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No.4362

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N GUY FAWKES NIGHT, NOVEMBER THE FIFTH O 1942, A BRITISH COMMANDO FORCE CAME ASHORE ON A DESERTED STRETCH OF MOROCCO’S ATLANTIC COASTLINE. A SQUAD LED BY CAPTAIN BRIAN CLIFFORD AND SERGEANT KEN HOLMES SET OFF ON FOOT STRAIGHT AWAY.

THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME REAL FIREWORKS TONIGHT, BOSS.

STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE

BUT NOT UNTIL WE’VE SECURED A ROUTE OFF THE BEACH, SERGEANT.

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4 MOROCCO WAS PART OF VICHY-FRENCH TERRITORY AND BRIAN’S ORDERS WERE TO AVOID UNNECESSARY CASUALTIES. WHEN ONE OF THEIR COAST PATROLS TRUNDLED INTO SIGHT HE MADE SURE THAT ALL HIS MEN WERE WELL-HIDDEN.

IF THEY’D BEEN GERMANS OR ITALIANS WE’D HAVE JUST BLOWN THEM AWAY, BUT THE VICHY-FRENCH AREN’T REALLY A THREAT…WHICH DOESN’T MEAN THEIR GUNS AREN’T LOADED WITH LIVE AMMUNITION.

BRIAN SPRUNG HIS AMBUSH AS THE LORRY DREW LEVEL. AS ONE, HIS MEN EMERGED EITHER SIDE OF IT, THEIR GUNS AIMED MENACINGLY. THE FRENCH WERE TAKEN COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE AND THE SERGEANT IN CHARGE OF THE PATROL HAD THE GOOD SENSE TO OBEY BRIAN’S COMMAND WITHOUT A FIGHT. SURRENDER… OR DIE!

MON DIEU, LES ANGLAIS! WE…WE SURRENDER.

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5 THE LORRY WAS DRIVEN OFF THE ROAD OUT OF SIGHT WHILE THE PRISONERS WERE TAKEN BACK TO THE LANDING CRAFT. THERE, BRIAN SYNCHRONISED WATCHES WITH THE MAJOR IN OVERALL COMMAND.

IT’LL TAKE YOU ABOUT HALF AN HOUR TO REACH THE RADAR STATION, BY WHICH TIME I’LL BE IN POSITION TO ATTACK THE AIRFIELD. LET’S SAY MIDNIGHT TWENTY FOR H-HOUR.

MIDNIGHT TWENTY IT IS, SIR.

THE MISSION CALLED FOR SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS ON TWO SEPARATE BUT LINKED TARGETS. BRIAN’S FORCE HAD BEEN ALLOCATED THE SMALLER OF THE TWO, BUT THE ONE THAT WAS FURTHER AWAY. SO THE C.O.’S LEADING THE LARGER FORCE AGAINST AN AIRFIELD WHILE WE’VE GOT TO TAKE OUT A RADAR STATION.

BRIAN EXPLAINED THAT THE AIRFIELD WAS A TARGET BECAUSE THE FRENCH WERE ALLOWING GERMAN LONG-RANGE MARITIME RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT TO OPERATE FROM IT. THE RADAR STATION WAS A TARGET BECAUSE IT WAS BEING USED TO DIRECT THOSE SAME PLANES TOWARDS CONTACTS IT PICKED UP OUT TO SEA.

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6 TWENTY MINUTES LATER THE COMMANDO WAS TAKING A LONG HARD LOOK AT THEIR OBJECTIVE THROUGH POWERFUL BINOCULARS. HE COULD SEE THAT THE INTELLIGENCE REPORTS HE’D BEEN GIVEN WERE RIGHT FOR ONCE. THERE WERE PLENTY OF TREES TO COVER HIS MEN’S APPROACH AND ONLY VICHY SENTRIES ON DUTY,

THESE BLOKES SEEM MORE INTERESTED IN HAVING A QUICK SMOKE RATHER THAN KEEPING WATCH. I WON’T SAY IT’LL BE A PUSHOVER, BUT WE’VE HIT TOUGHER TARGETS THAN THIS IN OUR TIME.

THE COMMANDOS CREPT UP THE HILL MAKING FULL USE OF THE COVER OFFERED BY THE TREES. BEFORE LONG THEY WERE IN POSITION AND WAITING FOR BRIAN TO GIVE THE ORDER TO ATTACK.

TEN SECONDS UNTIL MIDNIGHT TWENTY…NINE…EIGHT… SEVEN…

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7 SEVERAL MILES NEARER TO THE COAST THE MAIN COMMANDO FORCE WAS ALSO READY TO LAUNCH ITS ATTACK ON THE AIRFIELD. FIRE MORTARS!

AT ALMOST THE SAME INSTANT AT THE RADAR STATION BRIAN GAVE THE SAME ORDER.

FIRE MORTARS!

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8 EVEN AS THE BOMBS EXPLODED THE COMMANDOS CHARGED FORWARD TO OVERPOWER THE SHOCKED FRENCH GUARDS.

GET ‘EM! UURRF! GOTT IN HIMMEL… ENGLANDERS!

KEN SLAMMED INTO A GUN-WIELDING LUFTWAFFE OFFICER WITH THE FORCE OF A RUNAWAY TRAIN, SENDING BOTH HIM AND HIS PISTOL FLYING. OOOF!

LUCKY FOR YOU WE’VE BEEN TOLD TO MINIMISE CASUALTIES, FRITZ!

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9 EVEN THOUGH THE MAIN BUILDING WAS ON FIRE, BRIAN WAS DETERMINED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DESTRUCTION WAS COMPLETE. ONE OF HIS MEN RACED UP AND TOSSED A BAG OF HIGH EXPLOSIVES INTO THE BLAZING INTERIOR — THEN HIT THE DECK AS THE WHOLE PLACE WENT UP IN A MASSIVE EXPLOSION.

HECK!

LEAVING THE DISARMED GUARDS AND STUNNED TECHNICIANS BEHIND THEM THE COMMANDOS DROVE OFF AT HIGH SPEED. IT HAD BEEN A JOB WELL DONE.

BEATS A ROMAN CANDLE ANY DAY, BOSS.

FIREWORKS TO YOUR LIKING, SERGEANT?

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10 THE ATTACK ON THE AIRFIELD HAD ALSO GONE TO PLAN, THE COMMANDO FORCE THERE PULLING OUT AND LEAVING BURNING AIRCRAFT AND FUEL STORES BEHIND THEM.

GOOD WORK, LADS. TIME TO GET BACK TO THE BEACH AND MEET UP WITH CAPTAIN CLIFFORD’S LOT.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A FLY IN THE OINTMENT. A LARGE VICHY UNIT HAD BEEN ON MANOEUVRES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY AND RESPONDED QUICKLY WHEN THE NIGHT SKY WAS LIT UP BY FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS.

RAIDERS! THEY MUST HAVE LANDED BY SEA. HEAD FOR THE COAST, VITE!

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They looked comical in their

striped robes and leading their mules. But the Goumiers were soldiers through and through, fighting for France against all comers in North Africa.

Make no mistake, these mountain warriors were silent, dangerous…and deadly!

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