The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-05-05

tray Brock, war correspondent,
AZ years IN the Balkans for the
NJ. y. Times and practically en-
route ut this moment to the Eu-
1opean theater for international
News Service, spellbound some
Of US with this breathless story.
we asked him to jot 1t DOWN.
Dear walter: Here's the story
precisely as Bea Tolstoi gave it to
me the other night. think it's
one Of the great, hitherto unwrit-
ten chapters In the war. Scene:
Shepherds Terrace, Cairo. Time:
Later afternoon, November IS, 194l,
Ken Downs, then an ace war cor
respondent for Int'l News Service
4 (he,s now 1t. col. on Terry AL
lens staff in Europe), was finish
ing q Scotch and the last five
pages Of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Godfrey Reyes interrupted him.
Goeffrey, a neutenant-colonel at
the age Of "A (son Of Admiral Roger
Keyes), had ducked a desk job in
England to come out to Egypt. join
the Britishr desert commands and
raid the German and Italian rear
dynaniting airdromes, blowing
bridges, playing general hell with
the enemy, etc. But nowt Ken
Downs told Godfrey Keyes to GO
I way. Ken was absorbed in the
Z fictional last few minutes of Rob-
ert Jordan's life in the Bell, the I'M
x0rgettable last few minutes when
Jordan, with smashed thigh, props
himself against a tree and levels
his tommygun on an approaching
! column of Fascist cavalry -.
Godfrey slept in Ken's room in
the crowded hotel that night. Or
he would have slept: Instead, he
gave way to Downs insistence and
read straight through For Whom
the Bell Tolls" But I've got only
seven hours!' Godfrey Keyes had
protested. Hell with It," retorted
Downs. mo better way to spend
your time. You've got to read
this book" Keyes read it. When
Ken awakened toward dawn, Goef-
frey Reyes had gone. The book lay
on the bed table. Between the last
pages Reyes had tucked note:
Dear Ken: Many thanks. This
His my cup Of tea. Cheers, Goef-
frey"
Reyes was off with Capt. Colin
Campbell and his commands on
the raid to kill Rommel, the raid
that missed Rommel because the
Afrika Korps general was in Rome
on birthday party-but it was
one Of the most daring operations
Of the war and won Reyes his
Victoria Cross-posthumously. Reyes
landed his commands two hundred
miles behind the German lines
beached his landing craft by night
near Sid Rata. They hid two
days and nights in a wadi gully,
trekked twenty miles on D-night
and shaker up to the Afrika Korps
CHG.
Thev attacked with grenades, TOM
EnygunS and machine pistols, Reyes
leading. Keyes killed the first sentry
kicked down the outer door and led
his raiders in, spraying the cor
rider with tommygun and pistol
Startled, frightened German staff
officers poured from their billets
Keyes' men blasted them down. The
sirens went, general alarm.
The Germans got to their arms
began to fight back. Keyes' small
force got smaller. But Godfrey
still leading. took seventeen men
through the last defenses in the
inner stockade to Rommel's own
quarters. Rommers staff aide got
Reyes, q machine pistol fusillade
which almost tore KeyeS' right leg
off. Reyes fell in the doorway,
Colin Campbell. behind him, dragged
Reyes back from the threshold and
hurled two grenades inside. Then
he sprayed the room with his TOM
my gun. Had Rommel been there,
he'd have caught it.
Campbell and sergeant dragged
Keyes back to the outer stockade,
firing as they fell back. Then
Campbell was hit. Get outp Reyes
ordered. Take him out. Leave me
here" They had reached the door
Of the outer stockade. "Give me
that tommygun." Reyes took the
submachinegun and propped him
eelf in the door. Well. The rest OF
sc came from Downs report-as he
got it from the sergeant-and from
Colin Campbell, who wrote from a
German prison camp.
They dragged Campbell to a
tree nearby. His wound was pretty
bad. They gave him morphine and
be began to 60 under. But he could
still see Reyes, in the first grey
.etfeaks Of daylight, proper In the
doorway and blasting away at eth
Germans In the stockade. The SER
Reant ran back to Reyes, but doef-
frey refused aid. He simply de-
handed more clips for his tommy
- The sergeant got them.
dsten-s Reyes fired a burst
- more than two or three Of you
set away. Some Of you. ;" he
I'D again, . long, ehoppy burst
INT drove the Germans back to
eayeF. Fsome Of you must get back
81 report" he fired again and
BANNED home . fresh clip.
TEL them"
Eyes, eirl" snapped the sergeant.
Get word TO Ken Downs" fin
sIsed Keyes. Tel him. II you will,