He rang the bell, and the elderly porter who opened the door nodded him inside where a heavily armed Royal Marine sat in shadow. An officer stepped out of an anteroom to check his credentials and compare his name and photograph with those on his list. When the officer was satisfied, the porter conducted him along the hall and opened the door to the library.
Six men sat around a polished table spread with maps and photographs. Simon-Benet jumped up when he spotted Memling, and came forward with a smile. ‘Gentlemen, this is the young officer I was telling you about.’
He introduced Memling to the men sitting at the table. He recognised only two of them: Viscount Cherwell, the Prime Minister’s scientific adviser, and Duncan Sandys, Churchill’s son- in-law and head of the new committee charged with the investigation of German rocket development under the code name Operation Crossbow.
Sandys smiled and stood to shake his hand. ‘Congratulations on your promotion, Major. I am certain you earned it. Brigadier Simon-Benet has told me of your latest adventure. An amazing piece of work. Gentlemen’ — he turned to the others at the table — ‘in case you are not aware, Major Memling has just returned from a sojourn in Germany.’
One or two eyebrows went up at that, and Sandys added, ‘From Peenemunde, to be exact, where he actually worked for two weeks before escaping to Sweden.’
There were mild exclamations of surprise.
‘Since his return,’ Sandys continued, ‘unfortunately too late to advise Bomber Command on the selection of targets, Major Memling has been reviewing the after-raid photographs. I have asked him here today to comment on his conclusions in light of his recent visit, and to describe to us what he learned at Peenemunde.’
‘I am certain,’ Simon-Benet suggested in a dry voice that told Memling all he needed to know about the tensions around the table, ‘that when the major has finished, we will have a few surprises to deal with.’
‘I dare say,’ Cherwell murmured, and nodded towards Memling. ‘Perhaps the major would begin?’
Memling spoke for an hour, describing in detail the design and number of rocket engines produced on a monthly basis, noting that the figures were still on a pre-production basis; the type of testing to which they were subjected; and their specifications, including materials. He also described the launching he had observed and the engine test firing.
Memling hesitated before continuing. He and Simon-Benet had discussed the advisability of mentioning the new rocket project he had uncovered. The brigadier was insistent that he do so; but Memling was reluctant, recalling the reaction given his earlier reports. With a glance at the brigadier, who encouraged him with a smile, he related his conversations with Ernst Mundt and presented his estimate of the size and capabilities of the new rocket. Memling could see by the pained expression that passed across Viscount Cherwell’s face that his report was being received much as he had expected. When he suggested that such a rocket might have a transatlantic range, it was only Simon-Benet’s stern glance that prevented an interruption.
When he finished, Simon-Benet did not allow the briefest lapse and immediately launched into a description of Memling’s escape. The brigadier had somehow got hold of his after-action report to 2 Commando, to which he was still officially attached, and narrated in detail all the events, including his killing of the four SD men. There was polite applause and smiles from the military men present, while the civilians looked a bit uncomfortable.
A slim, quiet man in elegantly tailored clothes asked to direct a question to Memling, and Sandys nodded agreement.
‘This new rocket you speak of sounds quite an advance over the smaller one the Germans refer to as A-Four. I would assume it would require a great deal more in the way of support services, such as increased launching areas. Those used for the A-Four are readily detectable, now that we know what to look for. Why is it, then, that we have not spotted such an area for — I believe you called it the A-Ten?’
Memling took a deep breath. He had expected this question. ‘Such a launching site does exist. I found indications of it in earlier photographs. The site is in the central southern portion of Usedom, well away from the Luftwaffe or A-Four launch sites. It occupies an area normally referred to on our maps as marshland. Few photos have been taken of this area, as overflight time is necessarily limited, and the concentration has been on known launching sites and test facilities on the northern and Baltic coastal sections of the island. The Germans are, as we all know, masters of camouflage, and the wide marshy area is easy to disguise. We have asked that the next recon flight include this area.’
