"That's it " he cried, "Cambrai; the great Tank battle. Previous to that, before each big attack we used to do a seven days' preparatory bombardment. Our Generals had so little imagination that the drill was always just the same and, naturally, the Germans got quite used to it. When the strafing started in earnest they used to say to one another: `There are the British giving us seven days' notice that they mean to attack in this sector', and they all went down to playvingt et un in their dug outs for the next week, until the bombardment was over; then they popped up fresh as daisies to receive our men when at last the assault took place.
"But Cambrai was planned by Fuller. He was only a Major then, and Heaven knows how he got his plan passed by the Generals; but he did, and this was his idea. On the morning of November the 20th, 1917;, at the same moment as the guns opened fire every man in the British Third Army was to move forward, from the Infantry in the front line trenches to the last A.S.C. wagon miles away in the rear. Our tanks, which were then a new weapon and had only been tried out in one or two side shows, advanced with the Infantry, and the chap who commanded them sat on the top of one as it went over, with a miniature flag staff flying thee signaclass="underline" ' England expects that every man this day will do his damnedest.'
"Directly the balloon went up the Germans all went down into their dug outs anticipating the usual seven days' rest. Before they even had any idea that an attack was in progress our men were bombing them out. The tanks went slap through the front line, second line, and reserve trenches. When they did encounter a few Germans the poor chaps simply ran for their lives at the sight of those iron monsters spitting fire and machine gun bullets; because, you must remember, none of them had even seen a tank before, and there were no such things as anti tank guns or anti tank rifles in those days.
"The tanks began to penetrate the German artillery positions and directly the German gunners saw them approaching they just abandoned their guns and fled as though all the devils in Hell were after them. There was one German field battery outside a village called Flequiers and all the gunners there took to their heels, just like the rest, officers as well as men. but with one exception the Major.
"When his men started to run he ordered and implored them to stay; but as they ignored his pleas and commands he remained there alone. All by himself he loaded, sighted and fired one of his guns at the nearest tank, blowing it to Jericho. Would you believe it, that German Major took nine tanks to his own gun, single handed. and held up our attack in that sector for over two hours, which delayed the whole British advance.
"Eventually our tank people had to throw their hand in. They simply could not get past him. So the attack was called off while a couple of tanks were sent on a long detour to take him in the rear; and only then did he surrender. Nine tanks to his own gun I reckon that's the biggest bag in history, and how's that for a hero?"
"Thank you, darling." Erika placed her hand over his. "It was sweet of you to tell me that, and how wonderfully your memory is improving. You see, I've heard the story before, and you're right in every detail."
He laughed. Oh details don't bother me once I can get the lead to any subject. It's just that there are so many subjects on which I'm still completely blank; but I suppose they'll all come back in time."
But such bursts of coherence were rare, and although he was not mentally apathetic the effort to connect facts tired his brain, so that he was often silent for long periods. His headaches had ceased but his eyes still bothered him a little. In many ways he remained simple, almost like a child, but his affliction did not seem to worry him and from having been incurably lazy, to his friends' surmise, he appeared to enjoy physical exertion. The horses had to be rubbed down three times a day to keep their circulation going, even in the temperate stable, and he was happy at such work if Erika would sit watching him at it. He picked up skiing in a remarkably short time and was the only one among them who, during the first days, did not feel an awful craving for cigarettes; which drove the others nearly crazy.
On December the 10th, Captain Hans Langsdorf shot himself; a sad and futile end to one whom all the prisoners he had taken in the South Atlantic during the early months of war agreed to be a brave and gallant gentleman; and one more death to be laid at Hitler's door, for which he must answer in time to come.
Erika heard the news with mingled feelings; sorrow for the loss of an old friend, but pride that having carried out the orders of the blackguard who ruled Germany, as was his duty; he had by this personal act saved the honour of the German Navy.
In the meantime the news of the Finnish War was excellent. For three weeks of ceaseless battle the Russians had hurled division after division against the Mannerheim Line but had failed to make the least impression upon it; and the attack on the narrow waist line of Middle Finland had ended in a major defeat. The Firms had not only checked it but had surrounded and destroyed two whole Russian divisions numbering 36,000 men.
During all the time they had been in their refuge they had seen movement on the road less than half a dozen tunes. Perhaps that was partly because the winter days were so brief that most of the infrequent traffic upon it passed either before the sun was up in the morning or after sunset in the afternoon. Having taken Petsamo in the first days of the war there were no other strategic points of value to tempt the Russians in the extreme north of Finland; and it was so unbelievably cold up there that, to begin with at all’ events, they probably considered the objectives to be gained in that sector by any major thrust insufficient to justify the difficulties of maintaining an army of any size in such adverse climatic conditions.
Two detachments of Soviet cavalry had passed north westwards along the road, doubtless to support a line of pickets further west which was presumably carrying on a guerrilla warfare with similar bodies of Finnish pickets in that area. They had also seen one column of light tanks, a company of infantry on skis and a civilian driving a sleigh.
Each time they saw anyone passing they immediately concealed themselves and at night they kept the single window of the house heavily curtained so that it should not attract unwelcome callers. For twenty out of each twenty four hours the house was hidden from the road by darkness and as it stood well back among the trees it was not easily noticeable even in daylight. They attributed their escape from unwelcome visitors to passers by either not having noticed the house or being too anxious to get to their destinations to waste time by going a quarter of a mile out of their way to see if the place was occupied.
They had gradually come to regard themselves as reasonably immune from any likelihood of trouble, until they woke on the shortest day of the year to hear sounds of singing. It was eight o'clock in the morning and still dark; since the moon, which was now in its first quarter, had set hours before. While the girls heated the coffee for breakfast Freddie and Gregory went out to investigate. They were now so used to finding their way through the trees in the murky half light when there was neither sun nor moon, but only the faint reflection of the snow, that they had no difficulty in keeping away from the open track and cutting through the woods direct to the road. On reaching a snow bank from which they could overlook it they saw, as they expected, that the plaintive soulful singing came from Russian soldiers on the march towards Petsamo.
Crouching there in the semi darkness the two watchers could vaguely make out the bulk of tanks, numbers of horse drawn wagons and heavy, lumbering guns. They remained there for three quarters of an hour and although the column was still passing when they retired to the house they felt reasonably confident that the whole contingent of troops would have gone by before daylight; so they sat down to breakfast with unusual relish, after their exposure to the keen frosty air.