One of Our Aircraft Is Missing Page #2

How about it, Bob?

Completely cheese, sir, all tubes blown.

- How about cut out the corners, Frank?

- All set. Shortest route over Mainz.

Alter course to 301 , Johnny.

Bob, destroy your code signals.

l have, sir. They taste filthy.

Speed still dropping, only 90 now.

l'll try a steep dive. Hang on, everybody.

lt's no use, chaps.

We'll have to stooge home on one engine.

At this rate, she may stall any minute.

- Shall l get out and push?

- Where are we, Frank?

Over Holland. Amersfoot.

Can you see a railroad?

l'm not sure. How about you, Tom?

Yes, l think so.

That's the main line

from Amersfoot to Hilversum.

Blast! That's both engines packed up now.

(Engine splutters)

We'll have to jump for it, boys.

- Geoff. George.

- (Both) Sir.

- Frank. Bob. Tom.

- OK.

- l'm here.

- Stand by to abandon aircraft.

Shall we chance it together or go solo?

- Together.

- How?

Bail out along the railroad,

Skipper's last to leave.

lf we all follow the railroad northwest,

we're bound to find each other.

Tom, jump.

Frank, jump.

Geoff, jump.

George, jump.

Bob, jump.

(Engine splutters)

(Engine picks up)

(Birdsong)

- (George) What can you see?

- The Zuider Zee.

Anything else?

Windmills.

Any soldiers?

- No.

- What's the country like? Can you see far?

Yes, miles. Very flat.

What did you expect,

the mountains of Mourne?

No sign of him, then?

The Zuider Zee's no good to us.

How far is it to the North Sea?

- About 38 miles.

- That's not so bad.

- lt's 38 miles too far in this make-up.

- Clothes are the first thing to organise.

- Then there's Bob.

- lt's too bad about Bob.

- l'd rather it'd been John or Frank.

- Oh, would you?

- No offence.

- Anyone got a cigarette?

l haven't. You have lived abroad, Skipper,

and they reckon Frank's a first-class actor.

Sorry, last one.

A football pro is used to travelling with

his team. Bob'll get lost on his own.

Let's face it. He is lost.

We want to watch things like that.

And we'd better keep down too.

Bob might turn up here.

Well, he's three hours overdue.

Got a match?

We've wasted enough time already.

John, you command in the air.

You should command on the ground.

Why should anyone command?

Let's all have a say.

- That won't work.

- l take John's view.

Very well. What do you suggest?

Well...the first thing

we've got to do is to find Bob, obviously.

We can't let him down.

And then... Well, then

we make a plan of campaign.

Decide what to do and what not to do.

- Don't you agree, Tom?

- Hm.

Then er...well, act accordingly.

Very explicit.

Clear as mud.

- Here, come on down.

- l must say, Frank...

Now, listen, l've been lost dozens of times.

Sometimes alone,

sometimes with a regiment,

so l know this much, either we separate

here and now and it's each man for himself,

or we stick together

and somebody must command.

- Who's for separating?

- What are you for yourself?

l'll put another question.

Do we surrender

or do we try and get back home?

- Well, what do you think?

- Frank, you're navigator. Where are we?

l'd say somewhere...somewhere here.

There's Hilversum to the west,

Amsterdam and the Zuider Zee up there.

Now, we want to aim at a spot

somewhere south of Haarlem,

between Zandvoort and Katwijk...

but there's several main roads

and it's swarming with people.

- What's ''polder'' mean?

- Land that's reclaimed. Dykes and dams.

lt's nearly all polder country

south of Haarlem. Tulip fields.

Pity about that, l like a nice tulip.

What are we going to do about our clothes?

We've got to get into civvies somehow.

Well, what's George doing?

- Going swimming in the canal.

- How do you know there is one?

There's always a canal in Holland. The next

best thing to civilian clothes is to have none.

l'll be a swimming Dutchman

and spy out the land.

- Suppose you meet a Dutchman.

- l'll use gestures.

- Suppose it's a girl.

- Can you speak Dutch?

- No.

- Well, l can.

- Well?

- Well enough. Diplomat's Dutch.

l think you're going to be

the swimming Dutchman, my lad.

Shh. Somebody coming, l think.

Vicky! Vicky!

(Pig squeals)

Vicky! Vicky!

(Speak Dutch)

Vicky! Vicky!

That dog spots us, we're jiggered.

(Girl) Willem! Willem!

(Speaks Dutch)

(All) Vicky!

- (Barks)

- Lie down. Get!

Shut up. Shut up.

- (Continues barking)

- Vicky! Vicky!

Willem! Willem!

Maartie! Vicky!

Vicky! Vicky!

- (All) Vicky!

- (Barking)

(Speaks Dutch)

(Speaks haltingly)

Niet...afraid...zijn. Niet rennen weg.

lk vrienden. Engels.

RAF. R-A-F.

R-A-F. R-A-F.

Royal Air Force!

Ja. Royal Air Force. Ben jij een vriend?

Allebjij vrienden.

- He says they're friends.

- Let's go and talk to them.

l hope they don't scram.

(Speaks Dutch)

He asked if we've come to invade Holland.

(Laughs) What with?

Hello.

Hello, young fella.

We jumped out of our aeroplane.

Bailed out.

One, two, three, four...

five, six allez.

Six disparu.

- That's French.

- Well?

Johnny, over to you, over.

(Speaks haltingly) Er... Verloren...lost,

een cameraad, hier ergens.

Heb je hem niet gezien?

Hoe... Your names?

Willem, Maartie.

- Jannie.

- Hendrik.

Jan.

Tom.

Geoff.

Frank. George.

(Speaks Dutch)

- Ja. lk begrijp.

- What's this safety pin gag?

lt's a sign against Germans and quislings.

A safety pin means keep together.

Keep your mouth shut.

(Speaks Dutch)

There's someone at the farm

who speaks English. Her name is Els...

Els...Els Meertens. Els Meertens.

Els Meertens.

- Zij is schooljuffrouw.

- She's a schoolmarm.

Sounds a useful old bird.

ls dit invasie van Holland?

No, young fellow, we have not

come to invade Holland...yet.

l know that much Dutch already.

(Excited chattering)

Kind of a debate going on in there, l think.

(Speaks excitedly in Dutch)

Miss Meertens.

l'll never put a ferret down

a rabbit hole again, l know that.

lt's quite stuffy in here,

as if it might be a trap.

l'm not so sure it isn't.

Must be 20 of them, talking for half an hour.

What about? That's what l'd like to know.

Fetching Germans.

l wouldn't put it past 'em.

- l would.

- You would? Why?

l've been watching the road

ever since we got here.

No one's left the house.

Shh.

(Chattering stops)

Sorry, gentlemen, to have kept you waiting.

l am Els Meertens,

schoolteacher from Emmen.

How do you do, Miss Meertens?

My name is John Glyn Haggard and these...

The identities of all five of you are

of the greatest importance to us

but if you don't mind,

we prefer to check them for ourselves.

Excuse me, Miss Meertens, how do you

propose to find out if we don't tell you?

l see you wear an identity bracelet.

l'm sure you can tell me your friend's name.

Well? Can you or can't you?

- Of course. l've known him a long time.

- l didn't ask how long you had known him.

What is his name?

He's Mr Tom Earnshaw,

our second pilot, of course.

Right.

- You jumped out of your aeroplane, why?

- We didn't want to crash with it.

- Where did it crash?

- lt didn't.

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