大象传媒

Meeting with Rommel

Then they placed all the chief and petty officers in one room. We just sat around on the floor. We were just chatting away, and I remember a motorbike started up outside and I don't think I'd jumped so far in all my life. I was starting to shiver then. I suppose this would be the reaction from the action before. We had been there a short while when three or four German officers came in. One looked round at us. He spoke very, very good English. He said, "So you're here. So, you've arrived. I've been expecting you. You were half an hour late! Anyway, gentlemen", he said, "this is war. I'm sorry. Good day to you". And he went out. The chap next to me said, "Do you know who that was?" I said, "Well, he looked familiar." He said, "Yes, that was Rommel!" I realised then, that it certainly was Rommel. The half hour's delay, you see, was when the blocks jammed as we were lowering the first set of boats! So he even knew our whole timetable.

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