Mission to Britain Page 4

  The first leg to Botwood would take approximately eight hours, depending on the winds. Currently, the wind was clocking from the northwest and causing a small amount of drift to the east, but the heading was fine for this leg of the journey. The navigator told James that once they landed at Botwood, they would take on fuel and additional supplies, and hopefully, get the details on conditions in Iceland. The jump to Iceland was the most harrowing part of the flight and conditions had to be satisfactory for them to attempt the passage. If all went well, James found out this leg would take around eleven hours. Finally, the last run from Iceland to the small town of Oban would last around seven hours, and again, depended on conditions in Scotland. The navigator also told James that there were two alternate spots to land in the UK, one being in Northern Ireland at the Coastal Command base named Castle Archdale. The other location was Liverpool, but they avoided this because of possible German bombing attacks.

  They had flown into Oban only once before, but the navigator knew there was a train terminal they could use to get to Glasgow and then on to London. Also, the navigator told James if they did land at Oban, he should go over to the Oban distillery and pick up some Scotch whisky which was getting harder to find in the rest of the UK. James told him that he did not drink, but the navigator said that was all right because a bottle of whisky could buy you a lot of new friends in London.

  3

  13 March 1942

  Coastal Command Seaplane Base

  Oban, Scotland

  • United States naval vessel sunk: PT-32 by scuttling, Philippine Islands

  The rest of the flight went smoothly except for each of the landings in Botwood, Iceland and finally, Oban. The plane had to deal with high crosswinds in Iceland that almost forced the pilot to abort the final approach. Oban was much easier. After spending close to two days either in the plane or waiting in some small shack that reeked of smoke and fried food in Botwood or wondering if they would be able to take off from Iceland, any landing would be fine with everyone on board.

  A Royal Navy power launch met the plane and required several trips to take everyone and their gear off the plane. Jameson thanked Captain Sullivan for the safe flight and wished him well on his return trip. Sullivan had made a dozen flights since January on the southern route through Bermuda and on to Southampton, but the northern route required the extra stop which made it possible to add more freight or people.

  When the team finally offloaded at the landing, Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Wesson met them and told them he would be their escort to London. He informed them a train would take them first to Glasgow and then they would take another train into London. The first train would depart that afternoon which afforded the team their first opportunity to view the United Kingdom and its people.

  The locals were very interested in the giant seaplane, and many of the town’s people came to the quay to see it riding at its mooring next to a few PBYs and one large four-engine RAF Sunderland. Another RAF officer was escorting the remaining Americans on the flight to Prestwick, Scotland, which was a large RAF base and one of the final destinations for the ferrying of aircraft from the U.S. to Britain. They loaded into buses and a few staff cars for their journey south.

  Brand had told the gunny about the Oban whisky, and the sergeant thought a little reconnoitering would be a good thing to do and allow him to stretch out his legs. He informed Captain Flannigan he would take Brand and Sergeant McBride on a quick look about the small town to see if they could get some food for the trip south. Flannigan agreed with the idea and told Brand to always stay with the sergeant. The gunny and McBride knew their orders about Brand and stuck to him like glue. It took only a ten-minute walk and a few quick words with a local fisherman to find the Oban distillery. Gunny and McBride walked in carrying their Thompson’s slung over their shoulder, startling the manager. But once he saw the men were from the United States, it became a fast friendship.

  The manager, Donald Clark, was happy to sell them a few bottles, even though they had no ration stamps as required by the authorities. Each man bought a quart of the ten-year-old whisky for the equivalent of $1.50, which was a large expense for the Marines, but they knew the value of prime whisky and how it could open many doors in London where the price would be at least ten times more. Mr. Clark allowed them to taste a “wee dram” or whatever he said in his Scottish accent. Brand was given some of the dark, golden liquid which burned as it went down but then warmed to a nice glow. The gunny got another wee drink for himself, but Brand and McBride abstained. With each of the men now carrying a bottle of Oban’s finest, they set off to find some food to fulfill the original basis of their excursion.

  It didn’t take long for them to find a chip shop where they tasted the local fried potatoes and golden fried fish wrapped in newsprint. The food was a new experience for Brand, and he thought it was a great new way to eat fish. The gunny bought a small bag of fish and chips and quickly walked to the Royal Navy flying service office where Flannigan was waiting. The captain took a bite and agreed it was very fine cuisine. He told the gunny to take half of the men to the store, bring them back, then switch places with the remainder of the team at the little restaurant.

  Jameson had been talking to the Royal Navy commander when he saw Brand walk in with a bag of fish and chips. The commander and the U.S. Navy captain both looked hungry, and Brand quickly shared the fried food with his comrades. Commander Wesson recommended they all head over to the small officer’s club of the Coastal Command fliers and to see if they could acquire more food for the first part of the train trip. The Coastal Command officers were most gracious in their attitude toward Captain Jameson and Lieutenant Brand and provided meat sandwiches and small containers of fruit preserves to take along. They wished their new Allies well and told them to come back anytime to see the wonders of Scotland.

  Brand didn’t know if they were pulling his leg or not because the heavy fog was now rolling into the bay from the Isle of Mull hiding scenery visible only twenty minutes earlier. The weather was very chilly and damp even though it was not raining. Commander Wesson explained the weather in Scotland was always wet and cold, and Jameson’s team was fortunate to have arrived on the very nice day. Brand looked at Jameson and nodded his agreement. He was no longer in Arizona, and the weather would not be his only challenge.

  Part 2

  4

  14 March 1942

  United States Embassy

  London, England

  • Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet (Rear Adm. R. M. Brainard commanding) is established.

  The train trip from Scotland seemed to take forever, which was quite common in wartime Britain. Trains were constantly on the move. Maintenance was lacking because of spare part issues; troop transportation had the highest priority, and there never seemed to be enough passenger cars in the right place or heading in the right direction. Long coal trains could be seen moving south with their loads of black rock heading for the steel mills of Birmingham and Manchester. Other coal trains were slowly moving to cities and towns to power the coal-fired generators which provided the electricity that made life possible in the middle of the twentieth century. Military supplies were being shipped by train to and from Liverpool, which was fast gaining on the rest of the coastal ports for total tonnage.

  Everywhere people and things were being moved but not at great speed. Damage to bridges and terminals was evident the more they moved south. The great industrial cities of the Midlands had all been bombed heavily throughout late 1940 until the summer of 1941 when Hitler turned his eyes and attention on Russia. The reprieve from nightly attacks had allowed the British to shore up their defenses and repair their infrastructure, but it would take more time and people to do the job properly. Brand had taken note of this because in thinking about expanding American power to Britain, it would take a significant amount of effort to improve the existing supply capability and build new facilities throughout the country.

  The evening they arriv
ed in London from Scotland, trucks and staff cars driven by British soldiers delivered the team to the U.S. Embassy. The enlisted men of the science team stayed with the Marine guard at the embassy who had separate quarters next to the Grosvenor Square location. Jameson, Flannigan, and Brand were given a small room at the embassy to use for the first night until they could find other accommodations. Their first full day in London became a whirlwind of activity primarily because of the communiques sent from the Joint Chiefs of Staff requesting the recipients to show this special team anything they wanted to see.

  The commander of the Embassy Marines, Maj. Walker I. Jordan, arranged for an early breakfast and a meeting with Amb. John. G. Winant. The ambassador was a former Governor of New Hampshire and was well-liked and respected by the British government because of his pro-British views. This was of interest to the British because of the defeatist and negative views of the previous ambassador, Joseph E. Kennedy, especially during the dark days of 1939 and early 1940. Winant and Churchill got along famously, and both men were together at Churchill’s home at Chequers when they found out about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ambassador would play a key role in the diplomatic events throughout the war along with Dean Acheson and Harry Hopkins.

  Jameson, Flannigan, and Brand met the ambassador in his office along with Major Jordan who was also the Assistant Naval Attaché and a Special Naval Observer for the U.S. Embassy. Jameson briefed the ambassador about the reason for their trip and how they wanted to interact with members of the British military and scientific community. Many other teams had come through since 1940, but this small group had received the blessing of the president, and therefore access would not be a problem. Field Marshal Dill had alerted the British Chiefs of Staff of the team’s background, specifically Lieutenant Brand, and had requested a meeting with Professor Lindeman (Lord Cherwell) who was the science advisor to the prime minister.

  Winant would be the coordination person for their time in Britain, and he was most cordial and receptive to their requests. One thing the team wanted was a meeting with Coastal Command and to spend some time with the commander of Western Approaches Command, Adm. Sir Percy Noble, in Liverpool at his headquarters at Derby House. Additional meetings with the radar development and radio navigation personnel were scheduled. This was very important because they wanted more information about the countermeasures the British were using in what was known as the Battle of the Beams. This technology originally used by German bombers was now employed in the nighttime attacks by Bomber Command on the Germans.

  Flannigan requested time with the British Commandos who had been conducting small-scale raids on German-controlled Europe so he could study their methods. Major Jordan had informed Flannigan this was possible, but he would need a few days to set up a meeting with his Royal Marine contacts, although he was certain they would be happy to help the American Marines learn some new skills.

  Winant also informed the officers that the prime minister might make an appearance while they were in Britain but could not guarantee time with him due to his constant movements and activities. Recent military activity in North Africa had finally subsided with the loss of Benghazi to Rommel on January 29 followed by a general withdrawal of the British forces to a line between Gazala and Bir Hakeim during much of February. The Germans were building their forces to go on an offensive, so it was now a battle of resupply, and whoever won the supply battle would have the upper hand. In the east, the Russians were being tested again in the southern part of their front, and the siege of Leningrad continued. The Soviet leadership wanted more supplies, more planes, and more action to take the pressure off their shattered armies.

  The ambassador would arrange for their first sessions with the American military leadership team in Britain. The army commander was Maj. Gen. James E. Chaney who was the Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces in the British Isles. His navy counterpart was Vice Adm. Robert L. Ghormley, Special Naval Observer to Britain. Ghormley had been sent to England in late 1940 to build and sustain the relationship between the two navies, and he reported his findings directly to President Roosevelt. Ghormley was working with his staff to develop port facilities and increase the working relationships between the two naval high commands. He was known for his diplomacy and his ability to gain agreement on difficult negotiations which was a very important capability in the early days of the war, even before the United States officially entered the conflict.

  The first meetings with the American military leadership were uneventful, and the three team officers thought Chaney was in over his head and not well respected by the British. His claims of making progress on basing and other logistic problems were not worthy of a two-star general’s time. He seemed to be unfocused and without a plan which was not a way to win over the new Allies who had been at war for nearly three years.

  Ghormley, on the other hand, was doing well in the staff building area and had put together a good team even though there were very few of them to assist his efforts. He was perhaps a bit more tied up on the diplomatic activities and failed to delegate some of the decision making to his growing staff. He wanted to be consulted on what appeared to Jameson to be minute details and like Chaney, not worth the time of a senior officer. Both officers were very gracious and effusive in their support of their British colleagues and appeared to get along well with their British counterparts. Jameson believed the British were probably putting on appearances to keep these two men out of their hair until a new leader showed up with the command presence and experience to make things happen.

  After their initial meetings with the heads of the U.S. military command and the ambassador, Major Jordan began to get things moving for the true reason for their trip to Britain. He had been in the country for several months, and his embassy command of one hundred twenty-three men and six officers had enough experience to get the members of the team anywhere they needed to go, which was a challenge to newcomers who were unfamiliar with the transportation system in the City of London.

  Most Americans had a great deal of difficulty driving on the wrong side of the road as Flannigan called it. Jordan announced the British had assigned two staff cars to support their travels along with local drivers who were necessary due in part to the lack of road signs throughout the country. Jordan explained that in the summer of 1940 after the fall of France, Britain faced imminent invasion and the government did not want to make an invasion easier. Therefore, all road signs, train depot signs, and any other device capable of telling an enemy where he was or where he was going vanished for the duration. Locals knew where they were, but new arrivals from the U.S.A. were lost and confused.

  Jordan told the team officers they were in luck and one of their requested interviews was in town and a late afternoon meeting had been set up. The meeting would be at Whitehall with Air Vice Marshal Arthur Tedder, commanding the RAF Middle East Command who was leading the aviation war in North Africa and had been in operational command since June 1941. His knowledge of the success of the radar directed fighter command was excellent, and he was also a leader in the strategic bombing operations that the British were expanding daily.

  After a few more hours in the embassy going over their plans with Major Jordan, Jameson asked Flannigan to have four of his Marines join the ride to the meeting with the Air Vice Marshal. The two British staff cars arrived at the requested time, and the officers and Marines were astounded to see the drivers were two pretty women. They were members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), commonly referred to as Wrens.

  The Wrens were first used during World War I and had been successful in their support roles for the navy. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, the organization was reconstituted with women serving throughout the Empire. The two young women were both petty officer Wrens, the equivalent of a navy petty officer or a Marine sergeant.

  The young Wrens both saluted as the team approached. “Petty Officers Goldsmith and Bagley reporting as ordered, sir.”

  Captain Jam
eson returned the salute as did the other officers replying, “Petty Officers Goldsmith and Bagley, it’s very nice meeting you. May I introduce myself and the other members of the team? I’m Captain Jameson, this is Captain Flannigan, this is Lieutenant Brand and right behind him are Gunnery Sergeant Jones, Sergeant McBride, Corporal Pride, and Corporal Williams.”

  Jameson shook hands with each of the female petty officers as did the rest of the team. They smiled and appeared a bit touched by the overt friendliness of these Americans. The British officers they usually worked with were often low key and unfriendly. The Yanks in their nice uniforms were all quite tall and good looking as well. Both Wrens erased from their mind any other pleasant thoughts about the newcomers and Goldsmith, who appeared senior in both times in grade and age, returned the compliment.

  “Captain Jameson, thank you for your kind greeting, and it is very nice to meet all of you gentlemen. Now, if you can please get in the vehicles, we will be off to your meeting.”

  Jameson and two Marines got in one car while Flannigan, Brand, and the other two Marines got in the other.

  Both Wrens thought it was a bit unusual. They quickly got the impression that the most important member of this group was not the full navy captain but the very young-looking lieutenant. Each of the American Marines carried a submachine gun, which at first frightened them, but after a few minutes, fear gave way to increased interest in these men from across the Atlantic and why they were in London. As the drivers took their places behind the wheel with a Marine non-commissioned officer sitting next to them, they began their journey through the city. The previous evening the team saw some of the city, but everything was in full blackout mode. They saw some damage, but now as they drove through the city in daylight, they finally saw the horrendous destruction. Some of the streets were completely intact, but once around a corner, nothing but jagged rubble and empty shells of burned-out buildings existed. The men were silent, and only Jameson said anything in his car driven by Petty Officer Goldsmith.