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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. CHAPTER ONE
  4. CHAPTER TWO
  5. CHAPTER THREE
  6. CHAPTER FOUR
  7. CHAPTER FIVE
  8. CHAPTER SIX
  9. CHAPTER SEVEN
  10. CHAPTER EIGHT
  11. CHAPTER NINE
  12. CHAPTER TEN
  13. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  14. CHAPTER TWELVE
  15. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  16. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  18. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  20. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  21. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  32. CHAPTER THIRTY
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  42. CHAPTER FORTY
  43. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. ‘The Survivors’ Ad
  54. ‘The Betrayal’ Ad
  55. ‘The Liberation’ Ad
  56. Copyright

There was a chorus of murmurs but the colonel quelled any rising unrest with a firm nod of agreement. ‘That is why, Monsieur le Maire, as part of the tour, we will be taking you over to the concrete igloos where the nuclear bombs are stored and we will be explaining a certain number of safety measures that are in place.’ He reintroduced the smile. ‘Don’t worry, none of the bombs is armed. That process only takes place once a bomb is onboard the aircraft. And now,’ he indicated the door, ‘before the tour, let us demonstrate the awesome power that the Soviet Union is up against. It so happens that one of America’s mighty Convair B-36 aircraft is overflying France today, so we are fortunate that it will be performing a fly-past for us here at Dumoulin Air Base. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Peacemaker.’

A USAF airman, wearing uniform trousers so crisp they looked to Léon like they might snap if he bent a leg, whisked open the door and from outside rolled the sound of thunder, but louder, longer, stronger than any thunder they had ever heard. A mighty growing roar. For a moment it felt to Léon as if the end of the world was coming.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

I am outside. Staring up at the sky. For a split second I couldn’t think straight. The noise pummelled my brain. Six 28-cylinder engines roared past just over my head and all I could feel was the power of the great Peacemaker on its fly-past, the ferocious mind-bending power. Called the Peacemaker because you only needed to take one look at it coming for you and you would go down on bended knees to make peace immediately.

But I wasn’t ready to make peace. Not now. Not while these men of war were gazing with such devotion up into the skies that they were missing what was right under their noses.

We had all been herded outside and divided into four groups for the tour, ready to view the camp recreational facilities – the gym, swimming pool, cinema, bars, games room, library, boxing ring, as well as the church, hospital and technical control centre. It struck me as a bad idea. Like showing starving kids the steak and chips you get to eat every night.

‘First,’ announced Major Joel Dirke, ‘we will show you the stars of the show today – the aircraft themselves. But don’t go too close. I wouldn’t want any VIP guests to get sucked up by a jet or pulverised by a propeller.’ He waved his hand like a magician producing them out of a hat and we all turned to inspect the large group of planes at the start of the runway, engines already fired up. ‘Thunderjet fighters at the front. The B-50 bombers at the rear.’