A New Kind of War

‘Oh yes.’ Hewitt nodded back. ‘You bin in Greece. But there’s still men in Greece. Not like ’ere – ‘ere all the men’s PoWs now. We got millions of ’em. An‘ the Yanks got millions. An’ the Russians ‘as got millions of ’em, Gawd ‘elp ’em!‘ He grinned

unsympathetically. ’ An‘ we’ve got all the girls?’

Fred felt a frown was required. ‘But ... I thought there were strict regulations against fraternization, Hewitt?

In fact, there are – ’

‘Reg’lations!’ The little man chuckled. ‘Cor! I ain’t never ’eard of any reg’lation that ‘ud keep soldiers orf uv women – ’specially when the women are ‘ungry . . .

an’ ‘ungry for food, as well as for men – an’ for soap –

an‘ for fags, wot they can buy food wiv.’ This time the repeated chuckle was mirthless. ‘You want to talk to Otto, Major Fattorini, sir: a bar of soap, an’ a packet of Players, or Luckies ... an‘ a nice bar uv chocolate or an

’ershey bar ... an‘ you can take yer pick. An’ this is only the beginnin‘, too: we ’aven’t bin ‘ere but a few months –they ain’t bin really ’ungry an‘ cold yet. But that’ll come, you see – that’ll come!’

He had seen it already in Italy of course, thought Fred.

But that had at least been under pressure of war, and battle and murder and sudden death, which was a pretty bloody-good excuse as well as an explanation. But . . .

but now he was being naive and childish – and something more (or worse) than that after his own dummy4

Athenian experience, courtesy of Colonel Kyriakos Michaelides.

‘Well! But –’

‘Aarrgh! I can ’ear what you’re thinkin‘!’ Driver Hewitt caught him cruelly. ‘ ’E’s an orrficer – an‘ a captain, too! An’ a gentleman – an‘ a scholar, maybe?’

‘No.’ Hewitt had picked up that phrase from Audley himself most likely, if not from Amos de Souza. ‘I wasn’t thinking that at all, actually – ’

‘No?’ Newly-promoted majors of engineers answering stiffly didn’t disconcert Driver Hewitt one bit. ‘Well, I bet a pound to a pinch uv – a pinch uv snuff . . . that you wasn’t thinking uv old Greek lady poets, sir – right on?’

‘No ... no, I wasn’t, Hughie.’ Fred decided simultaneously that he would lie to Driver Hewitt while ingratiating himself with that diminutive. ‘I was just thinking that everything David Audley has told me about you is true, actually. And he’s a gentleman and a scholar, as you say.’

‘Oh yes?’ Hewitt liked that, quite evidently. Because, of course, it signalled that he had another officer-and- gentleman in the bag. And yet also that didn’t perhaps do Driver Hewitt absolute justice, either. ‘ ’E’s a caution, is wot I knows.‘

‘Yes.’ The problem was, they were on delicate ground dummy4

now. Or ... not on ground at all ... but very thin ice, over deep cold water. ‘You’ve been with Captain Audley long, have you?’

‘Since last year, sir.’ The ice creaked with that warningly-repeated ‘sir’. ‘Just about this time, it was –

August.’

August was Normandy, near enough. ‘In France, that would be – ?’

This time Hewitt didn’t reply instantly. ‘Beg pardon, sir – ?’

In Normandy, August 1944, Audley would have been how old – nineteen? With maybe two years’ military service, and a qualified tank commander . . . and maybe never kissed a girl, other than his mother (who wasn’t a girl) and his sister (if he had a sister; but who still didn’t qualify, anyway); and now he was in Germany, Anno Domini 1945 (or AUC whatever-it-was), where girls were to be had from Otto Schild for a bar of soap, and a packet of Players Medium Navy Cut, and a bar of ration-chocolate (all three together? Or individually? He wasn’t sure of the rate-of-exchange yet, anyway) –

‘Fraternization reg’lations don’t apply to us, sir.’

Hewitt changed the subject quite out of the blue.

‘Or . . . not to the orfficers of this unit: they ’ave the right to ... to interrogate former enemy persons, oosoever an‘ where- soever – ’ The precision as well as dummy4

the emphasis of the wording indicated its official source – ‘ – as may be necessary in the course uv their duties – their duties – ’ The little man’s memory betrayed him for a second ‘ –’avin‘ the appropriate orders an’ authority thereto, all signed an‘ sealed, like

– ’ Hewitt gave up the unequal struggle there, aware that he was obviously extemporizing the incantation now, and that Major Fattorini must know he was, and changed gear and accelerated.

So he wasn’t going to get any more about Audley, Fred understood: even, he had already got more than he had any right to expect. But then . . .

‘I think I’ll try and get some sleep now – ’ He stretched his legs as best he could, knowing that there was too much in the back of the little car to permit any more room; but at least he wasn’t right next to that whirring engine! ‘ –wake me up when we get to ... wherever it is ... okay?’

‘Right!’ Hewitt settled back comfortably himself, like the old soldier he was.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw the trees –

delicately-leafed birch branches and dark, uncompromising evergreens, rocket-stiff – swim past, against a grey