SBS, page 29
Fleming smiled again and stubbed out his cigarette before reaching for another from the silver box. ‘Yes, Hunter. We’re well aware of just what the Nazis are capable of. Of all the foul methods they employ. But even if you’d killed him on the island this would have happened. It happens every time a single German soldier is killed. Ten Greeks are arrested and shot. We know all this. And that is why you brought him out isn’t it? You told the girl that didn’t you?’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Lieutenant, I can’t believe that you are so naïve to suppose that we would not already have interrogated Eleni Evangelou. She has been most helpful and illuminating about her time with the andartes and with your commandos. And I get the impression that she rather likes you.’
Hunter bit his lip. Fleming continued, ‘And we rather like Miss Evangelou. In fact we like her so much that we’re thinking of asking her to join us. She’s got guts that girl. To go undercover, on her own and to do everything she’s done. She’s clever too. She’ll do well with us.’
Hunter shook his head. Commander Fleming was nothing if not a fast worker.
‘You’ve recruited Eleni? I didn’t even think you would have questioned her before you spoke to us.’
‘There is an order to our ways, Lieutenant. It’s just how we do things and how we make things work. So that is how I know that you told the girl that the colonel was of use and that keeping him alive would save…’ He looked at a pile of notes on his desk. ‘How did you put it? “Hundreds, no thousands of lives”.’
Hunter shook his head. ‘She really did tell you everything, didn’t she? Did she show you her scars too, sir. Where the bastard beat her and where he cut her while he was raping her?’
‘No, she didn’t. But she did tell me about them.’
‘I’ve seen them. I know that man for what he is, sir. He deserves to be shot. Won’t you at least sentence him?’
‘Not now, Lieutenant. I’d like to, but I can’t. You know that’s not how it works. That will all come later when we’ve won this bloody war. He’s told us a great deal already and I’m quite sure that there’s more to come. In fact one of the things he’s told us about is the fact that there’s a German raiding flotilla ranging around the islands, Naxos, Iraklia, others and terrorising the population. We’d heard something about it but he’s given us actual names and numbers. Well now of course, we need someone to go and see if he’s telling the truth. If we can trust him on this one, then perhaps we can trust him on other, bigger stuff.’
Woods spoke: ‘You’re asking us, to go back. To go in and recce Naxos? In what might be a trap?’
‘Yes, of course I am. But not now. All in good time, Captain. All in good time. Now why don’t you two go and get some rest. You look as if you might need it. We’ll be in touch. We know where to find you. And, Hunter, remember, you’re one of us now. There’s no going back.’
Author’s Note and Glossary
Although this book is a novel, it is based on historical fact. While the basic timeline is accurate, I have moved some individual events to allow the plot to work and to drive the action.
The SBS of the title stands not for Special Boat Service but Special Boat Section and later Squadron, that unique unit which had operated since June 1941 in the operation which inspires my opening chapter. It was also known as Folboat Section and was attached to 8 Commando. It was not a naval unit, despite its name, but contained mostly marines and army, all of whom were expert canoeists. By April 1941 it had been transformed into 1st Special Boat Section working with 1st Submarine Flotilla but not under the jurisdiction of either army or navy.
Its main operations by this time had been in the summer of 1942, including a July raid on Sicily. It was then attached to David Stirling’s infant SAS in October 1942, and consisted at that time of fifteen officers and forty other ranks. At the same time a second unit of SBS was formed.
In the spring of 1943, after the capture of David Stirling by the Germans, the Special Boat Section (1st SBS) was transferred to the command of Royal Navy Captain the Earl Jellicoe (who had been David Stirling’s second in command) and the unit was thus now under naval command.
Legend has it that it was on 1st April 1943 that the Special Boat Section became Special Boat Squadron. In fact it was on 19th March when the SAS regiment was reorganised into two parts, the SAS Raiding Forces (under the notorious Paddy Mayne) and the SBS (under Jellicoe).
The new unit’s first operation was in Crete in June 1943 and it is this which provides part of the inspiration for Hunter’s mission.
*
Ian Fleming did indeed create a specialist unit of intelligence gathering commandos, later 30 Assault Unit, modelled on the German unit raised by Otto Skorzeny. Its mission was to feed enemy intelligence back to London. Apart from its work in Greece and Italy, it was key in destroying the V1 and V2 rocket programmes.
Fleming was in Naval Intelligence and a serving naval officer. The unit was thus a naval unit but was split into three sections of navy, marines and army, so it had a mixture of army and navy personnel, not unlike Hunter’s unit, which is essentially fictitious, a hybrid of 30 AU and the SBS, attached to 8 Commando.
*
Throughout the book I have employed numerous military acronyms. A glossary is given below:
EDES
The Greek Centralist/Nationalist resistance movement.
EKKA
The Greek ‘National and Social Liberation’ resistance group. National Socialists.
ELAS
The military wing of the Greek Communist resistance movement EAM.
ENSA
Entertainments National Service Association. Organisation providing entertainment for the British armed forces during WWII.
SIS
Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) (UK).
SOE
Special Operations Executive (UK).
TA
Territorial Army (UK).
WRNS
Women’s Royal Naval Service (UK).
WAAS
South African Women’s Auxiliary Army Service.
About the Author
IAIN GALE is the author of twelve military historical novels and two works of military history. Iain was for many years a member of the Scottish Committee of Combat Stress, the armed forces’ PTSD charity. He also sat on the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Waterloo Committee at Edinburgh Castle and was privileged to be invited by the regiment to take a major part in its bicentenary commemorations. He is a recognised authority on the Battle of Waterloo, and has taken numerous tours there, including leading a tactical military exercise of thirty-two serving US Army officers. Iain also guides regular small battlefield tours to the Somme, Arnhem, Dunkirk and Normandy and presents military history lectures. He is married with six children and lives in Fife and Edinburgh.
An Invitation from the Publisher
We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at www.headofzeus.com and become part of our community of book-lovers.
We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.
Get in touch: hello@headofzeus.com
www.headofzeus.com
@headofzeus
@HoZ_Books
@HeadOfZeus
Iain Gale, SBS
