THE BATTLE OF FRANCE

when things were not all they should be, just as I
knew that 'gen* referred to a pilot's general know-
ledge ('He has a good "gen." '), 'met/ the meteoro-
logical report and 'reco/ reconnaissance.
"What was the half-past four 'met/ like?'
* Cloud at two thousand, turning to rain frpm
three thousand: no ice formation at three thousand/
'Humph!'

Orders
An hour later, I went with Watson to Wing
Headquarters, accompanied by his navigator, a
sergeant, and his gunner, an aircraftman with
laughing eyes. We made our way to the Intelligence
Office. On one of its walls hung a large map of
Germany studded with red, blue, and gold, to
indicate anti-aircraft gun-sites, balloon barrages,
and squadrons.
'What G.H.Q. want to know," said the Wing
Commander, cis whether there are any troop move-
ments of importance in this region/ He stood on a
chair and indicated a German province. 'And in
this.. .. And if so, in what direction the movements
are taking place. « . . Here's your itinerary/
The sergeant-navigator, serious and painstaking,
wrote in the log the details of the route, the
reconnaissance signals, the zones to be observed.
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