“On Saturday, Operation Cromwell was activated.”
Merlin rubbed his right thigh, where he had a large bruise from his fall of the night before. “And what is Operation Cromwell, sir?”
“I mentioned it in a memo I sent you the other day. You really must keep up with your paperwork, Frank. The launch of Operation Cromwell means that the government believes invasion is imminent or, to put it another way, the Eastern and Southern Commands have been put in a state of readiness for invasion.”
“Does that mean that German boats have been sighted crossing the Channel or that German paratroopers have been seen landing?”
Gatehouse turned from the window, his thin lips twitching in an approximation of a smile. “I believe that there was a bit of panic in the Home Guard as that was what they thought ‘Cromwell’ meant, but no. I think it’s just a reasonable precaution in light of what’s happening up above. The Chiefs of Staff have taken the view that all this heavy bombing of the city is a softening up procedure and a precursor to invasion.”
“Seems a reasonable assumption, I suppose. By the way, any idea why our guns have been so quiet? Everyone I hear keeps asking – where are the bloody guns? Those bombers just seem to keep on coming at will.”
The A.C. sat down, picked up a pencil and rolled it rather irritatingly back and forth along the top of his desk. “Well, I think, if the truth be told, the Luftwaffe caught the ack-ack people a little on the hop. I believe that over the past few weeks most of the guns have been deployed to where the attacks were initially taking place – to factories and airfields in the country. This has left London a little short.”
“I presume someone is hurrying to get them back?”
“I think General Pile is on the case. He’s in charge of the Anti-Aircraft Command.”
“And what about the air force? They’ve been brilliant of course, but in the last few days I heard several people moaning that they didn’t seem to be knocking so many of the bombers out of the sky.”
“Ah, yes. Well, I think the problem there is the visibility. The fighters aren’t so effective at night anyway, but with this incredible barrage of munitions…” The A.C. shook his head. “The towering columns of smoke and flame are making things very difficult for our pilots.”
“Everything alright with you at home, sir?”
“Yes, Frank. Our little square in Kensington has been spared so far. I tried to get Mrs Gatehouse to go to our cottage near Guildford, but no hope. Luckily, the boys are in their school in Northamptonshire, so they’re well out of it. And you?”
Merlin shrugged. “Yes, so far. Amazingly, nothing has come near my block. I just feel I should be doing something to help.”
“You are doing something vitally important, Frank. The fight against crime must go on. Speaking of which, what are your thoughts on the looting issue we discussed last week?”
“I’ve put Johnson on to it. He’s a good man. I think he has a meeting on Wednesday. I haven’t seen him yet today, so I hope he’s…” Merlin looked out of the window.
“Yes, yes, Frank. I’m sure he’s… alright. Well, I won’t detain you anymore.”
Merlin stood up and walked to the door. As he was halfway out of the office, he turned. “Got a disappearance to investigate. A Polish airman. He vanished into thin air. Thought I might look into it myself.”
The A.C. seemed to be finding the file he had just opened very interesting. He spoke without looking up. “Fine, Frank. Whatever you think. My God, I’ve just got the figures for reported looting incidents over the weekend. They are dramatically worse than I would have expected. Find Johnson as quickly as you can. I’d like to give him the benefit of my views before he starts his work. And Frank…”
“Yes, sir.”
“Keep a close eye on Johnson’s work yourself. I’m holding you responsible.”
Chapter 9
Tuesday, September 10