked Sargent Blake to find the Prof and have him report to his tent.

Sargent Blake and the Prof arrived as ordered, and took a seat on his cot. Shaun already had his map laid out on his table. He quickly brought the Prof up to speed on the intended operation.

"Well Chaps, this is not going to be a tea party, it's about 600 miles to the target if we jump off from Sidi Barrani, so it could take up to a week to get there. After the attack every Axis asset will be gunning for our blood." He let that sink in before continuing.

"I think the best course of action will be to reconnoitre the route and target, at the same time we can establish where to place the cache. What I need from you, Prof, is a safe route to avoid the enemy.

Over the next three days the men got Sue ready for the reconnaissance, Shaun had talks with Ted, Bill and Tim, Bobby had been recalled and should reach base in two days.

The men checked their personnel equipment, each had a shemagh scarf either around their necks and shoulders, or in the case of the Prof worn on his head. Their side arms ranged from Browning Hi-powers to P37s and in Shaun's case a .45 automatic that had belonged to his grandfather, he also had his grandfather's Cartwright .303 rifle, since like his grandfather, he was left handed.

With the exception of Sammy, the men also carried sub-machine guns. The MP40 being favoured by most, due to its lightness over the Thompson, although Sargent Blake carried a Thompson liking its bigger .45 bullet. Sammy had a SMLE .303 with a telescopic sight and was the patrols marksman.