Britain at War 2017-06

SPECIAL ISSUE: FALKLAND ISLANDS CONFLICT

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BRITAIN’S BEST SELLING MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY

FALKLANDS '35

•Vulcan & Victor to South Atlantic •San Carlos Landings •Argentinian Pilots at War

WIN!

WAR REVIVAND PEAC E Closin AL TIC g dat e for KETS ent is 3 0 Jun

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D-DAY–TAKING OF HILLMAN

Courage and Sacrifice on Road to Take Caen

CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS

Diminutive RAF Trainers Take on Insurgents in Cyprus

JUNE 2017 ISSUE 122 UK £4.70

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From the Editor... F

OR MANY of our readers it will seem impossible to comprehend that the Falklands conflict took place thirty-five years ago. And for others of our readers it will be almost as distant and remote as the First or Second World Wars in that it happened before they were born – or, at least, when they were still very young. And, this month, we also look at other conflicts outside the more usual subject matter we traditionally cover. On the anniversary of those dramatic events in the South Atlantic, however, it is important that we mark the passage of those thirty-five years appropriately. Therefore, and in keeping with Britain at War’s approach of viewing Britain’s conflicts through the eyes of the combatants on both sides, we have looked this month at the extraordinarily heroic and skilful efforts of Argentinian Air Force and Navy pilots in pressing home attacks against British assets in the face of horrendous odds of survival. And yet, time and again, these pilots pitted their all against a technically and militarily superior power and what was then the third most powerful navy in the world. As days wore on, so their chances of surviving the next mission diminished and they also knew that, if shot down, they would not be rescued by friendly air-sea-rescue services. Despite all, they achieved remarkable successes against British ships – sometimes with nothing more than World War Two ‘iron’ bombs. Britain at War can only admire the efforts of these brave pilots. Argentinian author Claudio Meunier’s feature, however, pays impartial tribute to the airmen and servicemen of both sides who lost their lives in the conflict.

Andy Saunders (Editor) EDITORIAL Editor: Andy Saunders Assistant Editor: John Ash Editorial Correspondents: Geoff Simpson, Alex Bowers, Rob Pritchard Group Editor: Nigel Price EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Britain at War Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA Tel: +44 (0)1424 752648 or email: [email protected].

Assistant Editor John Ash

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Whilst every effort had been made to contact all copyright holders, the sources of some pictures that may be used are varied and, in many cases, obscure. The publishers will be glad to make good in future editions any error or omissions brought to their attention. The publication of any quotes or illustrations on which clearance has not been given is unintentional.

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FEATURES

34 Black Buck Vulcans to Stanley

At the end of its career as bomber, the Vulcan was called upon to finally go into action in the far-distant South Atlantic. Providing invaluable support, as we explain; the Victor tankers.

46 Chipmunks over Olympus

The diminutive Chipmunk trainer, well known for its primary role, played a brief but important and unlikely part in the battling of EOKA guerrillas in Cyprus, as Andrew Thomas describes.

54 Hillman: Storming the D-Day Fortress

Steve Snelling charts a saga of courage and sacrifice as British troops battle to capture the toughest set of German defences on the road to Caen; a strongpoint codenamed ‘Hillman’.

A subscription to Britain at War makes a great gift. Please see pages 64 and 65 for more details.

66 Italy’s Colditz

John Ash explores the immense efforts undertaken by many British senior officers in their bids to escape from Vincigliata Castle, Italy’s ‘Colditz’.

74 The Battle of Port San Carlos

Falklands veteran and former Intelligence Officer, Nick Van Der Bijl, reveals to Britain at War the inside story behind the landings at San Carlos thirty-five years ago.

86 “Orders from my Government…” Against a background of the Royal Navy currently supporting the international response to civil wars in Libya and Syria by providing assistance to refugees, Andy Brockman looks back at the sensitive evacuation of 4,000 children during the Spanish Civil War and the Royal Navy’s role at that time.

Contents ISSUE 122 JUNE 2017

34 Falklands V-Bombers 4

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46 Chipmunks in Cyprus

54 Hell on Road to Caen

Editor’s Choice

22 ‘Watch Out! Watch Out! Missile, Missile…!’ In this objective piece, Argentinian author, Claudio Meunier, pays tribute to the skilled and heroic pilots who tried to defend the ‘Malvinas’, as well as those who fought against them, in an enlightening perspective from ‘the other side’.

REGULARS 6 News

News, restorations, discoveries and events from around the World.

42 Image of War

Our first Image of War this month supposedly takes us to the coast of Northern France in 1940, when a cunning ruse was set by the Luftwaffe.

44 Fieldpost

Your letters, input, and feedback.

84 Image of War

Our second Image of War showcases an eye-catching photograph captured in one of the British Army’s most recent campaigns.

92 First World War Diary

Our continuing monthly analysis of the Great War’s key events reaches June 1917, the first American troops arrive in France and London is subjected to heavy bombing.

94 Great War Gallantry

Our monthly look at the awards as listed in the London Gazette reaches June 1917, and includes another ‘Hero of the Month’ presented by Lord Ashcroft.

100 War Artists

Phil Jarman explores the controversial works of C R W Nevinson, a futurist artist shaped by the terrible cost of war.

104 Battle of Britain in Colour

COVER STORY

Thirty-five years ago, the RAF sent the iconic Vulcan bomber and the Victor re-fuelling tanker to war in the South Atlantic as the Task Force began actions to re-take the Falkland Islands. Here, Vulcan XM607 has taken on fuel from one of the Victors in what were epic re-fuelling operations as it headed to famously bomb the airport and runway at Port Stanley. (IMAGE BY ANTONIS KARIDIS)

This month’s subject is a fascinating image of the Luftwaffe’s frontline fighter, but in the most unlikely of locations.

107 Militaria Monthly

Our regular feature on collecting militaria this month looks at collectables related to this nation’s ‘Finest Hour’ – the Battle of Britain in 1940.

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112 Recon Report

Our editorial team scout out the latest titles and products.

114 First World War in Objects

This month, we look at a rare artefact in the form of a surviving neck-tie from the First World War’s ‘Hospital Blues’ outfit which was worn by soldiers recuperating from wounds, injuries and illness. www.britainatwar.com

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Merchant Navy WW2 George Cross To Be Sold At Auction

ABOVE: George Stronach GC’s medal group. (ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF DIX

NOONAN WEBB)

LEFT: Chief Officer George Stronach in Merchant Navy uniform.

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AT AROUND 18.45 hours on 19 March 1943, the SS Ocean Voyager was anchored off Tripoli harbour unloading a cargo of petrol drums for the Eighth Army when the enemy attacked. Six or seven Junkers Ju 88s, armed with Italian-designed Motobomba FFF

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torpedoes, raced in low over the water undetected. Ocean Voyager was struck, according to one account, by possibly two torpedoes in Nos. 2 and 5 holds, as well as with a bomb that hit the bridge. In the attack, Ocean Voyager’s master, Captain Duncan MacKellar, was killed and the ship, which also had ammunition on board, caught fire. Second Engineer H. Hotham made his way on to the deck. ‘Fierce fires were raging in every part of the ship,’ he later reported. ‘The accommodation amidships was completely wrecked and blazing furiously, whilst the bridge was a shambles.’ It was in these circumstances that Ocean Voyager’s twentyeight-year-old Chief Officer, George Stronach, found himself thrust into command. He told Hotham to return to the engine room to

An Australian family have travelled to Britain to pay their respects to their descendant who fought in the Great War. Elizabeth Mott, 72, whose Great-Uncle served in the Australian Imperial Force, flew from her home in New South Wales to visit the final resting place of Private John 'Jack' Till at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Botley. John Till joined the AIF in 1916 and served in Belgium and France with the force's 54th Battalion. Originally wounded in November 1917, he had returned to England to be cared for at the 3rd General Hospital in Oxford, where his leg had to be amputated. There, he met and married nurse Martha Dickins in June 1918. Discharged from hospital in February 1919, Till contracted meningitis within days, and died on the 22nd of that month.

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increase pressure on the pumps in a bid to quell the fires. ‘I asked the Chief Officer where everyone was and he said that the majority of the crew had jumped overboard,’ continued Hotham. ‘I subsequently learnt that he had gone aft and persuaded a number of the elderly sailors and firemen to follow him to the ship’s motor lifeboat. These men were cowering in the foc’sle alleyway, sheltering from the flying debris and were too petrified with fear to move until the Chief Officer led them away to the lifeboat.’ A more detailed account of Stronach’s actions was published in The London Gazette of 23 November 1943: ‘He had been rendered temporarily unconscious but recovered almost immediately and went forward to look for survivors. He found a number of the crew sheltering in the alleyway and, braving the exploding ammunition, led them to a boat alongside which took them to safety. In order to provide for the

transport of any other survivors who might be found, he then lowered another boat and brought it alongside the ship. Although the vessel was now burning furiously, Mr. Stronach made his way to the officers’ accommodation amidships. Finding a hose with a trickle of water coming through, he held this over his head and so kept himself sufficiently wet to protect him from the worst of the heat and flames. ‘With great difficulty, he climbed into the collapsed accommodation and found one of the deck officers, unconscious and badly burned. Mr. Stronach pulled him clear and dragged him along the deck to the lowered boat. Returning to the accommodation, he began to remove the debris from another officer who was trapped. By almost superhuman efforts he dragged the man through the porthole and along the deck. He then tied a rope around his waist and lowered him over the side to the boat. As the situation was becoming desperate

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Emergency services rushed to Trowbridge where an unexploded Second World War bomb was uncovered. Roads were closed and a cordon established as work to mafe safe the bomb was completed. A spokesman said the bomb was “believed to be a suspected phosphorus-containing incendiary device”.

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A ceremony took place to honour an Oakley VC recipient. The service marked 100 years since Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks earned his award and saw the unveiling of a commemorative stone. Aylesbury Vale District Council Chairman, Jenny Bloom, welcomed Brooks' grandson, Keith, community and military representatives to the service. She said: "It is thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers such as Edward that we enjoy the freedom we do today."

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Mr. Stronach ordered a man to take the boat to safety and once again he returned amidships where he discovered an officer who had been severely injured. Dragging him along the deck to the side of the ship, he tied a rope around him and lowered him over the side on to a raft which had returned to the ship in response to his calls. Again, Mr Stronach continued his search for survivors and, taking a final look round aft, he saw a greaser lying unconscious in the scuppers. He dragged this man to the side of the ship, but finding there was no raft or boat alongside, put a

lifebelt around him and threw him overboard. ‘When he was satisfied that there were no further survivors the Chief Officer jumped overboard and swam to a raft which, under his direction, returned to pick up the injured greaser. In the full knowledge that she was likely to blow up at any moment Chief Officer Stronach stayed on this burning vessel searching for survivors for an hour and twenty minutes. His inspiring leadership induced a number of the crew to get away and so saved their lives and by his gallant efforts,

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undertaken with utter disregard of his personal safety, he saved the lives of three officers and a greaser, all of whom were badly hurt.’ The account went on to state that George Stronach’s actions equalled any of ‘great and unselfish heroism’ in the annals of the great deeds of the men of the Merchant Navy. It is little wonder that the young officer was awarded the George Cross, one of only three members of the Merchant Navy to be so recognised for ‘acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger’ during the Second World War. He was also awarded the Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea, awarded

by Lloyd’s of London. After a period in hospital recovering from a back injury sustained during the action, Stronach went back to sea before becoming a marine pilot on the Clyde. Retiring in 1979, he lived in Acharacle, Argyllshire, where he died in 1999. George Stronach’s medal group has been put forward for auction at Dix Noonan Webb in London on 10 May. It is accompanied by an archive of original material, including letters of gratitude from two of the men whose lives he saved. It is estimated that the medals will command a price of between £120,000 and £140,000.

ABOVE LEFT: Some of the documents offered alongside Stronach's medal group. ABOVE: Reverse of Stronach’s GC.

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LEFT: A model of the S.S. Ocean Voyager which, contained in a William Grant Scotch whisky bottle, belonged to Stronach.

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A re-dedication service in honour of a Second World War serviceman has taken place after a nationwide appeal to trace his relatives. Able Seaman George Stone was killed in 1939 and while he previously had a gravestone, it had been severely damaged in 2016. This led to a search for living relatives in time for a ceremony to re-dedicate the memorial. Experts in Saltash, Cornwall, spent nine months trying to find the family before Able Seaman Stone's daughters were traced, three days before the service. Lizzy Sharpe-Asprey, Hon Secretary of Saltash Museum and Local History Centre, said: "One of the daughters told me, she had never met her father, he had died when she was a year old but now at last she had found peace in being present at this wonderful service."

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Services have been held across the world to commemorate both the Gallipoli landings during the First World War and the Thai-Burma “death railway” of the Second World War, as part of ANZAC day. Thousands of people in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey and Britain attended dawn services to mark the significant contribution made by servicemen of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps during both the World Wars, as well as recognising the sacrifices made by soldiers fighting for Australia and New Zealand in conflicts proceeding 1945. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's annoucement on social media reflected the mood of the commemorative events, stating: “We do not glorify war. ANZAC Day is not the anniversary of a great victory, but it commemorates the triumph of the human spirit.”

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The Passing Of Joe Roddis IN OUR news pages, it is often our very sad task to record the passing of notable military veterans. For the most part, these are highprofile individuals who performed well-known deeds, were members of elite units or else were highly decorated and honoured. However, and whilst such accolades through obituaries are both appropriate and richly deserved, it is often the case that those ‘who also served’ are singularly overlooked when it comes to the recording of their passing. Therefore, Britain at War

magazine will endeavour to tell the stories, from time to time, of less well-known individuals when they leave us, and this month Mark Hillier has regrettably reported on the sad passing of former Chief Technician Joe Roddis (Retd.) who died at his home on 17 April, aged 96. Joe was, however, quite well known amongst aviation enthusiasts and historians having appeared on

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television many times, including in documentaries with David Jason and John Sergeant amongst others, to talk about his role as a member of RAF groundcrew during the Second World War. Joe was also actively involved in the supporting of Carolyn Grace and her team at the annual gatherings to raise funds for Spitfire ML407 which Joe had actually worked on at Selsey ALG during the war whilst serving with 485 Squadron. Joe joined the RAF in 1939 at the age of 17 and served from the Battle of Britain and right through to VE Day on Spitfire squadrons. First, with 234 Squadron, he was a fitter working on Flt Lt ‘Pat’ Hughes’ aircraft, then subsequently Plt Off Bob Does’ aeroplane. Post the Battle of Britain and he was sent to the newly formed 485 (New Zealand) Sqn, which started up with mainly British groundcrew and New Zealand pilots. Joe remained with 485 Sqn until its disbandment. During this time, he was bombed, strafed, sniped at, and endured poor health conditions in the field – but yet he still he always maintained he “enjoyed his time during the war” and ultimately

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The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has visited the infamous Juno Beach in Normandy, France as part of his trip to commemorate the centenary of Vimy Ridge. In June 1944, thousands of Canadian soldiers stormed the Normandy beach and into Northern France alongside British and American soldiers taking part in Operation Overlord. This amphibious assault alone resulted in 340 Canadian servicemen losing their lives, with another 574 wounded, but casulties would continue to rise all through the tough Normandy campaign. Prime Minister Trudeau had said visits to sites such as Juno and Vimy were necessary to help ensure "we are mindful and careful that those sacrifices are not in vain, that we learn from the blood split here."

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decided to stay on in the RAF at the cessation of hostilities. Having participated in the Berlin Airlift, Joe saw service with 3 Sqn on the Vampire and based in Germany. He then moved on to a crew chief role on the RAF’s Boeing B-29 Washingtons, followed by a stint on Vickers Valiants and Canberras with 617 ‘Dambusters’ Sqn. He also served operationally in Malaya. After earning his RAF long service medal, Joe decided to leave the RAF but stayed in aviation, taking up a post with Rolls-Royce at Derby working on aircraft engines. One of life’s characters, Joe continued flying up to his 95th birthday; he often flew, for example, in a Harvard or Stearman from Goodwood, near his West Sussex home. In recent years, Boultbee Flight Academy invited Joe to have a go at starting their two-seat Spitfire. Time had not taken its toll on Joe’s memory and it roared into life on the first attempt at start-up!   Mark Hillier ABOVE: Joe Roddis (right) with a 485 Squadron Spitfire. LEFT: Joe Roddis pictured during one of his recent visits to Goodwood Airport, formerly RAF Westhampnett.

The American family of a USAAF B-26 Marauder pilot, who flew an aircraft involved in a mid-air collision with another B-26 over East Sussex during the early hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944, have initiated plans to place a memorial close to the crash site of one of the aircraft. Both aircraft crashed a few miles apart. The memorial, near the town of Battle, will bear the names of all those who perished. The aircraft were en-route to bomb German gun emplacements at Varreville which threatened the landing beaches. The pilot involved, Lt Tommy Potts, was the only survivor and suffered 'survivors guilt' before dying at a relatively early age. Now, his family want to honour all of their relative's comrades by commemorating their tragic loss and have started to trace members of all the other families of the casualties who became some of D-Day's first fatalities.

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Hunt for £4.5bn of Gold on British War Wrecks

700 Vessels Potentially Investigable – Significant Ships of Loss Excluded GOLD, AS much as £4.5bn worth, could potentially be raised after researchers have spent the last quarter of a century tracking wartime shipments, deciphering wartime codes, and scouring the archives. Across both world wars, 7,500 British merchant ships were sunk in the Atlantic. However, as many as 700 may have been lost transporting secret shipments of gold and other precious materials, reveals the database constructed by the researchers. The group have used sources available to them, including Bank of England and British Government records and other archived materials to painstakingly pinpoint the possible locations of these lost bullion ships. The organisation, Britannia’s Gold Ltd, state: “From our vast research database, we have access to invaluable information such as cargoes, wreck locations, water depths and legal ownerships… The circumstances

of the sinking and location of the wrecks are often further confirmed by inquest documentation and survivor accounts.”

PRIORITY TARGETS

The bullion was originally intended as payment in receipt of munitions and other goods to prop up Britain’s global war efforts in both conflicts. Britannia’s Gold also claims the fate of many of these ships was no accident, arguing that in a bid to reduce Britain’s buying capacity, some of the sunken ships were deliberately singled out as targets by U-boats, on account of their very precious cargoes. This suggests German intelligence had devised a means to identify ships carrying gold, and U-Boat captains were instructed to prioritise them. They argue this is a reason why ships such as the SS City of Benares, singled out from a convoy of 19 vessels, were attacked. Britannia’s Gold claim the ship, sunk while carrying 90

RIGHT: An engraving from The Illustrated London News, February 20 1915. BELOW: Crew of the USCGC Spencer watch the explosion of a depth charge which forced U-175 to the surface, 17 April 1943. (NARA)

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This, decided the researchers, warranted further, but difficult, investigation: “The government didn’t want the public to find out how much of their money had been lost at sea”, explained the organisation’s operations director, Will Carrier: “We have even found documents alluding to the destruction of other documents about gold shipments.” The team has located a ‘cluster’ of three wrecks, which they are convinced hide a valuable cargo, to the west of Ireland. The ships, two from the Great War and the third from the Second World War, are thought to contain £750m worth of precious cargoes. Much, if not all, of this material remains unrecovered, and the group intends to launch an ambitious £15m salvage operation to raise it using state of the art remote vehicles and robotic tools.

27 TERABYTES OF DATA

Britannia’s Gold has gathered some eight million documents, analysing and creating a massive 27 terabytes of data, in its research to locate the sunken merchants. In perspective, this would be enough digital storing space for 450,000 hours of music, 6750 feature length films, or 8.3 million photographs. child evacuees to Canada, also held a secret cargo, gold. Evidence from the crew of the attacking submarine however, suggests the crew were unaware of the presence of children on board, and presumably, through extrapolation, of the exact nature of any other cargo. That said, potentially they may have been instructed to prioritise a particular vessel without a reason being given by German intelligence or naval command. The rationale behind the theory is a strong element of the 25 years of research. In the early 1990s, a founder member of the project was searching archival records of Great War wrecks for merchant shipping transporting cargoes such as copper and tin. By accident, he found a misplaced file entitled, ‘Publication of Gold Imports

and Exports by the Bank of England’. This file contained a letter typed in 1915, to the then Chancellor, Reginald McKenna, by George Paish, a senior economic advisor to Parliament. Paish had noted two liners bound for the USA, both carrying gold, had been lost to U-boats, and realised that on the day each ship sailed the Bank of England announced, publically, sales of large quantities of ‘foreign gold coin’. It is suspected German intelligence agents could have used this to work out what ships carried gold by comparing the size of the sale to the size and type of vessel leaving the UK that day. Eventually, the Bank of England ceased broadcasting sales of gold.

The data has been compiled into a series of closely guarded maps and charts, featuring the locations of thousands of Atlantic wrecks. Many were already known of, but without this extraordinary research, a salvage exercise would be unlikely to do more than incur a loss. A salvage ship can cost £100,000 a day and may take weeks to locate a ship’s strong room. One landmark discovery was the uncovering of a register of all ships authorised to carry gold at a particular time. One study from 1915 shows how bank ledgers revealed more than £1m in French Government gold being sold through the Bank of England to the New York office of Morgan Grenfell along with a further million from Midland Bank. That day, one liner, a designated gold carrier, sailed. Two days later, it was torpedoed and sunk. The vessel’s inventory shows a cargo of fish, steel, palm oil, soap and ‘quarries’ – a suspected codename for gold. The final piece of evidence comes in the form of an unusually large insurance claim for a small and largely unremarkable cargo, however, the ‘quarries’ were extremely valuable, worth some £1bn today. Another example can be found in the case of a liner which departed Glasgow in the Second World War. She also was attacked just days into her transatlantic 

TOP: German U-Boats at Kiel, 17 February 1914. (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS) TOP MIDDLE: The power of depth charges. (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS) ABOVE: An Allied tanker torpedoed and ablaze in the Atlantic Ocean, 26 March 1942. (NARA)

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ABOVE: U-848 under attack from the air. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION). BELOW: An intelligence document showing losses to U-boats. (NSA)

crossing. Her cargo was valued at £29,000, but the insurance claim was for £550,000. Astonishingly, this was only to be for ‘quarries’ owned by private bodies. Up to £4.5m of British Government gold may well still be on board the sunken merchant, according to a secretive Bank of England memo. Today, the value of that cargo could reach well over £500m. Other information can also be critical to the identification of gold-housing wrecks. One ship identified through Britannia’s Gold’s research was discovered to have been already explored. That

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attempt found nothing but an empty strong room. However, an officer on board for that voyage, later contacted by Britannia’s Trust, explained the gold was sealed in a completely different part of the ship. The records of some U-boat commanders may also be extremely useful. Philip Reid, chairman of Britannia’s Gold, stated the first portion of any recovery will go to the British Government, still to this day the owner of the cargo – as they paid out on the insurance claims. The proportion of the recovery directly benefitting the

British taxpayer is entirely up to Government. In 2012, 20% of a 48 ton haul of silver raised from the SS Gairsoppa went into the Treasury. However, the arrangement was not considered to be particularly favourable, and as such, the British Government is reluctant to commit to future operations until they are certain of what has been recovered. This does not stop Britannia’s Gold from proceeding with its operations. Legally, they simply have to inform the owner of a find that they have raised their items. Will Carrier stated: “We’ll keep [the Government] informed as a courtesy. This is a British operation and we don’t want someone else taking what is British gold.” After costs have been recouped, and an agreement made with the Treasury, the rest of the find will be shared between investors and merchant marine charities. Much of the initial outlay of £15m has been raised by a consortium.

SALVAGE CONCERNS

Some will undoubtedly have concerns regarding the venture. Recent, albeit illegal and unregulated, salvage activities

on warships in the Java Sea have had a disastrous impact on wrecks located there, causing much distress for survivors and descendants. In addition, the Prince of Wales and Repulse have both been victims to such activities off the Malaysian coast. Some also may well remember the controversy surrounding the salvage of gold from HMS Edinburgh in 1981. However, Britannia’s Gold have announced they will not be attempting any salvage operations on protected war graves, such as the SS City of Benares. This status applies to all British warships and a handful of merchant vessels. The organisation said: “All will be treated with respect and those wrecks known to be sensitive and specifically, to have carried evacuee children, will be avoided at all costs… As a mark of respect, a commemorative plaque will be placed at each shipwreck location upon completion of the team’s operations.” “We will not touch the City of Benares”, stated Carrier: “We will treat all these wrecks with respect but Benares is designated as a war grave and should be treated as such.” 

BATTLE OF BRITAIN HURRICANE CONTROL COLUMN THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY

to acquire an important relic item of the Battle of Britain in the form of a control column spade-grip recovered during the 1970s from a Hurricane shot down in 1940 and with a fascinating and historic back-story. The pilot survived, and this item was recently retrieved by the vendor after its theft some 20 plus years ago. A full provenance can be provided on request. Sensible offers over £3,500 will be considered, as this was long ago established as the ‘benchmark’ value for items of this kind.

Apply to: [email protected] Or: 07808 288606 Or, by post, marked: ‘Hurricane’, via PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA

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‘Secret’ Dambusters Photographs Sold German Reconnaissance Images Reveal Extreme Damage

IMAGES: The Edersee Dam prior and post the famous raid. (IAA)

A RARE set of images revealing the damage caused by the legendary ‘Dams Raid’ have been sold at auction in Nottingham by

International Autograph Auctions. Taken by the Germans prior to and following the raids, four reconnaissance photos show the

Mohne and Edersee dams. A fifth image of a reserve dam on the Mohne reservoir shows how it had emptied. Operation Chastise saw 19 Lancasters of specially-formed 617 Squadron RAF attack key dams in the Ruhr valley, Germany’s industrial heartland. Although the effectiveness of the raid, which saw 1,600 people killed on the ground, is often debated, the unparalleled precision and courage of the men flying the mission, of which 56 were killed or captured from 133 involved, has been the subject of much praise. The story of Barnes Wallis and

his revolutionary weapon, and the brave and skilled airmen led by Guy Gibson VC, has since been immortalised as a key moment in Britain’s War, giving a much needed morale boost to the public. Carl Buck, senior researcher at IAA, commented on the rarity and unusualness of the images, he explained: “The usual pictures we see of the dam raids are from photo-reconnaissance Spitfires despatched after the mission or close ups from Germany.” The unusual photographs sold for £2,100, considerably more than the estimate given – £1,200.

Peterborough Remembers Lost Submarine City-Adopted Boat Marked with Plaque in Malta

THE 89 MEN lost on HMS Olympus, an Odin-class submarine adopted by the city of Peterborough, have been remembered by the unveiling of a new plaque in Malta. Entering service in 1930, Olympus sailed with the China Station until 1939, and then from Colombo in 1940, before transferring to the Mediterranean Sea. Peterborough adopted the submarine during ‘Warship Week’, a national savings campaign to raise funds for the production of warships for the Royal Navy. The city raised £410,000 in a single week (£17,540,000 today) in its

part of a national campaign raising a total of £955,611,589. Just six months after its adoption, and after sinking the Italian merchant ship Mauro Croce, Olympus sank after striking a mine off the coast of Malta on 8 May 1942. In addition to her 55-strong complement, she carried crew from the submarines HM Ships Pandora, P36, and P39, returning them to Gibraltar after those boats were sunk in an air raid. total of 98 were on board. Olympus was seven miles off the Maltese coast when she sank, and just nine men were able to reach

the shore. A memorial plaque to the ill-fated submarine and a photograph of her crew are still on display in Peterborough’s town hall. A ceremony took place over the wreck site in May which saw a plaque left at the site and the white ensign unveiled. Olympus was first discovered in 2008, but not identified until 2011. In attendance were 30 current Royal Navy submariners, the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, and the British High Commissioner in Malta. A second event took place two days later at the site of a new

memorial along the Ta’ Xbiex Water Front, in which wreaths were laid by the Prime Minister of Malta and the Minister of Tourism in Malta, joining the Commander of Armed Forces and the High Commissioner. The Mayor of Peterborough, Cllr David Sanders, said: “The submarine was funded by the people of Peterborough… it is very much ‘our submarine’ and is still remembered.” He added: “We took things like that very seriously, and I am extremely pleased for the crew who lost their lives, and those who survived, that there is a permanent memorial to them being unveiled.”

BULLETIN BOARD

IMAGE: HMS Olympus takes on supplies in Malta.

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A Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate, HMS Somerset, escorted a Russian Kilo Class submarine, Krasnodor, through the English Channel over the weekend of 6/7 May as it sailed through Britain's coastal waters on the surface after having recently carried out cruise missile tests in the Baltic. The passage of Russian naval vessels through the Channel is not unusual, but this submarine, launched in 2015, is perhaps of greater interest to NATO, especially given rising tensions between Moscow and the West. The event follows another on 23 April when HMS Severn escorted the Russian Popucha-class landing ship Korolev through the same waters, and another on 14 April, when HMS Sutherland escorted the Steregushchiy-class corvettes, Soobrazitelny and Boiky round Dover.

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The name plaque of a Battle of Britain Class locomotive, '92 Squadron', has been placed on permanent loan with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust at Capel le Ferne, Kent, in the trust's interpretive centre. An unusual exhibit, the name plaque demonstrates the widespread public feeling for the pilots of the 'Few' and about the battle itself. Especially in the immediate post-war years, when a number of Battle of Britain class steam locomotives were built, each of them bearing names of famous squadrons, fighter stations and RAF leaders. The squadron honoured, 92 Squadron, flew Spitfires during 1940 - mostly from RAF Biggin Hill. The Battle of Britain Locomotive Society presented the items from Battle of Britain class Pacific engine 34081 at a ceremony at the Nene Valley Railway, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

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News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

World’s Oldest Surviving Combat-Veteran Tank Museum Reveals Tank 785 Fought With No Armour

THE OLDEST surviving tank that saw combat marks the centenary of the action this month – but it should never have gone to war in the first place, it can now be revealed. The astonishing story of Tank 785 is being told at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, where it is shown the tank went into battle without armour, and experts think its crew were not told the steel was untreated and that ordinary rifle fire could penetrate it. The Mark II tank was one of 45 summoned to take part in the Battle of Arras in France on the Western Front, despite being built solely for training purposes. The museum’s tank was commanded by 2nd Lt Herbert Chick who advanced on May 3 1917 with his eight-man crew. He attacked German lines, knocked out several machine guns and broke the wire. However, with five of his crew wounded, two seriously, he was unable to continue the offensive. Chick returned to allied lines and filled in a form reporting the numbers of wounded, the

rounds used and the damage sustained, as well as details of the engagement. After Arras the Mark IIs were gradually removed from the front as the fully-armoured Mark IV tanks rolled off the production line. However, museum curator David Willey said that sending the unarmoured Mark IIs into battle actually helped the British war effort. He said: “During the Battle of Arras the Germans captured

a Mark II and took it back for testing. They realised bullets would go straight through it and passed on this information to their soldiers. It was over a year before they realised the tank they had captured was only a training vehicle. So, it was a peculiar little win for the British as it meant the Germans were a bit more relaxed about the tanks than they would have been otherwise. The steel had not been treated properly and

while it would protect those inside against some things, rifle fire could simply pass into the interior. Bigger rounds and armour-piercing rounds had absolutely no difficulty in passing through. The bullets would then ping around inside the tank – you can only imagine the fear of Chick and his crew. Our research suggests that before the battle the crews were not told the tanks were unprotected. Even when they must have realised this, it didn’t stop them driving at the enemy lines.” At the time of the Battle of Arras there were just 15 Mark I tanks left. As they needed 60 tanks for the battle at Bullecourt the Mark IIs were summoned. Tank 785 saw action on 9 April, and then again on 3 May when it sustained the damage. When the battle officially ended on 16 May, British troops had made significant advances but had been unable to breakthrough. Herbert Chick continued to serve and in 1918 won the Military Cross after leading his tanks into battle on foot and taking charge of the infantry.

Hannover Evacuates 50,000 Seven Care Homes Affected in UXO Scare

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AT LEAST 50,000 people, 10% of the population of Hannover, were evacuated after the discovery of 13 suspected UXOs in the city. Among the buildings evacuated were seven care homes and a hospital, as roads were blocked and shelters established. Thousands of workers and residents were instructed to turn off all gas and electrical appliances as they left, while museum tours, screening of children’s films, and sporting events were set up to entertain evacuees. The disposal operation is the

second largest in Germany’s history, second only to Augsburg, where 54,000 were moved from their homes on Christmas Day 2016. Other mass evacuations have seen 20,000 moved in Cologne in May 2015, and 45,000 in Koblenz after two devices were found in the Rhine. In Hannover, five of the 13 suspected devices checked by EOD specialists warranted further investigation. Two were found on a construction site in Wedelstaße, and three more nearby. Two turned

out to be scrap metal, two were bombs and safely defused. The fifth device, with its damaged fuse, was problematic, necessitating it be cut open with a water jet cutter. During the war, Hannover was subjected to heavy bombing where much of the city was destroyed. One raid, on 9 October 1943, saw 1,245 killed and 250,000 homeless when the Allies dropped more than 260,000 bombs. The recently uncovered devices are an unforgiving legacy of the conflict, and still dangerous.

Pressure on German authorities to clear these devises increases because some 1.35 million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Germany, and it is estimated 250,000 bombs failed to explode. Hannover, Hamburg, and Dresden were typically hit the hardest, and it could take decades to clear them. In January 2012, a worker was killed after his excavator struck a UXO in Euskirchen, and in June 2010 three disposal experts were killed defusing a wartime bomb in Goettingen.

WAR AND PEACE REVIVAL - THE HOP FARM, PADDOCK WOOD

After several years away from its 'traditional' home, the world-famous War and Peace Revival returns this year to the Hop Farm at Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6PY, from Tuesday 25 until Saturday 29 July, 2017. Billed as the greatest celebration of military history and vintage lifestyle in the world, the event is also supported by Britain at War magazine and Key Publishing Ltd. Go to the War and Peace Revival website to book your tickets online at https://warandpeacerevival.com/ or turn to page 53 of this magazine to enter our competition to win tickets to the show! As ever, view an astonishing array of preserved military vehicles and browse the hundreds of trade stands. And, when visiting, be sure to call at the Britain at War stand and meet our editorial team. We look forward to seeing many of our readers there. Come and say Hello!

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BRIEFING ROOM |

News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

‘Missing’ Airmen Sought in West Sussex Search to Find Lost USAAF Liberator Bomber Crew

ABOVE: A USAAF B-24 Liberator of the type shortly to be subject to investigations by a US forensic team at a crash site in West Sussex. (KEY ARCHIVE)

ON 22 June 1944 a USAAF B-24 aircraft crashed near Arundel in West Sussex after it had been damaged during a mission over occupied France. Limping back across the English Channel, most of the crew bailed out and were rescued by a RAF Air Sea Rescue launch. However, three of the crew lost their lives and, of these, two remain unaccounted for and are officially still listed as ‘missing in action’. As such, their names are recorded on the Wall of the Missing at the US Military Cemetery, Madingley, Cambridgeshire. It is now known that at least one of these two men was on board the bomber when it

impacted into farmland because the identity disc of one of them was picked up at the crash site by a farm worker long after the event. It remains possible, however, that the second man may have fallen into the sea and never recovered. Now, more than 75 years on, an official US investigation team from the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI), will visit the crash site early this summer in order to carry out preliminary investigations leading to potential forensic site work to search for possible remains of the two missing airmen. Britain at War magazine will follow this story in detail in due course.

From Flers-Courcelette to New Cambrai Museum

BULLETIN BOARD

QUITE APART from the oldest surviving tank to have seen battle reaching its centenary (see previous pages), another veteran is about to find its place in another tank museum during its own centenary year, writes Rob Pritchard. June 2017 marks the centenary of the first deployment at Messines Ridge of the Mark IV tank by the British Army. It also sees one of the few survivors preparing to move to a peaceful home in a totally new tank museum currently under construction five miles South of Cambrai. The original Mark I tank had first appeared at the battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15th September the previous year. Operational experience led to rapid development, the first to see volume production tank in the Mark IV version. Philippe Gorczuynski, owner of the Beatus Hotel in Cambrai, grew up in the area, playing on

the battlefield and often finding artefacts which he collected. As he grew older, his interest became more serious and his researches led him to the story of one of the British tanks having been buried after the battle. It took six years,

and eventually an airborne search, for him to turn the rumours into solid fact. Once located, the tank known as ‘Deborah’ was excavated in 1999 and has been proudly displayed in a small private museum since then.

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Capel Military Vehicle Show, Aldhurst Farm, Capel, Surrey, 1-2 Jul Featuring an array of military vehicles, from the Second World War until the modern day. Enjoy vehicle displays, battle re-enactments, music, plus many trade stands and stalls. Adult tickets: £6.00. Tankfest 2017, The Tank Museum, Dorset, 24-25 Jun Book now (Only Sunday tickets remain as we go to press!) to witness the World's biggest and best live display of historic armour, living history, and much more at the Home of the Tank - The Tank Museum, Bovington. For more information and ticketing details, please check: http:// www.tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/bovevt53277

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Now, the 28-ton Deborah is on the move once more and will be readily accessible when the new museum opens in September 2017. Britain At War will, of course, report on the opening later in the year.

The Battle of Messines, NAM London, 16 Jun Historian John Sadler examines the impact of new tactics used during this significant Great War battle in this free talk, and discusses how lessons learnt from the Somme, new artillery tactics, and the use of mines, led the British to a dramatic and successful outcome.

Weston Air Festival, Weston-super-Mare, 17-18 Jun The RAF's Red Arrows, the BBMF Lancaster, a Catalina Flying Boat, and much more will display for your pleasure along the seafront at this years Weston Air Festival. The event is free and will include additional ground displays to mark Armed Forces Day.

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Exhibitions from around the UK • Events • Discoveries • Restorations • News

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Royal Marines Battle to Keep HMS Ocean

Valued Helicopter Carrier to be Decommissioned and Potentially Sold

PLACES TO VISIT

THE ROYAL Marines have reportedly launched an attempt to prevent the sale of HMS Ocean. The 28,000 tonne ship entered service in 1998, starred in a recent documentary series, and is now the UK’s only helicopter carrier. Britain’s elite Commandos oppose the sale of the ship, due to decommission in 2018 and potentially sold to Brazil, as it would leave the Royal Marines, already facing vast efficiency savings and the transfer of 200 men to the Royal Navy, unable to conduct a major amphibious assault until both new aircraft carriers enter service, the second carrier set to join the fleet in 2023.

‘The Mighty O’, which received a 15 month multi-million pound refit in 2014, supported British operations in Sierra Leone in 2000, contributed to British efforts in the 2003 Iraq War, reinforced actions in Libya in 2011, and provided security for the 2012 London Olympics. Built to commercial standards rather than meeting the stringent requirements for frontline warship such as a carrier, Ocean offered an affordable and effective solution to filling the requirement for a dedicated purpose-built platform to enhance and support Marine capabilities. As a support vessel, the ship took over from RFA Argus, an aviation training and casualty

receiving ship pressed into the amphibious transport role for operations in the Balkans. Capable of carrying landing craft, Chinook helicopters, smaller types, and the powerful Apache, Ocean remains a strong asset in the amphibious assault role. Although the Royal Navy is retaining the landing ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion, the loss of Ocean with no like-for-like replacement severely reduces capabilities. The Royal Navy’s new carriers will each have capabilities for 250 marines, but will not feature the same dockstyle facilities allowing vehicles and landing craft to be deployed. Ocean, however, can lift 800 marines and up to 40 vehicles.

Major General Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando in the Falklands, warned Britain will no longer “be able to stage another Falklands-style operation” if the Marines faced heavy cuts. The bid to retain the ship has been backed by the former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West, who explained: “Selling the ship is a major error and the Royal Marines are very aware of that.” The Ministry of Defence stated: “A number of options are being considered for the future of Ocean. It is too soon in the process to discuss what those options might be.”

BELOW: HMS Ocean at anchor during exercise 'Cold Reponse' in February 2010. (B. HENESY/CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Yorkshire Branch, York Dr Jim Beach will talk about ‘The Everyday life of an Intelligence Soldier’, the career of Birmingham soldier Cpl Vince Schürhoff, on 10 June at 14:30. Venue: Manor Academy, Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York, YO26 6AP. Tel: 07840 934881 Email: [email protected]

Somerset Branch, Othery All aspects of tank warfare in WW1 will be covered in Chris Copson’s talk, ‘The Tanks on the Western Front’, on 14 June 2017 at 19:30. Venue: Othery Village Hall, Fore Street, Othery, Somerset TA7 0QQ. Email: [email protected] Tel: 01823 698156

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Thames Valley Branch, Reading Archaeologist Martin Brown will talk about ‘The Messines Model on Cannock Chase’, constructed in 1918 as a military aid and excavated in 2013, on 29 June at 20:00. Venue: Berkshire Sports & Social Club, Sonning Lane, Reading RG4 6ST. Email: niall.ferguson@ ntlworld.com Tel: 01276 32097

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Avon Branch, Bristol ‘Germans of the Great War’, a talk by Barry Kitchener on 21 June at 19:30, looking at the activities, capture and execution of German spies at the Tower of London during the Great War. Venue: The Community Centre, The Arch, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 4AB. Contact: Tel: 01179 614270 Email: [email protected]

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‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands

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WATCH OUT! WATCH O

MISSILE, MIS

During operations in the South Atlantic to re-take the Falkland Islands, the air assets of the Argentine Air Force and Navy acted with bravery and skill in confronting the third most powerful navy in the world. Thirty-five years on, Claudio Meunier pays tribute to the heroic men who tried to defend the ‘Malvinas’ and those who fought against them. 

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H OUT!

SSILE!

LEFT: Captain Marcos Cerwinszki, a pilot of 8 Group, who participated in a Sea Harrier chase over the islands equipped with Matra missiles. The father of Cerwinszki flew in the RAF as a Second World War fighter pilot serving with a Polish unit.

MAIN IMAGE: Skyhawk 3-A-305 piloted by CC Philippi on board the Carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo in the first days of May 1982. Skyhawk 3-A-305 dropped its bombs in the 21 May attack on the Frigate HMS Ardent and scored a direct hit, ultimately sinking the ship.

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‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands

ABOVE: CC Norberto Pereiro, Navy Aviator in the Falklands and the little hangar at the airport in the first days of April 1982. Pereiro comanded the unit EA52 which assigned three Fokker F 28 Fellowship aircraft which flew during the conflict between the continent and the islands, sometimes under enemy fire. RIGHT: One of the Argentine Air Force Canberras during a training exercise before the war at Paranà.

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n 1 May, 1982, on arrival of the British Task Force, Argentine military air operations got underway when Air Forces Daggers and Mirage MIII were launched from the mainland. In what was the first encounter, two Daggers, (C-437) and (C-430), piloted by Capt Moreno, and his wingman, Lt Volponi, met the two Sea Harriers of Lt Cdr Robin Kent (ZA175) and his wingman, Lt Brian Haigh (XZ498). Initially, both sections sought to shoot each other down, but when Kent launched an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile at Moreno’s Dagger, which was successfully avoided, both the Argentinians engaged afterburners and headed back to the mainland. A serious setback for the Argentinians, that same day, was the loss of three Mirages after another air battle with Sea Harriers. Two were shot down; 1st Lt Carlos Perona ejected over Pebble Island, and Lt José Leónidas

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Ardiles was killed when his Mirage was struck by a Sidewinder missile. The pilot of the third Mirage, Capt Gustavo Argentino Garcia Cuerva, decided to make an emergency landing on the short runway at Stanley since his fuel state was insufficient to reach the mainland. Cuerva had been one of the officers in charge of the reception of the Mirages when they were delivered to the country in the 1970s, and was one of the Mirage’s most experienced pilots. When Garcia Cuerva approached Port Stanley, the airport was in chaos as a consequence of the Avro Vulcan strike early that day, along with ensuing Sea Harrier attacks. The small Argentine Naval Aviation quarter, close to the control tower, had been hit. Fuel and oil stored there, together with parts of the two FIGAS Beaver seaplanes which had been removed to prevent use, were set on fire during one of these attacks. The runway had been struck, too, and one side rendered unusable by the impact of a 1,000lb bomb. Although Cuerva

was being assisted in his approach by Argentine Air Force radar, the sudden apearance of the jet triggered an immediate and automatic response from the anti-aircraft defences, highly sensitised and nervous following recent attacks. The Mirage was repeatedly hit and its pilot unfortunately killed. In one of the air strikes that day, the “Segunda Escuadrilla de Sostén Logístico y Móvil” (EA52) (Second Squadron of Logistic Support), of the Argentine Naval Aviation force, suffered its only casualty when Petty Officer Hidalgo, trying to protect a young conscript, was wounded by bomb shrapnel in one of his legs which eventually had to be amputated.

FLYING AT WAVE-TOP LEVEL

Meanwhile, at the Patagonian Trelew airport, three Argentine Air Force Canberras were being prepared for a strike on the British Task Force, each carrying two Mk 17, 1,000lb bombs and

LEFT: Operations at the San Julian base; A-4Cs ready to operate in San Carlos Bay, May 1982. Behind are ex Israeli Daggers used by the Argentine Air Force at the same base.

supplementary 650gallon fuel tanks. The Canberra of Lt Cooke had been hastily supplied with locally produced ‘chaff’ and flare dispensers. That afternoon, the three aircraft took off from Trelew led by Capt Nogueira and, en route to their target, entered the radar envelope of the Argentine naval task force (“Fuerza de Tareas 79”) who were sailing in pursuit of the same target. The Canberras unexpected detection brought Argentine ships to ‘Battle Stations’ and two A-4Q Skyhawks, armed with Sidewinder AIM 9B missiles, piloted by Lt Cdr Alberto Philippi and Lt J G Felix Medici, were launched from the carrier Veinticinco de Mayo to face what appeared to be enemy aircraft. Once the Canberras were visually identified, the Skyhawks were ordered to return. After that, the bombers transitioned to wave-top flight and, after a few minutes, visually acquired the frigates HMS Yarmouth and HMS Brilliant, Brilliant both holding station on the fleet’s anti-aircraft screen. Almost at the same time, 

LEFT: The EA33 Argentine Navy Skyhawk Unit. This photo was taken at the Rio Grande base on 20 May. Over the next few days three pilots were lost, one was missing and the other two ejected from their Skyhawks.

LEFT: TN Julio Mateo Barraza, Super Etendard pilot, one of the pilots who fired the Exocet on 25 May which sunk the Atlantic Conveyor. OPPOSITE: An Argentine Navy Skyhawk A-4C pictured at the time of the Falklands conflict.

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‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands RIGHT: Pilots and ground crew members of 1st Attack Squadron, Navy Aviation, with the MC339 Aermacchi based at Port Stanley. The unit lost two pilots and TN Owen Crippa spotted the assault in San Carlos on 21 May. In his solitary flight he attacked HMS Argonaut with rockets.

BELOW: Top: An Argentine Skyhawk depicted in its Falkland War colours.

(BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

Left: Argentine Navy Westland Sea Lynx (3-H141), acquired in UK before the war. Two Argentine Sea Lynx (3-H-141 and 3-H-142) were lost in the conflict. Right: An anti-submarine Grumman Tracker S-2E (2-AS-22) of the Argentine Aviation Navy Unit, EA2S, at Stanley Airport on 10 April 1982.

the ships detected and launched their missiles at the incoming threat. Capt Nogueira pressed on, ordering ‘chaff’ and flares to be dispersed, but he could not avoid one of the weapons exploding close to his Canberra (B-108), blowing off a wing tip. Believing the missiles to be coming from Sea Harriers, Nogueira ordered his group to abort the attack and individually exit the area. Badly damaged, he assessed that trying to reach nearby Stanley had better odds than flying home but was urged to desist in view of what happened that morning with Cuerva’s Mirage. Nogueira had no choice and headed to the continent, living to tell the tale. Fifty minutes behind, the other three Canberras, each carrying four 1000lb retarded bombs, were flying at wave-top level towards the British fleet. Capt Garcia Puebla, one of the pilots, pressed his comrades to keep their heads down by making short radio

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clicks each time one of them climbed slightly above him. However, Lts Alan Curtis and Mike Broadwater, flying a Sea Harrier Combat Air Patrol (CAP), spotted them from above. At first glance, they counted two Canberras but soon realised there were three! Curtis fired one missile, but this was rapidly detected and dodged by Garcia Puebla, who at the same time warned the flight leader, Capt Baigorri, about the danger: “Misil, misil, ruptura !” (‘Missile, missile, break!’) and started to make sharp turns from one side to the other with the heavily laden Canberra, dropping ‘chaff’ and flares and taking care not to hit the sea. Meanwhile, to Puebla’s awe, the Canberra of Lt Gonzalez continued flying straight and level, taking no evasive action whatsoever and with a missile on his tail, chasing him. García Puebla yelled: “Guarda el dos, guarda el dos, misil, misil!” (‘Two, watch out, two, watch

out, missile, missile!’), but it was in vain; the missile launched by Curtis finally reached its target. Both Canberra crew members ejected, but they were never recovered. On the way back, the two surviving Canberras were again close to being shot down when they got into the coverage of Argentine fleet radars. This time, they were rapidly identified and promptly answered authentication requests.

NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE THREAT

Contacts between both naval task forces came to a climax on the night of 1 May when each found the exact location of the other. On the Argentinian side, the Grumman S-2E Trackers of the Escuadrilla Aeronaval Antisubmarina (EA2S) (Antisubmarine Naval Air Squadron) were the assets which discovered the British ships. That night, one of these piston-engined

aircraft, having climbed a little from wave-top level to make a brief sweep with its radar, was detected in turn by the radars of the ships it was trying to find. The British answer didn’t wait; a Sea Harrier, piloted by Capt Ian Mortimer, was sent after the intruder. The Tracker, knowing it was being illuminated by enemy radar, rapidly went down to the sea surface and ran away from the threat at full power, frequently and randomly changing course in order not to point out the position of the Veinticinco de Mayo. Ian Mortimer’s persistence eventually yielded fruit, not in downing the Tracker but in discovering the Argentine fleet when he was illuminated by a 965 Radar of one of its Type 42 destroyers (exactly the same as the British ones). Confirming the location of the Argentine ships on the screen of his Blue Fox radar, he turned back with this invaluable information to

his carrier and letting go of his prey, the S-2E Tracker. Finally, that dark night, the Tracker landed safely on the deck of Veinticinco de Mayo. Aboard that carrier, the countdown started for the “Tercera Escuadrilla de Caza y Ataque” (EA33) (Third Fighter Bomber Air Naval Squadron) after the landing of the S-2E Tracker. Six A-4Q Skyhawk were being prepared with four MK82 Snakeye bombs each to attack the British fleet at dawn on 2 May, when the squadron’s commanding officer, Lt Cdr Rodolfo Castro Fox realised that the lack of wind, very unusual at those latitudes, posed a serious constraint for the launching of the heavily loaded Skyhawks. It was decided to switch to two bombs per aircraft, but a better assessment identified that this bomb load was insufficient to ensure an overall successful mission and the sortie was finally cancelled. The Argentine fleet, 200 nautical miles away from the British at that moment, then sailed toward shallow waters to counteract the nuclear-powered submarine threat and set course to Puerto Belgrano Naval Base where it remained for the rest of the war, effectively trapped there because of the submarine threat. Indeed, Argentina was shocked that very same day with news of the sinking of the cruiser General Belgrano (formerly USS Phoenix and survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) torpedoed by the submarine HMS Conqueror. This episode buried any

hope of negotiations to find a peaceful solution of the conflict. Worse yet, it killed any will that might still be alive in both parties to reach any solution. As usually happens, governments find in wars a good motive to divert public attention away from domestic problems and quarrels. The “Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Exploración” (Naval Air Search Squadron) were assigned the mission to search for the Belgrano survivors and, when doing so, they also searched for 965 Radar emissions of the British Type 42 destroyers, of the same class as the Argentinian ARA Hercules and ARA Santisima Trinidad destroyers, with whom they used to train in peacetime. It was during one such mission that Neptune 2-P-112, commanded by Lt Cdr Ernesto Proni Leston, detected the emissions of HMS Sheield and determined roughly its position. This initiated unique mission, a combined operation involving an old surveillance aircraft, close to being decommissioned, and a pair of the modern, brand new, naval strike fighters, the Super Etendard. These were equipped with the sophisticated stand-off “fire and forget” AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. Just before the war’s outbreak, Argentina had received five of the fourteen Super Etendard purchased from France, and five of an undisclosed number of missiles. However, neither two had been completely tuned-in with the other when, in April, all French technical assistance was completely 

LEFT: Lockheed Neptune SP-2H (2-P-112) which detected HMS Sheffield on 4 May. This Neptune vectored two Super Etendard over the warship to launch AM39 Exocet missles.

BELOW: Super Etendard 3-A-202, one of the jets which participated in the HMS Sheffield attack.

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‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands

ABOVE: Captain Gustavo Argentino Garcia Cuerva, pilot of 8 Group. He was killed on 1 May by ‘friendly fire’ when he executed an emergency landing at Port Stanley. His Mirage MIII exploded in mid-air. TOP RIGHT: One of the youngest and most energetic pilots in the war, Alferez Jorge Nelson “Bam Bam” Barrionuevo, leaves the cockpit of his A-4B of 5 Group, Argentine Air Force. The other officer with Barrionuevo is Lt Mario Nivoli.

cut off. It was thanks to the ingenuity and dedication of flight and technical crews that the system was ready to be used, albeit in small numbers, when the confrontation began. On the morning of 4 May, two Super Etendard aircraft departed Rio Grande toward the HMS Sheield position reported by the Neptune. Closer to the target, and flying in strict radio silence at 50 ft above the waves, they received a target position update from the Neptune. Minutes later, they confirmed the exact coordinates with one or two sweeps of their own AGAVE radars, launched the missiles and broke immediately away towards home. The attack was unexpected,

RIGHT: The bunker of the “Aermacchi boys” under the rocks near the principal runway at Port Stanley Airport. L to R: TN Owen Crippa, Operations ‘boss’ TN Horacio Talarico and TC Arturo Medici. The others are unit ground crew members.

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and caught the ship’s crew by surprise - although one of the Super Etendard AGAVE emissions was previously intercepted. One of the missiles struck the ship and, although it did not explode, started a fire that could not be controlled and forced the crew to abandon ship a few hours later. The attack’s consequences certainly amazed Argentine naval aviators, too, who only became aware of their success through the British media. In that way, they confirmed the ‘tuning’ of the Super Etendard-Exocet pairing was complete and successful, as were the tactics developed for operational use. With one major warship destroyed on each side, and a toll of many casualties

in no more than 72 hours, the war had escalated rapidly. It was already unstoppable.

NOBODY ELSE WAS COMING HOME

The A-4B of the Argentine Air Force “Grupo 5 de caza” (Fighter Group 5) were in action since 1 May, but on 12 May the pace intensified for them when four Skyhawks attacked the Type 22 frigate HMS Brilliant and the Type 42 destroyer, HMS Glasgow. Each jet carried one (British) 1,000lb Mk 17 bomb from the very batch brought into the country along with Avro Lancasters and Lincolns in the 1950s. After those aircraft were

phased out, the bombs were passed to the Canberras, but by then their rectangular low-speed fins had been replaced by beveled ones to allow use by faster aircraft like Canberras and Skyhawks. Flying at less than 50 ft, the Skyhawks split in two pairs and charged towards the vessels. Two Sea Wolf missiles were fired from the Royal Navy ships with deadly accuracy and two Skyhawks went down. The two remaining aircraft continued the attack, but the flight leader, Lt Bustos, was killed when he accidentally struck the sea before reaching the bomb release point. The fourth pilot, Sub Lt Alferez Vazquez, was the only one who completed the attack run and escaped after he dropped his bomb, although it missed the target. When he landed, he ended up off the end of the runway due to the thick layer of sea salt on the windscreen of his aircraft that obstructed almost completely his forward sight. One of the senior pilots

accompanied the emotionally drained Vazquez to the sick bay, trying to cheer him up on the way: “Bien pibe, vamos, muy bien!” (“Ok boy, we're doing very well”), to which Vazquez replied: “Señor, los hicieron mierda a todos” (“Sir, they f****d up all the others”). The senior pilot said it was impossible, that they were currently coming back. Vazquez, lying on a stretcher, insisted: “No puede ser si yo vi como a Nivoli lo destrozaron” (“It can’t be, I saw how Nivoli was blown up”). After a short while it was evident that Vazquez was right. Nobody else was coming home. Meanwhile, another flight of four Skyhawks, led by Capt Tony Zelaya, attacked the same ships, and Sub Lt Arraras, one of the wingmen, achieved a direct hit on HMS Glasgow. The bomb impacted the starboard side of the ship, right above the waterline, leaving a hole of 90 cm, traversed the whole ship’s beam, pierced a fuel tank and smashing an oxygen tank on the way before finally going out

through the port side to explode in the sea. It proved what the Skyhawks were capable of when confronting the modern ships of the Royal Navy and armed with Second World War bombs! Had the bomb fuse worked as expected, the fate of HMS Glasgow would have been sealed. Glasgow was the first ship hit by Argentine Air Force in the war and was withdrawn from the battle area on 25 May. The four Skyhawks had better luck than their previous comrades, since all escaped safely from the attack. Unfortunately, and like Cuerva twelve days earlier, Lt Fausto Gavazzi was shot down and killed by Argentine fire as he overflew Goose Green on the way back. Certainly, 12 May was a sad and rough day for “Grupo 5 de Caza”, losing half of the eight pilots and aircraft involved in the two missions. As for the surviving pilots, Vazquez and Arraras, both were shot down and killed by Sea Harriers when attacking British ships at Bluff Cove on 8 June. 

BELOW LEFT: The mechanic of Captain Philippi’s Skyhawk, Warrant Officer Ruben Limia, recovers the cockpit ladder after he knows that his aircraft and its pilot would not return on 21 May. BELOW RIGHT: The bombs of a Sea Harrier exploding over the airport. In this attack, the little hangar of Argentine Navy Aviation (see earlier photograph) was destroyed, and soldiers of the Argentine Army based near the airport were killed. BOTTOM: Last minute check-ups of Mirage III at the Rio Gallegos Base, home of 8 Group Mirages. During the campaign, the Mirages bombed during night over Task Force positions.

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‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands

ABOVE: One of the most famous group of pilots of the Argentine Air Force after the war, 5 Group, who lost 9 pilots in the conflict. TOP RIGHT: One of the few survivors; A-4C at its base of BAM Plumerillo, Mendoza. BELOW: “Charlie” 225, one of the Skyhawk survivors of the conflict. This veteran jet was used in attacks on HMS Broadsword on 25 May. The bomb dropped by ‘225’ impacted the warship and then fell into the sea where it exploded.

JUMPING OVER MASTS AND ANTENNAE

On 21 May, air activity over the island escalated with the British landings in San Carlos. Early in the morning that day, and due to the reports of important enemy activity in San Carlos strait, a single Aermacchi MB-339 of the Primera Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Ataque (Naval Air First Attack Squadron) was launched from Port Stanley in a low level armed reconnaissance mission to find out what was going on there. A few minutes later, its pilot, Lt Owen Crippa, spotted a frigate-type ship sailing south of Roca Blanca Bay. Crippa stuck to the shore and entered the strait, noticing almost immediately a helicopter hovering in front of him and clearly unaware of his presence. As a first impulse he intended to attack it, but suddenly became aware of numerous vessels deployed below and so he aborted the attack on the helicopter and pointed his Aermacchi toward the nearest ship, HMS Argonaut, at which he shot all eight of his five inch Zunni rockets and

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fired several bursts of his Aden 30 mm guns, until he literally had to jump over the masts and antennas at the end of his attack run. Now, he found himself in the middle of what seemed to be the whole British task force, and flying at the same level as their decks. At fullpower he started to turn abruptly to one side and then to the other so as to confuse the aiming of British gunners who certainly saved no rounds on him! With one hand on the stick, and the other grasping the ejection handle, he clearly saw a Seacat missile fired from HMS Fearless and watched a Blowpipe missile fired from RMS Canberra, both rapidly closing in on him - although somehow he managed to elude them. He then headed to Federal Point, watching constantly above and behind in case a CAP Sea Harrier was chasing him, then turned right towards Sussex Point where he made a sketch on his kneepad of the ship’s deployment he had witnessed. He had barely escaped from the trap posed by the ships air defences and Harrier CAPs, but still had to face another challenge; flying

LEFT: An Argentine Super Etendard, equipped with an Exocet antishipping missile.

at low level over terrain covered by nervous Argentine gunners who were unaware of his flight. He tried to call Port Stanley Airport, but only a nearby Prefectura Naval Argentina (Argentine Coast Guard) ship heard him: “No sé donde mierda estoy, denme un rumbo” (“I don’t know where the hell I am! Give me a heading!”) he yelled again. Fortunately, this time the airport answered giving an approach course to Stanley where he was anxiously awaited by the squadron’s Operations Officer, Lt Horacio Talarico, who was initially scheduled to accompany him as wingman but couldn’t take off due to a flat tyre. The information from Crippa was of extreme value to rapidly assemble attacks from the main Patagonian air bases; Air Force Daggers MV from San Julian and Rio Grande, Air Force A-4B Skyhawks from Rio Gallegos, and Naval Aviation A-4Q Skyhawk from Rio Grande. The first ship attacked by those waves was the same attacked a couple of hours before by Crippa, HMS Argonaut, this time by a pair of “ Grupo 5” A-4B Skyhawks in a fourship flight codenamed “Leo”, piloted by 1st Lt Filippini and Lt Autiero. Filippini’s bomb struck the ship close to the waterline, but did not explode. The Skyhawk was flying at such a low altitude that when overflying the ship it broke down one of her antennas with its drop tank, but with no consequences for the aircraft’s integrity. Autiero’s bomb, dropped a few seconds later, drilled into the ship’s superstructure and lodged inside, also not exploding. The four “Leo” planes survived, and returned home. The naval aviation A-4Q Skyhawks of the Tercera Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Ataque (Third Naval Air Attack Squadron) were given the order to

attack a radar picket ship near Ruiz Puente bay. This ship was HMS Ardent and had been previously attacked by two Air Force Daggers, the first one (C-418) commanded by Captain Horacio Mir Gonzalez, whose bomb fell short, bounced on the sea’s surface, continued to the ship, pierced her and ended up lodged in the stern - again without detonating. The second Dagger (C-436), of Lt Juan Bernhardt, impacted the ship’s hangar tearing it to pieces together with the ship’s Sea Lynx (XZ251) helicopter and a Seacat missile launcher, starting a fire. After this attack, the ship sought shelter in a nearby cove and the smoke of that fire, and the ship’s masts, attracted the first wave of three naval A-4Q Skyhawks. Its leader, Lt Cdr Alberto Philippi, attacked first in 3-A-307, launching in a rapid sequence his four MK82 Snakeye 500lb bombs and scored a direct hit, again in the ship’s stern. Then came Lt Arca who also managed to strike the target with one bomb, and finally Lieutenant Marquez who, evading the explosions of his preceding colleague’s bombs, saved his for the next mission and to tell his leader about the results of the attack. Two minutes later, two Sea Harriers, piloted by Lt Clive Morell and Flt Lt (RAF) John Leeming, circling above, chased the three naval Skyhawks on their way out. Marquez was hit first and his aircraft disappeared in a ball of flame, hit by Leeming’s second 30 mm burst. Lt Cdr Philippi, one of the most experienced A-4Q pilots in the Argentine Navy, was the second to go - struck by a Sidewinder AIM-9L launched by Morell. Fortunately, he was able to eject. Morell then went after Arca who received several 30 mm shots which opened a one metre hole in his right wing through which he lost the landing strut and wheel, all 

CENTRE: Four images taken from Argentine gun cameras: Top left: An Argentine Dagger fires its cannons at HMS Brilliant on 21 May during the landings at San Carlos. Bottom Left: A Dagger piloted by Captain Horacio Mir Gonzalez attacks the RFA Sir Bedivere in San Carlos Bay on 24 May. Top Right: HMS Plymouth under attack by the Daggers of 'Dog' and 'Cat' Sections on 8 June. Bottom Right: HMS Plymouth, under attack from cannons and bombs by 'Cat' section.

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



‘WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! MISSILE, MISSILE…!’ Argentine Air Power over the Falklands

down, but the ship finally would be sunk. And that what was exactly what happened when the second Skyhawk wave scored new hits on the ship.

RAF VETERANS FLYING AS ARGENTINE VOLUNTEERS

ABOVE: ACM Sir Peter Squire, CO 1 Sqn during the war, made a ‘goodwill’ visit to Argentina in 2002. He was given personal items of pilot Lt Nick Taylor to return to his family. Taylor was killed on 4 May 1982. BELOW: Dagger C-418, this jet executed 11 missions over the Falklands and survived. On 21 May, Capt Horacio Mir Gonzalez bombed HMS Ardent in C-418.

hydraulic fluid and half his remaining fuel. Arca had no choice. In such a condition he could only try to reach Port Stanley and eject there, which he finally achieved with only minor injuries. While this drama was taking place, another wave of three A-4Q, led by Navy Lt Rotolo, approached the crippled HMS Ardent. The attack tactic was unique at the time, developed from a statistical math analysis undertaken by a team of academics led by Dr. Gerardo Sylvester of the “Universidad Nacional del Sur” (South National University) of Bahia Blanca city. It comprised a plan to attack a ship with two flights of three aircraft each. Each aircraft had to converge on the target from three different directions and drop a sequence of four bombs. The conclusions of the analysis was amazing in its accuracy: 50% of the attacking force would be shot

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That epic day, another accurate attack carried out by Air Force Daggers damaged the frigate HMS Brilliant and wounded several of her crewmembers. In a separate air battle, three other Daggers fell prey to the Sea Harriers. For these operations, civilian Learjet aircraft, equipped with navigation systems and meteorological radars, were employed to guide the Air Force fighters (but not the Navy ones) to the mission areas. These aircraft, flown by civilian volunteers, were nicknamed “Fenix Squadron”. Two of its pilots were Claudio Withington and James Harvey, both Argentinian citizens who voluntarily piloted RAF bombers during the Second World War. Now, more than 60 years old, and convinced of the Argentine rights to the disputed islands, they volunteered to fly again in the last modern naval air war. The war lasted until 14 June when Argentine forces in the islands surrendered to the British. Both countries sustained heavy losses during the naval air confrontations, and from 21 May up to 25 May the British lost six ships sunk; HMS Ardent, HMS Antelope, HMS Coventry HMS Sheield and the container ship SS

Atlantic Conveyor and the RFA Sir Galahad. Fifteen other ships were damaged, some severely, and many lives were lost although Argentine aviation casualties were immense in proportion to the assets committed; the Air Force lost 29 pilots, 12 aircrew members and 14 ground support personnel dead, 49 aircraft were shot down by enemy fire and 26 destroyed on the ground, in operational accidents or else were captured. Naval Aviation casualties were 4 pilots and 2 aircrewmen dead, 14 aircraft and helicopters lost, 4 shot down and others destroyed on the ground, in accidents or captured. This modern naval air war demonstrated the professionalism of the Argentine pilots, aroused the admiration of their people as well as their opponents, and became a milestone in the history of military aviation which is remembered even today, especially by those very pilots, now veterans, who gather from time to time to share remembrances about their epic combats in the skies of the distant South Atlantic. Those who were on the receiving end of their attacks are united in their views about the bravery and dedication of the Argentine Air Force and Navy pilots who were pitched against them. Now, thirty five years on, a number of the fliers from both sides are friends – meeting occasionally at reunions, or at the homes of their erstwhile enemies. 

The Memorial

Pegasus museum

Dedicated to the men of 6th British Airborne Division. The 1st liberators to arrive in Normandy on June 6th 1944. Archive films, a guided visit and many interesting and authentic objects enable the visitors to relive this momentous time. The original Pegasus Bridge is on display in the park of the museum along with a full size copy of a wartime Horsa glider.

Open everyday from February to Mid-December Only five minutes drive from the Brittany Ferries Terminal at Caen/Ouistreham

Tel: +33 (0) 231 781944 Fax: +33 (0) 231 781942 Memorial Pegasus Avenue du Major Howard 14860 Ranville Normandy • France www.memorial-pegasus.org

p033_BAW_jun17_ad.indd 1

09/05/2017 12:44

BLACK BUCK VULCANS TO STANLEY

Re-Fuelling Feats of Victor Tankers in Falklands War

Black Buck

Vulcans to Stanley

British success in the Falklands War relied heavily on the vital contribution of the RAF’s Victor tanker force, but it was in the getting of Vulcan bombers to Stanley for their famous raids for which they were perhaps best-known during the Falklands war. RIGHT: A Vulcan Bomber crew in front of their aircraft at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, April 1982. The Falklands conflict offered a reprive for the Vulcan, which was originally to be scrapped in 1982. (PA ARCHIVE)

S

itting in the South Atlantic, almost midway between the coasts of Brazil and West Africa, is Ascension Island. In 1982 this volcanic outcrop became crucial to British forces, as nestled on the island was Wideawake airfield – the nearest runway to the Falklands Islands. Even so, it was still 3,900 miles (6,276km) away and represented a logistical nightmare for the RAF and its part in Operation Corporate, the British codename for recapturing the Falklands. Wideawake, and virtually all the sorties that would be staged from it, would require massive strategic tanker support. The Argentine invasion could not have come at a worse time for the RAF’s tanker fleet. Nine VC-10s were undergoing conversion at BAe’s facility at Filton, near Bristol, with the first not due to fly until June, some two months after the Argentine invasion, and it was impossible to accelerate the programme. The job of providing in-flight refuelling (IFR) for the newly-

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established ‘Air Bridge’ fell to the RAF’s three remaining Victor K.2 units – 55 and 57 Squadrons and 232 Operational Conversion Unit. At first, support was given from the Victors’ base, Marham, the K.2s escorting groups of tactical aircraft as they deployed to Ascension and supplying in-flight-refuelling for the UK-Ascension-UK section of the Air Bridge.

VERSATILE V-BOMBER

During the early weeks of the campaign, while the hastily-assembled Royal Navy Task Force headed south, intelligence-gathering became the focus for the Victor fleet. At the time Britain was without the capability to conduct detailed maritime reconnaissance of the South Atlantic, and the only solution available was a converted Victor K.2 flown by crews who had served in the disbanded 543 Squadron and retained some of their previous maritime radar reconnaissance (MRR) experience. Three crews were quickly formed under the command of Sqn Ldrs J G Elliott, M D Todd and R Tuxford. All

quickly commenced low-level practice photo-reconnaissance (PR) runs in XL192 while three other aircraft – XL163, XL164 and XL189 – were hastily converted to carry out PR and MRR in addition to their tanker role. Their radar received a minor upgrade to give improved navigational information necessary for long-range flights over water. And, while the UK-based Victors were preparing for war, they were still under obligation to continue refuelling duties for home-based RAF fighter assets. Both commitments were to prove impractical for the limited number of Victors available and, very discreetly, USAF Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers based at Fairford and Mildenhall, and fitted with drogue adapters, began to take on the task of refuelling British aircraft around the UK.

SOUTH GEORGIA SNOOPER

By 18 April, Marham’s Victors were ready, with a combination of aircraft from both 55 Sqn and 57 Sqn leaving for Ascension. The initial 

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BLACK BUCK VULCANS TO STANLEY

Re-Fuelling Feats of Victor Tankers in Falklands War VULCAN BLACK BUCK RAIDS Black Buck 1

Apr 30

‘Iron bombs’ on Stanley airfield

Black Buck 2

May 3

‘Iron bombs’ on Stanley airfield

Black Buck 3

May 16

Cancelled

Black Buck 4

May 28

Anti-radar sortie with Shrike missiles

Black Buck 5

May 30

Anti-radar sortie with Shrike missiles

Black Buck 6

Jun 2

Anti-radar sortie with Shrike missiles, ‘concluding’ at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

Black Buck 7

Jun 11

Air-burst bombs

detachment stood at nine, but the RAF was keenly aware that more would be needed as soon as possible. On their nine-hour flight south, each Victor topped-up from another prior to leaving UK airspace to ensure that sufficient fuel was available in the event of a diversion. Commanding the Victor Detachment at Wideawake was Wg Cdr A W Bowman, who was Officer Commanding 57 Squadron. The detachment was colloquially known as ‘112 Multi-Role Victors’, derived from

the addition of both squadron numbers and a reference to the MRR and PR roles. The Rolls-Royce Conways of the second wave of Victors had barely spooled down when the first of the MRR sorties was launched to South Georgia on the night of 19 April. Captained by Sqn Ldr J G Elliott, XL192 had a crew of six, including Sqn Ldr A Cowling as MRR specialist. They took off at 04:00 accompanied by four K.2 tankers.

RIGHT: Victor tankers on the runway at Ascension Island, the remote volcanic landmark which played such a vital part in supporting the British task force at all stages of the Falklands conflict. (PA ARCHIVE)

BELOW: Victor XH663, taken 21 June 1982, on a flight to refuel a Falklandsbound Hercules. (PA ARCHIVE)

BOTTOM: Nimrods and Victors assembled at RAF Wideawake. (KEY ARCHIVE)

The aim was to acquire intelligence about the disposition of Argentine naval forces for the Royal Navy group led by HMS Antrim engaged in the recapture of South Georgia. With the final IFR taking place 2,000 miles south of Ascension, Elliott and his crew dropped from 43,000 to 18,000ft (13,106 to 5,486m) for a radar search of the area. This took a mere 90 minutes, but covered 150,000 square miles (388,470km2). For the return leg, another four Victors were launched from Ascension to ensure XL192 had sufficient fuel for

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a safe recovery. At the time, XL192 had completed the world’s longest operational recce sortie, covering 7,000 miles. A further two Victor MRR runs were flown over the following nights to provide more intelligence from South Georgia, especially as to where all the shipping – both hostile and commercial – was located in the area. They also studied the location of icebergs and pack-ice, which could hinder an amphibious assault. And, despite being only days into the conflict, the three MRR Victors, XL192, XL163 and

XL189, had clocked up sortie durations lasting 14 hours 45 minutes; 14 hours 5 minutes; and 14 hours 4 minutes respectively.

HECTIC PACE

The pace of Victor operations on Ascension continued to increase, with those K.2s that remained in the UK busy supporting air assets heading south – XH675 carrying out IFR with Sea Harriers of 809 Squadron on 21 April prior to their deployment to Wideawake at the end of April. Other ‘customers’ were Nimrod MR.2Ps and

Hercules C.1Ps which had been quickly fitted with an IFR capability – the suffix ‘P’ indicating probe-equipped. Victors continued to be collected following major overhaul at St Athan, with XL233 and XL191 returned on 15 and 24 April. No Victors could be spared for overhaul at the time, until XL231 was released on 12 May, and painfully aware of the need for tankers, maintenance teams at St Athan completed the work on XL231 in just over three weeks, a remarkable achievement. It was back in service with 57 Squadron on 7 June. Other 

ABOVE: The Black Buck and MRR operations required that tanker refuel tanker. (KEY ARCHIVE)

BELOW: '112 Multi-Role Victors' standing by on Ascension. (KEY ARCHIVE)

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BLACK BUCK VULCANS TO STANLEY

Re-Fuelling Feats of Victor Tankers in Falklands War Victor overhauls were completed in a similar record-breaking time period. Support given by the Victors to the Vulcan ‘Black Buck’ raids is well known (summarised in the panel) but this was not the only service the tankers provided ‘down south’. One of their more unusual tasks was support for the roll-on, roll-off container vessel Atlantic Conveyor as it departed Ascension Island with its cargo of Sea Harriers, Harrier GR.3s, Chinooks, Lynx and Wessexes. One Sea Harrier was kept on full alert aboard the ship in case it came under attack. Victor crews were thus launched every day as a contingency measure in case the V/STOL fighter needed fuel. In the process, they carried out ever-longer legs as the ship made its way towards the British Task Force, but on 25 May, two Argentine Super Étendards found the Atlantic Conveyer about 90 miles off the Falklands’ coast and unleashed an Exocet missile which hit and caused considerable damage. The ship sank five days later.

‘TOBOGGANING’

As the campaign progressed, Victors also supported Hercules C.1Ps as they air-dropped urgently-needed supplies direct to the Task Force at sea. Three Victors, XH671, XL162 and

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RIGHT: A pair of AGM-45 Shrike missiles mounted onto a Vulcan. Although Shrike never entered regular service with the RAF, small numbers were supplied to them to use in the Falklands campaign. (KEY ARCHIVE)

RIGHT: A Vulcan powers down the runway, the start of a long journey to RAF Wideawake. (PA ARCHIVE)

BELOW: The view from the cockpit of a Hercules being refuelled over the South Atlantic. (PA ARCHIVE)

CORPORATE TANKER SQUADRONS

55 Squadron Badge: A cubit arm, grasping a spear Motto: Nil nos tremefacit – Nothing shakes us Converted to Victor K.2s at Marham in July 1975. As well as ‘ops’ during Corporate, 55’s tankers also saw active service during Operation Granby, the liberation of Kuwait, in 1991. No.55 disbanded at Marham on 15 October, 1993 but was reborn that month as 55 (Reserve) Squadron at Brize Norton by ‘re-badging’ 241 Operational Conversion Unit, flying VC-10s. On 1 November,1996, the Dominie T.1 element of 3 Flying Training School at Cranwell was re-numbered as 55(R) Squadron. The Dominie twin-jet crew trainers were retired on 20 January, 2011 and 55 Squadron was disbanded.

57 Squadron Badge: A phoenix emerging from a blazing log fire Motto: Corpus non animum muto – I change my body not my spirit Converted to Victor K.2s at Marham in June 1976. The unit disbanded at Marham on June 30, 1986. It was resurrected on 1 June, 1992 with the renumbering of 242 Operational Conversion Unit, flying Hercules from Lyneham until disbanded again on 14 March, 2002. On 1 October 2008, the unit was re-formed at Wyton, flying the Grob Tutor trainer as part of 1 Elementary Flying Training School.

XL512, backed up the ‘Herks’ on these exceptional sorties, which could last anything up to 26 hours. The Marham crews had to develop their own techniques to compensate for the disparity in cruise heights and speeds between the turboprop transports and the former V-bombers. The Hercules took off before the Victor and was caught up in no time. The Victor would then overtake it while descending to meet at an agreed

refuelling altitude, which depended on the weather in the area. As the Victor flew over the Hercules at 1,000ft and to the right, the latter would climb up to join the V-Bomber. Once ‘plugged in’, the formation ‘tobogganed’ in a gliding descent at 500 to 1,000ft per minute to increase the power margin for the Hercules crew. The centreline Mk.17 hose-drum unit [HDU] on the Victor, used for refuelling larger aircraft, had its hose

held in balance by a fluid flywheel system. Setting this up on the ground was critical as it had to work at high speed for when refuelling Vulcans and Nimrods – and at slow speed for the C-130s. It tended to wind in if the basket was hit by a Hercules’s probe without engaging in the reception coupling. If this happened, the Hercules crew had to clear to the side to allow the hose to be re-trailed to the ‘full trail’ position 

TOP: The Vulcan could carry 21 1000lb bombs, here, in this training sortie, XM599 demonstrates the release of this massive bomb load, with 19 of the large devices in shot. (KEY ARCHIVE)

ABOVE: Vulcan XM597 and Victor XL189. (Not to scale) (KEY ARCHIVE)

LEFT: The cratered air strip at Port Stanley, with Argentinian prisoners detailed to repair the runway bomb damage. (PA ARCHIVE)

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BLACK BUCK VULCANS TO STANLEY

Re-Fuelling Feats of Victor Tankers in Falklands War

ABOVE: The patched-up runway of Port Stanley airfield with ships of the British taskforce and the town beyond the bay in the background. (PA ARCHIVE)

RIGHT: Both of the Black Buck One Vulcans, XM597 and XM607, pictured together at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, in September 1982. (KEY ARCHIVE)

to enable refuelling to take place. At night over the South Atlantic this made for some interesting flying.

SHEPHERDING PHANTOMS

The potential of the Argentine air threat was still unknown at the time and, given the number of air assets based on Ascension, the air defence of Wideawake became a high priority. For Victors this again meant shepherding aircraft south: this time three Phantom FGR.2s of 29 Squadron were deployed, with XL192 being instrumental in IFR support. Further sorties saw six 1 Squadron Harrier GR.3s ferried down from St Mawgan in Cornwall to Wideawake at the end of May. Vulcan sorties in the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) role continued, and as well as being arduous in terms of flight time and navigation, they were not without incident. On the night of 28/29 May, Black Buck 4 was cancelled after the lead Victor’s HDU became unserviceable. The tanker crews bounced back as, less than 24 hours later, Black Buck 5 was under way - involving no fewer than eighteen sorties by the Victors. The Marham men had established themselves as masters of long-distance tanker support, their aircraft flying an average sortie duration of 13 hours.

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NO LET-UP

On 14 June, the Argentine garrison on the Falklands surrendered, but this had little impact on the high rate of Victor sorties. Priority was given to Nimrod patrols in the area and the Hercules fleet, which had established a bridgehead on the recaptured islands. Additionally, the aerial armada that had gathered on Ascension was patiently waiting to go home. The reopening of Port Stanley airport at last signalled a reduction in the pace of refuelling operations. Despite a small number of Victors departing back home to Marham, the type continued to serve in theatre, providing support to the region from Ascension Island for a further three years. The final Victor

to leave Wideawake was XL163 of 57 Squadron, which took off on 10 June, 1985. It was flown by Wg Cdr Martin Todd, OC 55 Squadron. The conflict had taken a heavy toll of the Victor fleet. The additional hours of flying far longer sorties than normal with maximum fuel loads meant that some aircraft were quickly retired after the conflict. For example, by 1984, XL192 – the Victor that had conducted the first MRR mission of the war – was out of flying hours. Deemed surplus to requirements, it was stripped of spares and served out its final days as Marham’s fire training platform. It was a sad end to what was a tremendous war record for one of the RAF’s most elegant-looking aircraft. 

Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes f Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky E Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echo Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes fr Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the S Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes fromFollowing the SkytheEchoes Sky the Sky air raids offrom WW1, the Britain wasEchoes left with nofrom effective warningfrom of thethe approach enemy aircraft, human from the Sky Echoe Echoes from the Sky Echoes Sky of Echoes fromother the than Skythe Echoes and ear. Acoustic Defence based on battlethe fieldSky gun Echoes ranging from the Sky E Echoes from the SkyeyeEchoes from the Sky was Echoes from used highly developed technology to track aircraft twenty years Echoes from the Sky Echoes fromand the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from th before the emergence of RADAR. Tangible remains of these ‘sound Echoes from the Sky Echoes from Sky Echoes Sky Echoes mirrors’ canthe still be visited aroundfrom the UKthe and ‘Echoes From Thefrom Sky’ the Sky Echoes Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky offers Echoes from understanding the Sky Echoes the Sky the clearest of their from development and Echoes design. from the Sky expanded andthe revised includes information from Echoes from theThis Skymuch Echoes from Skyedition Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sk many new sources, archives and pictures and with 448 pages, and the Sky Echoes from Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from photographs and illustrations forms a complete history of Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the115 Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the S Acoustics Defence. Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky ISBN: 978-1-872836-17-1 Large format paperback: 235 x 156mm Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes £12.95 Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Available Crecy Publishing Echoes from the Sky Echoes from from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes Ringway Trading Echoes from the Sky Echoes from theUnit Sky1a Echoes from the Estate Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sk Shadowmoss RoadSky Echoes from the Tel: 01614990024 Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Ech Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes fromEmail: the Sky Echoes from the Sky Manchester [email protected] www.shootersrightsassociation.co.uk from theM22 Sky5LH Echoes from theOrder Sky Echoes the Sky online at:from www.crecy.co.uk MEMBERSHIP FORMS ONLINE • PAY BY VISA, MASTERCARD or Echoes PAYPAL Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes fr Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echoes from the Sky Echo

The History of Acoustic Defence

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09/05/2017 12:40

42 www.britainatwar.com

IMAGE of WAR

THE FIGHTER THAT NEVER WAS German Ruse Fools RAF Fighter Command

During 1940 RAF pilots reported encounters with Heinkel 113 fighter aircraft. In fact, such fighters did not exist and the RAF pilots had mistaken Me 109s for the ‘He 113’ and, at the same time, fallen for a German propaganda ruse. The aircraft was actually the Heinkel 112, and only very few were ever built and none used operationally in the manner portrayed by German propaganda. They were used instead to pretend the Luftwaffe had a brand-new fighter on the Channel coast. The aircraft were photographed in mocked-up settings, and wearing fake unit emblems as in this image, to enhance the deception. Time and again, throughout the summer of 1940, British pilots reported encounters with ‘the fighter that never was.’ (1940 Media Ltd)

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FIELD POST

Our Letter of the Month is sponsored by Pen & Sword Books

'Britain at War' Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA | [email protected]

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Story Behind 1,000 Bomber Raid's Victoria Cross

Dear Sir I very much liked your special content covering the 1,000 Bomber Raid – Britain at War, May 2017. Although Cologne was the target for the first 1,000 bomber operation, the target first chosen was Hamburg but because of a blanket of cloud the target was shifted to Cologne. Churchill, however, wanted the target to be Essen. On 22 May 1942 ‘Bomber’ Harris had 1,086 aircraft available but when the Hampden aircraft came from Training Units they were found to be unfit for operations. To compound this problem, the Admiralty had promised from Coastal Command 250 aircraft, but then withdrew them leaving Harris with only 916 aircraft. However, by every possible means, on the 30 April he got this up to 1,042. This, of course, was pushing things to the limit - certainly as far as 20 year old Leslie Manser was concerned. He collected a 106 Sqn Manchester (L 7301 ZN-D) from RAF Coningsby and flew it back to his 50 Sqn base at RAF Skellingthorpe. When examined, the aircraft was covered in patches and the midupper turret had been removed. The general conclusion was that the ‘lucky’ crew who flew this aircraft

on ops that night would really have their work cut out. In fact, Plt Off Robert Horsley, who had only three ops to finish his tour, and having to do it with a new crew, said to Manser he didn’t rate their chances of returning very highly. Having been shot down, and with Manser killed, all the crew apart from Fg Off Richard Barnes DFC (who was injured and taken POW) got back to England via France and Spain. Whilst the operation to Cologne was a maximum effort, just getting these men back home, via the resistance set-up, was even greater. Many who helped them were sent to concentration camps and some of them gassed; one, Mlle Dedee Dumont, was arrested in August 1942, imprisoned for 12 months and then sent to a concentration camp at Mathausen where she spent two years. Somehow, she survived to eventually be awarded the George Medal in 1946. Her father was burned to death, and one other was shot by the Gestapo for directly helping this crew to escape. Dedee Dumont had made the trip over the Pyrenees no less than 30 times and after the war she went to Africa working with lepers. On her return from Africa, she was made Countess by the King of Belgium.

Horsley was awarded the DFC and later joined 617 ‘Dambuster’ Sqn. Les Baveystock (Manser’s 2nd pilot) received the DFM then transfred to Coastal Command where he sank two U-Boats and was awarded the DSO, DFC and Bar. It was he, as soon as he got back to Britain in July 1942, who wrote to the CO of 50 Sqn and told him of Manser’s bravery. Two weeks later came the announcement of Manser’s VC. Another individual, Florentino, had taken them over the Pyrenees and was awarded the King’s Medal for Courage. When the recommendation was put in front of the King, Florentino was

described as an ‘importer and exporter’. This was a rather euphemistic economy of the facts. In reality, he was a pre-war smuggler! I was greatly honoured to have met Dedee, Bob Horsley and Les Baveystock and they all gave me their memories of those days in 1942. I thought your readers would be interested in the fascinating back-story behind the 1,000 Bomber Raid’s Victoria Cross recipient. A Cooper, East Sussex. (Via email)

LEFT: Dedee and Les Baveystock. BELOW: Leslie Manser

The author of the Letter of the Month may select a book of their choice (maximum value £25) from the extensive range of titles available at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk 44

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11/05/2017 13:12

CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

Chipmunks Over OLYMPUS The diminutive de Havilland Chipmunk is well known as a primary trainer but was also briefly used on anti-terrorist operations during the late 1950’s as Andrew Thomas describes RIGHT: With the mountains as a backdrop, 114 Sqn’s Chipmunks break over their Nicosia base after a familiarisation sortie in December 1958.

(M J R DUTTON)

R

esting in the eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus is well known to us as an idyllic, sun drenched holiday destination to many thousands of tourists from Britain. However, little over 50 years ago there were many thousands of Britons resident there in less amicable circumstances fighting a vicious, low intensity war against the Greek separatist movement, EOKA. Cyprus was subject to Turkish sovereignty until the First World War when it was annexed by Britain and became a colony in 1925 and though the majority of the

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population were of Greek extraction, approximately one fifth were of Turkish origin. RAF aircraft used Cyprus as a base for operations in the eastern Mediterranean during the Second World War and by the mid 1950s with a withdrawal from bases in Egypt inevitable, the island was seen as suitable for development as the major British base in the area. The build-up of the Middle East Headquarters, and the development of a large new RAF base at Akrotiri coincided with a growing desire for self determination. This was further complicated in Cyprus by the desire of the majority Greek Cypriot

community for enosis – union with Greece, something to which the minority Turkish Cypriot community was vehemently opposed. When in early 1955 the United Nations refused to consider a formal Greek request for enosis, the first stirrings of trouble emerged with serious rioting in Nicosia and Limasol that ended with British troops shooting two rioters. In the Troodos mountains that 

CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS

Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

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CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

formed the rugged central ‘spine’ of Cyprus, the self-styled General George Grivas, a retired Greek Army colonel, began establishing a guerrilla force to support the move for enosis. The organisation became known as EOKA - Ethniki Organosis Kypriou Agonistou – the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters. Grivas had been organising the smuggling of arms into Cyprus for use by his guerrilla force for some time and in the early hours of 1 April 1955 bomb explosions rocked police stations, military posts and Government offices across the island

so heralding the start of a four year insurgency and a long and difficult counter insurgency campaign. The RAF played an important part in the fight against the EOKA with British based Shackletons supporting the RN to stop the flow of arms into the island, later supported for short range work by Royal Navy Gannets from 847 Sqn. From Akrotiri the Meteor FR 9s from 208 Sqn flew anti terrorist patrols and photoreconnaissance sorties over the Troodos Mountains. In late 1956, however, EOKA took full advantage of British preoccupation with Suez

ABOVE: Chipmunks were used by the Light Aircraft School for training pilots and observers from the early 1950’s. (J D R RAWLINGS)

LEFT: A Pioneer of No 230 Sqn leads a formation of No 114 Sqn Chipmunks on a local area familiarisation over the mountains west of Nicosia on 12 December 1958. (M J R DUTTON)

RIGHT: Three Chipmunks fly over Nicosia with the menacing mountains of the Troodos range – 114’s operational ‘patch’ - visible in the distance. (M J R DUTTON)

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operations against Egypt, with 416 terrorist incidents being reported in November. Although there was a large RAF presence in Cyprus, other than supporting the maritime blockade, its most useful contribution proved to be its photo reconnaissance and light aircraft and the then-new helicopters. As the security situation deteriorated additional air support to the Army conducting search operations in the very difficult wooded and mountainous terrain of the Troodos mountains and the Kyrenia range was clearly required. Initially the Austers of 1910 (AOP) Flt and 1915 (Light Liaison) Flt based at Nicosia and Lakatamia were used to provide spotting, road reconnaissance and aerial propaganda. They offered additional protection and flexibility to the Army units they supported, though relatively few Sycamore helicopters provided the main offensive capability. The Austers, that in September 1957 were formed into 653 Sqn, had, however, proved the utility of

CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS

Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

light aircraft and as the counterinsurgency campaign developed, in October 1958 the new Director of Operations, Maj Gen Ken Darling, requested further light aircraft to support his newly devised scheme of constant surveillance of EOKA infested areas so as to make it difficult for anything to happen without its being observed. First to arrive was a detachment of 230 Sqn with six Pioneer CC 1s and they soon began operations. However, in Britain a new unit was forming specifically for spotting operations in Cyprus.

A TRAINER GOES TO WAR!

The new squadron began forming at Hullavington on 20 November under command of Sqn Ldr J L Bayley and was equipped with an unlikely type for a unit about to deploy on operations – the de Havilland Chipmunk – the RAF’s standard elementary trainer! This was not completely new territory for the Chipmunk as a few had been used from the early 1950s 

ABOVE: Men of the Durham Light Infantry board the Devonshire, bound for Cyprus, 1958. (PA ARCHIVE)

RIGHT: Landing on a 'pimple' in the Cypriot mountains. 284 Sqn's Sycamores moved 10,000 soldiers between October 1956 and August 1957 in the battle against EOKA. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

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CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

by the Air Observation Post (later Light Aircraft) School at Middle Wallop alongside its Austers to train AOP pilots and observers. It was intended the new squadron should have an establishment of 16 aircraft with a similar number of pilots with an allocated monthly flying rate of 35 hours per aircraft. The unit selected to operate the Chipmunks in this new operational role was 114 Sqn that until its disbandment the previous December had been based at Nicosia with Valetta transports. However, Darling’s new approach reaped immediate dividends as with seemingly every move by the terrorists being observed, their nerves cracked. Later a house was pinpointed in Dikoma in the Kyrenia area and the EOKA second-incommand, Kyriakos Matsis, was killed in the subsequent raid and by Christmas, just three months after the start of Darling’s scheme, the terrorists called a truce. As a result, terrorist activity subsided somewhat so it was decided

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ABOVE: This Pioneer CC 1 of 230 Sqn was part of the increase of light aircraft support to the Security Forces in Cyprus. (230 SQN

RECORDS)

RIGHT: With drop zones as small as nine sq feet, roping was often the only way to drop troops. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

BELOW: The temporary nature of 114 Sqn’s accommodation is evident with six of the Chipmunks lined in front of the tented lines in early 1959. The nearest aircraft is WG486/G. (M J R DUTTON)

to initially deploy only half the unit so the eight Chipmunks were airlifted to Nicosia by Beverley transports at the beginning of December. The element that remained at Hullavington remained on standby for a short period before being dispersed. At Nicosia, 114 under Bayley’s vigorous leadership settled in and as

aircraft began being re-assembled on the 8th were test flown and local area familiarisation sorties began in the Nicosia area. For operational tasking Bayley organised his pilots into three flights with A Flt coming under Flt Lt John Harvey, B under Flt Lt W C Mackison while Flt Lt Alan Armitage led C Flt while the pilot experience varied considerably, though one – an experienced instructor – had over 400 hours on the Chipmunk.

CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS

Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

LEFT: When a target of interest was located by the Chipmunks, troops were often flown in by Sycamore HC 14s of 284 Sqn one of which is seen dropping men of the Gloucestershire Regt on a training serial.

(F M TAYLOR AFC)

Interestingly, although flying in an operational role, 114’s Chipmunks retained the colour scheme they had on their training duties - including the yellow ‘T’ bands, though in a touch of unit individuality, they were decorated with red spinners and also carried individual aircraft letters. The 230 Sqn Pioneer detachment began operations on 4 December flying reconnaissance sorties to plot civilian movements and also attempt to locate EOKA hideouts in the Kyrenia mountains and 114 was not far behind. The Chipmunks of 114 Sqn began operations a week later during Operation Thwart when on the 12th a formation of six aircraft led by one of 230’s Pioneers were ‘shown around’ the operational area. The

additional capacity these new arrivals offered increased the pressure on the terrorists as Gen Darling had desired. The 230 Sqn Pioneers concentrated on the Kyrenia and Karpas areas while 114 flew its operations in the southern and western part of the island. These were usually mounted from Famagusta, Kermina and Xeros as well as the base at Akrotiri. Its Chipmunks flew mounted patrols over the thickly wooded Troodos mountain range on visual reconnaissance collecting information on particular areas that had been requested by local commanders. To ensure continuity, individual pilots tended to concentrate on flying in the same area to thus be able to quickly spot any changes so enabling these

reports to be acted upon by the swift despatch of troops, often by helicopter. Army officers were often carried as observers in the rear seat, and soon proved that the low mounted wings on the trainers were just as effective as the high winged Austers and Pioneers. During their first three weeks on operations 114’s Chipmunks flew almost 150 hours, including two casualty evacuations, a couple of air cover sorties and two recces but the bulk of the flying – 43 sorties were ‘taxi’ runs ferrying senior officers around. To better enhance co-operation, in the absence of a compatible VHF radio system with ground units, considerable effort was put into setting up some form of direct communications and 

BELOW: Here depicted over Egypt, the Meteors of 208 Sqn RAF also fufilled a vital role in the campaign against EOKA.

(BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

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CHIPMUNKS OVER OLYMPUS Anti-Insurgent Ops over Cyprus

quite quickly a method was evolved by attaching an RAF Regiment Land Rover fitted with a TR1985 radio with an operator to the supported ground unit. As 1959 opened the Security Forces continued to see the marked decline in EOKA inspired trouble, especially when compared to the ferocity of the previous year that had been the catalyst for the squadron’s deployment. During January, Bayley’s unit flew over 250 hours that included 35 visual reconnaissance sorties, 15 convoy escorts and four direct air support sorties; communications flights still featured heavily too. The first major operation that 114’s Chipmunks supported was Operation Mare’s Nest which took place in the Troodos Mountains. It was recorded that the squadron made a ‘significant and valuable’ contribution in the most challenging terrain and often in the face of sometimes difficult weather. The ability of the Chippie to manoeuvre in the steep wooded valleys – sometimes as low as 50 feet

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ABOVE: With the rear seat occupied by an observer Chipmunk WB760/H flies out another reconnaissance sortie which were often flown at very low level. (M J R DUTTON)

BELOW: A wooden sign claims 114 Sqn’s ownership of this dusty corner of Nicosia airfield in early 1959 which the Chipmunks shared 230 Sqn’s six Pioneers. (M J R DUTTON)

- often in very turbulent conditions was especially valuable and demanded no little skill on the part of the pilots. During the final phase of antiterrorist operations in February the squadron flew 79 sorties including 29 on reconnaissance, 13 on convoy cover, three on direct air support as well as three mail drops – all these on over 230 hours flying. On 17 February a conference began at Lancaster House in London attended by the British Government and the various interested Cypriot parties that eventually resulted in a draft peace agreement. The detail work on the Treaty took some months to finalise but the EOKA terror campaign was effectively over, though it was to be December until it was officially declared

over. As a result, 114 Sqn’s brief sojourn with the Chipmunk – the only squadron to fly the type on operations – soon ended as it was declared non-operational on 5 March and was disbanded at Nicosia soon afterwards on the 14th. In all during the Chipmunks’ brief foray into the operational sphere they had flown over 660 hours on operations. The Chipmunks were not initially returned to the UK, however, as they were allocated to other units in the theatre – three went to the Middle East Comms Sqn, two to the Nicosia Stn Flt and two went to the Army Air Corps whilst the eighth, WP850, was stored at Akrotiri, In April 114 Sqn was reformed back in the UK in the transport role flying the Handley Page Hastings. 

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11/05/2017 13:16

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN Storming the D-Day Fortress

Of all the D-Day fortifications barring the way to Caen, none was tougher to overcome than the strongpoint codenamed Hillman. Steve Snelling charts a saga of courage and sacrifice in the face of extreme adversity.

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The Taking of

HILL

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN

Storming the D-Day Fortress

IMAGE: Sword Beach: infantry of 8 Brigade coming ashore in the wake of the first wave. The 1st Suffolks landed on time and with relatively few hitches. (PA ARCHIVE)

LLMAN



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THE TAKING OF HILLMAN Storming the D-Day Fortress

Peeping above a field of corn, he glimpsed for the first time the fortified strongpoint which he knew as Hillman and the Germans called WN-17. Not that there was much to see. Most of it lay hidden from view, beneath the ground. “It was [just] possible to see the outer wire about 150 yds away,” he later wrote, “but it was diicult to discern much of the detail of the position itself; only one of the steel cupolas was visible.” The battle for Hillman, the most prolonged and contentious of all the actions fought in the Sword sector and one which would have far-reaching consequences for the Allies’ most ambitious first day objective, was about to begin…

‘SPEED AND BOLDNESS’

D

-Day was little more than 12 hours old when Dick Goodwin pushed forward up the gently rising slopes of Périers Ridge above Sword Beach to within sight of his final objective. Barely four hours had passed since his unit had splashed ashore in Normandy and almost everything in the early stages had, in the words of one company commander, “gone like clockwork”. They had hit the beach more or less on time, assembled and, having suffered just three casualties, moved on through the newly-liberated

On Good Friday, 7 April, 1944, General Sir Bernard Montgomery, Land Force commander for the impending invasion, laid out his plans at the first of a series of high-level briefings. Having gained a bridgehead, the aim was to advance rapidly inland to secure critical ground from where

village of Colleville-sur-Orne to capture an enemy gun position and its entire garrison without firing a shot. But by midday on 6 June, 1944, time was already slipping away. With the first part of his D-Day mission accomplished, the 1st Suffolks’ commanding officer was already turning his thoughts to his second and most important objective. Guided by a paratrooper who had landed in the wrong place, Goodwin crept as close as he dared to the position he had only previously seen marked on maps and in grainy aerial photographs.

ABOVE: The Suffolks on the march in the hills of Scotland in preparation for Operation Overlord. Having fought in France in 1940, the battalion had spent the next four years in the UK, training for its role in the liberation of North-Western Europe (COURTESY KEN MAYHEW).

RIGHT: The insignia of the 1st Suffolk Regiment, the battalion from 8 Brigade, 3rd British Division.

LEFT: The officers of the 1st Suffolks three months before the invasion during training in Scotland where they were visited by the Colonel of the Regiment, W N Nicholson.

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the inevitable counter-attacks could be repulsed. Correctly anticipating Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s plan to defeat an invasion on or near the beaches before the Allies had a firm foothold, he identified the heights between Caen and Falaise as being key to the defence of the beachhead. “Speed and boldness”, he stressed, were essential in order to cover the nine miles between the coast and the ancient Norman city of Caen by the end of D-day. The job of capturing it fell to Montgomery’s old division, the 3rd (Iron) Division, commanded by Major General Thomas Rennie. Armed with a welter of detail about the coastal defences, but with a much vaguer idea about the strength and whereabouts of the enemy’s armour,

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN

Storming the D-Day Fortress

Rennie planned for 8 Brigade to secure a bridgehead west of Ouistreham, before releasing 185 Brigade, supported by tanks from 27th Armoured Brigade, to make the dash on Caen in the hope of arriving ahead of 21st Panzer Division which was thought to be located south of the city. Given its importance, and the increasing realisation of the likely presence of enemy tanks nearer to Caen than originally imagined, the size of the force was surprisingly small. Even more curious was the failure to recognise the danger posed to the thrust inland by the formidable-looking fortress identified by aerial reconnaissance as straddling the projected line of 185 Brigade’s advance. The position on the northern edge of Périers Ridge was Hillman, a maze of inter-locking trenches and concrete emplacements housing the battle headquarters of Colonel Ludwig Krug, commanding 736th Grenadier Regiment and 642nd Ost (East) Battalion, one of two units, composed mostly of former Soviet POWs, attached to 716th Infantry Division. Covering nearly three-quarters of a square mile and ringed by two wire entanglements separated by an extensive minefield, the strongpoint boasted a commanding view of the coast and surrounding countryside with fields of fire extending to 600 yards in most directions. It comprised two large bunkers, three heavily armoured steel cupolas equipped with machine-

ABOVE: Hitting the beach: a landing craft heads in to the Sword sector with a clutter of tanks lining the shore, at least one of which appears to be on fire. The Suffolks found their beach a litter of ‘burning vehicles and boats’.

RIGHT: D-Day objective: WN-17, the heavily fortified German command and control post better-known to the British as Hillman, was the dominating strongpoint barring the way for the breakout from Sword Beach. The fight for the position on the Périers ridge would have profound consequences for the ambitious plan to capture the city of Caen on June 6, 1944.

guns that were set deep into concrete emplacements 3½ metres thick, seven more machine-gun posts and a zig-zag network of linking trenches covering every conceivable approach. With its underground sleeping quarters, kitchen and telephone exchange, it was a veritable fortress which, according to one former Suffolk officer, bore comparison with “the Maginot line”. But so well-hidden were some of its defences that the full extent of Hillman remained unknown to the D-Day planners - despite the best efforts of the RAF’s ‘spy’ flights. As late as the end of May, when Lieutenant Colonel Goodwin was briefed on his battalion’s target, he was led to believe the garrison opposing him was only “one platoon strong” and armed only with “two infantry guns

and several machine-guns”. Whatever the reality, it was anticipated that a combination of early morning air strikes and naval bombardment would be sufficient to either cow or destroy the majority of the position. All of which explains why the force assigned to capture Hillman consisted of a single company and a breaching platoon from 1st Suffolks, together with three mine-clearing teams from 246 Field Company, Royal Engineers. Such an under-estimation of German resolution and thoroughness would prove costly.

‘MORALE SKY-HIGH’

The Suffolks landed on Queen White beach an hour after the assault battalions stormed ashore to be greeted by a scene of carnage. 

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THE TAKING OF HILLMAN Storming the D-Day Fortress

Company commander Charles Boycott recalled a background of “shattered, smoking seaside houses with naked slats in their roofs”. There was “a pungent, burning and explosive sort of stink”. Goodwin’s landing craft narrowly avoided a collision with a derelict tank at the water’s edge, and as he waded ashore his first impression was of “burning vehicles and boats”. Not far away, a half-drowned Corporal George Rayson, of A Company, struggled ashore minus helmet, weapon and most of his kit which he had been forced to discard after plunging into surf deep enough to require a desperate swim for survival. Soaked through and frozen, he trudged up the beach to where the bodies of six or seven men from the South Lancs assault battalion lay. “I looked round and picked up a Sten gun, a couple of grenades which I shoved in my top pockets and some magazines which I shoved in my inside jacket pocket,” he recalled. “I never bothered about equipment; I just couldn’t get myself to take equipment of a dead man somehow. A steel helmet would come in handy, so I put that on and of I go up the beach.”

Incredibly, despite the din of guns and small arms fire, almost the entire battalion made it safely to the assembly area. A notable exception was the loss of a small party of gunners attached to the Suffolks who were caught in a mortar blast as they left their landing craft. Among the dead was 27-year-old Captain Glyn Llewellyn, the ‘Forward Observation Bombardment’ officer responsible 58 www.britainatwar.com

ABOVE: From the air: a bird’s-eye view of the Hillman complex taken by aerial reconnaissance in the days leading up to the invasion. (COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS)

LEFT: Colonel or Oberst Ludwig Krug, who commanded the 736th Grenadier Regiment and 642nd Ost Battalion, from his underground headquarters in the heart of the Hillman position.

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN

Storming the D-Day Fortress

for calling up naval support for the assault on Hillman. His loss meant the Suffolks had no means of contacting the ships earmarked to provide covering fire. That setback apart, the battalion made good, albeit somewhat delayed, progress. While Major Boycott’s C Company swept through Colleville, a portion of D Company cut through some orchards en-route to the battalion’s first objective, a four-gun battery codenamed Morris, lying to the west of the village. Their way slowed by mines, they eventually made it to within sight of the position where they established a ‘irm base’ from which to cover B Company’s planned assault. The cratered ground around about told of the ferocity of the morning’s air and sea bombardment, though none of the concrete emplacements appeared to have been hit. Crucially, they reported no sign of movement, leading Goodwin to speculate that the guns might have been abandoned. Just in case it was a trick he ordered B Company forward, but as sappers were preparing to blow a gap in the wire a white flag was raised from one of the gun positions. Moments later the garrison emerged from their concrete shelters with their hands up. All told, there were 67, many of them Poles, who, according to Goodwin, were “in poor shape” following their ordeal. The easy capture of such a “formidable” position came as a relief and a fillip. “The ‘success’ signal went up,” recalled Corporal Edwin Byatt, “and our morale was sky-high.”

‘A REAL DELUGE’

To the Germans occupying Hillman, the loss of Morris was quickly apparent, with an intensification of fire from the direction of the captured battery making it “dangerous to venture into the open”. Hans Sauer, a corporal who had spent the morning watching developments from an observation cupola, had a lucky escape when a spent round ABOVE: Under fire: a British tank from 79th Armoured Division provides a makeshift shelter for British troops landing on Sword Beach. LEFT: The Suffolks battled their way into the network of concrete communication trenches but were too few to make good their original gains and were forced to retreat. (COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS).

whistled towards him and buried itself in the ground just in front of him. With an increasing number of British troops moving out from Colleville, he steeled himself for the inevitable attack. It wasn’t long in coming. Having carried out his own reconnaissance, Goodwin left his assault leader, Captain Reggie Ryley, to make a closer inspection of the position while he organised the rest of his battalion to give cover and support to the attacking force. In the absence of any naval bombardment, which had been neutralised by Captain Llewellyn’s death, and the failure of the morning’s B17 air strike, which had been thwarted by cloud cover, Goodwin had no choice but to trust to a short barrage by the guns of 76 Field Regiment, RA, the tanks of C Squadron, 13/18th Hussars and the Suffolks’ own 3-inch mortars to undermine the defenders’ resolve. 

LEFT: Peace restored: buildings on the edge of what was Queen White beach, where the Suffolks came ashore to a scene of ‘shattered, smoking seaside houses with naked slats in their roofs’ at H-plus 60 on D-Day. (COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS).

www.britainatwar.com 59

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN Storming the D-Day Fortress

Otherwise, his plan was one rehearsed in pre-invasion exercises: the barrage would be followed by a smokescreen designed to cover the approach of the D Company breaching platoon as it crept through the corn to blow a gap in the outer wire and then the sappers would take over, clearing 3ft wide lanes through the minefield to enable the breaching party to blast a way through the inner wire for A Company to charge through. At 1310, final instructions having been given and the assault force having crept up to within 30 yards of the outer wire, the barrage began.

RIGHT: Hero of Hillman: Lieutenant Arthur Heal, leader of the sappers from 246 Field Company who cleared a path through the minefield for tanks to pass through. His courage earned him a Croix de Guerre.

fearless to a fault, pushed on with Lieutenant Trevor Tooley and no more than seven others. Rayson zigzagged his way deeper into the position until he caught up with some of them, bunched up near a bend in the trench. “What are you all stopped for?” he asked. A Corporal replied: “Round the corner, Captain Ryley, Lieutenant Tooley, Corporal [Fred] Stares, they’re all dead.” All three had been killed or fatally wounded by the same burst of machine-gun fire. “We didn’t know what to do,” said Rayson. ““We was [sic] there trying to work things out and Jerry chucked some stick bombs and they just missed us. One or two of our blokes threw some… back and that quietened them down…” Soon after a runner appeared round the corner with instructions to pull out “as fast as you can”. “We didn’t want no telling,” recalled Rayson. “I beat all Jesse Owens’ records going out of there.” The first attempt to capture Hillman had been thoroughly defeated.

‘WINKLE THE BOCHE OUT’ It wasn’t just the assault on Hillman that was in trouble. As the remnants of A Company fell back, dragging their wounded with them, the entire D-Day breakout plan was fast unravelling. Congestion on the beaches and “Suddenly,” recalled Sauer, “the enemy artillery started iring at us. A real deluge of mortar bombs and artillery shells. The ground was ploughed up. I was in the cupola which probably saved my life…” Five minutes later the bombardment ceased and the assault force disappeared into the smoke. The outer wire was breached and paths cleared. But then they ran into trouble. The charger on the second string of Bangalore torpedoes failed to detonate causing an anxious wait while the platoon commander, Lieutenant Mike Russell, dashed back to find another which he gallantly exploded within 50 yds of the enemy. Worse was to follow as, at the second attempt, Ryley led A Company into the labyrinth of trenches only to come under fire from a steel-turreted gun which scythed down the two leading men. “Of course, we all got down quick and he couldn’t get the gun down further,” recalled Corporal Rayson, “otherwise he’d have had the lot of us. We laid there quite a long time and suddenly everything went quiet. The bloke had disappeared inside.” Taking advantage of the lull, Ryley, a school teacher in civilian life and 60 www.britainatwar.com

ABOVE: The Hillman defences photographed recently.

RIGHT: Delayed: 2nd King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, spearhead unit for the dash on Caen, held back in the log-jam on the road to Hermanville.

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN

Storming the D-Day Fortress

continuing resistance inland had resulted in log-jams, slowing the crucial advance on Caen to a costly crawl. With guns and tanks delayed or diverted, the infantry were belatedly ordered to push on alone. Advancing at 1300, just as the attack on Hillman was about to go in, the spearhead unit, the 2nd King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, soon came under fire from positions on Périers ridge. The 1st Royal Norfolks, preparing to follow on, found themselves caught up in the backwash of the Hillman battle. Marooned, without orders, amid the traffic-snarled confusion of Colleville, they waited while the Suffolks sought in vain to clear the way forward. Eventually, at 1500, they received orders to move out, making a wide detour to the east of the strongpoint – but that wide detour proved not wide enough. Spotted by observers in Hillman, the leading companies were flailed by machine-guns as they tried to skirt the position, forcing the survivors to worm their way slowly forward through fields of standing corn. With pressure building, Goodwin called up more tank support. The Shermans of C Squadron, 13/18th Hussars, moved up to the edge of the outer wire and opened fire. But it was all to no avail. To the dismay of the watching infantrymen, the shells merely bounced off the steel cupolas.

The only option was another full-scale attack, with a further bombardment after a wider gap had been cleared through the minefield enabling the tanks to lead the assaulting troops onto the position in order, as Goodwin put it, to “winkle the Boche out”. Flail tanks would have made things easy, but there were none available. Instead, the success or failure of the operation hinged on the courage and skill of a few sappers, edging forward, under fire, to broaden the existing gap. Their leader was Lieutenant Arthur Heal. A swift ‘recce’ had found four rows of mines, at least some of which were 1940-vintage British Mark II

ABOVE: Tailback: British armour and infantry faced long delays in the villages just inland from Sword Beach. BELOW: Inside the communications room of Colonel Krug’s control and command centre in the midst of the Hillman position. (COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS)

anti-tank devices. He estimated it would take an hour to make “a proper gap”, but as an alternative suggested “I blow one row of mines with some gelignite… and then lay tapes for the tanks which would give a gap about 5 yards wide”. The tank commander having agreed to accept the risk, Heal and another man went forward and, with bullets zipping inches above their prone bodies, worked fast and expertly until the job was done. Incredibly, it had taken them barely 10 minutes. A five-minute bombardment from the tanks and supporting gun batteries duly followed before the Shermans rumbled into the smoke now blanketing Hillman. Moments later, a report 

www.britainatwar.com 61

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN Storming the D-Day Fortress

ABOVE: Comrades in arms: Captains Ken Mayhew, left, and Ron Russell, right, were astonished by the strength of the Hillman defences and the number of troops manning them. (COURTESY KEN MAYHEW)

RIGHT: One-man assault force: Private Jim ‘Tich’ Hunter single-handedly silenced a machine-gun firing from a steel cupola in a near-suicidal act of gallantry which resulted in an award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

from one of the cupolas reached Colonel Krug telling him “a tank was in the middle of the mineield” and that the “English” [sic] were in the process of breaking in. Hans Sauer was among those ordered to counter-attack. Carrying a box of grenades, he dashed along a trench leading towards the breach. Bullets whistled above them. Just then, they met more men running in the opposite direction. “They told us that a tank was on top of the kitchen and was posting down the ventilation shaft,” recalled Sauer. “Together, we [then] did an about-face and returned to the command post.”

‘A SLOW BUSINESS’

Out in the open, the advance was bitterly-contested and the fighting, in places, desperate. At least two tanks were hit as they tried to cross the minefield and the Suffolks were still struggling to make any headway against the armour-turreted machine guns which seemed impervious to even the heaviest close-range fire.

ABOVE: Subterranean strongpoint: views inside the restored bunker.

(COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS)

62 www.britainatwar.com

As well as being, in Goodwin’s expression, “ slow business”, it “a was also a hazardous one, which might have proved more costly but for the intervention of one man - a pugnacious little private soldier by the name of Jim Hunter. Nicknamed ‘‘Tich’, Hunter was among a group of Bren gunners pushed forward to counter the ““intensive ire” from one of the cupolas covering the minefield. He later recalled: ““As I moved up to the gap a member of our group was in the centre. I told him to get moving and got no response so I moved alongside him and realised he had bought it. I decided it was not the place to hang about and dived into a hole some distance inside the position. The German gunner was having a right old time. He kept us all down. Two other men joined me and the gunner must have seen them and gave us a lot of attention. While we lay there a few explosions around [us] suggested light mortars or grenades. I didn’t intend to be one of the victims and decided to make a move.” According to a witness, Hunter appeared to lose his temper and was heard to shout, “I’ve bloody well had enough of this”, before climbing out of the shell-hole and marching straight for the enemy gun, firing his Bren from the hip. His own account was more prosaic if no less remarkable. “I watched the turret,” he wrote, “and when it traversed away I made a run towards the turret which, in the meantime, decided

to come back to me. As it ired I stood my ground and sprayed the gun opening hosepipe fashion. After a few bursts the gun stopped iring and I was joined by some of the lads and we checked the trenches…” Through it all, he had been aware of bullets “spattering all around” but was “so annoyed” as not to care. His luck, though, nearly ran out a few minutes later. Rounding a corner in one of the trenches, he found himself face to face with a German defender. They both fired at the same time: the enemy bullet pierced ‘Tich’s’ steel helmet, wounding him in the head, while his burst hit caught the German full in the chest, killing him outright.

‘OBJECTIVE TOO FAR’

Hunter’s action was a key turning point in the battle for Hillman, but it did not mark the end of enemy resistance. Grenades dropped down ventilation shafts were enough to settle

ABOVE: Home from home: the living and sleeping quarters, complete with original central heating. (COURTESY GIG HOUSE FILMS)

THE TAKING OF HILLMAN

Storming the D-Day Fortress

matters in some places, but elsewhere they fought on with a grim defiance even as the Suffolks swarmed over the position. Goodwin reported: “They continued to ire from their emplacements while the mopping up was going on and in some cases had to be blown out… with heavy explosive charges.” It was not until 2015, by which time all resistance appeared to have ceased, that Goodwin felt confident enough of the position’s capture to send two companies onto a ridge a kilometre ahead to consolidate their hard-won gain. Moving up onto Hillman, Captain Ken Mayhew, commander of the Suffolks’ carrier platoon, was

astonished by the strength of the defences. “We had known it would be a tough nut to crack,” he recalled, “but when I irst saw the bunkers, all that wire and mines, it was quite a shock to see what A Company had had to overcome.” Around 50 prisoners had been taken from the strongpoint before night fell, but the true scale of the victory did not become apparent until the following morning. At 0645, more than six hours after a last telephone conversation with divisional headquarters had told Krug to “act according to your conscience”, the commander of Hillman, immaculate in full dress uniform, emerged from the suffocating darkness of his beleaguered headquarters at the head of 50 officers

LEFT: A little part of Suffolk in a corner of France: the Union Jack flying over the restored Hillman position where a memorial plaque now commemorates the struggle. It reads: ‘In memory of those who fell on 6 June 1944 in the liberation of Colleville sur Orne, the capture of Hillman and later during the fighting in Normandy and North West Europe. Thanks to the generosity of a Colleville family this site records for future generations the bravery and sacrifice of these soldiers.’ BELOW: Entente cordiale: the ceremony in June 1989 when the site of the Hillman strongpoint was formally handed over to the Suffolk Regiment Association as a ‘living’ memorial to the unit’s gallant struggle on D-Day. (COURTESY KEN MAYHEW)

and men, including his orderly who was carrying two suitcases. “I couldn’t believe it,” recalled Captain Ron Rogers, second in command of A Company. “I was so amazed I just stood there and watched. And out they came, looking so smart, and carrying all sorts of cases and private belongings, not to go on holiday, as they looked as if they were going, but to a POW cage somewhere near the beach.” Comical though it may have seemed, there was nothing funny about the fight for Hillman. What one officer called “possibly the outstanding success of D-Day” was later recognised by a shower of awards which included a Distinguished Service Order for Dick Goodwin, a Distinguished Conduct Medal for ‘Tich’ Hunter and a Croix de Guerre for Arthur Heal. Such, however, had been the German defenders’ tenacity that it contributed significantly to the delays, self-inflicted and otherwise, which helped ensure the failure of Montgomery’s ultimate day-one objective. As Lord Dannatt, a former Chief of the General Staff, astutely concluded in a recentlycommissioned documentary about the capture of Hillman, too much had been expected of too few, making Caen “an objective too far”.  Thanks to Richard Kennan and Jim Ring of Gig House Films for their help in researching and providing photographs for this article. Their film, The Suffolk Regiment on D-Day, was commissioned by the Trustees of the Suffolk Regiment Museum and is on sale at the museum in Bury St Edmunds.

www.britainatwar.com 63

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ITALY’S COLDITZ

Britain’s Fugitive Generals BELOW: Vincigliata's central keep, pictured abandoned shortly after the war. The wooden walkway used by the Italian guards has partly collapsed through neglect. OVERLEAF: Brigadier Combe, Lord Ranfurly, and Brigadier Todhunter.

66 www.britainatwar.com

 ITALY’S

COLDITZ As the old adage goes, an Englishman’s home is his castle. In the case of Vincigliata castle this was also once true. However, when a number of high-profile British and Commonwealth officers were imprisoned there during the Second World War, they made it their mission to escape. John Ash tracks Britain’s fugitive generals.

T

oday, Tuscany’s Vincigliata Castle hosts special events, welcoming guests to extravagant weddings, luxurious dinners, and to sup on the products of its sun-kissed vineyard – the Testamatta Estate. However, during the Second World War, the fortress welcomed high profile British officers who had no desire to be there. The original Florentine stronghold was built in the 13th century and was home to the Visdomini family, one of the most powerful of the period, and for centuries the castle was home to a number of important noble families before falling into ruin. In 1844 a British politician, John Temple-Leader, abandoned his promising parliamentary future and emigrated, first to France, then Italy. Over five decades TempleLeader restored the castle and 700 acres of surrounding land, planting forests and rebuilding houses and villas.

Vincigilata was taken over by the Italian military as the Second World War erupted, re-designated PG 12, and turned into a facility to house distinguished Allied military prisoners. The Englishman’s home had very much become a castle, but for two of its prisoners, they were not impressed with their new digs! For example, MajorGeneral Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC (captured when his Wellington crashed in the sea off North Africa in April 1941) commented in his memoirs on how Temple-Leader’s renovations blocked up several tunnels and passageways. New Zealand Brigadier James Hargest (captured as Tobruk fell) noted how perfect the facility was for use as a prison.

FIRST ATTEMPTS

Considering the collection of talents held inside the castle, it was unsurprising several attempts were made to escape the confines of Vincigilata’s walls. Among the first of these was Lieutenant-General Sir www.britainatwar.com 67

ITALY’S COLDITZ

Britain’s Fugitive Generals Pederneschi, was incensed, and both the sentry and O’Connor were locked away. However, another guard, Lieutenant ‘Gussie’ Ricciardi, described as more English than Italian, saw the lighter side. He would work with British forces after the Italian armistice, becoming a friend of O’Connor. The irate Pederneschi was replaced by General Chiappe, who

Richard O’Connor’s initial bid for freedom. O’Connor was captured in unusual circumstances in North Africa. While retreating to Tmimi, O’Connor, Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Neame, 2nd Lieutenant (Lord) Daniel Knox, the Earl of Ranfurly, and LieutenantColonel John Combe, were captured well inside their own lines by a German patrol. Able to establish contact with the War Office and other departments such as MI9 by smuggling letters into British channels (successfully, and quite brazenly and

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with no effort to hide, passing documents to the US Attaché until the move to Vincigliata Castle) O’Connor managed to secure outside support. He then made his first attempt in the middle of 1942. He planned to slip out over the wall as the guards completed their afternoon changeover. With the assistance of Hargest, Combe, and other officers, O’Connor scaled the wall, attached his hooked rope to a battlement loophole, and disappeared down the rope, all within 25 seconds. However, the men were spotted. The new guard walked over to them and calmly, described as politely, halted proceedings. Suspended, waiting for the guards to arrive, O’Connor threw his money and documents back over the wall where they were quickly hidden. The camp captain,

TOP: Brigadier Miles (left) with Brigadier Hargest (second right) and Generals Freyberg and Dill (centre left and right). The two other officers are Brigadier Puttick (second left) and Brigadier Barrowclough (right). ABOVE: HMHS Newfoundland, on which Flt Lt Leeming completed his escape. LEFT: Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO. Described by the ODNB as thus: "With his black eyepatch and empty sleeve, Carton de Wiart looked like an elegant pirate, and became a figure of legend." The painter was William Orpen.

rewarded the sentry for not shooting the escapee General, and confined O’Connor to solitary for a month.

FRAUDULENT SICKNESS

Another interesting ‘escape’ involved Flt Lt John Leeming, who had been captured alongside Air Marshal Owen Boyd in Sicily in November 1940. Neame’s depiction of the man is fascinating, describing him as ‘extremely shrewd’ and with a certain flair about him. Although agreeable, determined and dogged, he liked to present himself as simple and easy to overwhelm, all part of an elaborate several month long plot based on the story of two British officers in the 1920 book ‘The Road to En-Dor’. Sure enough, Leeming suddenly became very ill after having a traumatic nervous breakdown and was visited by both Swiss and Italian doctors. The International Medical Board, without fuss, rapidly accepted the case put forward for early repatriation, which occurred in April 1943. Leeming was moved to Portugal and sent home on the hospital ship HMHS Newfoundland. He reflected in his memoirs: ‘I walked quickly up the gangway, and as I felt my two feet touch the ship’s deck I looked up – I suppose I am too sentimental – at the flag flying from the masthead. “Done it!” I said aloud.’ Once back in England, Leeming returned to active duty.

THE TUNNEL

Upon his release from confinement, O’Connor was pleased to learn of plans for a tunnel starting from the castle chapel, which had been sealed with concrete. From there, work could proceed uninterrupted and the building, which no one else could access, was perfect for housing spoils. Entry into the chapel was gained by breaking through the 18 inch wall from an adjacent lift shaft and then work on the tunnel began. Neame, an engineer, took charge with assistance from Air Marshal Boyd (captured when his Wellington, en route to Malta, was forced down over Sicily) and O’Connor.

Work on the tunnel was conducted during two daily shifts, with watchers observing at all times – though as O’Connor joked, Generals made poor sentries. Missing an arm, de Wiart was unable to help with the excavations and therefore insisted on taking both watch shifts. Others such as Ranfurly and Major-General Michael Gambier-Parry (captured with 2nd Armoured Division at Mechili in April 1941) also worked on the project despite knowing the actual escape would not include them and that they would be subject to any repercussions. The tunnel was dug with a kitchen knife, a trowel, and an iron bar. It had to sink 12 feet, run downhill

for 36 feet, before rising up alongside the external face of the outer wall. Progress was slow, and the tunnel took six months to finish. The record for a week’s work being two feet nine inches. The men were ready by 25 March 1943, but the outer wall was fully lit, so the wait set in for a night so wet it kept the sentries in their boxes. Stores and clothing had been amassed or swindled. The War Office sent maps, money, and documents, expertly duplicated by Gambier-Parry - who found photographs of the Generals in the President [of Romania] Antonescu’s issues of ‘Illustrazione’. On 30 March the conditions were right and the men, O’Connor, de Wiart, Boyd, Combe, Hargest, and New Zealand Brigadier Reginald Miles (captured in December 1941 as 6th Field Artillery Regiment was overrun near Belhamed) crept under the wall, scrambled out, and vanished into the night. So good were the attempts to camouflage the missing officers, it took a day for guards to notice the escape. The tunnel was finally discovered by Gussie’s dog.

DRINK TO FREEDOM

The men split into pairs and set out for Switzerland, some being luckier than others. Boyd managed to reach Como, on the Swiss border, before he was picked up. Combe was unluckier still, caught at Milan station the day after his escape, and almost shot as a spy. O’Connor and de Wiart stayed together during their escape and, posing as tourists, managed to travel 150 miles in seven days, even scrambling across a



LEFT: Major-General Sir Richard O'Connor (centre, middle distance) and LieutenantGeneral Sir Philip Neame VC (centre) with Major-General Gambier-Parry (right) and Brigadier John Combe (left) following their capture. (HISTORIC

MILITARY PRESS)

BELOW: A view of the corner of the castle's garden, from which General O'Connor launched his attempt to scale the walls. The nearby sentry box shows how risky this attempt was.

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ITALY’S COLDITZ

Britain’s Fugitive Generals

ABOVE: Montgomery salutes British troops from his DUKW in Reggio, 3 September 1943. The Allied invasion of Italy provided the best opportunity for Britain's fugitive generals to escape. MIDDLE: A British halftrack and 6Pdr gun land at Reggio.

RIGHT: (From left) Brigadier Combe, and LieutenantGeneral Neame pose with two Italian partisans after their escape.

guarded ravine. The two generals were met by a pair of inquisitive Carabinieri near the Po River, who, after checking their papers, travelled with them, chatting – considering de Wiart could not speak Italian and O’Connor had only learnt the language in captivity, this was no mean feat. However, one of the Italians became suspicious and challenged O’Connor. The subterfuge almost worked, but the soldiers wished to confirm details at a local Police Station. The pair then admitted who they were and were returned to Vincigliata. Hargest and Miles paired up for the escape, they successfully reached Milan and then the Swiss border. The two New Zealanders celebrated by drinking a bottle of rum Hargest had saved for the occasion. They had much to celebrate, Hargest had become the highest ranking British or Empire Officer to successfully escape in both World Wars in addition to later being the only man to successfully escape to England from Vincigilata. Furthermore, both Miles and Hargest were just two of three men who had succeeded in escaping from Italy before the armistice – at least 1,500 attempted the feat. Tragically, neither man survived the war. Hargest travelled alone to Gibraltar, and flew to Britain in November 1943. During the Normandy Invasion he was New Zealand’s military observer and was killed by shellfire on 12 August 1944. Miles was a Great War hero who served at Gallipoli and the

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Somme. He earned a Military Cross, and later received a DSO and Victoria Cross nomination during the Spring Offensive of 1918 and was further decorated with a CBE and a second DSO for his escape. He reached the safety of Spain on 20 October 1943, but, exhausted and depressed, committed suicide.

ARMISTICE

Throughout 1943 the Allied military situation improved and on 7 September 1943, the prisoners were assembled and told Italy had surrendered. General Chiappe loaded the men into trucks and moved them to Florence station. He explained German troops were coming, and that the men were to board a train to Arrezzo. He advised

the British to keep out of the way of the Germans, and allowed the men to trade their clothes with the local population. Chiappe, well-liked by O’Connor, Neame, and de Wiart, was taken prisoner by the Germans and was shot by the SS. The assistance of the many Italian soldiers and civilians, was always greatly appreciated and many Italians would pay the highest price for their efforts in abetting the fugitive British. The stunned garrison at Arrezzo had no clue what to do, faced with the spill from multiple camps, and they feared German repercussion. The prisoners were told they were to be moved, but if ‘Jerry’ arrived, they would be handed over. Hidden in Camaldoli and Eremo monasteries, at least 24 gradually slipped away. The remainder, unfortunately, were betrayed and captured by German soldiers. de Wiart had been released prior to the armistice, as he had been selected in August 1943 by the Italians to accompany General Zanussi to Lisbon

 to discuss the terms of the Italian surrender with Allied officials (as he knew the Crown-Princess, Princess Elena Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro). He made his way to England the same month. GambierPerry escaped to Rome, where he hid in a convent until the city was liberated by Mark Clark’s 5th (US) Army. South African Brigadier Bertram (‘O Bass’) Armstrong, who was captured at Sidi Rezeg while commanding 5th South African Infantry Brigade, was among those to escape. He walked over the Apennine mountains with Lord Ranfurly and other officers, guided by the Benedictine monk Don Leone. Running out of food, the group split up, with Armstrong moving down into Romagna and subsequently reaching safety. He would later become Chief of the General Staff, (South African) Union Defence Forces. Captain Guy Ruggles-Brise, who was captured during a

Commando raid, escaped after the armistice and worked in the Apennines with local partisan groups. The same partisans picked up an old school friend, Lord Ranfurly, and with the assistance of MI9 both successfully reached Allied lines in May 1944, slipping into Termoli on a fishing smack. Brigadier Douglas Stirling was another on the boat to Termoli, he had been captured near Tobruk in November 1941 by a night patrol personally led by Rommel. However, he almost came unstuck

ABOVE: A view of the southern face of Vincigliata Castle.

when in captivity. In the words of de Wiart: “Stirling was sent to Rome to be court-marshalled by a Fascist court, because he had written on a post-card that Italians were bastards. Stirling’s powers of rhetoric were colossal; he practically persuaded the court that not only was it a term of endearment in English, but a compliment as well. He returned to Vincigliata and heard no more about it.”

THE BIG FIVE

ABOVE & LEFT: Some of the documents carefully forged by Major-General Gambier-Parry. Depicted are papers for Brigadier Todhunter.

Lodged in Segetheina were O’Connor, Neame, Combe, Boyd, Brigadier Edward Todhunter (who was captured alongside Gambier-Parry) and for a short while Ranfurly. They remained there a while, but were forced to move to avoid patrols. According to Neame, at some point prior to or during this move, the group were taken in by retired Dutch diplomat, Baron Quarles, who lived with his English wife, by sheer luck a childhood friend. Neame soon received a message, run across the lines by an Italian, Vailate. General Alexander had arranged for a submarine to pick up O’Connor, Neame, and Boyd. The group split, with Combe joining Ranfurly in his successful attempt to get to Termoli, Todhunter reaching the Allied lines at Ancona, and GambierParry hiding in Rome until liberation. O’Connor, Neame and Boyd rushed to meet their appointment with the Royal Navy, helped along the way by various rendezvous with Italian assistants. On one occasion, a dozen Germans were www.britainatwar.com 71

ITALY’S COLDITZ

Britain’s Fugitive Generals preparing a bridge for demolition, which the British and their guide had to cross. They did so, in intervals. As O’Connor approached, he was waved on by the NCO, whom he accidentally saluted. Nevertheless, all involved got away with the crossing. The submarine failed to arrive on the first of the two given dates in the message and the men moved elsewhere, stopping for a night in Forli, close to Mussolini’s birthplace. Shortly after 23 November 1943, following another failed meeting with the submarine, the men were billeted in a villa on the outskirts of Cervia, which belonged to O’Connor’s unfortunate desert foe, General Graziani. The three remaining men were split up temporarily as the Germans arrived, with Boyd being hidden inside the German headquarters!

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

O’Connor then began to organise the trio’s own escape. Despite the complexities from sailing under curfew from a German-controlled port, Cattolica, the men, generously backed by an Italian, Signore Arpesella, bought passage with a trawler captain. Stowed away hidden in the hold, the boat slipped out unchallenged into the rough sea early on a dark, rainy, morning. At midnight, O’Connor witnessed the passing of the lines, watching in awe as fire was traded by both sides and Allied aircraft overflew the vessel. Safely on Montgomery’s side of the lines, the trawler put into Termoli harbour. The trio were finally safe and the most harm they had come to was O’Connor tripping on a foot scraper at a dinner with Generals Alexander and Eisenhower, leaving a wound on his face requiring nine stiches. On 22 December 1943 O’Connor and the others were flown to Tunis on the first stage of their journey home. Upon their arrival they were met by

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Arthur Tedder, the Air Chief Marshal. Winston Churchill was also in the North African city, convalescing. In the words of O’Connor: “We were ushered into the ‘Great Man’s’ bedroom by Lord Moran. There he was, like an old Bhudda. …The first thing he said to me was ‘Why did you allow yourself to be taken prisoner? And then after a moment he said ‘But you are forgiven’.” He reflected further: “He really brought us completely up to date. There seemed to be nothing he did not tell us and we sat there completely spellbound.” Early on Christmas Day, O’Connor touched down in Prestwick after a long flight from Morocco, taken wide over the Bay of Biscay to avoid German aircraft. Soon, he was placed on an unscheduled ‘ghost train’ to London Euston. His wife travelled down from Inverness to King’s Cross, and they met for the first time in 33 months.

ABOVE: General Giuseppe Castellano (in civilian) shakes hands with Dwight D. Eisenhower after the signing of the Italian Armistice at Cassibile on 8 September 1943. Major General Bedell Smith looks on. LEFT: From left, Brigadier Combe, Major-General de Wiart, Brigadier Todhunter and Major-General Gambier-Parry, holding 'Gussie' Ricciardi's dog, Mickey, at Villa Orsini in 1941. Mickey discovered the escape tunnel, blocking plans to push another six officers through at the next opportunity.

Upon his return, Neame found his reputation was marred by his rapid defeat in North Africa and his sudden capture, and that there was no command waiting for him upon his repatriation. That said, he was kept on the active list until 1947. Boyd, sadly, died in August 1944 after a heart attack, a week after he was divorced. O’Connor was altogether more successful. He battled steady criticism and would command VIII Corps in the Normandy campaign, where his ability is often examined, and later during Operation Market Garden. Despite questions alluding to his mental wellbeing post capture, there is no doubt his impact on the campaign in Normandy was largely constructive, and among the greatest works completed by Britain’s fugitive Generals.  Britain at War magazine would like to thank Icon Books, and the author of 'Castle of the Eagles', Mark Felton, for their assistance in sourcing many of the images used in this feature. The excellent and gripping 'Castle of the Eagles' is available now, RRP: £16.99. For accompanying reading, also see General O'Connor's biography, ''The Forgotten Victor', by John Baynes.

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THE BATTLE OF PORT SAN CARLOS | Falkland Islands: 21 May 1982

Port San The Battle of

RIGHT: Even after the hostile landings, the British fleet was not safe. Here, the frigate HMS Antelope explodes after an Argentine bomb detonates while being defused. (PA ARCHIVE)

A

fter capturing the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, Argentina watched as Great Britain despatched a Task Force to the South Atlantic. Meanwhile, an Argentinian Army Group (Falklands) intelligence assessment calculated the likely British options: •A direct assault against Stanley. •Low-risk amphibious landing, for instance at Berkeley Sound. The belief was that the British aim would simply be to gain a political bargaining position from such military action.

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After the only visit to the Falklands on 22 April by General Leopoldo Galtieri, the head of the Argentine Junta, Brigadier-General Mario Menendez, the Army Group Falklands commander, agreed to form a strategic reserve at Goose Green from Army Group Littoral which comprised: •Goose Green: Task Force Mercedes. •Port Howard: Task Force Reconquest. •Fox Bay: 8th Infantry Regiment. Group Littoral was commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Parada, who commanded 3rd Mechanized Infantry

Brigade, then deployed on the eastern border with Uruguay. As the brigade travelled by rail to the chilly Patagonia airheads, it was brought up to strength with reservists and new conscripts. Heavy equipment was loaded onto four Naval Transport Service ships. However, the Cuidad de Cordoba, carrying mortars, ammunition, vehicles, kitchens and stores of the 12th Infantry Regiment, hit a rock and returned to port. Then, when the British imposed a 200 mile Total Exclusion Zone on 1 May, the Cuidad de Cordoba was prevented from finally sailing to Stanley, and thus the 12th Infantry Regiment lacked any of its heavy equipment and stores. Parada, meanwhile, was prevented by Air Force bureaucracy from going to Goose Green and therefore directed operations from Stanley. Command at Goose Green was split between Wing Commander Wilson Pedrozo (commanding Military Air Base Condor at Goose Green) and Lieutenant Colonel Italo Piaggi, who commanded 12th Infantry Regiment. They had three missions: Provide a reinforcement to Army Group, Stanley. Occupy the Darwin Isthmus. Reinforce the defence of Military Air Base Condor at Goose Green. 

n Carlos

LEFT: The door gunner of a patrolling British helicopter keeps a watchful eye over San Carlos Water. (PA ARCHIVE)

Thirty-five years after the conflict, a Falklands veteran and former Intelligence Officer, Nick Van Der Bijl, reveals the inside story of a pivotal part of operations to re-take the islands.

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THE BATTLE OF PORT SAN CARLOS | Falkland Islands: 21 May 1982 RIGHT: Wing Commander Wilson Pedrozo arriving at San Carlos and met by CO 3rd Commando Brigade, Julian Thompson. (VIA AUTHOR)

MIDDLE RIGHT: A contempoary breifing map showing the details of Operation Sutton, the landings at San Carlos. (VIA AUTHOR)

BELOW: Argentine wounded at Fanning Head are prepared for ecavuation. (VIA AUTHOR)

‘I COUNTED THEM ALL OUT…’

The defence of Goose Green was entrusted to a battle group built around the 12th Infantry Regiment and about 60 soldiers from C Company, 25th Special Infantry Regiment. The latter was commanded by First Lieutenant Carlos Estaban, who had been at Goose Green since 3 April. His regiment had been formed specifically for the Falklands campaign from Commandos and Paratroopers. Military Air Base Condor was the main airstrip outside Stanley, and supported only Pucara groundattack aircraft, helicopters and naval aircraft whilst the settlement itself was defended by Army and Air Force antiaircraft gunners.

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During the morning of 1 May, Fleet Air Arm and RAF Harriers attacked the Stanley and Goose Green Military Air Bases, leading to the BBC correspondent Brian Hanrahan to announce to the world, ‘I counted them all out. I counted them all in.’ The destruction of a Pucara, and with two others damaged, led to Pedrozo declaring the airbase nonoperational and, citing safety, confined the settlers to the Community Centre. Post-mission Imagery Intelligence showed six undamaged Pucaras, and one tipped on its nose. When Signals Intelligence then identified a further airfield, named ‘Calderon’, HQ Land Forces Falkland Islands Intelligence was confident it did not refer to any mainland airfields, or to Stanley airfield.

Still, it warranted investigation. Major David Burrill, the senior Intelligence Officer recalled: ‘Our analysis came up with three or four possibilities and Special Forces patrols were despatched to carry out surveillance on the possible locations.’ In early May, elements of the Task Force began leaving the forward operating base at Ascension Island and during the night of 10/11 May, RearAdmiral John Woodward, Commander Carrier Task Group 317.8, ordered the Type-21 frigate HMS Alacrity to pass through Falkland Sound from south to north in a bid to ascertain whether the Sound was mined. At about 1pm, she sank a small transport off Swan Islands, about five miles from Port Howard,

LEFT: The iconic shot of a young Argentine prisoner aboard a Royal Navy vessel in San Carlos, after being captured at Goose Green. (PA ARCHIVE)

MIDDLE LEFT: Headquarters of 3 Cde Bde at San Carlos. Underneath the camoflage and partially dug in, are four BV 206 snow tracs.

which had just completed unloading stores and ammunition from a damaged transport beached at Port King, Lafonia. Believing the incursion suggested British interest in Falkland Sound, Menendez instructed Brigadier Daher to place Observation Posts (OP) on Mount Rosalie, West Falkland and on Fanning Head - the 768ft tussock-covered feature overlooking the narrows into San Carlos Water, known to the Argentines as Hill 234.

SAS WRECKED SEVERAL AIRCRAFT On 13 May, two Argentinian 601 Combat Aviation Battalion Pumas, and two UH-1H Iroquois, landed 601 Commando Company at Port San

Carlos with orders to patrol San Carlos Water and establish the Fanning Head OP. The finding of a British chocolate wrapper on a path strongly suggested enemy Special Forces were in the area. Indeed, the Special Boat Service (SBS) had been conducting coastal recces of possible assault beaches since early May, including San Carlos Water. When poor weather set in, however, the Argentinian commandos abandoned the exposed OP and sheltered in the Port San Carlos Community Centre. At Goose Green, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi had issued First Lieutenant Estaban with Operation Order No. 01/83 (Defence) which required him to establish a patrol base at Port San Carlos and to man the OP. He gave him 60 soldiers from

Second-Lieutenant Reyes’s 1st (‘Gato’) Platoon, C Company, 25th Infantry Regiment, and named the detachment Equipo Combat Guemes (Combat Team Eagle). As Estaban recorded: ‘The mission of Equipo Combat Guemes was to block and control the entrance to San Carlos Water, to observe for enemy naval activity and possible landings at Port Howard, Fox Bay and Darwin. My operation commenced on 14 May … A Command Post, consisting of a rifle section and a HQ and Supply Section was set up in the Community Centre and Hill 234 was re-occupied by a strong rifle section. For the next week, Combat Team Eagle rarely left Port San Carlos and concentrated on manning the 

(VIA AUTHOR)

BELOW: A captured map showing Falkland place names in Spanish. An intelligence coup of sorts, it helped to reduce the false identification of locations. (VIA AUTHOR)

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THE BATTLE OF PORT SAN CARLOS | Falkland Islands: 21 May 1982 RIGHT: A British cartoon from the period.

been born in Costa Rica to a British UN official, and spoke fluent regional Spanish. During a meeting chaired by Rear Admiral Woodward aboard HMS Hermes on 10 May to discuss checking out Fanning Head, Woodward said it was critical to check out the possibility by the 15 May. A SAS liaison officer said some preparatory work needed to be done, in particular inserting a recce team, and he needed three weeks. Woodward knew the SAS based their success on meticulous planning, but on this occasion a crisis had developed which needed to be resolved within five days. The SAS officer insisted he needed three weeks - to which Woodward replied he had until the 15th, or never.

(VIA AUTHOR)

TWIN-SALVOES BANG ON TARGET several aircraft. However, naval gunfire onto the runway would have probably achieved the same result, but during the afternoon, important intelligence arrived at Brigade Intelligence: ‘We learnt that an organisation entitled EC Guemes had arrived at San Carlos but we were at a loss as to what this title meant. The immediate concern was the implications of the initials until Captain Rod Bell solved the problem, ‘That’s easy. EC stands for Equipo Combate which translates into ‘Combat Team’. We therefore assumed a company on Fanning Head until another signal indicated a patrol base at Port San Carlos. We assumed support weapons covering the neck of San Carlos Water.’ Bell, the Adjutant to HQ and Signal Squadron, 3rd Commando Brigade had

RIGHT: A low-tech solution in a high-tech war. A Royal Marine relaxes next to his GPMG, which is literally tied to the railings of his ship, in a bid to enchance antiaircraft defences. (PA ARCHIVE)

RIGHT: Landing craft and Sea King helicopters land British troops from a Fearlessclass LPD. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE/KEY COLLECTION)

observation post and doing some limited patrolling. There was little contact with the ‘kelpers’ [Islanders], except to requisition some sheep.’ While visiting the Port San Carlos Settlement Manager, Alan Miller, Estaban noted a painting depicting HMS Exeter anchored in San Carlos Water after the 1939 Battle of the River Plate against the German pocket battleship Graf Spee. He immediately realised the potential significance of this, reporting to Task Force Mercedes that he realised large ships could enter the water. Next afternoon, Brigadier Julian Thompson, commanding Task Group 317.1 (TG 317.1; 3rd Commando Brigade), issued Orders for Operation Sutton, the landing at San Carlos Water but not when this would take place. Meanwhile, D Squadron, 22 SAS, had identified Calderon to be Naval Air Base Borbon on Pebble Island, and raiding it early on 15 May they wrecked

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Concerned the landings might have been compromised, Brigade Intelligence spent the next week watching for any indication of Argentine deployment to the area. The OP was nicknamed the ‘Fanning Head Mob’, and since the intelligence suggested it was associated with Task Force Mercedes, Thompson changed his landing plan to have 40 Commando and 2 Para landing on Red Beach, with 2 Para tasked to seize Sussex Mountains and to block exploitation from Goose Green. 3 Para were tasked to deal with the Argentines at Port San Carlos, while the SBS were tasked to neutralise the Fanning Hill Mob. When on 19 May Joint Forces HQ at Northwood indicated no political agreement had been reached, Commodore Michael Clapp, Commander Task Group (CTG 317.0;

LEFT: A view of San Carlos, taken on 18 May 1982. (PA ARCHIVE)

Amphibious Warfare) ordered ‘OPGEN Mike’, giving D-Day as Friday 21 May and H-Hour as 02.30 local time. By about 01.00 on the 20th, TG 317.1 was lurking outside San Carlos Water after seven weeks at sea and 8,000 miles from UK. While troops filed into landing craft, the destroyer HMS Antrim launched ‘Humphrey’, its heroic Wessex HAS-3 helicopter, which had played such a pivotal role in recovering South Georgia (including the rescue of the SAS from several predicaments). Humphrey was to conduct a thermal imaging recce of Fanning Head. Captain Hugh McManners RA, Naval Gunfire Support Officer 1, 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation, later wrote: ‘The sweep along Fanning Head showed clusters of bright glow worms in pairs and in all about fifteen. There

were several of these groups to the north of the Head and a group actually at the top of the feature. We had found our heavy weapons company.’ At about 1am 3 SBS, McManners and Bell, who took a loudspeaker, climbed into an 846 NAS Sea King HC-4 Commando but the payload was too heavy. It took four lifts before the 35-strong force was crouched 1,000 metres north-west of Findlay Rocks, and 6,500 metres from Fanning Head. Lieutenant Estaban recalled: ‘The first that the observation post knew that something strange was happening was the movement of helicopters from Falkland Sound to Port San Carlos. The post had also seen ships not far off, and had decided to open fire with the 88mm Installaza and the 7.62mm MAG machine gun.’

The SBS had covered about 2,000 metres when the Installaza, a Spanishmade infantry anti-tank weapon, opened fire. McManners reflected: ‘It takes some time to get a ship ready to fire and she hit a snag with one of her twin turreted 4.5-inch guns. The rest of the patrol had never had anything to do with ship’s guns (or any other big guns) and became impatient. We had a small mortar with us and the mortar man was very keen to use it (lightening his load in the process). ‘Unfortunately impatience got the better of prudence and about twenty bombs were loosed off in rapid succession to absolutely no effect whatever. Their impact could not even be heard let alone observed. When the ship reported ready, I ordered her to fire and the twin salvoes were bang 

BELOW A Royal Navy Sea King waits to transfer prisoners out of San Carlos. (PA ARCHIVE)

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THE BATTLE OF PORT SAN CARLOS | Falkland Islands: 21 May 1982 RIGHT: Part of the large Royal Navy taskforce, one destroyer and three frigates, sailing south towards the Falklands, 1 April 1982. (PA ARCHIVE)

CENTRE: A hive of activity at San Carlos, as the beachhead develops into a major supplies base. Note, the Centurion BARV to the right of shot. (PA ARCHIVE)

BELOW: Two Argentine prisoners talk to a Royal Navy interpreter. (PA ARCHIVE)

BELOW RIGHT: Estaban and some of the men from EC Guemes after they successfuly reached Stanley, 25 May 1982. (VIA AUTHOR)

on target. Nick had some trouble with communications but by standing about 15-metres away from the patrol, we were able to get through. I had ordered the patrol to lie down when the ship reported to me the round had been fired and were on their way. ‘We could see the faint flash of Antrim’s guns out in the Sound as the remainder of the twenty salvoes were fired. Then followed silence, then an eerie whistling sound and a brief silence. I had ordered airburst (which explodes 500-feet above ground) and as it arrived, it turned night into day. The crash of the explosions came second later. I felt a bit like Merlin unleashing the forces of darkness.’

‘DISTANT MACHINE GUN CHATTER’

The frigate bombarded Fanning Hill for several minutes, mostly airburst at 500-feet and creeping towards the Argentine position. Brigade Intelligence noted: ‘From the half-deck, I saw the small blue navigation lights of the landing craft assembling at the stern and then

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the night was shattered by HMS Antrim opening fire on the Fanning Hill Mob. A few moments of silence and then the crumps and flashes, followed by distant machine-gun chatter.’ Unable to contact Estaban, with several casualties and the Installaza wrecked, Reyes abandoned the OP and led his men into Partridge Valley, to the east of Fanning Head, heading for Port San Carlos. The SBS had also reached the valley, and as two columns of figures filed over the ridge, Captain Bell used his loudspeaker to persuade them to surrender, but the direction of the wind rendered it useless. A short firefight confounded theories the Argentines

would not fight. Estaban later set out what happened: ‘We heard the firing and saw the shelling of Hill 234 and made an attempt to contact the observation post but nothing was heard. I ordered Grey Alert to all units. At 06.30, there was still no communication from the Hill and so I deployed observers from Port San Carlos to overlook San Carlos Water. All seemed relatively peaceful until 08.10 when an observer spotted a large white ship [Canberra] and three warships at the entrance. Within five minutes, I had climbed some high ground and saw three warships beyond the white ship. Ten minutes later, I received another report that landing craft were leaving the white ship and were heading into San Carlos Water. Helicopters were also seen. More landing craft were seen and so I reported to Regimental HQ at Goose Green that landings were underway.’ At 08.30, Estaban was told that Royal Marines (in fact 3 Para) had landed 2,000 metres to the west (Green Beach) and were advancing toward Port San Carlos. A key feature of landing operations is air defence, and T (Shah Shujah’s Troop) Battery had identified positions for its four Rapier missile launchers from a map, but after spending seven weeks on a ship the launchers needed to be calibrated in their firing positions ashore. At about 7am, two 3rd Commando Brigade Air Squadron Gazelle helicopters left RFA Sir Galahad to recce the positions. Both were fitted with a waist-mounted GPMG and 37mm SNEB rockets. After checking two positions, they split up to escort Sea Kings flying equipment ashore. At about 08.38, Sergeants Andrew Evans and Edward Candlish, both Royal Marines, linked up with

Lieutenant Ray Harper RN, lifting off from Canberra in a Sea Lynx and carrying a Rapier recce party with an underslung load of mortar bombs. Estaban again recalled events: ‘At approximately 08.40, when a Sea King was observed flying towards the settlement [Port San Carlos] from the east, I assessed that I was in danger of being encircled and gave the order to open fire on it; the helicopter veered away.’ Appreciating he was outnumbered, Estaban closed his radio link to Goose Green and was preparing to leave Port San Carlos and head east: ‘Almost immediately, the Command Post in the Community Centre came under fire from the west. About a minute later, a Sea Lynx [in fact, a Gazelle] approached our position and loosed off six rockets. Concentrated fire was brought to bear and the Sea Lynx crashed into the sea.’

LEFT: HMS Antelope as she sinks in Ajax Bay after being attacked by four Skyhawks on 23 May. She damaged all four aircraft with near-misses from Sea Cat missiles, and hits from cannon and small arms. One was downed, although it is unknown by who, HMS Broadsword usually is credited. Hit twice by bombs which failed to explode, Antelope sank after an attempt to make safe one device detonated the bomb. Burning through the night, the melted hulk of Antelope sank the following day. three died as a result of the attack, Steward Mark Stephens, and Staff Sergeant James Prescott, and Skyhawk pilot, Luciano Guadagnini. (PA ARCHIVE)

‘MORTARS FELL ON THE POSITION’

Although severely wounded, Evans ditched about 50 yards from the shore but the helicopter, weighed down with its additional equipment and lacking flotation gear, began to sink. Estaban ordered ‘cease fire’. However, some of his men either failed to hear or else ignored the order. Nevertheless, Candlish, who had also been wounded, inflated Evans’s lifejacket and dragged him downstream to Port San Carlos where several islanders helped carry Evans to the settlement bunkhouse, where he unfortunately died. Estaban, meanwhile, reached The Knob - a topographical feature 1,800 metres east of Port San Carlos: ‘The crash of the helicopter marked our position and mortars fell on the  www.britainatwar.com 81

THE BATTLE OF PORT SAN CARLOS | Falkland Islands: 21 May 1982 position. I ordered another change of position to the east to avoid the barrage. As the platoon adjusted, another Sea Lynx [Gazelle] opened fire with its inboard machine-guns and manoeuvred to fire rockets.’ Estaban’s men immediately returned heavy fire, and the Gazelle was fatally hit, crashing upside down just short of his position and killing Lieutenant Ken Francis and Lance Corporal Brett Griffin (both Royal Marines), who had

‘battlefield’ and two Blues and Royals Scimitar armoured vehicles opening fire on C Company. Such was the lack of knowledge of some British equipment within the Commando Brigade, for example the capabilities of these tracked armoured vehicles with their low ground pressure and excellent optics, that they were not released to pursue the Argentines. This was not the only time their capabilities were not recognised.

been sent to collect information on the enemy. Meanwhile, 3 Para were under pressure to clear the area and when the 105mm Light Guns of 79 (Kirkee) Commando Battery, near San Carlos, fired the first fire mission of the war, Lieutenant Estaban again shifted east. But, at 09.00, he was approached for the third time by another Gazelle. Fearing it would direct naval gunfire onto his position, he ordered his men to open fire. The helicopter, crewed by Captain Robin Makeig-Jones RA and Corporal Roy Fleming RM, veered away and managed to land back on RFA Sir Galahad with only superficial damage. As EG Guemes withdrew, operational errors within 3 Para resulted in friendly fire between A and C Companies with the Mortar Platoon shelling the

TRENCH FOOT, FROSTBITE AND HUNGER

RIGHT: Argentine prisoners of war, captured on 21 May 1982, as British forces landed at San Carlos. (PA ARCHIVE)

BELOW: The reburial ceremony at Blue Beach Military Cemetery, in Port San Carlos, 27 October 1982, of 14 men killed in the Falklands, including Lt Col 'H' Jones VC. (PA ARCHIVE)

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Believing Port San Carlos had been captured, and with landing craft delivering troops, Estaban withdraw a further 2,000 metres to the east and secured a landing site for a heliborne counter-attack force that was reported to be assembling. He radioed Second Lieutenant Reyes, and advised that if it was impractical for him to re-join him then he was to make his way to Goose Green. Meanwhile, the Argentines witnessed the first air attack on the ships in San Carlos Water; conducted by Pucaras flying from Stanley. When the reports circulated of the two Royal Marine sergeants being shot at while in the water, concerns

emerged the conflict would develop into a very nasty affair, but this turned out to be an isolated incident when inexperienced conscripts were caught up in the maelstrom of battle. Nevertheless, one prisoner later mentioned: ‘What is the difference in shooting men struggling in the water to being under naval gunfire and cluster bombs while struggling to survive on the ground?’ Estaban eventually reached Douglas two days later and gave his men a short rest before pushing on to Teal Inlet where he commandeered two Land Rovers and their drivers to drive his men to Stanley. Apart from those missing after Fanning Head, EC Guemes suffered eleven killed, several wounded and six prisoners who were evacuated to a British ship. Two groups, including Reyes’, were captured on 8 June by 40 Commando, which was guarding the beachhead, the prisoners found to be suffering from trench foot, frostbite and hunger after surviving on little more than cormorants and sheep. In his handwritten report, however, Estaban was critical of British helicopter tactics: ‘The helicopters spent sufficiently long in the hover to bring fire to bear. There was little attempt to avoid ground fire. I was pleased that my men had not been paralysed by the fighting.’ For rest of the campaign, and after the losses sustained in these particular operations, British light helicopter activity was largely restricted to casualty evacuation, communications and the moving of light loads over secured ground. For both the Argentinians and the British, lessons learned in the heat of battle led to operational adjustments as to how assets on respective sides were used or deployed.  Note: The Argentine accounts of the San Carlos landings are taken from a captured document now housed in the Military Intelligence Museum.

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IMAGE of WAR

ASSAULT FROM PATROL BASE 4 Helmand Province, Afghanistan, August 2011

British soldiers from A Company, 1st Battalion, The Rifles (1 Rifles), then based in ‘Patrol Base 4’, participate in a helicopter assault in Helmand Province. They deploy from a RAF Chinook HC4 together with members of the Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP), the primary civil law enforcement branch of the Afghan National Police. 1 Rifles was formed in 2007 with the amalgamation of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment with the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. In this assault, 1 Rifles and the AUP detachment came under heavy fire, but held and successfully exfiltrated. (Sgt. A. Baskerville/Ministry of Defence)

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“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War

WITH THE ROYAL NAVY CURRENTLY TASKED TO SUPPORT THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE CIVIL WARS IN LIBYA AND SYRIA, AND TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES, ANDY BROCKMAN LOOKS BACK EXACTLY EIGHTY YEARS TO THE SIMILARLY SENSITIVE EVACUATION OF ALMOST 4,000 CHILD REFUGEES FROM BILBAO IN MAY 1937 DURING THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR.

"

FROM

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“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War

"ORDERS MY GOVERN

T

o the watch keepers on the compass platform of HMS Royal Oak, the shape of the approaching light cruiser with her rakish twin funnels would have been curiously familiar. A reference to their copy of Janes Fighting Ships would have revealed why. The Almirante Cervera, flying the colours of Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s rebel Spanish navy, was actually designed under the direction of Sir Philip Watts, director of Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth and Co Ltd, and was based on the Royal Navy’s E Class vessels. This morning, 6 May 1937, the cruiser

was eight miles to the east of the battleship and on a closing course. Her intentions were unclear. The British vessels, patrolling outside the Spanish three mile limit, were waiting for two mismatched vessels approaching from the south. The tatty, black painted 10,000 ton liner Habana and the white twomasted steam yacht Guizeko-Izarra, both flew a prominent white flag bearing the Cross of St George and carried between them almost 3,500 refugees from the bitter fighting on the Northern Front of the Spanish Civil War and were heading for safety in south west France.

At 07.15 the Spanish cruiser signalled Rear Admiral Sir Charles Ramsey, Flag Officer Commanding Second Battle Squadron: “I got orders from my Government to stop any Spanish ship leaving Bilbao. I protest if you stop me in the exercise of my rights” However, Ramsey’s escorting destroyers reported the Spanish had not manned their guns and that the cruiser’s torpedo tubes seemed empty, so he was able to conclude that any protest would most likely be verbal rather than explosive. As well as being part of the diplomatic pas de deux both parties were engaged in, this was a recognition of the brutal 

ABOVE: Child refugees and their adult helpers disembark from SS Habana at Southampton on Sunday 23 May 1937 (COURTESY OF THE BASQUE CHILDREN OF 37 ASSOCIATION)

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“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War fact the 30,000 ton Royal Oak carried a broadside of eight fifteen inch guns against the 8,000 ton cruiser’s eight six inch weapons - meaning the best the Spaniards could hope for, if the encounter turned violent, was a heroic last stand.

THE BOMBING OF A BASQUE TOWN

At 07.30 Almirante Cervera crossed the bow of the battleship at a range of less than half a mile, but now her guns were closed-up. Ramsey signalled: “These ships are carrying noncombatant refugees certified by British Consul. I have orders from my Government to protect these ships on the high seas. I have noted your protest and will inform my Government.” The Spanish captain, Moreu, replied that non-combatants should be landed at a Spanish port where they would be “assisted” by his Government. However, Ramsey re-iterated: “My Government orders me to conduct these ships to a French Port.” By 07.45, with Royal Oak positioned between the Spanish cruiser and the refugee ships, it was all over. Moreu stood down his gun crews and the cruiser steamed away towards Bilbao, thus ending another routine enforcement of the freedom of navigation on the high seas by the International Non-intervention Committee. However, twelve days earlier on 26th April, an event had occurred which would change the dynamic of the British involvement in northern Spain. Luftwaffe “volunteers” of Legion Condor and the Italian Fascist Aviazione Legionaria executed Operation Rügen, bombing a Basque market town called Guernika.

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ABOVE: HMS Royal Oak leaves Valletta's Grand Harbour, Malta, 1937. BELOW: A pre World War Two photograph of the ship's watch on the compass platform of HMS Royal Oak (AUTHOR'S

COLLECTION)

DENIALS BY THE GERMANS

Two days later, the Times carried the eye witness report of the bombing by journalist George Steer directly to the breakfast tables of Britain’s decision makers and to a horrified public. The apparently deliberate destruction of the defenceless centre of Basque identity revolted a swathe of public opinion and no amount of denials by the Germans, let alone claims the bombing was a Communist false flag operation, could dampen demands that something must be done - at least to rescue endangered children. The pressure facing the Baldwin Government is summed up by a brief exchange during the Parliamentary debate about the bombing of Gernika held on 6 May, even as Ramsey’s ships were shepherding Habana and Guizeko-Izarra safely across

the Bay of Biscay. When staunchly anti-communist Conservative MP Sir Alfred Knox commended General Franco’s proposal for a “safe zone” in northern Spain, radical Liberal MP Geoffrey Mander replied acidly: “Was not his attitude to the civil population very clearly indicated at Guernica?” On the ground in northern Spain an immediate result of the bombing of Gernika was a further influx of refugees into Bilbao to join others such as the three Trecu children, Lore, Pirmin and Elisabete, who had already fled the captured coastal town of Zarautz near San Sebastian because their father was fighting with the Basque Army. Elisabete recalled: “We weren’t allowed to speak Basque, and Basque was like breathing to us. “ She also described having to hang

“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War

fascist flags from the balcony of their house and time visits to the town square to avoid being forced to sing the Fascist anthem “Cara Al Sol”.

ESCORTED BY HMS FEARLESS

During May, the pressure on the British Government to admit refugee children like the Trecu’s mounted, even from within its own ranks. On 18 May, Conservative MP Katherine Marjory, the so called “Red” Duchess of Atholl, Chair of the National Joint Committee for Spanish Relief, gave the strings of her network in Whitehall a strong pull, telephoning Home Secretary Sir John Simon personally and sending a telegram to Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden which read in part: “Reference My Telegram find Home Secretary has prohibited entry children over twelve STOP Our committee’s representative Dr Ellis just returned from Bilbao says this and limitation to two thousand has caused consternation STOP…Atholl” By 19 May, any opponents of the evacuation left in Whitehall had beaten a tactical retreat in the face of a remarkable coalition ranging from the Communist Party of Great Britain, Trades Unions, the Co-operative movement and the Catholic Church. On the ground in Bilbao, activist Leah Manning, who had been asked by the Basque Government to organise the evacuation, and British Consul Stevenson, selected 4,000 refugees who would be allowed to embark on Habana along with adult helpers and a group of Catholic Priests. The children underwent

ABOVE: Above In the months following their arrival, the children of the Habana were distributed across the UK, This group lived at Bray Court, Maidenhead. (COURTESY OF THE BASQUE CHILDREN OF 37 ASSOCIATION)

medical checks and were issued with cardboard identity discs. After a delay of 24 hours, the overloaded Habana sailed for Southampton on the morning of 21 May and was allowed to depart Bilbao without incident. As arranged, she picked up her Royal Navy escort at the edge of the three mile limit and was accompanied all the way across a stormy Bay of Biscay by the destroyer HMS Fearless. Taking on a pilot at the Needles, she entered Southampton on 23 May, where a reception camp had

been constructed by local Boy Scouts at North Stoneham near Eastleigh.

INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING OF CIVILIANS

As the tired and seasick children were bussed to Stoneham, it rained. No-one had ever had to deal with this many child refugees at once and for several weeks all was mud and muddle, but it was a safe muddle. Arrangements were even made to ask aircraft using Eastleigh aerodrome to avoid overflying 

LEFT: A Heinkel He 111 of the Condor Legion is readied for another mission during the Spanish Civil War. BELOW: The Spanish navy's Britishdesigned cruiser Almirante Cervera was taken over by Franco's Nationalist rebels and attempted a blockade of Basque ports against International Law .

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“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War

the camp and risk further traumatising the victims of Legion Condor. Less charitably, and in keeping with the commitment to spend no Government resources on the refugees, the tents and field kitchens at Stoneham were hired from the War Office at a commercial rate. Writing about these events of eighty years ago it is impossible not to see parallels, however inexact, with the dilemmas faced by the current British Government and the wider international community over the civil wars in Libya, and above all in Syria. We see the same diplomatic dance, based on a pragmatic unwillingness to commit blood and treasure to a messy and bloody civil war which could easily turn into a wider and more dangerous international confrontation. In both instances, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations, given wide coverage in the mass media, resulted in significant pressure to “do something”, and especially to aid refugee children. In 1937 there were even episodes of what would now be called ‘Fake News’.

ABOVE: HMS Fearless. RIGHT: The Tree of Gernika stands next to the historic Basque Parliament. In 1937 the predecessor of this tree survived the bombing of the ancient Basque capital and became a symbol of defiance. (ANDY

BROCKMAN)

BELOW: In Bilbao, Leah Manning used the threat of the bombing of civilians to pressure on the British Government to admit child refugees

(THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE)

The proFranco Diario Vasco published stories that the loss of the nationalist battleship Espana to a mine was actually the responsibility of the Royal Navy, and that a refugee ship carrying 4,000 children had been sunk by the ‘Reds’, with the assistance of the British, in order to discredit Franco’s insurgents. However, there the parallel breaks down. In 2017 the British Government refused to admit more than 350 unaccompanied children from Syria, in spite of the so called Dubbs Amendment which would have helped an estimated 3,000 of the 90 www.britainatwar.com

“ORDERS FROM MY GOVERNMENT…” The Royal Navy and the Spanish Civil War

most vulnerable refugees. In 1937, public pressure and a remarkable feat of community organisation by the NJCSR and its supporters forced an equally unwilling government to admit almost 4,000 children.

A SPANIARD AT D-DAY

With the final defeat of the legitimate Republican government in 1939, many of the ‘Ninos’ stayed in Britain, including the Trecu siblings, and whilst proudly retaining their identity as Spaniards, and as Basques, many lived long lives contributing to many aspects of life in the country which gave them refuge. Pirmin Trecu went on to become a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. Some even fought in the British armed forces. When he died in 2008 at the age of 84, the

coffin of Alfredo Emilio Ruiz was covered with the Royal Navy’s White Ensign, topped with a Basque beret. Alfredo was the only Spaniard known to have served in the Royal Navy on D-Day, where he was a radio operator aboard ML147 at Juno Beach. With that in mind, the last word on the Royal Navy’s involvement with the evacuation of the Basque children should lie with Admiral Ramsey. In his report to the Admiralty, Ramsey, no doubt somewhat wryly, included a comment from the indefatigable Leah Manning first published in the Daily Express of 10 June 1937. “I do not stand much by the Navy but for once I was proud of it. They stood by us as our ship, the Habana, met the rebel warships, who made rude gestures at us as we went past…”

While Manning had embroidered the truth, because Almirante Cervera had not even appeared on 19 May, her comment is a credit to the tact, diplomacy and professionalism with which Admiral Ramsey and his command carried out their complicated, unasked for and largely thankless task. By doing so, the Royal Navy had ensured only rude gestures and tart signals were exchanged. The story of the Basque Niños can be read in full on the website of the Basque Children of 37 Association http://www.basquechildren.org/ The author is grateful to the Association and to the National Archive where the files ADM 116/3516 and FO provide a vivid account of the episode as it seemed to the people on the spot. 

BOTTOM: HMS Hood as an instrument of foreign policy, donning her red, white, and blue non-intervention patrol stripes on her 'B' turret. c.September 1936. (KEVIN MCWILLIAMS VIA THE HMS HOOD ASSOCIATION)

HMS Hood's Perilous Patrol The protection of merchant vessels off the Spanish coast was no means a safe nor easy tasking. With frequent incidents and attacks on shipping, including on warships from many nations, the British committed the bulk of its destroyer force to Spain and patrolling the Mediterranean. These ships were on station to deter submarine, air, and surface attacks principally conducted by Nationalist and Republican assets, and those of their international backers. This protective screen had two functions, in the north neutral warships could escort, assist, and come to the rescue of, shipping taken up for humanitarian efforts. Along Spain’s southern coast, undoubtedly helped by a strong British presence in Gibraltar, the neutrals could cover major trade routes and stymy the supply of arms into Spain. Many nations passed laws restricting merchant traffic and enforcing a notion of 'the freedom of navigation', the British adopting the Merchant Shipping Act, prohibiting transport of military supplies to either side. At times, the situation could be precarious. One British warship, HMS Hunter, was damaged by a mine, another, Havock, was attacked by an Italian submarine and in turn actively hunted the fleeing boat. A further two were fired on by Spanish vessels, and four – including Royal Oak – came under air attack. The Spanish Civil War saw likely the first serious attempts with aircraft, in anger,

to attack capital warships operating in war conditions, when on 29 May 1937 Republican SB-2 bombers engaged the pocket-battleship Deutschland, causing significant damage. Adding to the events surrounding Royal Oak outlined in this feature, the Royal Navy was involved in in two potential flashpoint incidents. On 6 April 1937 the steamer Thorpehall was attempting to deliver foodstuffs to Bilbao when she was intercepted by Nationalist warships. The armed trawler Galerna fired warning shots, and Thorpehall signalled her distress. HMS Brazen answered, and in turn the Nationalist cruiser Almirante Cervera positioned itself to block Thorpehall, but two additional British destroyers arrived to screen Thorpehall as she passed between the Nationalists and entered Bilbao. The action highlighted to the British government that measures to protect merchant shipping, and, to an extent, prestige, were an obligation. Therefore, a similar incident might necessitate direct intervention. At the end of April, the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, was on station. The presence of capital ships was not necessarily required to enforce the policies of non-intervention, these matters, the escort and interception of merchant vessels, were best left to more numerous, speedier, destroyers. However, should Spanish cruisers consider action, a decidedly more powerful warship might provide the deterrence,

and the firepower, to defuse a potential engagement – or win a definite one. Three steamers, MacGregor, Hamsterly and Stanbrook, loaded with 8,500 tonnes of foodstuffs, were travelling toward Bilbao, Hood maintained watch on the waters in which the convoy would enter. This, however, was not deterrence enough. The convoy was halted off the Biscayan coast by Almirante Cervera and Galerna. The escorts, destroyers Firedrake and Fortune, exchanged signals with the Cervera, each bidding the other party not interfere. Galerna fired warning shots while Firedrake turned her guns on Cervera a then unprecedented course of action - one British officer recalling: “I caught myself wondering whether his eight 6in guns could sink us before Hood’s 15in guns could stop him.” As the ships steamed closer to Bilbao, Galerna came under fire loosed from shore guns protecting Galea Point and withdrew. Alone, Cervera turned her guns on the merchant ships. Fortune relayed the situation to Hood, to defuse the situation, she had to act, steaming in and training a full broadside her main batteries of eight 15in guns - on the Nationalist cruiser. Cervera, unable to repel firepower of that magnitude, backed down and departed. A Basque pilot boat and escort then meet the vessels, a brief and ineffective exchange of fire between two sets of Spanish warships occurred, but the standoff was over.

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FIRST WORLD WAR DIARY JUNE 1917. The Western Front is rocked by a series of massive explosions as an opener to a tactically brilliant British push at Messines, while London, in particular an East End school, falls prey to the devastating effects of a Gotha air raid. Elsewhere, a Canadian officer secures a prominent command role, and the Americans arrive in France.

WAR AT SEA:

4 June: A Royal Navy flotilla of cruisers and destroyers fails in its attempt to destroy the dockyards and U-Boat base at Ostend despite accurate shelling. 27 June: The French armoured cruiser Kléber is sunk after hitting a mine paid by UC-61 off Brest. Of her complement of 531, 42 perish.

HOME FRONT:

3 June: The Independent Labour Party hosts a convention in Leeds, together with the Socialist Party, trade unions, and other organisations. They advocate peace and to pledge solidarity with the Russian Revolution. At least 1,150 delegates from democratic organisations such as political parties and suffrage groups attend, including Ramsay MacDonald, Bertrand Russell, Philip Snowden and Sylvia Pankhurst. 5 June: 22 German Gotha bombers raid Shoeburyness (Essex), Sheerness, and naval facilities along the River Medway in Kent in daylight. They kill 13 and injure 34. One attacker is downed over Barton Point. 13 June: Between 18 and 20 German Gotha aircraft launch their first successful daylight raid on London, dropping 126 bombs. They hit the Royal Albert Docks, Liverpool Street Station, Silvertown, Aldgate High Street, and several other parts of the East End and the City of London. A bomb which hits 65 Fenchurch Street also kills 20. In total, 162 are killed and 432 wounded. This includes 18 children, killed when one bomb hits the Upper North Street School in Poplar. The raid represents the highest death toll from a single raid on Britain throughout the entire conflict and also a similar number of casualties as inflicted by Zeppelins throughout all of 1915. Some aircraft divert to Margate and Shoeburyness to split the British response. 14 June: Zeppelin L.43 is shot down on a reconnaissance mission over the North Sea. 17 June: While attempting an attack on London, Zeppelin L.48 is shot down by aircraft near Great Yarmouth and crashes near Leiston.

WESTERN FRONT:

7 June: The Battle of Messines begins at 03:10, with the detonation of 19 large mines buried deep under German lines. General Plumer’s Second Army had tunnelled under the ridge and set 26 of the devices, containing a total of 455 tonnes of ammonal explosive, but one fails to detonate and others abandoned in what remains one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. German troops were somewhat aware of the efforts taking place beneath them, and actively engage in a subterranean war with British sappers. The Germans think their counter-mining to have been successful. The Germans had improved their defences in the wake of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and think that no attack was imminent in that sector of line. The mine blasts are incredibly devastating, killing as many as 10,000 German soldiers and reportedly heard as far away as Dublin in addition to being mistaken for an earthquake in Lille. With the mine blasts, air superiority, and a hefty advantage in artillery, the British and Anzac troops involved meet light resistance and largely achieve their first day objectives, along the length of the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge, by midday – though the battle continues for a further week. One mine crater, Spanbroekmolen (Lone Tree Crater), is today seen as a memorial. Both the Allies and the Germans lose approximately 25,000 men each during the battle.

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JUNE 1917 WORLD MAP WESTERN FRONT:

8 June: Popular and admired by French troops during the Great War, General Pétain attempts to resolve the ongoing mutinies within French Armies by maintaining existing discriminatory procedures, halting all offensive actions, and improving living conditions. Two rebellious Russian brigades serving in France are sent to a quarantine camp at La Courtine. 9 June: Arthur Currie, seen as one of the finest commanders of the Great War, is appointed to command the Canadian Corps and becomes the first Canadian to be promoted to the rank of General during the war. He succeeded General Byng who was promoted to lead British Third Army. Reliable, his meticulous command style is effective, and impresses British staff – especially Haig. However, seen as uncharismatic, foul-mouthed and aloof, the Canadian is not particularly popular with his troops.

WESTERN FRONT:

13 June: Five days after reaching London, where he met Prime Minister Lloyd George, Jan Smuts, General Robertson, Admiral Jellicoe, and Winston Churchill, the American General John Pershing arrives in France. 17 June: The Portuguese Expeditionary Force goes into action on the Western Front, in Flanders, for the first time. 26 June: The first of 14,000 American soldiers, frequently known by the moniker ‘Doughboys’, arrive in France, at St Nazaire.

GREECE:

12 June: Following a demand from the Entente powers, King Constantine abdicates the throne of Greece as Corinth and Larissa are occupied by Allied troops. 24 June: The Greek Prime Minister, Alexandros Zaimis, resigns. He is replaced by Eleutherios Venizelos. 27 June: After many months of complicated political unrest between proEntente and pro-Central Powers factions within the Greek political climate and the monarchy, Prime Minister Venizelos brings Greece into the war, on the Allied side.

MIDDLE EAST:

28 June: At the recommendation of General Robertson, General Edmund Allenby is appointed to succeed General Archibald Murray as GOC Egypt by Prime Minister Lloyd George, after Jan Smuts refused the role. Allenby’s mission is clear, having been directed by Lloyd George to “take Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the nation.” www.britainatwar.com 93

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

June 1917

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY June 1917

Throughout the First World War, the many announcements of British and Commonwealth gallantry awards appeared in the various issues of The London Gazette. As part of our major monthly series covering the period of the Great War commemorations, we examine some of the actions involved and summarise all of the awards announced in June 1917. RIGHT: Captain Albert Ball pictured in front of a Caudron G.3.

BELOW: The incident for which Lieutenant F.H. ‘Frank’ McNamara was awarded the Victoria Cross – a painting by the artist H. Septimus Power. (COURTESY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL)

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N 18 MAY 1917, the world was shocked by the news that the ‘Ace of English Aces’, the ‘wonder boy of the Flying Corps’, Albert Ball, was officially being listed as missing by the British Government. The pilot who had shot down forty-three enemy aircraft and one German balloon had become Britain’s most famous aviator his exploits lauded in newspapers around the globe. Ball had joined the Army upon the outbreak of war in August 1914. On 15 October 1915, he obtained his Royal Aero Club Certificate and requested a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. This was granted, and after further training at Norwich and Upavon, Ball was awarded his pilot’s brevet on 22 January 1916. As Ball began to notch up victories, so his exploits captured the public imagination and he received award after award, namely three DSOs and the Military Medal.

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On the evening of 7 May 1917, Ball had led eleven aircraft of 56 Squadron against a number of German machines and in the ensuing dogfight the aircraft became widely dispersed. Ball was seen pursuing a German aircraft into a dark cloud, only to be spotted falling to earth enveloped in black smoke, the latter probably caused by oil leaking into the cylinders of his engine. His SE.5 crashed to the ground, and Ball was killed outright. Examination of the wreckage indicated that there was no sign of battle damage. It is possible that Ball had become disorientated and lost control, as it was known that the SE.5 had to be upside-down for the oil to leak into the engine cylinders. At first there was no information available on Ball’s whereabouts. It was only at the end of May, when the Germans dropped messages behind the British lines announcing that Ball was dead and had been buried in Annoeullin

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY June 1917

GALLANTRY AWARDS GAZETTED IN JUNE 1917 with full military honours two days after he crashed, that the news was confirmed. The outpouring of public grief over the loss of Albert Ball led to the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross, the announcement being made in The London Gazette on 8 June 1917. The citation included the following: ‘For most conspicuous and consistent bravery from the 25th of April to the

6th of May, 1917, during which period Capt. Ball took part in twenty-six combats in the air and destroyed eleven hostile aeroplanes, drove down two out of control, and forced several others to land. In these combats, Capt. Ball, flying alone, on one occasion fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he attacked an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy. Several times his

aeroplane was badly damaged, once so seriously that but for the most delicate handling his machine would have collapsed, as nearly all the control wires had been shot away. On returning with a damaged machine he had always to be restrained from immediately going out on another.’ Another airman whose name was amongst the forty-four VC recipients announced in June 1917 was Francis Hubert ‘Frank’ McNamara. An Australian schoolteacher and a reserve officer before the Great War, McNamara had been called back to the colours and promoted to Lieutenant. In August 1915 he volunteered for flying training, and, on completion, was posted to No.1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, in January 1916. He duly sailed for Egypt. Whilst with 1 Squadron, McNamara flew both Martinsyde G.100/102s and the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2cs from ‘Kilo 143’, the squadron’s base in northeastern Egypt. On 20 March 1917,

Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross* Air Force Cross* Distinguished Conduct Medal Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Distinguished Service Medal Military Medal Distinguished Flying Medal* Air Force Medal* Total

44 948 96 3,749 1,530 1 200 12,099 18,667

* Indicates an award that has not yet been instituted. Mentions in Despatches are not included.

the squadron was ordered to attack an enemy railway line near Wadi Hesse in Palestine. Two Martinsydes (flown by Lieutenants A.W. Ellis and McNamara) and two B.E.2cs (piloted by Captain David W. Rutherford and Lieutenant Peter Drummond) were detailed to carry out the raid. During his pass over the target, McNamara was seriously wounded in the buttocks and his Martinsyde badly damaged. As he turned for home, McNamara saw a distress flare fired by the pilot of one of the B.E.2cs which had been forced down by enemy ground fire. Despite his wounds and the problems with his own aircraft, McNamara 

TOP: An example of the aircraft flown by Ball at the time of his death – a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5.

(HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS)

LEFT: The original marker erected by the Germans over Ball’s grave in Annoeullin.

LEFT: Personnel of ‘C’ Flight, 1 Squadron AFC, pictured in Egypt during May 1917. Captain Richard ‘Dickie’ Williams (later Air Marshal Sir Richard) the OC, is seen in the centre. From the left, the other officers are: Frank Hubert McNamara; L.W. Heathcote; S.K. Muir; E.G. Roberts and L.J. Wackett. They are standing in front of one of the squadron’s Martinsyde aircraft. (COURTESY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL)

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GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

June 1917

RUNNING TOTAL OF

GALLANTRY AWARDS AS OF THE END OF JUNE 1917 Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Distinguished Conduct Medal Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Distinguished Service Medal Military Medal Distinguished Flying Medal Air Force Medal Total ABOVE: A portrait of Lieutenant F.H. McNamara in front of his tent at the Central Flying School, Point Cook, Victoria, in 1916. (COURTESY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL)

landed, halting 200 yards from the stricken B.E.2c. With ‘bodies of enemy troops hurrying to the scene from all directions’, it appeared to the others that McNamara ‘must be killed or captured’. McNamara yelled at Rutherford to get onto the engine cowling of his aircraft. As soon as this was accomplished, he turned his machine into wind. It was not to be. Weakened by loss of blood, McNamara found it impossible to keep his aircraft straight on its take-

RIGHT: A studio portrait of Lieutenant Charles Pope, his VC is on display in the Australian War Memorial. (COURTESY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL)

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298 5,279 611 15,573 13,078 58 1,902 58,352 95,151

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off. Suddenly, the aircraft veered off, the undercarriage broke away and the nose drove into the ground. Anxious to prevent the Martinsyde falling into enemy hands, McNamara used a shot from his revolver to hole its fuel tank, and a shot from his Very pistol to set it alight. The two Australians then made their way back to the B.E.2c. The approaching Turkish cavalry had by this time dismounted. A quick look at the B.E.2c showed a tyre had been ripped off its wheel, the wing centre-section wires broken, a fuselage longeron was cracked, and an ammunition drum for the Lewis machine-gun was blocking the rudderbar. The rudder problem was quickly solved, and realising his comrade was the only one of the pair capable of doing so, McNamara got Rutherford to swing the prop. Thankfully, the engine caught. Rutherford quickly scrambled into the observer’s seat, and McNamara opened-up the engine. Three times the ’plane stuck in the mud: three times McNamara gunned it out. By the time he eased it off the ground, the Turks were practically on its tail. Kilo 143 was some seventy miles away, and at times McNamara’s speed fell to just 35 mph! Though weakened by loss of blood, he somehow made a successful landing. For his actions, McNamara became the only Australian airman to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. Serving in the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Charles Pope was awarded a posthumous VC for his actions near Louverval, France, during the Battle of Lagnicourt. Though a

member of the Australian Imperial Force, Pope was perhaps the embodiment of the British Empire at the time. Born in Mile End, London, on 5 March 1883, he had emigrated to Canada where he worked for the Canadian Pacific Railways. In 1906, however, he returned to London and joined the Metropolitan Police Force, only to resign in 1910 and travel to Australia with his family. He enlisted in the AIF in August 1915. The citation for his VC provides the following detail of his actions on 15 April 1917: ‘For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when in command of a very important picquet post in the sector held by his battalion, his orders being to hold this post at all costs. After the picquet post had been heavily attacked, the enemy in greatly superior numbers surrounded the post. Lt. Pope, finding that he was running short of ammunition, sent back for further supplies. But the situation culminated before it could arrive, and in the hope of saving the position, this very gallant Officer was seen to charge with his picquet into a superior force, by which it was overpowered. By his sacrifice, Lt. Pope not only inflicted heavy loss on the enemy, but obeyed his order to hold the position to the last. His body, together with those of most of his men, was found in close proximity to eighty enemy dead – a sure proof of the gallant resistance which had been made.’ The beginning of June 1917 saw one of the largest increases in awards seen so far in the war. Mirroring a similar announcement made in December the previous year, it was simply stated, in the issue of 4 June, that: ‘under authority delegated by His Majesty the King to General Officers Commanding-in-Chief and Corps Commanders, the following immediate Military rewards, additional to the rewards contained in this Gazette, have been conferred on Regimental Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men during the period 1 December, 1916, to 1 June, 1917: D.S.O., 202; Military Cross, 2,272, Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1,014; [and] Military Medal, 10,644.’ No further details regarding names or circumstances were provided – just the fact that a total of 14,513 awards not previously gazetted had been presented. 

LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH" Acting Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson VC

Acting Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

Delaval Henderson VC

LEADERSHIP AGGRESSION • BOLDNESS INITIATIVE • SACRIFICE SKILL • ENDURANCE

The many Victoria Crosses and George Crosses in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in London are displayed under one of seven different qualities of bravery. Acting Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson’s award is part of the collection and Lord Ashcroft feels that it falls within the category of leadership: “Charismatic, strong, inspirational, the natural leader not only takes command, but also infuses all those around them with confidence and hope. They exude calm and resolve. They are a tower of strength.”

TOP: British troops ‘on the long march through torrid heat’ in Mesopotamia.

(HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS)

RIGHT: Acting Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson. (LORD ASHCROFT COLLECTION)

RIGHT: British troops on the move in Mesopotamia. (US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

E

DWARD ELERS DELAVAL HENDERSON was born in Simla, India, on 2 October 1878. He was the son of Major-General Philip Durham Henderson, formerly of the Madras Cavalry, and his wife Rosana, who was herself from a formidable military family and whose father had also served as an officer in the Madras Cavalry. After being educated at St Paul’s School in London, Henderson Jnr embarked on a career as a tea planter in India. However, he had long wanted to be a soldier and on 7 May 1900 he joined the 5th (Militia) Battalion, The

Worcester Regiment, because, aged twenty-one, he was too old to attend the Royal Military College (RMC), Sandhurst. He transferred to the West India Regiment as a Second Lieutenant in December of the same year. From 1901-5, he served in West Africa and saw active service in North Nigeria during the same period. During that time too, Henderson was promoted – in February 1902 – to Lieutenant. From July 1905 to February 1907, he served with his regiment in Jamaica. In May 1908, and on the disbandment of the West India Regiment, Henderson was transferred

to the North Staffordshire Regiment. In March 1909, he was promoted to Captain and before the outbreak of the Great War he served in Peshawar (now Pakistan), on the North-West Frontier, India and West Africa (again). In the meantime, on 2 February 1910, he married Madeline Fish, the daughter of a Royal Fusiliers officer, at All Saints Church, Knightsbridge, west London. After the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, Henderson was soon in action with his regiment serving with the 3rd Battalion. Next, he served with the 7th North Staffordshires in 39th Brigade, 13th Division, which arrived in Gallipoli in July 1915. During one sustained attack  www.britainatwar.com

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LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

Acting Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delaval Henderson VC

VICTORIA CROSS HEROES II Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. His sixth book on gallantry, Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II, was published in November. For more information, please visit: www. victoriacrossheroes2.com Lord Ashcroft’s VC and GC collection is on public display at Imperial War Museum, London. For more information visit: www.iwm.org. uk/heroes. For details about his VC collection, visit: www. lordashcroftmedals.com For more information on Lord Ashcroft’s work, visit: www. lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter: @LordAshcroft

by the Turks on 19 July, Henderson was one of three officers wounded (another officer was killed and nineteen more men also injured). Having recovered from his wounds, Henderson was promoted to Major on 1 September 1915. As part of the 13th Division, he was given command of the 9th Worcesters, part of 39th Brigade. On 24 January 1916, the division left Gallipoli for Egypt and a month or so later the Worcesters moved on to Mesopotamia (now Iraq). After Henderson was relieved of his command

of the Worcesters by the return of a more senior officer, he spent just ten days with the 38th Brigade during which he commanded the 6th King’s Own Royal Regiment. In July 1916, he was promoted to Acting Lieutenant-Colonel and became Commanding Officer of the 9th Royal Warwickshires, a unit that for two months was brigaded with the 7th Battalion, the North Staffordshires. On 14 December 1916, LieutenantGeneral Sir Stanley Maude, who in July of that year had been appointed British commander in Mesopotamia, 98

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launched the second phase of his campaign in the area. Some British troops attacked Turkish positions around Kut-el-Amara, while others advanced to reach the Hai, a river that flowed north to join the River Tigris opposite Kut. On 25 January 1917, the British tried to strengthen their position by attacking the Hai salient, near Kut. After initial gains on the west bank of Hai, the 39th Brigade was driven back. It was at this stage, around 11.30pm, that the 9th Warwickshires, led into battle by Henderson, moved into action. The citation for Henderson’s VC (in which his third Christian name is misspelt) reveals the full extent of his bravery as he led his men across some 500 yards of open ground in order to recapture ground lost by the North Staffordshires: ‘For most conspicuous bravery, leadership and personal example when in command of his battalion. ‘Lt.-Col. Henderson brought his battalion up to our two front-line trenches, which were under intense fire, and his battalion had suffered heavy casualties when the enemy made a heavy counter-attack, and succeeded in penetrating our line in several places, the situation becoming critical. ‘Although shot through the arm, Lt.-Col. Henderson jumped onto the parapet and advanced alone some distance in front of his battalion, cheering them on under the most intense fire over 500 yards of open ground. ‘Again wounded, he nevertheless continued to lead his men on in the most gallant manner, finally capturing the position by a bayonet charge. ‘He was again twice wounded, and died when he was eventually brought in.’ The soldier who went out in the heaviest of fire to rescue his CO was Temporary Lieutenant Robert

Phillips, aged twenty-one. With the help of a comrade, Phillips managed to bring Henderson back to Allied lines, but his life could not be saved. Phillips, too, was awarded the VC on the same day that Henderson’s posthumous award was announced on 8 June 1917. Phillips’ citation ended: ‘He showed sustained courage in its very highest form, and throughout he had but little chance of ever getting back alive.’ However, he survived both the action and the war. Henderson, who left a widow and a son, had died aged thirtyeight. His widow, from Camberley, Surrey, received his posthumous VC from George V at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 20 October 1917. Henderson’s name is commemorated on a wall in the Amara War Cemetery, some 150 miles south of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, and there is a memorial in his honour at the Garrison Church, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire. I purchased Henderson’s medal group privately in 2009 and feel privileged to be the custodian of this splendid officer’s gallantry and service medals. 

TOP: A Turkish trench near Kut Al Amara pictured after the fighting in 1917.

LEFT: Lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude. (US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

BELOW: A view of Kut Al Amara taken, from the River Tigris. (US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

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ART OF WAR C R W Nevinson

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FUTURIST PAINTING O F WA R



An artist’s first-hand experience of the cost of war led to several dramatic paintings but also caused some controversy.

Phil Jarman looks at the life of C R W Nevinson

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s a pioneer of the beliefs and styles of the futurist art movement, which originated in Italy at the time of the outbreak of World War One, C R W Nevinson, also known as either Christopher or Richard, produced a number of memorable images showing the human cost of conflict. At a time in the world of art when visual styles dramatically moved away from the realism of the Nineteenth Century, opting for radical approaches such as Cubism, Vortisism and Futurism, artists like Nevinson were set to alter how we view what we see and record both on canvas and in three dimensions. Prior to being influenced by the Italian founder of the Futurist movement, Filippo Marinetti, Nevinson was a traditionalist in his figurative and landscape work; whether painted, etched or outcomes resolved as lithographs. Developing his skills and techniques at art school in St John’s Wood, and at the prestigious Slade School of Art alongside such famous names as Paul Nash, Stanley Spencer, Mark Gertler and Dora Carrington, Nevinson began to show another side to his personality. Collaborating with Gertler, the pair shared not only a passion for art but also the affections of Dora Carrington, resulting in Nevinson going his own way, both artistically and personally. Nevison’s relationship with his drawing tutor at the Slade School,

ART OF WAR

C R W Nevinson

Henry Tonks, who was critical of the student’s creative abilities, led to a lifelong dispute and a number of accusations being attributed to the artist. This was an indicator of Nevinson’s developing persecution complex, and something that would affect his relationships with fellow artists and representatives from authority for the rest of his life. At the conclusion of his studies at the Slade, Nevinson moved to Paris where he met the Cubist, Pablo Picasso and the Futurist Marinetti and where he began working alongside the renowned Amadeo Modigliani. All three of these eminent practioners were to influence Nevinson’s artistic directions throughout his career. On his return to London in 1914, Nevinson befriended the radical writer, visionary and artist Wyndham Lewis, the founder of the British Vorticist movement. This new group of artists also included Edward Wadsworth, later famous for his dazzle paint camouflage designs for warships. Their art depicted the world in a new abstract, angular, machine-like style, but published comments by Nevinson discredited the work of Lewis and his colleagues that saw him banished from the Vorticist collaboration. Again, it resulted in him losing an influential friend. As the war in France and Belgium gained momentum, Nevinson spent some time as a volunteer at a transit

ABOVE LEFT: In true Futurist style, C R W Nevinson’s striking image, ‘Returning to the Trenches’ painted in 1915.

camp for wounded French military personnel, based near Dunkirk. He tended to the evacuees from the front under the guidance of the Friends’ Ambulance Unit and the British Red Cross. This experience provided the artist with personal research material that would form the basis of some of his most striking paintings of the Great War. As the French authorities began to get more organised, Nevinson was reassigned as an ambulance driver, a role he only fulfilled for a week before being invalided out of the area due to rheumatism. His experience in France at this early stage of the war was often embellished by the artist, and in subsequent years was used to gain favour and to promote his war work and resultant exhibitions.

However, the work he produced at this time received acclaim from viewers and critics alike. Nevinson’s futurist painting, ‘Returning to the Trenches’, exhibited in 1915 was an indication of his dramatic approach to depicting marching figures. Using striking, rhythmic and angular marks, and simplified shapes and suggestions of uniforms and weapons, the painting possessed an innovative style and a contrast to the work of others in the field. Nevinson created a range of sketches and paintings in the futurist style portraying trench warfare, but also the war in the skies above London and France. His highly stylised rendition of searchlights scanning the night sky above Charing Cross included 

ABOVE: The meeting of several styles, Nevinson’s painting of a machine gun position, uses angular features, but with greater detail and accuracy, particularly within the workings of the weapon and the structure of the dug out. LEFT: The controvertial ‘Paths of Glory’, when exhibited by the artist, he pasted a censored patch over the bodies of the British soldiers.

OVERLEAF: Nevinson’s geometric diagramatical composition, ‘Bursting Shell’, exhibited in 1915.

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ART OF WAR C R W Nevinson RIGHT: The waterfilled shell holes in Nevinson’s, ‘After the Push’, a sultry, drab vision of the battlefield.

BELOW: The terrible cost of war, ‘The Harvest of Battle’, a large format painting not exhibited with the main body of work by the Imperial War Museum display at Burlington House in 1919.

the geometry that indicated the influence of his Italian mentors. The painting ‘Bursting Shell’, completed in 1915, showed the abstraction of information into a diagrammatical composition, references to bricks and wooden structures, and the colourful flash at the centre of the explosion. The picture met with varied reviews from those on the home front, critics, and from returning soldiers when the work was exhibited in London. It was Nevinson’s change of style, still retaining an angular approach but opting for a more realistic but geometric visual vocabulary in his highly acclaimed ‘La Mitrailleuse’, that met with favour and critical admiration. In a one-man exhibition in 1916, all of his paintings were sold, earning the artist celebrity status among his peers and ultimately leading to him becoming an Official War Artist in 1917. Whilst visiting the front at the time of the battle of Passchendaele, Nevinson took several risks, taking to the skies with the Royal Flying Corps, being hoisted up in an observation balloon and getting pinned down in an advanced observation post by enemy fire. His exploits earned him an official reprimand, but also added to his reputation as a rebel. On his return to London, the artist developed a number of outcomes that were far more realistic and reverted to his pre-war styles and techniques. The subjects for this new collection depicted detailed images of individuals set against the

scenes of battle created in a limited drab palette of browns and greys. Officials from the Department of Information considered some of the pieces inaccurate in content and not worthy of exhibition. In particular, Nevinson’s painting of two fallen British soldiers in his image, ‘Paths of Glory’, was deemed unsuitable. However, the artist displayed the painting independently with a strip of paper with ‘Censored’ written on it and covering the sensitive areas of the image. This action again resulted in another reprimand by the authorities. The ‘Harvest of Battle’, a large format painting commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee, was intended for display in the proposed Hall of Remembrance. The painting, the largest produced by Nevinson, was exhibited by the newly created Imperial War Museum. However, the painting’s exclusion from the main gallery resulted in an angry response by the artist, this time resulting in the end of his friendship with the influential Muirhead Bone. In post-war years, Nevinson tried to elevate his status through exaggeration and manipulation of

actual events of his war service, resulting in many fellow artists and critics turning against the artist. One of the leading figures criticised by Nevinson was Kenneth Clarke, who became Chairman of the War Artists’ Advisory Committee. When forming the list of Official War Artists in 1940, Clarke was reluctant to use the services of Nevinson, who had submitted several paintings for consideration. Eventually, the WAAC purchased two paintings showing anti-aircraft guns in action and a fire-bomb attack on London. Nevinson did eventually receive his painting commission, this time from the Royal Air Force, who requested images of airmen in action. As in the First World War, he took to the skies to gain inspiration for his work. Towards the end of the conflict, Nevinson produced a painting titled, ‘The Battlefields of Britain’, he presented the artwork to Winston Churchill, and this painting is still is in residence in Downing Street. As a result of a stroke in 1946, Nevinson lost the use of his right arm and had affected use of speech. He died shortly afterwards, aged 57. 

Next issue in Britain at War we look at the work of C R W Nevinson’s colleague from the Slade School of Art, Stanley Spencer and his multifaceted work during the Second World War.

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BATTLE f BRITAIN THE SPOILS OF WAR

Downed Messerschmitt Funds Spitfires! On 9 September 1940, Oberleutnant Gunther Bode, the Gruppe Adjutant of Stab.I/JG27, forced-landed his Messerschmitt 109 (1394) at Knowle Farm, Mayfield, East Sussex, after the aircraft’s radiator had been hit and damaged during a mission to escort bombers to London. Oberleutnant Bode was taken prisoner, whilst his aircraft was put on public display at different venues to raise money for the Spitfire Fund. This aircraft was displayed at several different venues around the United Kingdom before eventually being broken up and processed for scrap metal to aid the war effort. Here, it is exhibited in Stanhay’s Garage in Ashford, Kent.

(Coloured By Doug Banks)

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Collecting The Battle of Britain As one of the most significant battles in Britain’s recent military history, it is inevitable that the Battle of Britain has attracted a considerable ’following’ in terms of collectable items. We explore just some of the range of material sought after by collectors and examine some of the pitfalls. Our series on militaria collecting kicked-off with a piece on collecting memorabilia from the 1969 film ‘Battle of Britain’. However, it is the battle itself which holds much fascination for collectors eager to obtain collectables related to the actual battle. In this context, objects which were physically involved in the battle, items which are ‘generic’ to that period of 1940 or even contemporary items that commemorate that battle or maybe are signed by or linked to participants might generally be considered to make up the whole spectrum of this particular collecting field. And with a battle so famous, it is inevitably the case that dealers and collectors all need to be aware of potential pitfalls. Provenance is all with many of these items, and it is certainly the case that the unwary can easily be caught by the unscrupulous. And very easily so!

TROPHY ITEMS

Objects from aircraft downed during the Battle of Britain have long been popular items for collectors, and it is true to say that this collecting ‘popularity’ extends right the way back to 1940. Then, eager schoolboys collected bullet cases littered during dogfights or shards of Perspex or metal from downed aeroplanes – British and German. Equally, it was not uncommon for victorious pilots, or locally based soldiery, to strip trophies from downed aircraft. Mostly these would have been German, of course. Such artefacts commonly sought included unit emblems, swastika panels, instruments and gunsights etc. Sadly, in very many cases, such trophy items were disposed of at the end of the war as irrelevant reminders of something best forgotten. Such objects as these which survive, however, will command very high prices. Expect to pay well in excess of £4,000 for, say, a swastika cut from the tail of a Messerschmitt 109. However, two factors which determine the likely price are critical; originality and provenance. Thus, if the object in question is clearly original then it will already command a good price. But add in a verifiable provenance in terms of which specific aircraft or pilot was involved, and the price might increase by at least, say, £2,000. However, it is very much a case of caveat emptor. First, it is important to recognise there are a good many fakes out there. In many instances, a skilful faker will have painted a swastika or unit emblem

ABOVE: Typical Battle of Britain pilot's headgear. Genuine period items are highly sought after would currently cost quite a few thousand pounds! LEFT: This swastika panel, hacked from the tail of a Me 109 in 1940, would command at least £3,000 in today's market.

onto a genuine piece of period aircraft skinning although careful examination will always reveal the truth. For example, a swastika painted onto aircraft metal salvaged from a USAAF aircraft might be an obvious give away but more subtle things such as the markings having been painted in modern acrylic paints, brush marks and the like – all will be give aways. Usually, though, the most obvious clue will be panel and rivet lines in the ‘wrong’ place. It is a simple matter to check where panel lines fall in relation, say, to the swastika painted onto a Luftwaffe aircraft’s tail. If they don’t match, then this is the first warning bell. Check further, and you may find the piece of metal is from an upper wing section. So, however appealing the piece may look, just walk away. Or, if unsure, seek specialist advice before parting with cash. It is also important 

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ABOVE LEFT: This engine badge from a DB601 Messerschmitt 110 engine, recovered from a wreck, could easily command £850 on the open market. ABOVE: This attractive RAF Battle of Britain period Operations Room clock with its coloured timing segments and Fusee movement. Such clocks are priced at over £3,000 - but are a sound investment. LEFT: A Rolls-Royce Merlin engine plate from a Battle of Britain-period Spitfire (this example from late in the battle) would fetch at least £275, and perhaps more if associated with a specific aircraft or pilot. BELOW: Although in a museum, this emblem cut from a Junkers 88 would achieve many thousands of pounds if offered on the open market.

to understand that the faker may also attach some very convincing ‘provenance’ to the piece in question. Sometimes, and just to add to the effect, this might include something that is clearly very genuine and has been included so to further convince the unwitting buyer.

WRECK-RECOVERED ITEMS

Again, these could be objects retrieved by scavenging schoolboys in 1940 but many relics are now in the market place which have been recovered from crash sites by enthusiasts and organisations across the years. Such activities began to flourish from the late 1960s until the recovery of wrecks was finally regulated by legislation in 1986 and many of the items currently in circulation were recovered prior to that 1986 date. If items were recovered after that date, then a note of caution must be added; were the objects in question recovered legally and under an MOD licence? If they were, then there is probably not a problem with their sale since the objects in question would have been gifted to the licence holder by the MOD. If not, then their ownership and legality must come into question. For the most part, items recovered prior to 1986 will be perfectly legal to trade – the one important exception being in the case of firearms or ammunition and where either legal de-activation or firearms licences will be required. It has also been the case, in more recent years, that large collections of such material have come onto the open market following the death of the collectors who might originally have found or recovered the objects. Once again, caution must also be exercised in establishing provenance. Mostly, such items are sold (often on eBay) with the history of the aircraft and pilot – and it is this detail alone which adds the value. So often, the real history has actually been lost across the years and unscrupulous vendors often add an incorrect ‘history’ to

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improve the chance of a sale, or even embellish it. For example, by associating the object with a well-known pilot or incident. In some cases, a false history might be added to cover the fact that the item was in fact stolen. Such a scenario was recently encountered with one particular high-value item offered for sale on the internet. Thus, whilst purchasers may well end up with a genuine piece of Spitfire or Messerschmitt, they may not be getting what they think. Take your time if buying. Check out the facts. Look into the back story. Then, and only then, should you part with your cash.

THE WIDER FIELD OF COLLECTING

ABOVE: The typical 'trio' of three medals awarded to Battle of Britain pilots; the 1939-45 Star with 'Battle of Britain' clasp, Aircrew Europe Star and War Medal. If linked by firm provenance to a pilot, this group would fetch at least £4,000. Without provenance, much less. Although, if genuine, then the tiny clasp itself would, astonishingly, be in the region of £1,200. BELOW: Medals like these, associated with a robust provenance and perhaps a Log Book, would be into many thousands of pounds - but a sound investment and fascinatingly poignant.

In such a short piece, it is impossible to cover all fields. And in the context looked at, this can only be superficial. However, flying clothing, medals, equipment, photographs, signatures and general ephemera are all subject fields in their own right. Today, genuine 1940 flight gear or clothing is hard to come by and is very expensive. For example, expect to pay an eye-watering four-figure sum for a 1940 period RAF ‘B’ type flying helmet and its ‘D’ type cloth oxygen mask, goggles etc. And, whilst these will be correct to the period, it is unlikely they will ever have been actually used in the battle itself! However, and with no intent to deceive, there are now a good many reproduction pieces of flying kit and uniform available at relatively affordable prices. For the most part, these are produced for the re-enactors market but will suit equally well as representative pieces of period kit. On the other hand, collecting German flying kit is also popular. Sometimes, it can be hard to source good quality pieces but, comparably, prices might be less than expected and often less for flying headgear, for instance, that 1940 period RAF flying headgear. Uniforms, Mae Wests and flying boots are also much sought after but it is often the slightly less usual but sometimes functional items that appeal. For example, the rather attractive Operations Room clocks with their coloured sectors – functional, and often even appealing to wives and partners! Similarly, so called Scramble Bells – which were actually RAF fire bells utilised to sound the ‘scramble’ alert. Again, the clocks might reasonably fetch £4,000 or more and a 1940 dated bell could also be up there into several thousands of pounds. Although very much a speciality field in their own right, the medals and logbooks of Battle of Britain pilots command very high prices – even those with no gallantry awards. Sadly, those to casualties often nudge higher in the price bands. As to medals, the standard trio 

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of Air Crew Europe Star, War Medal and 1939-45 Star with Battle of Britain clasp must come with verifiable provenance linking them to the recipient. If they do, expect to again pay several thousand pounds. If not, the value is seriously diminished, although just the tiny clasp alone, if it is genuine, will be worth well over £1,000. This has really only slightly scratched the surface of Battle of Britain collecting, and many of the areas are outside of the price range of all the but the most serious and dedicated of collectors. However, the collection of autographs (or signed photographs) of The Few can be interesting and rewarding, as can the collection of genuine period Battle of Britain photographs. Mostly, these can be obtained at affordable prices. With signatures, the fame or standing of the pilot can obviously make a difference and signatures, for instance, of pilots who were actually killed in the Battle are in another price league altogether. On the other hand, some pilots have signed so many things that their commonplace nature drives down the price – even for notables like Douglas Bader or Bob Stanford-Tuck! In future editions of our militaria collecting regular features we will look in more depth at some of the topics touched on here, including medals and flying clothing.  TOP RIGHT: More affordable might be genuine period photographs, but, at auction, even these can reach quite high prices. BELOW: Other iconic pieces are 'Scramble Bells' - in fact fire bells. With the 'right' dates (eg 1938, '39 or '40) these expensive items will never lose value. BOTTOM LEFT: Items such as this flying licence to a Battle of Britain pilot casualty rarely turn up. When they do, they are simply worth whatever somebody is willing to pay! BOTTOM RIGHT: Search hard enough and long enough, and one might find ephemera like this letter detailing the collection of a crashed Me 109 in 1940 for just a few pounds.

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RECONNAISSANCE REPORT | BLOODY APRIL 1917

Norman Franks, Russell Guest & Frank Bailey Publisher: Grub Street www.grubstreet.co.uk ISBN: 978-1-910690-41-3 Softback: 184 pages RRP: £15.00

B

THE NAME of Norman Franks on any aviation title, most especially related to the First World War, is surely the stamp of authority and the guarantee of solidly researched and presented facts. And in this particular title, the principal author does not disappoint when he is joined by fellow specialists, Australian researcher Russell Guest and American writer, Frank Bailey. Whilst this is a partial re-print of Volume 1 of Bloody April – Black September (also by Grub Street, 1995), its publication now, in this format, is certainly timely on the centenary of those events during that calamitous April one hundred years ago. Whilst even those with limited knowledge of the First World War’s

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The Britain at War team scout out the latest items of interest

air battles will have at least heard of ‘Bloody April’, this is a book which will fascinate and educate those at the other end of the scale – those who thought they knew a great deal of the subject! After more than eighteen months of deadly stalemate on the Western Front, by April 1917 the British and the French were again about to launch yet another land offensive – this time on the Arras front. This was the first opportunity to launch any major offensive since the winter, and would require enormous support from the Royal Flying Corps and French Air Force in, hopefully, improved weather. However, the air offensive was to be countered fiercely by the new German Jagdstaffeln-Jastas that had been the brainchild of Oswald Boelcke in 1916. By the spring of 1917, the first Jasta pilots, with their new improved fighter aircraft such as the agile Albatros DIIIs, were just itching to get to grips with their opponents over the Western Front. And when they did, it was a near massacre over the Western Front. In their scores, allied fighters were shot from the skies and April became the worst month for air casualties that had yet

been seen in the war. So, Bloody April 1917 is, then, a blow-by-blow account of all of those losses, with each one being meticulously tabulated on a daily basis; the who, what, where and when are all laid out in detail, and accompany a truly fascinating narrative of events. In fact, this is not just a reference work of those events. Far from it. It is also a very readable and intriguing account of the air war, of some of its notable characters and containing a great deal of absolutely fascinating detail of the tragic outcomes of these aerial battles. This, however, is not just a reference book. Far from it. In its own right, it is an absolutely hard-to-putdown read, and the team of authors have done an really splendid job in assembling all of the facts of that dreadful month in the skies over the Western Front. It is also nicely put together; compact, nicely printed, quality paper and very well illustrated. The Britain at War team had no hesitation whatsoever in allocating ‘Book of the Month’ to this title.

Those fascinated in the story of the air war of 1914-1918 will surely be glad to have this on their shelves. It is certainly a ‘must have’ title and one that First War enthusiasts should certainly have if they want the full story of Bloody April. REVIEWED BY ANDY SAUNDERS Illustrations  References/Notes Appendices  Index 

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The Britain at War team scout out the latest items of interest

The Dambusters and the Epic Wartime Raids of 617 Squadron

| RECONNAISSANCE REPORT

JULY 2017 ISSUE

ON SALE FROM 29 JUNE 2017

Commemorative Collection: The Paintings of the Military Gallery

SOME OF our readers may be aware of the Military Gallery and their stunning paintings. It is rare to find such true quality and attention to detail, and their gifted aviation and military artists are certainly capable of producing beautiful works. It is no surprise then that this latest addition to Military Gallery Commemorative Series, on 617 Squadron, The Dambusters, is filled with numerous examples of this spectacular and unparalleled artwork. The book includes the striking works of Anthony Saunders and Robert Taylor, amongst others, and pairs their original drawings and high quality paintings with the informative history written by Jonathon Falconer. This minute by minute account of the legendary raid is in turn supported by the addition of a number of maps to produce an effective tribute to the incredible story of this daring and audacious low-level precision operation. In addition, the gallantry awards bestowed on the nineteen brave crews, as well as the name of every member of those courageous crews are listed in full, before the book moves on to 617s other special operations and the squadron’s legacy. A worthwhile addition to anyone’s library. Publisher: Griffon International www.militarygallery.com ISBN: 978-0-9549970-7-6 Hardback: 128 pages RRP: £25

Centurion Main Battle Tank 1946 to Present Simon Dunstan

ONE OF the greatest tanks, Centurion was a superb piece of design, rugged, adaptable, and the British Army's mainstay tank through the early Cold War. Still in service overseas, the British used the type until 2003 when the UK’s last Centurion, a BARV, retired 58 years after the first entered service. Best of all, Centurion enjoys the prestigious status of being Britain at War’s favourite tank! The latest in the Owner’s Workshop Manual series, this title is excellently put together with all the quality we come to expect from the acclaimed series and covers the basic marks and numerous different variants, including the AVRE and international versions of the armoured stalwart. Much is made of Centurion's service, the versatile tank fought in all theatres except the one for which it was designed – Europe. From British AVREs in the Gulf War, to Australian tanks in Vietnam, few other tanks contributed such worthwhile service in such diverse campaigns. Supported by 200 photographs and illustrations, this title pays tribute to the 4,423 Centurions built, 70 years after they first entered service. The strapline for this book describes Centurion as the most successful post-war tank. In that light, we will not be surprised if this book becomes a Haynes best seller.

DUNKIRK!

To coincide with the release of Christopher Nolan’s new Dunkirk film, Joshua Levine looks behind the scenes in his role as the film’s historical consultant for Warner Bros, John Ash analyses Admiral Ramsay’s career, and Norman Franks looks at the RAF’s sometimes controversial role over the evacuation beaches.

STRUGGLE FOR RUWEISAT RIDGE When German tanks took a New Zealand battalion by surprise during the First Battle of El Alamein 75 years ago it triggered one of the most astonishing fightbacks of the Second World War. Steve Snelling charts a remarkable story of courage against the odds in the struggle for Ruweisat ridge.

AND INTRODUCING: INNOVATORS

The first of a new regular series looking at the key scientific, artistic, mechanical, and mathematic minds behind Britain and her Commonwealth’s war winning innovations launches with Radar pioneer Robert Watson Watt.

Publisher: Haynes

Publishing

www.haynes.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-78521-057-0 Hardback, 156 pages RRP: £22.99

Corrections and Clarifications: Britain at War apologises for any confusion regarding the inadvertent misspelling of the name of the author of ‘The Young Gunner’, David Hutchison, on pg. 112 of May 2017s Recon Report. Such errors are fortunately rare, but we are always happy to set the record straight. www.britainatwar.com 113

The First W NO.35

rld War in Objects

'Hospital blues'

necktie

As the First World War progressed, and the numbers of wounded and ill men mounted, the sight of convalescing service personnel wearing their distinctive ‘hospital blues’ became increasingly common. Also known as the ‘blue invalid uniform’ or ‘convalescent blues’, ‘hospital blues’ were first introduced during the Crimean War. The general design of a single breasted suit and trousers with a white lining, made from flannel and flannelette type materials in an Oxford blue colour, with a white shirt, remained little altered until after the Second World War.

An integral part of the ‘hospital blues’ was a red four-in-hand necktie – such as the example seen here. As the ‘four-in-hand’ was one of the most popular types of necktie worn in Britain between 1900 and 1925, and red one of the most popular colours of the era, this has meant that many ties were retained by a soldier after his discharge. The only part of the ensemble not mandated by authorities was the headwear, which, as it signified individual rank, nationality, and regiment, could be the soldier-patient’s own. Medals were permitted to be worn on the left breast. As the author Dr Jeffrey S. Reznick points out, the ‘hospital blues’ served a ‘number of specific functions’. The most important is the fact that were ‘a means of establishing and maintaining cleanliness in military hospitals, where soldiers usually arrived in dirty, worn-out and infested uniforms and “great coats” that required sterilization and thorough disinfection. The outfit also served to help improve administrative efficiency within the hospital environment. ‘At convalescent facilities, the administration of soldier-patients involved strict division into four sections, each distinguished by combinations of the hospital-blue uniform and different-coloured armlets. The “worst cases” wore hospital-blue with white armlets. Cases well enough for one to six months of retraining wore blue with pink armlets. Section three, including ranks who required less than one month of retraining, wore blue with light blue armlets. Finally, section four included men in blue with dark blue armlets who were “practically well”. This … expedited the process of convalescent medical examinations, helping divisional medical officers to monitor and sort their sections during weekly inspections when men were either “moved up” or “put back from Section to Section as [their] condition indicates”.’

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The ‘blues’ also reflected the military authorities’ desire to maintain discipline and order inside and outside the confines of the various hospitals and institutions. However, whilst the military authorities required that the garments be worn at all times by other ranks who were receiving treatment, authorities exempted officers from wearing ‘hospital blues’. The suits were designed so that a handful of sizes would fit all recovering soldiers. Such standardisation of the outfit often made them fit poorly, requiring soldiers to flap, fold or cuff their trouser legs and sleeves. The situation would often be exacerbated by the fact that during repeated washing, the blue flannel material would frequently shrink at a different rate than the white lining. Often of greater concern to the wearer, however, was a lack of pockets. Partly a response to the need for economy, this was also linked to the rule that soldiers were not allowed to hold money while in hospital. For the patients, though, it meant that they had nowhere to keep their tobacco or cigarettes!

TOP: An example of the tie worn with the ‘hospital blues’. (ALL IMAGES HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS)

LEFT: A group of wounded soldiers, in their ‘hospital blues’, convalescing at an unknown location in the UK during the First World War. The amputee in the centre appears to be a member of the Australian Imperial Force. ABOVE: Private Martin O’Meara VC wearing ‘hospital blues’ during the First World War. O’Meara was wounded three times: near Mouquet farm in August 1916, near Bullecourt in April 1917 and near Messines in August 1917. He was presented with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 21 July 1917.

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