are you going to do, Captain?’ he demanded.
Before Henderson could answer, one of Jean’s angry sidekicks pulled out a pistol and aimed it point blank at Henderson’s chest.
‘You’re a guest here,’ the youth shouted furiously. ‘But you’ve caused us nothing but trouble.’
‘No,’ Jean said, batting the gun away. ‘Where does shooting get us? Do you want a bloodbath?’
‘My team and I will be gone soon enough,’ Henderson told Jean. ‘And you don’t have that much to worry about.’
‘They have tanks and artillery,’ Jean spat.
Henderson took a step back and tried to sound calm. ‘The 108th has a vicious reputation, but they’re short of everything from fuel to shells, and they have orders to move west.’
Jean seemed to accept some of this, but still looked angry.
‘Marc, get my maps,’ Henderson ordered.
While Marc dashed 30 metres to Henderson’s tent, Paul, Daniel, Edith and Joel all arrived within moments of each other. Their breathless stories reinforced the picture that they’d had no success in destroying any more fuel tankers and that the 108th’s Tiger tanks were making final preparations to move west.
Henderson spread his map of the Beauvais area over the ground so that Jean’s crew and his own team could see it.
‘Let’s assume that the 108th wants to cause mayhem,’ Henderson began. ‘But their priority is to conserve fuel and move west towards Normandy. Some of their hidden vehicles will have to pass through Beauvais and there could be trouble in the town centre, but I’d say that the real danger of retaliation lies here, in the villages and countryside west of the city.’
Marc felt a tingle as Henderson drew an invisible oval across the map with his fingertip. If he was right, the area most at risk included Morel’s farm, the orphanage and two tiny hamlets nearby.
‘What can we do?’ Jean asked.
Luc snorted. ‘What do you think rifles and small explosives can do against an entire tank battalion?’
Henderson didn’t like agreeing with Luc, but nodded. ‘We can’t confront the 108th head on,’ he said. ‘We’re powerless to stop them going on the rampage, but we can pick off stragglers and harass them every step of the way to Normandy.’
Edith looked confused. ‘You just said it’s impossible to stop them.’
Henderson nodded again. ‘In a direct confrontation, it is. But we know where they’re heading. They’ll average fifteen kph at best and route options are compromised, because most rural bridges were built for horse-drawn wagons, not fifty-tonne tanks. On top of all that, they’ll need to refuel at least twice a day.’
Luc looked at Jean and sneered. ‘So I guess we’ll be leaving to do some fighting, while you boys keep hiding in the woods.’
Henderson glowered at Luc, before turning to Jean. ‘I can’t carry all the supplies, so plenty will be left here for your men. My operation will involve two teams, and half a dozen volunteers from your ranks would make things easier.’
Henderson was trying to be conciliatory, but Jean remained bitter.
‘I won’t try to stop anyone who volunteers,’ Jean said. ‘Not that you’d take any notice if I did.’
Henderson glanced at his wristwatch, then at his team. ‘The tanks are already on the move and we need to stay close,’ he said. ‘You’ve got twenty minutes to find your volunteers and pack up.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
For every Maquis who was happy hiding in the woods, there seemed to be another bored of the long, hungry days and up for a fight. Six lads lined up for Henderson’s briefing, along with Edith and Henderson’s six fully-trained agents.
‘Two squads,’ Henderson announced. ‘PT runs Team A. Marc and Luc are his deputies, plus Edith and two Maquis. Your job is to trail the 108th. Harass and destroy broken-down vehicles. If possible try to get ahead and block roads or sabotage bridges.’
As Henderson spoke, Edith and Marc doled out tinned rations, canteens, grenades and ammo clips, while making sure that everyone had a decent backpack to carry them in.
‘You’ll be living rough, scrounging and stealing food wherever you can for as long as this takes,’ Henderson warned. ‘There will be no radios or communication between units, though you have fall-back points here and in Paris. If things get desperate we can try contacting local resistance groups, but be careful when dealing with anyone you can’t vouch for.
‘I’ll lead Team B,’ Henderson continued, as he crouched over his map and tapped on the town of Rouen, roughly halfway between Beauvais and the Normandy coastline. ‘Rouen is a major German transport hub. There are large fuel depots there