INGRID DOWS - AN ALTERNATE STORY PART 3 - THE SPACE AGE by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 15 – GOVERNOR OF PALESTINE

 

08:43 (Jerusalem Time)

Thursday, September 13, 1951 ‘C’

Port of Haifa, British Mandated Palestine

 

Colonel Moshe Dayan didn’t know if he should swear or cheer on as he watched dozens of American U.S. Marine Corps M47 medium tanks roll off U.S. Navy amphibious landing ships and on the quays of the port of Haifa, along with a multitude of light and medium trucks and twelve big 155mm self-propelled guns. On one hand, he should swear at those American reinforcements because they would represent an insurmountable obstacle for the planned Arab eviction operations of the Haganah in Northern Palestine. On the other hand, they would also provide a very effective protection to prevent Arab irregulars’ attacks against the Jewish settlements situated along the borders with Lebanon and Syria. Asking his aide to keep counting the number and types of the American vehicles rolling off ships, Dayan then walked back to the pickup truck which had carried him to the port area and picked up the handset of a portable radio which had once belonged to the British Army.

‘’Megiddo Two, this is Megiddo One, over!’’

‘’Go ahead, Megiddo One!’’ answered his second-in-command, whom Dayan had sent to watch the ex-British airbase at Ramat David, some twenty kilometers southeast of Haifa, where dozens of heavy American transport aircraft had been landing for a good three hours already.

‘’Megiddo Two, what is happening presently at Ramat David, over?’’

‘’A lot of troops and light and medium trucks are being landed there, Megiddo One. They seem to be mostly light infantry or paratrooper units, with the vast majority of the vehicles being jeeps and Dodge ¾-ton trucks. Up to now, I evaluate that light infantry force at about brigade size, or around 2,500 troops. However, a second wave of transport aircraft has started to replace the aircraft of the first wave, so we could end up soon with a couple of brigades here, or even a whole infantry division. What is happening in Haifa, over?’’

‘’We have at least a battalion of M47 medium tanks, along with a dozen 155mm self-propelled guns and dozens of trucks of all types. We are looking at a minimum at a full mechanized brigade being unloaded here. Things definitely won’t be the same in the region with all these Americans now in country. Keep observing Ramat David and make a count of what you will see land there. On my part, I will finish my count here in Haifa, then will report to Jerusalem. Megiddo One, out!’’

Putting down the handset, Dayan then started returning towards his aide but quickly stopped and looked up at the western horizon as he started hearing the noise of rotors. Two large groups of helicopters then grew in the sky, flying eastward towards Haifa. Dayan clenched his teeth when he recognized the helicopters of the first wave to be sixteen American AH-4 attack helicopters carrying a mix of fuel drop tanks and rocket pods. The AH-4 had already proven to be utterly murderous and a very dangerous and tough machine in the mere week since the first American troops had landed in Palestine. The men of the Haganah and of the Irgun and Lehi had quickly found out at their own expense that the AH-4 was close to invulnerable to simple rifle fire and had thus gained a near panicky attitude to seeing them fly around. From their direction of flight, they were probably going to land in Ramat David, where they would be able to react quickly to anything happening in Northern Palestine. That General Dows, who was still commanding from Jerusalem but who also frequently travelled around the whole country, was apparently enjoying the full support of President Dewey. That, plus her mastery of tactics and strategy, made her a truly dangerous opponent, an opponent that Dayan couldn’t help admire and respect.

 

10:25 (Jerusalem Time)

Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount

Old city of Jerusalem

 

Denise Bateman was both nervous and in awe as she followed

closely Ingrid while walking with her towards the large golden dome of one of the most sacred buildings in Islam, the Dome of the Rock, situated on the stone esplanade of the Temple Mount, itself close to the Al Aqsa Mosque and to the original site of the long-gone Jewish Temple of Jerusalem. Nervous because the Temple Mount was not normally a welcoming place for non-Muslims; in awe because of all the history and religious meaning which now surrounded her. While she was by birth a Protestant, Denise was basically a non-practicing person and held no bias against either Jews or Muslims. However, the question was now how the Muslims here would regard her and Ingrid.

 

She felt a bit better when the two Jordanian Arab Legion soldiers and one officer guarding the main entrance of the Dome of the Rock came to attention and saluted Ingrid, who returned their salute before addressing in Arabic the Arab Legion lieutenant.

‘’Salam Aleikum, Lieutenant! I have a meeting arranged here with the Grand Mufti.’’

The young Jordanian officer eyed the four stars pinned to her epaulettes and bowed to her.

‘’Aleikum Salam, General! The Grand Mufti is waiting for you inside. Please follow me. You will however have to take off your boots before entering the mosque.’’

‘’Of course, Lieutenant!’’ replied Ingrid before walking to the main door, where she, Denise and the lieutenant took their footwear off before walking into the large Islamic building. Once inside, the lieutenant guided the two American women down a hallway which went around the prayer hall proper, to finally stop in front of a door and knocking on it before opening it.

‘’You may go in, General. I will stay here with your driver.’’

‘’Thank you, Lieutenant.’’

Ingrid took the time to remove her pistol from its holster and to hand it to Denise for safekeeping during her talk with the Grand Mufti, attracting an approving nod from the Jordanian officer. Now unarmed, she entered a large lounge decorated in the Islamic fashion, with a few large and thick cushions surrounding a low tea table set in the middle of the room. Hussam ad-Din Jarallah was standing near the tea table and bowed to Ingrid, who returned his bow.

‘’Welcome to the Dome of the Rock, General Dows, or should I call you Aïsha, or Agar?’’

‘’Please call me simply ‘General’, Your Excellency: I am here as a representative of the President of the United States.’’

‘’’General’ it will be then. Let’s sit down and have some tea before we start our discussion.’’

‘’Thank you, Your Excellency!’’

As soon as they were both sitting on the cushions, a male servant brought in a tea service and poured two cups of hot tea, then left. Ingrid took a slow sip of her tea, imitated by the Grand Mufti, then spoke to him in a most polite tone.

 

‘’Your Excellency, I came here to ask you permission for something that may prove very controversial to most Muslims in this land. However, what I am going to ask for is meant to help reestablish peace between the various ethnic and religious groups living in Palestine. As you most assuredly know, the Temple Mount was the location of the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem for centuries, and this until it was destroyed by the Romans some nineteen centuries ago, at the same time many of the Jews of this land were either killed or forced into exile by those same Romans. This location is thus as sacred to the Jews as it is to all Muslims. However, Jews can only pray off the Temple Mount, at the Wailing Wall, which is part of the foundations of the Temple Mount, while access to this esplanade is presently forbidden to them. ’’ The Grand Mufti’s expression hardened a bit when he understood what Ingrid was about to ask.

‘’You wish to give back access to the Temple Mount to the Jews, General?’’

‘’Not only to the Jews but to all who would wish to visit it and pay their respects to the Holy sites, Your Excellency. However, that is only part of my request. What I would like would be your permission to let the Jews build a new Jewish temple on the Temple Mount, one where they could pray again but that would not impede or eclipse either the Dome of the Rock or the Al Aqsa Mosque. The Arab Legion would still maintain order on the esplanade, while you would still have authority over the Temple Mount, except for the Jewish Temple and its immediate surrounding area. I realize that this is asking a lot from you and the Muslim people but I am imploring you to agree to this, as this gesture of goodwill could well help bring durable peace to Palestine. The influx of Jewish, Muslim and Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem that this would create would also be most beneficial to the regional economy. While Jewish religious authorities would be responsible for the design and building of this new temple, I will make sure that their plans will not encroach on the Islamic areas of the esplanade and that they will respect the Muslim faithful.’’

‘’Excuse me if I am a bit skeptical about your promise to keep control of the Jewish actions concerning the Temple Mount, General. Up to now, the Jewish Agency has shown us only hypocrisy, lies and intolerance. Their main problem is that they want it all, justifying their demands on their Bible.’’

‘’Oh, I know how they can lie when it suits them, Your Excellency. However, the United States is presently investing a lot of efforts and troops in order to return peace to Palestine and to stop acts of intimidations, ethnic cleansing and violence. However, in order to ensure a sustained peace, everyone will need to show goodwill and tolerance. If not, then Palestine will be plunged into a cycle of successive wars for the decades to come. Tens of thousands would die, while hundreds of thousands more would be dispossessed of their homes and lands and will become refugees. Please help me to avoid such a dreadful future for this land, Your Excellency.’’ The Grand Mufti was silent for a long moment as he weighed her words, then nodded once his head.

‘’Alright, General: I will speak to the other Muslim authorities in the region about your proposal. However, we will definitely want to see what the Jews’ response to this will be and will also want to look at the design, location and size of temple they will suggest, subject to our veto.’’

While Ingrid didn’t like the use of the word ‘veto’ by the Grand Mufti, Ingrid counted herself lucky for him not dismissing outright her request. Now, the next big challenge for her was going to be to persuade the Jewish Agency to show some accommodation and restraint on its part in this business.

 

When she walked out of the meeting lounge and joined up with Denise, Ingrid’s preoccupied look worried a bit her driver, who asked her a question in a low voice as she gave her back her GLOCK 17L pistol.

‘’How did it go, General?’’

‘’Better than I had expected. However, this will still be nearly a ‘mission impossible’ to pull. Well, time to go meet with the other big player in this problem: let’s go talk with the Jewish Agency.’’

 

10:31 (Washington Time)

Wednesday, September 19, 1951 ‘C’

House of Representatives Chamber

United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

United States

 

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was nearly boiling with anger as he raised his hand to ask to be recognized by the Speaker of the House after Representative Francis Eugene Walter had finished with his speech.

‘’I request permission to respond to Representative Walter, Mister Speaker.’’ The Speaker, Joseph Martin, was surprised to see a Democrat wanting to respond to the speech of another Democrat but, himself being angered by Walter’s words, nodded and banged his gavel once.

‘’The Representative from the Eleventh District of Massachusetts is recognized.’’

‘’Thank you, Mister Speaker.’’ replied John before walking to the standing microphone set in the alley between the seats occupied by the Democrats and those occupied by the Republicans. He didn’t need crutches to get there, as his Addison Disease had disappeared for good as if by a miracle since that intimate massage by Ingrid Dows some five months ago. Adjusting first the microphone to his height, John then started speaking in a firm voice while looking alternatively to his left and to his right at his fellow representatives.

‘’Ladies and gentlemen of the House, what I want to do now is to respond to the slanderous and cowardly accusations and insults just made by Representative Walter against our most meritorious national hero, General Ingrid Dows. As you must know, General Dows is presently in Palestine, working hard to reestablish peace there while risking her life constantly to extremist attacks and threats. General Dows was in fact targeted by Jewish extremists of the Irgun militia right on the day of her arrival, an attack in which six British soldiers and one American marine were either killed or wounded and in which she personally led the charge which sent her attackers fleeing in disorder. Since then, American troops commanded by her have succeeded in greatly stamping down the violence around Palestine and in stopping the intimidation, killings and acts of ethnic cleansing which were targeting local innocent civilians, both Jews and Arabs. Yet, the representative from Pennsylvania has called her a Socialist, a possible Communist and an anti-Semite and called for her forced recall to the United States and for her to have to justify herself in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Let me remind you first, ladies and gentlemen, that General Dows was born a German Jew and that her actions during World War 2 were instrumental in putting a stop to the genocide being committed at the time by the Nazis against the Jews of Europe. So much for her being an anti-Semite! As for being a possible Communist, may I remind Representative Walter that she personally piloted the bomber which struck the Kremlin in Moscow in 1949, killing Joseph Stalin and most of his followers in the process? Far from being a Communist, General Dows was recognized by Joseph Stalin as being a mortal threat to his communist regime, with Stalin then sending his agents to assassinate her on three occasions. However, General Dows killed or captured all of those Soviet agents. As for being a so-called Socialist, does treating all of your employees equally, fairly and decently qualify you as a Socialist? Do you have to be an exploitative bastard to be called a Capitalist and a good American? No! If you answer ‘yes’ to that question, then you would deserve and most probably would get the contempt and opprobrium of most Americans. I actually suspect that Representative Walter’s objections against General Dows have a lot more to do with the fact that General Dows is against racism of any kind and that she treats all her employees at Hughes Aircraft equally, irrespective of race, sex or religious beliefs. We in fact need more American citizens like her, not less. I thus urge you to reject Representative Walter’s request for the House to issue a subpoena to General Dows, something which would force her to suspend her work in Palestine in order to answer those ridiculous accusations against her in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen.’’

As John Kennedy returned to his seat, Joseph Martin spoke in his microphone.

‘’Does anyone else wish to speak on this subject?’’

Having expected John Stephens Wood, the representative of the 9th District of Georgia and chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee, to ask to speak in defense of Walter, Joseph Martin was surprised to see Wood stay mum. Maybe Wood had sensed the derision and contempt for Walter’s accusations now floating around the chamber and had decided to not attract flak on himself on behalf of his committee member. Quite pleased by this, Martin then banged his gavel three times.

‘’Since there are no Representatives wishing to speak on this subject, the House will now pass to the next item in the day’s agenda...’’

 

14:29 (Washington Time)

Friday, September 21, 1951 ‘C’

The Oval Office, The White House

Washington, D.C.

 

Having been advised by telephone that his White House chief of staff, Sherman Adams, wanted to see him, Thomas Dewey was a bit surprised to see Adams enter with his public relations officer, Jeff Reed, and his top White House pollster expert, Roger Carville.

‘’Uh, what do you have for me this afternoon, gentlemen?’’

‘’Mister President, we came to talk to you about the actions of General Dows in Palestine: they are inflaming the opinions of our Jewish-American citizens, who are nearly unanimous in condemning her. The latest opinion polls show that we went down by a full five percent because of her actions in Palestine.’’ Sherman Adams, who had expected Dewey to show alarm at that news, instead saw his expression harden as he sat back in his presidential chair.

‘’So, if I understand you well, General Dows, while trying to prevent a civil war and religious massacres in Palestine, should be recalled because our Jewish-American citizens don’t like the fact that she is treating equally both Jews and Arabs in Palestine, is that it?’’

‘’Uh, actually, it is a bit more complicated than that, Mister President. A Jewish national state in Palestine has been a long-cherished dream for most Jews in the World, including in the United States. After the horrors visited on them by the Nazis, it is more than understandable that they would wish to realize that dream. Yet, General Dows actions have all but condemned that dream to oblivion with her insistence of a quote ‘Palestine for all’ agenda.’’

Dewey’s expression then became even harder as he looked at the three men with unsympathetic eyes.

‘’So, a dream that could well result in a series of wars in the Middle East in the years to come is more important to you than to prevent ethnic cleansing on a large scale and the dispossession and killings of thousands of innocent civilians? And you think that I would condone this kind of crass political maneuver, just on the strength of a few polls? I personally sent General Dows to Palestine as my plenipotentiary envoy, so that she could prevent a bloody civil war there. Well, she is up to now doing a top-notch job of it and is confounding her critiques about every day. She will stay in Palestine, whether our Jewish-American citizens like it or not, gentlemen . In fact, I...’’ Dewey’s intercom then buzzed, cutting him off. The President activated its ‘link’ button and then heard the voice of his executive secretary.

‘’Mister President, Secretary of State Lodge is here and wants to see you urgently.’’

‘’Did he tell you what it is about?’’

‘’Yes, Mister President: it is about Palestine.’’

‘’Very well: send him in.’’

Switching off his intercom, Dewey then looked back at his three visitors.

‘’You may stay and listen on, gentlemen. Please have seats.’’ As Adams, Reed and Carville went to take place on a sofa, Henry Cabot Lodge entered the Oval Office at a quick pace, a big smile on his face.

‘’Mister President, we just got excellent news from Jerusalem. General Dows has succeeded in arranging a deal between the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and David Ben Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. Basically, the Grand Mufti accepted to let the Jewish Agency build a new Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount, in the old city of Jerusalem, on the condition that the Jews visiting the Temple Mount would respect the Islamic buildings there and would restrict themselves to a specific area of the esplanade. Dows has also managed to make both sides agree to a ceasefire across the whole of Palestine.’’

Dewey’s reaction was to slap the top of his desk with one hand while shouting enthusiastically.

‘’I KNEW THAT SHE WAS GOING TO SUCCEED! WHAT A WOMAN!’’ Adams exchanged befuddled looks with Reed and Carville on hearing that, then asked a question to Lodge.

‘’And what does that mean in practical terms, Secretary Lodge?’’

‘’Basically, at the least a temporary stop to acts of terrorism by either Jews and Arabs, the freezing of all operations by irregular forces and the future opening of access to the Temple Mount to all, be they Christians, Jewish or Muslims. Dows has thus disarmed one of the biggest arguments the Jewish Agency had about creating a Jewish state of Israel, by giving the Jews the possibility of praying on the Temple Mount. My own Middle East experts had thought that to be impossible to achieve but Dows did it! Mister President, the United States should support that agreement and ceasefire to the maximum.’’

‘’I fully agree on that, Henry. Prepare a public statement to that effect and make sure that the Arab governments around Palestine understand that we support that agreement and that any move on their part to try to sabotage that ceasefire will be looked at very dimly by us. Tell them as well that the American forces in the Mediterranean area will be ready to back this deal up, by force if necessary.’’

‘’It will be done, Mister President.’’

Lodge then walked out of the Oval Office, leaving Dewey to look rather coldly at the three men still sitting in a sofa.

‘’Gentlemen, know that I am less than pleased by the fact that you were ready to throw General Dows under the bus simply because some of our citizen s didn’t like her actions in Palestine. Another stunt like that and you will force me to fire all three of you. Am I clear on that?’’

‘’Uh, yes, Mister President.’’ could only say Adams before walking out with Reed and Carville. Dewey watched them go, then sat back in his chair while letting out a sigh of disappointment.

‘’Damn! I really wish that Dows could work here at the White House full time.’’

 

16:11 (Jerusalem Time)

Friday, September 28, 1951 ‘C’

Compound of the Jewish Agency headquarters

Rehavia District, Jerusalem, Mandated Palestine

 

‘’So, how did it go, General?’’ asked Denise Bateman, who had been waiting in her jeep while Ingrid had been talking with David Ben Gurion. Ingrid sat in the front passenger seat before answering her.

‘’Reasonably well, Denise: Ben Gurion has graduated from shouting at me to simple nitpicking in two weeks. We have now established the marked route the Jewish pilgrims who will wish to pray on the Temple Mount will have to stick to, in order to not provoke the Muslims who would be praying at the Dome of the Rock or at the Al Aqsa Mosque. By Middle East standards, this is good progress. Let’s go back to the consulate, so that I could prepare and send a report to Washington.’’

‘’Yes, General!’’ replied Denise before starting her engine and putting her jeep into gear. She then rolled out of the walled compound of the Jewish Agency headquarters and headed east, towards the Old City, near which was the United States General Consulate. As she drove, Denise paid attention to both the road and to the buildings she was passing by: she and Ingrid were rolling through a Jewish-controlled district of Jerusalem and to say that Ingrid was not very popular here would be an understatement.

 

As their jeep was rolling along Ramban Street, a pickup truck suddenly emerged from a side street, then braked hard to a stop across an intersection, blocking it. Two men who had been sitting in the cargo box then produced submachine guns, making Ingrid shout a warning to Denise.

‘’AMBUSH! STEP ON IT!’’

Denise reacted at once, brutally veering to the right in order to go around the pickup truck while pressing the accelerator. As the jeep mounted on the sidewalk to avoid the truck, the two men in the box opened automatic fire, trying to aim at the jeep. However, Denise’s quick reflexes made their shooting quite imprecise, with a few bullets striking the jeep but not its occupants. The two women were however not out of trouble yet, as a second vehicle, a sedan car, cut its path. This time, the jeep collided directly with that car, severely shaking the occupants of both vehicles. Somehow, Denise managed to recuperate faster than the occupants of the car and forcibly pushed it out of the way with the front bumper of her jeep. She was about to succeed in freeing her jeep and accelerate, when a burst of submachine gun fire swept the jeep from behind. To her horror, Denise saw Ingrid get hit as she was about to return fire with her carbine, to then drop flat over the backrest of her seat. Now enraged and ready to defend Ingrid at all coast, Denise pulled out her Colt .357 Magnum service revolver and, getting on her feet while twisting around, fired at the two gunmen in the box of the pickup truck, which was only some ten meters from the jeep. Her first shot downed one of the two gunmen, while her second shot was fired at about the same time as the remaining gunman fired his STEN submachine gun. Denise had the satisfaction to see that gunman tumble out of the truck before the driver of that vehicle shot at her through his opened window. Denise felt a shock and a brief, searing pain to her chest before her vision became blurred, then passed out.

 

A British motorized patrol which was rolling westward along Agron Street, which was the continuation of Ramban Street, was a mere 400 meters away when its occupants heard a brief but intense firefight ahead. The young British paratrooper lieutenant in charge of the patrol immediately gave an order to the driver of his light truck.

‘’ACCELERATE! GET READY TO FIGHT, MEN!’’

The young officer then grabbed his .303 Enfield Assault Rifle and took its safety off. Using his binoculars as his driver was speeding down the street, he soon shouted out to his six paratroopers sitting in the back of the truck.

‘’I SEE AN AMERICAN JEEP SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO CIVILIAN VEHICLES. I ALSO SEE TWO ARMED MEN COMING OUT OF THE CAR AND PICKUP TRUCK. ENGAGE THEM BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THAT AMERICAN JEEP OR ITS OCCUPANTS! USE ONLY SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIRE!’’ His paratroopers, very fit, very well-trained soldiers who were mostly battle-hardened veterans from World War 2, reacted at once and efficiently, with two of them leaning over the top of their truck and pointing their assault rifles while two other soldiers braced them solidly by grabbing the back of their web gear and holding them steady as they fired their weapons. Their lieutenant, who was still observing with his binoculars, saw one of the armed irregulars stop next to the jeep and raise his submachine gun, evidently intent on giving the ‘coup the grâce’ to the two Americans lying inside the jeep. That man however didn’t have a chance to fire his weapon before being shot down by British rifle fire. The same happened to the second gunman who had approached the jeep, who barely had time to pivot around to face the incoming British patrol before his head exploded. As his driver was still racing towards the site of the ambush, the young lieutenant got on his tactical radio and called his unit ’s command post.

‘’Fox Alpha Zero, this is Fox Alpha Two Charlie! We have an armed irregular group which just ambushed an American jeep on Ramban Street, near the Jewish Agency headquarters. I can see at least two inert persons in that American jeep. We are engaging those irregulars and will quickly need some backup, over!’’

‘’Fox Alpha Two Charlie, I acknowledge your message.’’ answered the duty operations officer at the command post. ‘’I will send at once our alert reaction force from the Allenby Barracks. Do your best to save those Americans, over.’’

‘’Will do, Fox Alpha Zero! Fox Alpha Two Charlie, out!’’

When their light truck arrived within fifty meters from the jeep and two civilian vehicles, the young officer ordered his driver to stop, then jumped out with four of his paratroopers to run towards the jeep, their assault rifles at the ready. The driver of the sedan car tried to back out and flee the scene but was quickly peppered with rifle fire and ended up crashing against the front of a local boutique. Another irregular who tried to flee on foot was also gunned down before he could go hide in one of the buildings lining the street. With his four soldiers securing the scene of the ambush, the British lieutenant hurried to the American jeep, in which he could now see clearly the inert bodies of two Americans wearing combat uniforms. As he got closer, he was able to see that those two Americans were actually women, young ones. The driver, a very pretty blonde wearing the stripes of a sergeant, unfortunately proved to be dead. The real shock was when he went to check out the second woman: she was wearing the rank insignias of a four-star general! The lieutenant knew of only one American woman of general rank present in Palestine: General Ingrid Dows, the American plenipotentiary envoy to Palestine. Anxiously checking her out for vital signs, he felt some relief on finding a pulse, albeit weak, and signs of breathing. However, the right side of Dows’ head was covered with blood and he could see a long and deep gash across her right temple. There was also a bullet entry wound below her right shoulder, marking a possible lung perforation. He quickly understood that any delay now would most probably result in her death. He thus clicked the microphone switch of his radio headset at the same time that he started extracting a field bandage from one of his cargo pockets.

‘’Fox Alpha Zero, this is Fox Alpha Two Charlie! The American jeep caught in an ambush on Ramban Street was carrying General Ingrid Dows. She is alive but gravely wounded, while her driver is dead, over.’’

‘’From Fox Alpha Zero: carry general Dows at once to the nearest hospital, which would be the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus. Leave part of your element to secure the scene of that ambush, over.’’

‘’Will do! Fox Alpha Two Charlie, out!’’

The lieutenant then pointed at two of his men.

‘’Brown, Collier, help me carry General Dows into our truck: we are going to bring her to the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus.’’

As their officer hurriedly applied a bandage over Dow’s chest wound, which showed pink bubbles characteristic of a perforated lung, his two soldiers got closer to the jeep in order to be ready to carry her to their light truck. While doing so, one of the soldiers got very close to one of the dead gunmen and froze for a moment before looking at his officer.

‘’SIR, ONE OF THE GUNMEN WAS THAT MENACHEM BEGIN BASTARD!’’

‘’So, the Irgun attacked General Dows, despite of the ceasefire she had arranged. They are going to regret this, I swear. Okay, be ready to move and carry her to our truck but be gentle about it: she is in a poor state.’’ As his two soldiers delicately carried Ingrid’s inert body to their truck, their lieutenant took the time to retrieve the carbine lying in the street, next to the jeep’s front passenger seat, then went to do the same with the revolver dropped by the female driver. Examining the scene for a moment, he deduced that she had time to shoot down at least two of her attackers before being killed. He thus put her revolver back in its holster and saluted the dead woman.

‘’You died fighting, like a real soldier. May God be kind to your soul, Sergeant.’’ Before going to his truck, in which Ingrid was being loaded, the young officer spoke to his most senior soldier in the patrol.

‘’Sergeant Jenkins, you will stay here with three of our men and will preserve and safeguard the scene of this ambush until the quick reaction force will get here in a few minutes. Don’t let the locals disturb the site or try to intimidate you. In fact, have your bayonets fixed to your rifles, for good measure. I am now going to bring General Dows to the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus.’’

‘’Got it, sir!’’ replied the NCO, coming to attention and saluting. As his lieutenant ran back to their truck, the sergeant gave a hateful look down at the dead Menachem Begin and then kicked his head.

‘’May you roast in Hell for eternity, you murderous bastard!’’

 

The British light army truck, driven expertly by its driver, who liberally used his horn to make the traffic give way, arrived at the big complex of the Hadassah Hospital, built on top of a hill to the North-northeast of the Old City, within twelve minutes, despite the fairly dense car and cart traffic. As soon as they stopped in front of the entrance to the hospital’s emergency section, Lieutenant Paul Bennington jumped out and ran inside while shouting at the nurses and medics present.

‘’I NEED A GURNEY QUICKLY: I HAVE A GRAVELY WOUNDED WOMAN IN MY TRUCK!’’

The Jewish doctor on duty at the emergency reception reacted at once, taking two medics and a gurney with him and then running to the waiting army truck, where Bennington’s two soldiers had started to take out a still inert Ingrid. The doctor froze for a moment when he saw who the patient was.

‘’Is that...’’

‘’Yes, Doctor: it’s General Dows. She has a bullet wound to the right upper chest which probably punctured her right lung, plus has a deep bullet graze along her right temple. I applied bandages but her pulse is weak and she must have lost a lot of blood.’’

‘’Very well, Lieutenant: we will take it from here.’’

‘’If you don’t mind, I will stay with her to ensure her safety, Doctor: she was ambushed and shot by your Irgun.’’ said Bennington, who then quickly undid the gun belt worn by Ingrid and held on to it as the two medics lay Ingrid on their gurney.

‘’I will safeguard her pistol while she is being treated, if you don’t mind, Doctor.’’

‘’As you wish, Lieutenant.’’ replied the doctor, who took Ingrid’s pulse and looked at her military dog tag while his medics pushed the gurney inside the emergency reception area. ‘’NURSE, I NEED A PINT OF ‘A’ POSITIVE BLOOD NOW! ALERT THE OPERATING BLOCK THAT WE HAVE A BULLET WOUND PATIENT WHO WILL NEED IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION.’’

Unfortunately, the personnel of the hospital were too familiar with bullet wounds and other war-related cases and Ingrid was quickly triaged and then rolled up to the operating section. All the while, Lieutenant Bennington closely followed the gurney supporting Ingrid until it was wheeled into one of the operating rooms of the hospital. Now waiting next to the door of that operating room, he took a minute to briefly call his battalion command post to give it a situation update, then sat on one of the chairs set in the hallway outside of the operating room. As he waited, he examined the futuristic pistol holstered on the gun belt he was holding to. Somehow, he remembered seeing that same pistol about ten years ago, early in World War 2. After a few minutes, he suddenly remembered where he had seen it: in a picture showing a wounded Nancy Laplante being carried on a stretcher in the devastated surroundings of the Hamburg submarine shipyards, where she had led a heroic charge against a superior force of SS soldiers. He suddenly felt humble as he looked at the GLOCK 17L, which sported a sort of optical sight on top and had an extra-long magazine inserted in it.

 

Noises of multiple feet approaching, some fifty minutes after his arrival at the hospital, made Bennington go on the alert as he looked in the direction where the noise came. He got up to attention when he saw that his battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Chadwick, was approaching, accompanied by no less than General Cunningham. Saluting as soon as the two senior officers stopped in front of him, he then reported to his battalion commander.

‘’Sir, General Dows was admitted some fifty minutes ago and was then wheeled into this operating room less than ten minutes afterwards. She is still being operated on and I didn’t get an update on her condition since, sir.’’

‘’Tell me what you saw at the scene of the ambush against her, Lieutenant.’’ Doing his best to remember every detail about that ambush, Bennington took some two minutes to describe it to his two superiors. At the end of it, General Cunningham nodded his head once, his expression severe.

‘’So, those bastards of the Irgun blatantly broke the ceasefire accord signed by both the Jewish Agency and the Grand Mufti. I am not even sure that the Jewish Agency didn’t know in advance about this. President Dewey will be furious about this. Uh, what is that gun belt you are holding, Lieutenant?’’

‘’It belongs to General Dows, sir. I decided to safeguard it while she is being treated. I believe that this pistol once belonged to Nancy Laplante, who was the adoptive mother of General Dows.’’

‘’Then, I will take care of returning it to the American consulate. You said that Dows’ driver was killed in the ambush, Lieutenant?’’

‘’Exact, sir: she fought back her attackers and killed at least two of them before dying. Her body should still be in the jeep she was driving, sir.’’ His battalion commander then corrected him in a soft tone.

‘’Her body has by now been transported to our battalion’s medical section, while her jeep was returned to the American consulate. As for the bodies of her attackers, they are being examined at our unit, along with the weapons and papers they had with them.’’

‘’May I ask what will happen next, sir?’’

This time, it was Cunningham who answered Bennington’s question.

‘’I am going to declare a night curfew over Western Jerusalem and will have intensive cordon and search operation, based on the intelligence we will get from the papers taken from these Irgun bastards. As of now, any know or suspected Irgun member will be subject to a ‘shoot-on-sight’ policy. It is high time that we get rid of those treacherous bastards. As for the Jewish Agency, it better not be shown to be an accomplice to this attack.’’

 

09:02 (California Time)

Tuesday, October 09, 1951 ‘C’

Glendale Grand Central Airport air terminal, Los Angeles

California, United States

 

‘’MOMMY!’’

Ingrid, wearing her Air Force going out uniform, just had time to open her arms in order to catch Hien as her adopted daughter ran to her. Both of them then exchanged frantic hugs and kisses while Hedy Lamarr and Katharine Hepburn watched on from a few steps away. Both women could see that Ingrid’s right arm was held in a sling and that she didn’t try to pick up Hien, instead bending forward and crouching in order to hug the Vietnamese girl. Ingrid also still wore a large bandage around her head. Letting first the mother and daughter a moment to be intimate, Hedy and Katharine finally stepped forward to also cautiously hug Ingrid: her wound to her chest was obviously still tender and sensitive. Katharine was the first to speak after patting Ingrid on her back.

‘’We’re so happy to see that you came back alive from your mission in Palestine, Ingrid. So, are you finished for good with that mission?’’

‘’Yes! The President appointed another representative to Palestine, since it will take me at least a couple more months to recuperate fully from my wounds. I am now officially on a two-month Air Force Reserves’ medical leave period, following which I will return to inactive reserve status. I will thus be able to return to my aircraft project. Unfortunately, my poor driver, Sergeant Denise Bateman, wasn’t as lucky as me. I will go attend her funerals in San Francisco in five days, next Sunday. She died a soldier’s death and I will always cherish her memory.’’

‘’You were damn lucky not to get killed yourself, Ingrid.’’ said Hedy in German, so that little Hien would not understand her. ‘’On the other hand, you succeeded in a mission that many considered an impossible one.’’

‘’It was only a very difficult mission, Hedy, not an impossible mission.’’ answered Ingrid, also using German.

‘’And what will you do when they will give you a truly impossible mission, Ingrid? Will you take it?’’

Ingrid then looked straight into Hedy’s eyes, her expression most sober.

‘’Then, I will die trying, Hedy.’’