PENTACLE LYRICS

1. Into The Fiery Jaws

Under the guidance of the moon
covered by the german ensign
A small force of nineteen ships are approaching the French coast
St. Nazaire is their goal
To destroy the Normadie dock
To prevent a safe haven for the German terpitz
Through deception and craftsmanship the Germans must be deceived
The Black Cross will guide them through
Together with the altered features
The British force carried the men consisting of commando units

Together with the naval forces
More than 600 will attack
Thursday, March the 26th.
The year is 1914
From The harbor of Falmouth they sail
Under protection of spitfire force
Tense they are, yet in good spirits they travel
Their minds are set on the task to finish
Death or life, no answer can be given
For the future is unknown, but the will is positive
Trained to the utmost, motivated to win
The will to power, the innder fiend

Out-gunned, out-powered by the German foe
The advantage of suprise their biggest ally
Hour after hour en route towards the coast
The convoy approaches the harbor from the southwest
Being challanged bu two signal stations
A few bursts from a German Bofors
Transmitting a delaying message to keep up a German appearance
Closer twords the dock The signal is fired
Yet the game is over and the storm now bursts.

2. Raise The White Ensign!

The masquerade was at an end
The last trump card has been played
Now the fight is on
It's time to raise the White Ensign!
Beattie gave his order for all guns to open fire
The Oerlikens, the twelve Pounder, the Mortars
The Hotchkiss, the Pom-pom, The Brenguns
The Germans didn't wait any longer
And answered their enemy's call by replying with their coastal defenses
To put up a curtain of hail

FIRE! FEUER! From the start the battle wasn't equal
The Germans firing from (fixed and) protected positions
While the British were exposed on exposed on moving platforms
Firing into a blinding white glare After a duel of a few minutes
The British gunners gained superiority
Though it didn't last for long It won them some valuable time
Forward and forward they speeded towards their goal
Closer and closer, came the entrance , the dock and the mole

Here comes the Navy! Focal point of the German fire became the Campletown
Her sides seemed to be alive with bursting shells
The Germans felt the pressure of the firepower of the attackers,
Yet the Campletown took many losses from the moment the action broke loose
Traces, shells, bullets, flying

Beattie and Tibbets kept the ship on a steady coarse
towards it's goal
Defying the searchlights and artillery, onwards she goes
Further...Further...Further...Further...
She goes!...She goes!

3. March Of The Campbletown

[Instrumental]

4. A Devil's Shooting Gallery

Four minutes late, but the largest has been reached
The Campbletown lies stopped, crashed into the caisson
Opening the valves to scuddle the ship
Patiently awaiting, her hour of Death
With Iron-runged ladders
The commandos embark
Down they went under heavy fire
Supported by the Oerlikons
Moving at the double
Carrying weapons and many explosives
Illuminated by searchlights, in a moonlike gloom

The men advance towards their objectives
Sometimes no opposition, other times lighting hard
All around the noise of shots and explosions
Everywhere the crackle of machineguns
The bursts of the Oerlikens
The crashed of high explosives
The roar of the commandos' charges
Destroying the pump houses
Demolishing the far caisson
Blowing up the winding houses
Silencing the defenses

Each target has been reached
Success in an utmost degree
In battle with the bunkers
Throwing hand grenades
Blazing with Brens and Thomsons
The positions were overrun
Opposition was fierce, a deadly game evolved
The Germans and the British were fighting hand-to-hand

The protection and demolishing teams were retreating
Under the fire of the German ships less than half an
hour after the landing took place
The commandos demolition objectives had been fulfilled
The Forme Eeluse was useless, certainly a year at least
Pritchard's daring operation was already a success

5. The Utmost Desolation

Attacking the old entrance and the defended old mole
The seventeen ML's have as task to embark the commandos
Yet without distraction from the Royal Air Force
The coastal defenses put all their efforts in stopping the small boats
The first group has to land at the old mole
The second group has as target the centre of the assault area
Both groups have their own specific goal
Defending the old town and destroying the dockyard
The ML's wooden structure offers little protection
When the germans found their rage to let go their fire
Many different pieces found their illuminated targets
Opening up their fire, hitting flesh, wood and metal
Courage - isn't enough as protection against a sudden death
Fighting - to rescue their lives with little chance to come out alive
Igniting or been blown up
Burning petrol is beeing spread
Trapping the survivors of the ML's
The whole river is like a hell
Burning...
Drowning...
"Please..."
"Help Me!!!"
Floating furnaces drifting on water
Cremation oh hope and valor
The end of many young lives
The sky is on fire
No fortified harbor can be attcked by wooden ML's
Yet they fought as they did, landed troops on the mole
Eight motor launches got to sea again
Achieved through skill and courage they live to fight again

6. (Storming Through) A Hail Of Steel

My heart is beating in my throat
My nerves are strecthed to the max
My blood is pumping zhrough my veins
My muscles are ready to react
The iron bridge lies in front of me
It's structure is illuminated by the flares
The land beyond is my target now
To escape from the German revenge
Only a few seconds to go
Before I have to run
Will I make it to the other side
Or will I meet my doom
Colonel Newman gives his order
"Away you go, lads!"
As fast as I can I get on my feed
To storm towards bridge D
Left and right the bullets pass me
Over my head I hear them go
The traces are coming towards me
Yet, there's no time to duck
Faster and faster my legs move
From the hip I open fire
My bullets are now covering the pillbox
I see my friends fall
Hell is now all around me
Friend and foe, they perish
I open fire at a figure ahead of me
I see he drops his gun
The end of the bridge is in sight
Almost I've accomplished my goal
Only a few meters left
Safety is now in reach
Suddenly I notice a German gunner
He points his K98 at me
His finger turns white, the blast of the bullet
Dark is my sight

7. The Last Fight (ML 306's Stand)

8. Awaiting The Blast Of Death

PENTACLE LYRICS