Challenge 7

Top Secret: For your eyes only

Karl, Operation Cathedral Tower has been approved and our agents are arranging to provide you with the TNT you requested in your last message STOP This will be shipped on a Dutch fishing vessel which will land at the marshes off Old Leigh at two am on Friday December tenth STOP They will signal their arrival by flashing their navigation lights in Morse code to spell out the word “FLAT” and you will reply “TYRE” STOP If you believe that you are being watched then abandon the rendezvous and try again at intervals of two days, three days, five days and seven days STOP Do not attempt to make contact with the boat or its crew in any other way STOP The explosive is stable but should be treated with care STOP The fuses are the most recent product of our research and technology division and carry triple triggers STOP They have a timer circuit which may be set for any period from three minutes to seventeen hours STOP They can also be triggered by a tripwire assembly or the fuse mechanism can be replaced with a hand grenade mechanism STOP Since these charges have been shaped for demolition use we do not recommend using these devices in combat since you have no certainty that the charge will land in an orientation that will maximise its destructive potential STOP The trip wire option is also deprecated, since it is more likely that the explosives will be discovered if they are attached to such a trigger, and moreover it would be difficult to coordinate the charges using such a device STOP The charges themselves are small, but the geometry of the package will focus the blast so it is imperative that you install these charges in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions STOP In order to maximise the damage to the towers the engineers recommend that you set charges on three of the legs of each tower, with charges two and three set to explode in sequence after charge one STOP Set an additional delay of thirty seconds for charge two and one minute twenty-five seconds for charge three STOP As the first leg buckles it will stress the frame so that the shockwave of the second charge will distort the supporting members STOP With the third explosion the frame should buckle, resulting in the total destruction of the towers, but this sequence will make site clearance and reconstruction harder to accomplish STOP The delay with charge three also increases the likelihood that soldiers will have arrived on site in time to be caught in the third blast, increasing confusion and loss of morale STOP If it is possible to climb the tower in advance of the demolition to get more detailed images of the aerial and amplifier circuitry then this should be attempted, however if there is any guard presence then no risks should be taken in this regard STOP We must leave it to you to determine the most effective targets for the operation, but the demolition must happen simultaneously at all sites for two reasons STOP First, in order to prevent our enemy from disrupting the operation once they realise what is happening STOP Second, we must leave no doubt that this was an act of war STOP There is a risk that the British government may try to reach an accommodation with the Fuhrer dividing the world between their dying Empire, and ours just as it is born STOP The only way to ensure that we can truly supplant them is to draw them into a war they cannot win, and this project will be the provocation that ensures that this will happen STOP The planning division has determined that January first will be the optimal night for the attack, as it coincides with a New Moon STOP They suggest that you split into two teams to attack the Edmund St Caistor and Canewdon sites, opening a corridor along the Thames for our forthcoming air raids STOP The support teams should set up lookout posts at the targets in advance of the attack so that you can monitor guard movements and make a final assessment of the security STOP Following the operation the sabotage teams should rendezvous together with the support teams at the home of the local Ortsgruppe chief in South Maldon STOP A U-Boat will stand by to pick you all up at three forty-seven January second, with a fallback rendezvous of one thirteen on the thirteenth when the search should have died down STOP You will need to gain access to a boat capable of carrying you all out to meet it STOP There are very many fishing vessels in this neighbourhood and we recommend stealing one after the operation STOP It might feel less secure that obtaining one in advance, however we must do everything we can to prevent suspicion in advance of the operation STOP If this mission succeeds then it will be only a matter of days before the war begins, and your three comrades in London will play a crucial role in coordinating our intelligence efforts behind enemy lines STOP We have been watching and listening carefully for signs that the operation could have been compromised, and as a result of those enquiries we have discovered a new top-secret agency known only by the acronym BOSS STOP We have been unable to infiltrate this group, but it is known that the leader is someone with the initial H and that they are taking the lead on signals intelligence STOP The head of the Counterintelligence branch uses the code name Pearl and we will be making every effort to discover her identity STOP While the declaration of war and the destruction of the RDF system are the central goals of this operation, the London triangle will be key to ensuring a flow of high-quality intelligence to inform our battle plans STOP Without their communications we will be unable to monitor British plans, placing German lives at unnecessary risk STOP If there is any chance that members of your group could be captured and interrogated then you should abandon the sabotage operation and return to Tirpitzufer STOP Protecting the identity of the Triangle is of far greater long-term importance to us STOP We can find other ways to provoke the war, but we would find it more difficult to ensure that we can win it without a network of agents in the capital STOP The mission will be regarded as a success only if we can guarantee their safety STOP To increase the security of the London triangle it is crucial that the clock cipher device and the associated code books reach our London agents STOP The device cannot be allowed to fall into enemy hands, and this must be the top priority STOP If you are captured then the codebook containing the keys to the cipher must be destroyed STOP It is printed on special paper that should easily dissolve, but it can also be ingested if necessary STOP When using the machine, take care to erase the cipher alphabet after use and to delete the key from the codebook to ensure that no-one uses the same key twice STOP This will also reduce the risk of the keyed cipher falling into enemy hands STOP If capture appears imminent then use one of the shaped charges to destroy the device, preferably burying it together with the charge to increase the destructive power and make it harder to reconstruct STOP Everyone in the movement will be praying for your success, and your courage and commitment to the Fatherland will be praised for ever STOP You are an inspiration to us all STOP Wishing you luck in the final phase of the operation STOP Yours, Uncle Wilhelm