RETREAT
D------: the only things we've got to listen to are our
superior officer's orders. If you're bombed, every
place has got its old soldiers and they'll tell you how
to build a good shelter or a big enough hole at any
rate. After that all you've got to worry about is a
direct hit. And it doesn't happen very often____
And if there happen to be thirty German tanks or
fifty motor-cyclists wandering about the place you
can bet your life it'll take a lot more than that to
smash the French Army. A whole lot more!'
The train crept forward, very slowly. Above us
German bombers with English fighters on their tails,
were trying to wreck the permanent way. On the
bank women were pointing gleefully from the sky to
the ground to let us know that one of the Germans
had been brought down. I looked at our guard,
who, undisturbed by all the noise, was checking
over his boxes of'finances', and I admired him for it.
At that time I was still hopeful. Although when I
saw the frightening stream of refugees winding all
along the line from Amiens to Creil, I had a feeling
that this was a cataclysm we should never be able to
stop. . . .