Red Hawk Rising

our identity — each one of us, whether he recognised us or not. Again, at the control tower, there should be a check on all entering. The fences alongside the domestic site should be monitored for illegal entry. We’ll arrange an increase in establishment to get the extra personnel that you’ll need. Reduced human vigilance is our greatest weakness. I suggest that more spot checks on security may need to be carried out, particularly at night.” They discussed the issues and then Denby asked for his plane to be readied. They then paid a visit to the JSTU office. Flight Lieutenant Gaskin was expecting them. They went into the conference room and Denby asked to be briefed on progress there. Gaskin explained that the new headquarters building was due to be delivered in two weeks’ time. The contractors installing the services would be doing that in a week’s time. No site preparation was necessary for the equipment because it was meant to be a mobile unit capable of setting up virtually anywhere. Denby then asked to have the personnel called in so that he could have a word with them. There were a dozen men, the unit advance party. Denby was introduced to each of them and had encouraging words. When it came to Corporal Hill, he commented on his bronzed appearance with a bit of a grin. Corporal Hill smiled back and said it was a pleasant change to be in cooler climes. Denby said, “Good luck in your preparations,” and nodded his departure. They all came to attention, he saluted and the small party headed out to the car. This time, as the car came to the security gate of the airfield, the corporal on duty saluted smartly and requested to see their identification. Denby smiled his satisfaction. Soon the aircraft was climbing to the north-east over the North Sea and turning onto a reciprocal heading for Hendon. As the plane banked, Denby noticed the small harbour of fishing boats and the small village of Parfleet St Peter.

***

The crew of an old wooden but well-maintained fishing boat, looked up as the Pembroke banked from the RAF base to the north and headed inland. It was moored in the Parfleet harbour. The older of the two commented, “Must have had some ‘brass’ visiting. That type is used to ferry senior officers around.” He spoke English with a European accent.

The other replied in flawless English, “We’ll get our chance to find out more about it soon.” His driving licence and other papers showed him to be William Enderby, born in Hastings in 1936. The reality was somewhat different. He had been born in a very different coastal city — Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg. Oleg Berin had been a star pupil at school and excelled in sport. He came to the notice of the Party and was encouraged to join the youth movement. From there, Berin was sent to political school and then university. He showed an aptitude for languages and was selected to undergo special training. Berin went out with a senior partner on information gathering assignments in the Caucasus. Eventually he was deemed ready for foreign assignments and trained to go to England. The older man on the boat had escaped from Gdansk when Germany invaded Poland. He was second mate on a merchant vessel and the skipper sailed it out into the Baltic and headed north-west toward the coast of Sweden. They managed to escape detection and slipped through the narrow sea passage between Helsingor (in Denmark) and Halsingborg (in Sweden) at night and sailed up the Kaggerat and then through the Skagerrak into the North Sea. The ship headed east to Aberdeen and the crew volunteered their services to fight against Germany. Walmar had been a Communist sympathiser and, after the war, renewed his connection. He was told to stay in Britain and travelled south to become a professional fisherman on the coast of Lincolnshire. Walmar was set up as a ‘sleeper’ agent and he settled in Parfleet St Peter. In time, Walmar married a local girl and bought his own fishing boat. Now, he goes out fishing but has other duties decided by Moscow. Berin, alias Enderby, had come in on the last exchange. It wasn’t his first trip to the U.K. His main assignment for this tour of duty would be to gather information on the new British SAM system, “Red Hawk”. Being based a little south of the RAF base where the tests would be carried out was indeed fortuitous. Information had been sent to Moscow by other sources in Britain. It seemed to him that there must be a highly placed source that was passing the information on. His instructions would come in coded form by radio when they were out fishing. They tuned in to a certain radio programme beamed from Moscow and they picked up key words that provided his instructions when put together. His current instructions that he came with were enough for him to start work.

Walmar had a shed in the harbour precinct with living accommodation at the rear. He had lived in it himself in earlier years when the season had been busy. Now it was reserved for his ‘crew member’, ostensibly as part of his wages. They left the boat and headed for the shed. Dropping tools and gear there, Walmar headed up the street towards his home while Berin headed into his living quarters. They would each have an evening meal and meet about 21.00 hours to head out on a full tide. For Walmar, it was a chance to have time with his wife and two children.

***

About two miles to the north, Corporal Andy Hill was heading into the Airmen’s Mess for the evening meal. He noticed that it was a good mess and the food very good, which said that they had a good catering officer. A change of catering officer could dramatically change the standard of food