Colonel Berry

Chapter Thirty

Wednesday, 26 April 1916

Early Wednesday afternoon, Dolf and Hans arrived in Bern, and while David helped them load the explosives and fuses into the van, Hans explained their plans for crossing the border, "We'll take both vans, one with potatoes and the other with sausages and hams, and we'll set up in tomorrow's market in Erzingen."

David picked up a spool of fuse then looked at Hans. "How will you explain the nine men to the border guards? What about the explosives?"

"Rachel will be in the deli van with Georg, and they'll go directly to the market square to set up. Our van with the potatoes will have three in the front and five in the back, and we'll drop the five off by the tool hut so they can continue removing dead and feeble vines and preparing the ground for the new scions."

"And load the explosives from the hut," Dolf added, "before we head to the market to sell potatoes. Mid-morning, the vineyard workers will walk into town to join us, and we'll leave Rachel with the remainder of the potatoes and the empty bins."

"I like this." David smiled and nodded. "Clever thinking. Where have you planned to leave the van?"

"In Offenburg because of the larger train station. And with the junctions from both Strasbourg and Konstanz, there are more trains northward from there. It's busy, so it'll be easier for us to blend in."

"More thorough research and clever thinking. And returning after?"

"Still the same as we had discussed. Three in the van to drive across. The rest of us in ones or twos by train through Basel or Konstanz."

"Get a good sense of the mood before you begin heading back. There's no rush, so take your time." He smiled, then chuckled. "Reasonable time. Don't leave us worrying." He nodded at their crotches. "And be sure you wear protection."

After David had wished them Godspeed, he returned to the Embassy, and as he entered his office, Rick rose to greet him. "Sergeant Wilkins has what he called a Code Red for you, Sir. I shall go tell him you've arrived."

"Thank you." After Rick headed to the Message Centre, David removed the desk drawer, retrieved the codebook then replaced the drawer. He still has no need to know the details. He unlocked the file cabinet and pulled out the other book.

A minute later, Wilkins entered and handed David a folder with four red corners. "Arrived about twenty minutes ago, Sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant."

When the Wilkins had left, David explained to Rick, "As you know, many wire messages to and from the Embassy are encrypted, and one of the roles of the Message centre is to encrypt and decrypt them." He held up the folder. "But some are too sensitive or secret for even those highly cleared in the Message Centre to see. They are double encrypted by the sender and then double decrypted by the addressee."

Rick nodded. "So, if someone has the codebook, and tries to decrypt, all they'd see is a jumble of nonsense."

"Indeed. But there are two codebooks, and even if someone somehow acquired both, they'd not know which to use first, nor which of the many dozens of pages in each to use."

"Secure."

"Needs to be."

"That a reply about the sappers?"

"I expect it is."

"Shall I leave?"

David looked up from the message he had just unfolded. "No, remain working at your desk if you wish. You'll learn nothing except its a long, tedious process."

Twenty-five minutes later, David set his pen down. "Gerrard Perrier has been commissioned. He's now a Second Lieutenant, and he'll arrive in Schaffhausen on Friday with two of his sappers. The remainder of them will arrive over the weekend."

"All the same ones?"

"Not sure. Doesn't give details." He pointed to his pages. "But it would make sense, since they know the tunnel."

"And they left all their work clothes and tools there in November."

"True." He looked across the office at Rick. "We're posting you back to Sonnenhang. Leave tomorrow and organise picking them up at the station in town. I've a schedule of their arrival times here."

Rick smiled. "Be good to get back there. I've missed the guys."

"They'll all be gone when you arrive. Leaving tomorrow morning."

"The gasworks?"

David nodded. "Likely be a week or ten days before the first of them returns. You'll be in charge until Georg arrives and takes over."

Rick tilted his head. "But I out-rank him now, won't that be more than a little awkward."

"He's left the Army, and he's now working for the War Office with the pay and authority of a Major."

"Things continue to change."

"They do." He pointed to his desk. I must send an acknowledgement to this, then I need to brief the Ambassador. Afterwards, we'll discuss other new developments at Sonnenhang. We have expanded the team, and you need to be aware of who the additions are and what their pecking order is."

David drafted and double-encrypted a reply to R, and he gave it to Rick to take to the Message Centre. After he had replaced the codebooks, he walked along the hall and knocked on the Ambassador's open door.

"Come in, David. Coffee?" Evelyn pointed to a chair in the nook.

"Please." As David settled into his seat, he said, "The first of the sappers arrive on Friday, and they'll all be in Sonnenhang by Sunday. Rick is leaving tomorrow to oversee their arrival and to rejoin the team."

Evelyn pressed the brown button on his desk, then he walked over to the corner to join David. "What about the gasworks?"

"They just picked up the explosives, and they'll head north tomorrow morning. The plan is to detonate Tuesday or Wednesday."

"Ballsy plan, this one."

"We need to slow the supply of hydrogen to Oppau."

"I had thought the French aerial bombers were going to destroy that plant."

"With their slow speed, they cannot get past the Fokkers except in cloudy weather." David shrugged. "And when the weather allows them to get past, they cannot find their target because of the clouds. They continue losing aircraft in their attempts. They're..." David paused at the knock on the door.

"You rang, Sir?"

"I did, James. A pot of coffee, please." The ambassador turned back to David. "They're stymied."

"They are. This seems our only hope at the moment. And it's a one-time event. Try to blow all nine at once, because after we have, they'll deploy guards on all their strategic sites."

"Take soldiers away from the Front."

"That's another of our goals with this. Our two men up there last week saw no guards nor any sign of security around any of the gasworks. We anticipate this will unsettle them, and security will quickly change throughout the country. Men and material redirected for fencing and guarding."

Evelyn nodded. "More than just destroying gasworks."

"Far more, Sir."