WORRALS ON THE WAR-PATH

by Captain W. E. Johns

XI. WORRALS TAKES A TRIP (Pages 109 – 120)

The following morning a Messerschmitt 109 flies overhead and sees the Messerschmitt 110. Later, a Luftwaffe breakdown lorry arrives in Carnac with six men, one an Unteroffizier. They can only get to the causse on foot and when they are on their way, Worrals decides to pose as a shepherdess looking for a lost sheep. Louis finds her a sheep. Worrals, who speaks both French and German, is planning to give the men a reasonable explanation about the missing pilot so she can get them out of the way as quickly as possible. The German N.C.O. speaks to Worrals in halting French and she says that it is said that the pilot has gone to the village to telephone. Worrals is asked by the men to assist them as she knows the area and she does this to avoid friction as well as being able to listen to what they say. They don't know that she speaks German. The Germans examine the plane and find nothing wrong with it. Why the pilot has landed and his whereabouts are a complete mystery to them. One of the mechanics is sent to the village to telephone and ask for a pilot to be sent to fly the machine home. The N.C.O. calls Worrals over and “to her renewed alarm, started to flirt with her”. When an hour had passed, Worrals asks if she could look at the aeroplane. She is shown into the cockpit and is sitting in the pilot's seat when one of the mechanics calls “Hi! Otto! Someone's coming”. It is a French policeman with a civilian with him. Worrals looks and the civilian is von Brandisch! The N.C.O. is worried that he may get into trouble for showing Worrals the plane if she is seen so he asks her to keep out of sight. A light plane arrives, a two-seater trainer, bearing German identification marks and two pilots get out. One intends to fly the Messerschmitt back to base and the other, to follow in the trainer. Worrals has a dilemma. If she gets out, she will be seen and recognised by von Brandisch. She can think of only one thing to do. She starts the engines of the Messerschmitt and takes off, flying east. As soon as she is out of sight of the causse she turns south. She initially intends to return from an easterly direction and land within walking distance of the causse, if she can find a place sufficiently lonely for her to abandon the machine without being seen. She looks around in order to establish her position.