Britain at War 2017-10

SPECIAL CONTENT: 'STUKA' IN ACTION 1940

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STUKA

BRITAIN’S BEST SELLING MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY

DE GAULLE'S RESCUE

The Ill-Fated Plan to Snatch French General's Family

• The Missions • The Weapon • Junkers 87 Analysed

PLUkS1:31 -

Tiger Tan rical New Histo Unearthed Evidence llecting: Militaria Co B Iconic ritish Tin Hats

CHURCHILL'S GREATEST FEAR 'Most Dangerous Moment' in Far East War

LIFE AND DEATH OF A 'FIREBUG'

Tale of Hero Australian Pilot VC During the War in the Pacific

51st DIVISION CAPTURED Fate of British Troops Trapped at St Valery

www.britainatwar.com OCTOBER 2017 ISSUE 126 UK £4.70

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08/09/2017 15:43

From the Editor... C

ERTAIN WEAPONS from both World Wars are sometimes described as ‘iconic’, and it is true to say that it is often an over-used word in that context. However, it would be difficult to argue that the infamous Junkers 87 Stuka dive-bomber is anything other than iconic. Indeed, it is somehow eerily symbolic of the Nazi regime which bred this crook-winged and vulture-like warplane. Certainly, the very shape and sound of a diving Stuka would strike fear into the hearts of those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of its attacks, and it has most recently been brought into public consciousness through its chilling appearance in Christopher Nolan’s film, ‘Dunkirk’. Whilst the content of Britain at War magazine tends to be very much focussed on the personal experience of warfare and related human interest stories, it seems appropriate to look at the Junkers 87 Stuka in this issue. This is not least of all because it was an important weapon of the Second World War, but also because it was an aircraft which very much became involved with the experience of war for many – soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians. The latter is perhaps highlighted by the superb colour rendition in this issue by Doug Banks of a photograph depicting civilians coming to gape at a shot down Junkers 87 Stuka. Already, by the time this photograph was taken, the Stuka’s reputation was a fearsome one. As we see in this issue, however, its role during the Battle of Britain may not have been entirely the complete failure that has often been painted of it.

Andy Saunders (Editor) EDITORIAL Editor: Andy Saunders Assistant Editor: John Ash Editorial Correspondents: Geoff Simpson, Alex Bowers, Rob Pritchard, Lauren Cantillon 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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The average sale for the period Jan-Dec 2015 was 10,843, print and digital copies monthly.

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© Key Publishing Ltd. 2017

FEATURES

48 Trapped At St Valery

In the aftermath of Dunkirk, the 51st Highland Division was cut off and with no hope of escape when they became cornered at St Valery, being forced to surrender en-masse as Stuart Mitchell explains.

58 Life And Death Of A Fire-bug

70 Persons Of Importance

During June 1940 a desperate and ill-fated attempt was made to rescue Madame de Gaulle and her family from France ahead of the German advance as David J B Smith details.

80 Troupers for Troopers

The wartime entertainment organisation ENSA did more than its bit to boost servicemen’s morale and lending a hand to winning the war. Alex Churchill looks at an ENSA member’s photo album.

Steve Snelling charts the remarkable story of Australian pilot and VC recipient, Bill Newton, who flew sortie after sortie against Japanese targets before eventually being shot down and executed by his captors.

Contents ISSUE 126 OCTOBER 2017

24 Stuka Attack 4

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58 'Fire–Bug' VC

70 De Gaulle Family Rescue

: SPECIAL CONTENT

Editor’s Choice

24 Attack of the Pumas

One of the biggest actions over Britain involving the Junkers 87 Stuka was a sustained attack against a Channel Convoy during August 1940. Andy Saunders looks at events that day.

30 Stuka – The Weapon

Jonathan Falconer examines the Stuka as one of the most formidable and iconic weapons of the Second World War and looks at its development and operational history.

34 Stuka Attack

We examine the reality of the Stuka’s performance during the Battle of Britain and whether it really ever was withdrawn from service in British skies because of unacceptable losses.e

90 Churchill's Greatest Fear

Naval Historian, Professor Eric Grove, takes a detailed look at what was widely acknowledged as Churchill’s most dangerous moment during the war with the Japanese in the Far East.

REGULARS 6 News

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

44 Fieldpost

Reader’s letters, views and feedback.

46 First World War Diary

Our ‘at-a-glance’ analysis of the key events of the Great War continues, looking at the situation as it existed 100 years ago during October 1917.

54 War Artists

War artist Anna Airy produced some stunning artwork of scenes during the First World War and Phil Jarman looks at her work in his regular series.

68 Image Of War

This month we take a look at the Cold War era as British tanks of the British Army of The Rhine parade through a divided Berlin.

A subscription to Britain at War makes a great gift. Please see pages 78 and 79 for more details.

85 Militaria Collecting

Continuing this popular collecting series, Adrian Blake looks at the myriad examples of civilian Home Front tin helmets, from Policemen to ARP Wardens and Fire Watchers.

103 Recon Report

COVER STORY

A Junkers 87 of Stuka Geschwader 77 is pursued and engaged by a Hurricane of 145 Squadron flown by Plt Off Peter Parrot during attacks on Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ on 8 August 1940. The Stuka in question was shot down at St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight, its pilot captured and its radio operator/air gunner killed outright in the air battle. See also our feature ‘Attack of The Pumas’ on page 24 of this issue. (IMAGE BY ANTONIS KARIDIS)

Our editorial team scout out the latest books and products.

106 Great War Gallantry

The continuation of our look at the awards listed in the London Gazette reaches October 1917 and includes Lord Ashcroft’s regular ‘Hero of the Month’.

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112 Battle of Britain in Colour

Continuing our Stuka theme this month, Doug Banks has brought to life an image of a Junkers 87 shot down over West Sussex on 16 August 1940.

114 First World War in Objects

This month we feature one of the Goss Ware porcelain models from the Great War; the Mk I Tank C-5, ‘Crème de Menthe’. www.britainatwar.com

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

The Capture of Tiger 131: History Reassessed The latest research has begun a new chapter in the story of the last working example of history’s most famous tank

NEW INFORMATION, including an astonishing account from a previously unknown eye-witness, has dramatically changed the story of the world’s most famous tank, revealing exactly how the infamous Tiger 131 was captured. The eyewitness recalled the moment his anti-tank round bounced off the Tiger tank as the turret turned in his direction

moments before it was disabled by a lucky hit in what became the first example of the fearsome new German panzer to fall into Allied hands, intact, as British forces seized it during fierce fighting in the Tunisian desert in 1943. Such was the importance of the capture that, when visiting North Africa, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI went to be pictured

Inspecting Tiger 131 in North Africa (ALL IMAGES VIA TANK MUSEUM)

with it. The lucky shot had wedged itself in the turret mechanism so it couldn’t turn, and the crew had baled-out and run. The original story of 131’s capture came from Lieutenant Peter Gudgin, who was charged with writing a detailed report about the Tiger’s capture after it had been brought back to the UK. Lt. Gudgin had been battling against Tiger tanks on 21 April 1943, with 48th Royal Tank Regiment, at Djebel Djaffa. However, after an 88mm round from a Tiger slammed into his Churchill tank, Gudgin was invalided back home. When compiling his report, Gudgin mistakenly believed that the Tiger tank which had been captured was the same one that had hit his tank and that his comrades had subsequently stopped with the lucky shot. Since Gudgin completed his report, his version of events has always been the official story. However, new research shows that

Tiger 131 was actually hit 15 miles away from Djebel Djaffa, at a place called Gueriat el Atach, and known as Point 174, during an attack there by 2nd Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, on 24 April 1943.

REVEALING RESEARCH

The revealing research was carried out by Dale Oscroft, the son of a soldier from the aforementioned battalion of the Foresters who fought that day. A 2012 visit to The Tank Museum, home to Tiger 131, began Dale’s historical adventure. His father, John, who died in 1982, had told him about his battalion’s first ‘set-piece’ attack in Tunisia when they took on the legendary Tigers. John, who was from Suttonin-Ashfield, joined the Foresters in 1942. He fought in Tunisia, Italy, and served in Palestine before demobilisation in 1946. He detailed that the battalion was able to capture a Tiger intact after

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Dale Oscroft with Tiger 131

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The pilot who safely landed the Royal Navy Historic Flight’s last piston-engine fighter has once again taken to the skies in the very same aircraft. The iconic Sea Fury, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Chris Götke, skidded to a halt at Culdrose Air Day in 2014 after its Centaurus engine failed and its undercarriage collapsed – a feat of flying for which Götke was decorated. However, following a new engine and three years of restoration work by Weald Aviation, he took off in the fighter and successfully performed a short test flight over North Weald. Lieutenant Commander Götke was awarded the Air Force Cross in February 2015 for valuable service in saving the Sea Fury during its mishap.

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Ten members of the Royal Navy’s Portsmouth-based Fleet Diving Unit 2 have laid the White Ensign on the wreck of HMS Hermes. Hermes was sunk after coming under attack from 85 Japanese dive bombers on 9 April 1942. The carrier quickly sank, taking 307 of her crew with her. It is the first time the Royal Navy has returned to the ship, which lies about 20 miles off the Sri Lankan coast at a depth of about 200 feet. Chief Petty Officer Ward Peers, said: “Laying the ensign was a great honour for everyone involved. Being able to dive on such a huge piece of British military history is a huge achievement and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity given to us by the Sri Lankan Navy." The divers were training alongside their Sri Lankan counterparts as part of what is hoped will become a Commonwealth-wide training programme.

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

ABOVE King George VI inspects Tiger

jamming its turret with a lucky shot, and when Dale visited the Museum he noted how the official story Tiger 131’s capture and his father’s recollection were very similar, and so started his research. “After ejecting the Germans, the Foresters - including my father - dug in and prepared for the counterattack which, when it materialised, comprised a number of Tiger tanks.” Explained Dale, who continued: “Having the dubious honour of carrying a PIAT anti-tank weapon, my father was ordered to creep forward and engage the nearest Tiger. Sgt John Oscroft

ABOVE Tests proved Tiger 131 was stopped by a shell from a Chruchill Tank

“After getting as close as he dared he took aim and fired only to see the bomb strike a glancing blow on the turret and bounce off. At this point he saw the turret begin to traverse in his direction and decided to get his head down. “Fortunately for him, the tank was then hit by what my father was later told was an old French ’75’ which the Foresters had taken from the Germans. Much to his relief the tank crew baled-out and made off. A later inspection showed the Tiger to have sustained a lucky hit on the turret ring. “My father speculated that the crew must have thought that the Foresters had something more potent than they actually did.”

MUSEUM TESTS

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Dale carried out his research using wartime maps, photographs and documents which showed that Tiger 131 was indeed captured on Point 174 and not, as had always been believed, at Djebel Djaffa – where 48th Royal Tank Regiment and 36th Infantry Brigade won a victory at ‘Longstop Hill’ under the command of Major General Vyvyan Evelegh, the battle in which Lt. Gudgin thought Tiger 131 to have been captured. His findings were confirmed through the assistance of Tiger tank expert, David Byrden, and by the use of satellite imagery.

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An ambitious plan to support HMS Victory is now underway. Victory, the World’s oldest commissioned warship, has been in dry-dock since 1922 supported by a series of 22 cradles. However, the ship’s 2000 tonne weight and the pressures on her hull caused being out of water have generated shifting, which, at a rate of 0.5cm a year, seriously threaten Victory’s continued longevity. The new project, the installation of 134 adjustable steel props, will support the ship as if she were still in water. Around 89.25 billion measurements were taken by laser to help engineers model the best way to support the iconic vessel and the £3m project will be completed by BAE Systems. Victory, which has been visited by 30 million people since 1928, will remain open as the work progresses.

“Dad said very little about his war, but he did tell me about the Tiger tank and how it came to be captured”, added Dale. Continuing: “After being struck by the similarities between my father’s story and the official account I began the research which has now proved that Tiger 131 was the one my father was fighting.” One question remained unanswered for Dale, however: “It is now clear that although the Foresters did capture the vehicle, they were not the ones who disabled it”. In response to this research the Tank Museum carried out putty tests on Tiger 131’s turret which showed the shell which disabled it had not come from the captured ‘French 75’ as John Oscroft had thought. [NB. possibly a ‘Canon de 75 Mle 1897/33’, a 1933 modified anti-tank variant of the ubiquitous ‘Canon de 75 1897’ - the first modern field gun - or the ‘7.5cm Pak 97/30’, a German modification of the same weapon.] Instead, as per the story told by Lt. Gudgin, the shell had been fired from the gun of a Churchill tank supporting the Foresters as they progressed in their advance.

‘THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE’

David Willey, Curator at the Tank Museum said: “History is re-interpreted by each generation, keen to learn their own lessons, draw

their own comparisons and find their own relevance to the stories of the past. In this age, new tools have been given to the researcher, the internet, records online, e-mail, a mass audience willing to respond to questions and comment on theories - whether well informed or not. “But there is also simply carrying out good research, looking at and questioning the facts, finding new evidence and following up on a hunch or a theory. Here we see a case of the evidence always being there - but until Dale came to question the accepted orthodoxy no one had looked at this evidence in a new way. Backed by the magic of technology - a new story can now be written about the capture of Tiger 131. “Of course the story doesn’t end here as more will undoubtedly come to light, more of the picture will be filled in and we can return again to this moment in history anew.” In that spirit, this author ponders: what really happened at Longstop Hill? Tiger 131 is currently part of the Tiger Exhibition of five Tigers on display at the Museum’s Dorset home, and staff have now updated their story of their most famous exhibit.

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The main ship's telegraph used on the Lusitania has been recovered from the ship's wreck site. Previous attempts to retrieve the century-old device had failed as recently as last summer, but now the Irish Government Minister, Heather Humphreys, has confirmed the artefact had been re-discovered by recreational divers. Located just 11 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Lusitania was sunk on 7 May 1915 after being torpedoed by a U-boat with the loss of 1,201 lives. The ship’s captain, William Turner, who survived the incident, had received messages on the morning of the sinking, stating that there had been U-boat activity in the area. Minister Humphreys said: “I am happy to confirm that this important piece of the Lusitania has now been recovered from the wreck off the west Cork coast. I understand that the telegraph is undamaged and in excellent condition.”

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Stirling Bomber Remains Found in North Sea

Death Of Nigel Rose

Battle Of Britain Fighter Association Reduced To Single Figures

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WITH THE death on 10 September 2017 of Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose, AE, full membership of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association is in single figures, reports Geoff Simpson. The nine members of the Association are joined by perhaps two or three non-members as survivors of “The Few”. A precise figure is not possible, given the number of Battle of Britain Clasp holders who have deliberately disappeared from view over the years. Nigel Rose was born on June 21 1918 and attended Felsted School in Essex. He became a trainee quantity surveyor on leaving school. In this role, an early project for him was work on the roof of the Supermarine aircraft factory at Woolston, Southampton, home of the Spitfire fighter. “A bit of a waste of time considering what happened to it in the following year,” he told Britain at War in 2012. In December 1938 Rose joined the RAFVR at Southampton to train as a pilot and began his training at Hamble. He was commissioned on 18 June 1940 and, without having been to an OTU, was posted to 602 Squadron at Drem to fly Spitfires, a move to a pre-war Auxiliary Air Force squadron which would give him great pleasure.

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“I joined as a sprog pilot and found a wonderful camaraderie. They were very nice friendly chaps, who didn’t look down on us newcomers, although it was run a little bit like an old boys’ club,” he said in 2012. He acquired the nickname, “Rosebud”. The Squadron went to Westhampnett in Sussex during August 1940 and Pilot Officer Rose saw significant action in the Battle of Britain. He claimed a Me 110 destroyed on 25 August 1940 and on 7 September he shared in the destruction of a Me 110. He was slightly wounded in the elbow the next day and was non-effective sick until 6 October. He probably destroyed a Me 109 on 29 October, and on 6 November he shared in damaging a Ju 88. In 1941 Rose moved to 54 Squadron and then became an OTU instructor, the first of a series of courses and instructing appointments. In 1944/45 he served in the Middle East, before being released from the RAF in February 1946. In June 1948 Nigel Rose became a Chartered Quantity Surveyor. He was aged 99 and his death leaves just two surviving pilots who flew Spitfires during the Battle of Britain.

A sculpture comprising thousands of ceramic poppies marking the centenary of the Great War have been unveiled at Cardiff Bay. Originally displayed at the Tower of London in 2014, and titled ‘Weeping Window’, it was part of the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ sculpture and has since been installed at the Senedd, home of the Welsh National Assembly. The unique design of the building means that, for the very first time, the ‘Weeping Window’ can be viewed from all angles. Deputy Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, Ann Jones AM, said: “It is fitting that we mark the sacrifice made by so many Welsh women and men during the First World War by displaying this poignant piece of work.”

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A STIRLING heavy bomber has been discovered in a major project to install a power cable between Britain and Norway. Engineers from the National Grid found the remains of the lost aircraft while conducting surveys of the seabed along the cable-laying route. The wreckage is believed to be that of an aircraft which disappeared on a mission to deliver supplies to the Norwegian Resistance. Stirling’s frequently flew from East Anglian bases to drop supplies and ammunition to resistance fighters there. The MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre are investigating possible links to missing servicemen, but said the identity of the aircraft could not be confirmed at this stage. Under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, the site is protected. Researcher Bengt Stangvik, said Stirlings were an easy target for enemy fighters, explaining:

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“Several Stirlings disappeared without a trace on missions to Norway in winter 1944-45. Based on the location of this wreck, it is probable that it was on a mission to drop supplies to the resistance forces in western Norway.” Nineteen of the 30 RAF aircraft which vanished during operations to support the Norway’s resistance were Stirlings, Stangvik added, of which six are unaccounted for. Nigel Williams, North Sea Link project director for National Grid, said: “When images of what appeared to be an aircraft wheel came through, you can imagine our surprise. It was only when experts investigated the images in more detail that we learnt there was a strong possibility it could be a British aircraft that served during World War Two. Sadly, it appears the pilot and the crew of this particular aircraft were never able to complete their mission.”

A series of underwater surveys conducted for the UK’s National Grid have uncovered at least 19 unexploded pieces of ordnance from the both World Wars in the English Channel. The various devices were discovered as part of a project to connect energy systems from the UK to Belgium, which will see a power cable installed underneath one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Experts from the Royal Navy, as well as from the Belgian and French navies, have since been called in to safely dispose of the explosives. The largest of which was an two-tonne bomb thought to have been dropped or jettisoned from an Allied aircraft. Other artefacts discovered during the mapping exercise include a cannon, cannonballs and an anchor.

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Double VC Holder Honoured In Liverpool

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A COMMEMORATIVE paving stone has been unveiled in Abercromby Square, Liverpool, to honour Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse, VC & Bar, MC. (See also Britain at War, Issue 125, September 2017) The ceremony on Tuesday, 29 August 2017, was followed by a re-creation of the original Memorial Service held in Liverpool Parish Church, a century to the day after it took place. Although born in Oxford, Chavasse moved to Liverpool in 1900 when his father was appointed the Bishop there. He studied at Liverpool College before gaining a First-Class Honours degree in philosophy from Oxford. As a young man, Chavasse ran for Great Britain alongside his identical twin brother in the 1908 Olympics. He later studied medicine, qualifying as an Orthopaedic surgeon. During his time at Oxford, Chavasse joined the University Officer Training Corps. He enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1913, being attached to the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, King’s (Liverpool) Regiment. In November 1914, the battalion was posted to France and Noel accompanied

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them as their Medical Officer. He was one of the first doctors to use a new anti-tetanus serum and when the Germans began using chlorine gas for the first time he arranged for his father to send a gramophone to raise morale. Already a holder of the Military Cross, Chavasse’s first award of the Victoria Cross was for his actions at Guillemont, France, on 9 August 1916, when he attended to the wounded all day under heavy fire. The Liverpool Daily Post & Mercury subsequently said of the city’s local hero: ‘Letters from the Front have constantly told how eager he was, how ready he was to expose himself to dangers beyond those called for in the discharge of his duties, and how many a wounded soldier has brightened under the radiance of his cheery disposition … His battalion almost regard him as their mascot.’ Chavasse’s Bar was the result of his work at the beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele. During the fighting Chavasse was hit in the head but, despite being in great pain, refused to be sent from the line. In terrible weather and under heavy fire, with no rest and little food, he went into no man’s

A skeleton recently found on a battlefield site at Salerno, Italy, is thought possibly to be those of Capt. Robert Donald Brown, DSO, who died in September 1943 during the battle for White Cross Hill. A bracelet found nearby bearing Brown's name and service number is being tentatively linked to the discovered remains. Capt. Brown served with the Leicestershire Regiment, 'The Tigers', and it is hoped DNA testing will allow a positive identification and eventual burial with full military honours in a CWGC cemetery. At time of going to press it is not known whether direct relatives of Captain Brown have been traced to enable DNA samples to be collected for comparison.

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land time and again to help the wounded. Early on 2 August, his firstaid post when it was hit by a shell. Despite having six injuries, Chavasse crawled for half a mile to get help, eventually being taken to a casualty clearing station. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he died, aged 32, at 13:00 hours on 4 August 1917. Following the recent unveiling of the commemorative paving stone, guests were invited to travel to Liverpool waterfront to view Captain Chavasse’s medals which are temporarily on display in the Museum of Liverpool (they are normally part of the Lord Ashcroft Collection at the Imperial War Museum). The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: ‘Noel Chavasse was a courageous medical doctor whose selfless actions saved many lives. He was completely devoted to his duty and in his own words as he lay dying, he wrote “Duty called and called me to obey”. He had been set for a

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brilliant career in medicine, but instead he became one of the most extraordinary soldiers Britain has ever seen, winning the Victoria Cross twice and that is why Liverpool is incredibly proud of him.’ ABOVE Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse

VC, MC. (HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS)

BELOW Captain Chavasse’s medal group and sword during the ceremony. (© MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT 2017)

A German war widow has travelled to the UK to visit the grave of her husband, who was killed during the Second World War. Wiltrud Kraft, 97, was married to a German pilot who lost his life when he was shot down over Kent in 1941, she was only 21 when he died. Frau Kraft, who now lives with her daughter in Bavaria, has made many trips to the German Military Cemetery, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. This year, however, marks the 50th anniversary of the cemetery's dedication and so Frau Kraft has made what she believes to be her last journey. “When we got married he only got one day off and we were only married for 15 months before he had to go off to war,” she said. “I have visited his grave many times but I’m getting older and not sure if I'll be able to come again.” The German Military Cemetery, dedicated in 1967, contains nearly 5,000 graves.

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Biggin Hill’s St George’s Chapel Closes For Work On New Museum

ST GEORGE’S RAF Chapel of Remembrance at Biggin Hill was due to close to the public as Britain at War went to press, reports Geoff Simpson. This move was to allow building work to take place in connection with the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum. Closure was planned to take place after the Battle of Britain Memorial Service at the chapel on 17 September. Long-serving chapel custodian, Laurie Chester, left his

post at the end of August amid fears that the building would not host regular services again. A spokesman at the Chapel told Britain at War: “It is hoped to open the chapel and garden of remembrance once a month during the building work, but we cannot be certain about this.” The present chapel was dedicated in 1951, replacing the wartime structure which burned down in 1946. Its future has been in doubt

since a Ministry of Defence decision in 2014 that funding the chapel was, “…no longer an appropriate use of defence resources”. In April 2017 the London Borough of Bromley gave planning approval for the design of the new museum. The Council is working in partnership with the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Trust. The appearance of the new building has proved controversial, with campaigner Rita Radford

claiming that: “The London Borough of Bromley have, from the outset, ridden rough-shod over the views of the public.” Despite a number of requests from Britain at War for comments, there was no response from the London Borough of Bromley or the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Trust at the time of going to press.

Great War Wireless Station Gets Listed Stockton House Receives Grade II Protections

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A HOME in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, has been listed by Historic England to mark the 70th anniversary of ‘The List’. The building, a private residence since the 1920s, is thought to have

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been the Royal Navy’s only station capable of intelligence gathering at the outbreak of the Great War. The station was established between 1912 and 1913, with the call sign ‘BYT’.

A major survey is underway to analyse three Royal Navy vessels sunk during both World Wars. The wrecks of HMS Hampshire, HMS Vanguard and HMS Royal Oak are located in the waters around Scapa Flow, as are four cruisers from the German High Seas Fleet which are also part of the project. Using state-of-the-art geophysical equipment, 3D models will be created by Dundee University to further understanding of the remains. Andrew Fulton, of Historic Environment Scotland, said: “We are pleased to see this next stage of survey work on the underwater wartime remains of Scapa Flow. The results will help update existing records of the wrecks, guide their management and contribute to the commemoration of momentous events in wartime history.”

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Few Great War wireless stations remain standing so it is important this building is protected as a special and rare survivor from the early days of wireless technology. Initially established to monitor Royal Navy wireless transmissions to ensure signalers were following regulation procedures, at the outbreak of war the potential of wireless technology for espionage purposes was swiftly realised. Ideally sited to monitor communications across the North Sea, the Stockton wireless station was part of a network of sites feeding valuable information regarding enemy movements to the military. Local historians previously documented that the staff manning the station would have slept in

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bunks on site, prepared to get to work at a moment’s notice if needed. Large batteries provided power to the radio masts, dotted around the building, ensuring operations remained undisturbed. The position and course of enemy shipping, Zeppelins, and messages were all tracked and monitored. The wireless stations gave the Admiralty early warning of the movement of the German High Seas Fleet immediately before the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Historic England has awarded the house a Grade II listing. Nearly 400,000 historic sites, buildings and monuments are listed in the UK, with classifications of Grade II*, Grade II, and Grade I awarded by the heritage body, Historic England.

The cliffside cave from which Erwin Rommel directed elements of the German North African campaign has been restored and reopened in Matrouh, Egypt. The project has taken seven years to complete and was undertaken by the Egyptian antiquities ministry in collaboration with Matrouh governorate. Officials hope that the restored Rommel’s Cave Museum will attract new outside tourism to the country, as well as increase archaeological awareness among Egyptians in general. The museum contains a collection of weapons, shells and military equipment used during the campaign, as well as military attire, maps showing battle plans, copies of a newspaper produced by Rommel’s troops in Africa during the war, and files on German soldiers. Many items were donated by his son Manfred, after the museum originally opened in 1988.

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

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11/09/2017 15:57

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE UK’S WARBIRDS From Tiger Moths to Spitfires and Austers to Mustangs, this 148-page bookazine provides a guide to the British warbird scene. More than 1,500 aircraft are listed with details including their individual histories, registrations and call signs. FEATURING:

T S U J .99 £7

GREAT WAR VETERANS With the centenary of the Great War upon us, interest has never been higher in aeroplanes of the era. In addition to a variety of original Great War fighters flying or under restoration in the UK in 2017 the country is also blessed with a large variety of replicas. WORLD WAR TWO HEAVIES The largest, often most complex and normally most expensive of all World War Two machines still operating in the 21st century are the multi-engined bombers, transports and communications aircraft. Yet through the dedicated of groups both small and large, the UK is blessed with a diverse and active range of ‘heavies.’ COLD WAR WARRIORS The classic jet preservation ‘scene’ in Britain rose to prominence in the 1990s following the disposal of the RAF’s Jet Provost fleet and the post-Glasnost availability of relatively cheap former-Soviet Bloc hardware. Today, there are still a variety of interesting Cold War-era aircraft flying in UK skies.

Available until 12th October from

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Graf Spee Bronze Eagle to be Sold by Uruguayan Authorities

COMPETITION WINNERS

THE URUGUAYAN government has proposed selling the famous bronze eagle and swastika recovered from the wreck of the German 'Panzerschiff', Admiral Graf Spee, writes Lauren Cantillon. The proposal is that its sale will generate funds for the country’s military. The giant bronze eagle and swastika, weighing between 300 and 400 kilograms, has previously been estimated as having a value of up to £10 million. The Graf Spee was scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff off Montevideo in December 1939 to prevent the Allies accessing stateof-the-art technology on board. The wreckage lay undisturbed until 2006 when a private expedition led to the eagle’s recovery from the seabed. Since then, the question of what to do with it has been a major source of contention - so much so that the eagle has been kept hidden inside a sealed crate in a Uruguayan Navy warehouse for over a decade. The German ship, then one of the most advanced in the world, had been attacking merchant shipping in the South Atlantic with relative impunity following the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939. During this period, it is estimated that Graf Spee sank 450,000 tonnes of shipping. The Royal Navy successfully ambushed the ship at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939 – the first naval battle of the Second World War. Graf Spee sustained significant damage and was forced to seek refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay, for repairs to make her seaworthy whilst the Royal Navy waited just outside Uruguayan territorial waters, planning to continue attacks on the ship after it left port. After being led to believe (by British propaganda) that a larger force awaited outside

the neutral port, the Germans requested 14 days to repair their ship. However, under pressure from the British, the Uruguayan government granted just 72 hours to make her seaworthy again, otherwise Graf Spee would be interned. Having received no directions from Berlin, Captain Langsdorff chose to scuttle his ship rather than put his crew through another life-threatening battle. Despite this, Langsdorff was condemned by the Nazi hierarchy for not re-joining battle with the Royal Navy and going down with his ship. He committed suicide on 20 December 1939, whilst laying on Graf Spee’s battle ensign. The wreck was partially broken up during 1942 and 1943. Parts of the ship are still visible, as the wreck came to rest at a depth of only 11m (36ft). A recent salvage expedition began in February 2004, funded by the Uruguayan government and private investors. The first piece of wreckage raised was a 27 metric tonne gunnery range-finding telemeter. Two years later, on 10 February 2006, the bronze eagle and swastika was recovered and the legal battle to establish ownership began soon afterwards.

The Uruguayan Supreme Court initially ruled that it belonged to the nation, although included the condition that, if sold, Mr Etchegaray (representing the private investors) should receive 50% of the sale price due to his investment in the project. The German Embassy in Montevideo later urged Uruguayan authorities not to put the object on display because it could glorify the Nazi regime. The BBC previously reported that Guido Westerwelle, then German Foreign Minister, told officials in 2010: ‘We want the remains of Graf Spee to be dealt with properly. We want to prevent wreckage from the ship, in particular Nazi symbols, landing on the market for military insignia.’ Previous suggestions as to what to do with the eagle

include melting it down or donating it to the Imperial War Museum. Mr Etchegaray wants the government to make a replica, and then sell the original. “This way we would be compensated and Uruguay would be able to spend its part on education, technology or better equipment for the Navy. Having the eagle in a box doesn’t benefit anybody. We have been in touch with auction houses that say this kind of controversial piece usually sells well,” said Mr Etchegaray, adding: “This eagle is part of our story. We should remember, display and study history to avoid repeating mistakes.” It remains to be seen if this latest proposal will be actioned, or if the divisive symbol will remain under lock and key with Uruguayan naval authorities.

DUNKIRK SIGNED BOOK COMPETITION WINNERS

The twenty winners of our competition for signed copies of Josh Levine’s ‘Dunkirk’ are as follows: Miss J Whibley, of Tunbridge Wells, Mr D Walter, of Tunbridge Wells, Mr G Karran, of Rhyl, Mr B Powell, of Trellech, Ms K Ashe, of Buckhurst Hill, Mr D Harper, of Folkingham, Mr A Ludlow, of Trowbridge, Mr K Renicor, of Harrogate, Mr R Woodham, of Enfield, Mr E Rainford, of Ruskington, Mr H Fuller, of East Wittering, Mr E Dixon, of Clackmannan, Mr G Clark, of MacDuff, Mr J Ferran, of Ballinderry Lower, Mr C Strike, of Newbury, Mr A Poulton, of Horsham, Ms S Dimaline, of Harlow, Mr A Cupples, of Milton Keynes, Mr A Hughes, of Newton-Le-willows, and Mr E Maher of Middleton. The prizes have now been mailed out to our lucky prizewinners. Look out for more exciting competitions coming soon to Britain at War! www.britainatwar.com 15

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Lifting The Lid On ‘Fray Bentos’ Astonishing Heroism of Great War Tank Crew

ONE OF the most astonishing acts of survival and heroism during the First World War is being told at The Tank Museum in Dorset to mark the centenary of the action. For more than 60 hours the crew of tank ‘Fray Bentos’, which was stuck in no-man’s-land, fought off German machine gun fire, snipers, grenades, heavy artillery and dynamite. An enemy soldier even climbed on top and dropped a grenade inside, but one of the plucky crew members threw it back before it exploded. During the three days and two nights even the Allies were shelling the Mark IV tank so that it wouldn’t end up in enemy hands.

BELOW The medals of Robert Missen DCM at the Tank Museum, Bovington

BELOW The uniform tunic of Sgt

Robert Missen DCM.

BULLETIN BOARD

‘Fray Bentos’ advanced during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) on 22 August 1917, but was soon on its side in a bomb crater and stranded. Inside were nine men who would become the most decorated tank crew of the war. Captain Donald Richardson and 2nd Lt George Hill received the Military Cross, Sgt Robert Missen and Gunner William Morrey were awarded the Distinguished Conduct

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Dr Rev Donald Caskie's Bible has been returned to his former church, Scots Kirk, in Paris. Rev. Caskie, aided in the escape of thousands of Allied personnel during the Second World War. The Bible has been donated by his nephew, Tom, who gifted the Bible to the congregation, which is creating a permanent exhibition in honour of his uncle. Written in Gaelic, Rev. Caskie used the Bible to hide sensitive information, Caskie had also publicly denounced the Nazis from his pulpit, and so moved south, settling in Marseille, running a Seaman's Mission as a front for escapees heading for Spain. Eventually Caskie was imprisoned by the Gestapo, narrowly avoiding a death sentence. However, he survived the war, and is diary, 'The Tartan Pimpernel', remains in print. Rev. Caskie died in 1983.

16 www.britainatwar.com

Medal and Gunners Ernest Hayton, Frederick Arthurs, Percy Budd and James Binley received the Military Medal. Lance Corporal Ernest Braedy was the only one of the crew to die, being shot as he got out to try and access the unditching gear. Only Gunner James Binley was not injured physically, but was left ‘shocked’. The tank’s main guns were rendered mostly useless because of the angles at which they were pointing, and so the men used their personal weapons to repel wave after wave of attack. Now the Tank Museum at Bovington has a new display telling the story and focusing on Robert Missen, many of whose effects they have.

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After the action, Missen wrote a brief, matter-of-fact account of it: “We got into a very deep soft place and went in sideways and just at that moment Mr Hill fell back off his seat, hit. Capt Richardson got on the seat to relieve him, but he was foul of the controls and before the driver could do anything she was right in and ditched. Budd and Morrey were hit at the same time. Budd was unconscious for about 2hrs. Mr Hill hit in head and neck, Morrey arm and leg. I got out of right sponson door to put on one side of the unditching gear but I heard bullets hitting the tank and saw some Boche about 30yds off firing at me, I got in again. Braedy had got out of the other side to help me, and they shot him and he fell under the side of the tank that was sinking, Arthurs said he was dead. We kept on firing and killed several Boche close to the tank, we expected the infantry to come up any time.” He concluded “…Captain Richardson told me to go back and warn the infantry not to shoot us as we should sooner or later have to clear out of the tank. We were all

ABOVE The bible carried by Robert Missen during the action in ‘Fray Bentos’.

Three years following the major 2014 installation, 'Blood Swept Land and Seas of Red', at the Tower of London, a new project has launched to trace the poppies that made up the striking display. Created by artist Paul Cummings and designer Tom Piper, the original installation consisted of 888,246 poppies, one for every British or Colonial soldier lost during the Great War. 'Where are the Poppies now?' aims to digitally reunite the poppies, with a new website allowing owners to plot their poppy on an online map. The digital map is a record of the stories behind why each poppy was purchased, creating an invaluable archive. To date more than 16,724 poppies have been plotted across the world, in locations including Perth, Australia, and Akrotiri, Cyprus. When originally sold the poppies raised millions of pounds for six service charities, with the installation visited by over 5 million people. Visit https://www.wherearethepoppiesnow.org. uk/poppy/poppy-stats/ to read more about the project, and add your own poppy to the register.

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

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ABOVE An artist’s impression of the bogged-in ‘Fray Bentos’ with German soldiers

ABOVE A Mark IV tank at the Tank Museum, Bovington.

getting stiff from wounds. I got out of the right sponson door and crawled back to the infantry.” One by one the crew followed, even carrying with them the Lewis guns so they didn’t fall into enemy hands. Capt Richardson had named his tank ‘Fray Bentos’ because before the war he was a grocer in Nottingham and had the licence for the famous meat products and his tank crew, he considered, were also like the meat in a Fray Bentos tin. David Willey, curator of the Tank Museum, said: “Many amazing stories of stoicism and bravery have emerged with the First World War anniversaries, but one still cannot help but be taken aback by the tale

an example of the tank that these men were in, so it is possible to see how cramped and intimate was the space in which the drama took place.” Missen had joined the Royal North Lancashire Regiment in 1909 then moved to the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps and Tank Corps during the war. He served in the Royal Tank Corps until 1936. The keen sportsman retired on his birthday by putting on a bowler hat and saying: “Now show me civil life”. Ernest Braedy’s body was never found and Percy Budd was killed a year later aged 22. Richardson later fought at the Battle of Cambrai, in a tank named ‘Fray Bentos II’. That tank was put

climbing over it attempting to subdue the crew who were trapped inside.

of ‘Fray Bentos’. Eight men, stuck in a tank for three days and nights in no-man’s-land, being continually shot at with bullets and hot metal flying around inside. Temperatures reached 30°C (86F) and dropped down to freezing at night and the men were forced to drink water from the radiator to say alive. To lose just one man during this siege was quite remarkable; their heroism and calmness under sustained attack was astonishing, especially when you consider how many serious injuries there were. We have been left a number of Missen’s personal effects including the Bible he had with him, his uniform, medals, identity tag and cigarette case. And here at the museum we also have

ABOVE A detail of the aerial

photograph showing more clearly the abandoned ‘Fray Bentos’.

out of action and captured by the Germans, who took it to Berlin where it was put on display. His son served in the Royal Tank Regiment in the Second World War and was killed at El Alamein.

BELOW An abandoned and bogged-in Mk IV tank at Passchendaele.

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For our readers in Ireland, the following two events may be of interest: At 2pm on Thursday 12 October there will a free guided public tour of the ‘World War Ireland: Exploring the Irish Experience’, an exhibition in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All are welcome and admission is free. The following day, at 8pm, the Military History Society of Ireland will be holding an event where Dr James O'Neill will present his lecture ‘A miserly and beggarly war’ – dispelling the myths of Tyrone’s Rebellion’. This will be held in Griffith College, South Circular Road, Dublin 8. All are welcome and wheelchair access available. The Great War in what became Eire is often neglected, and so these two events will be welcomed.

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A team of historians are trying to trace the family of Sgt. James Roy Walker, RAFVR, 207 Sqn, who was 'presumed killed in action; after being shot down in a Lancaster just before Christmas 1942. Walker was one of seven on board the Lancaster when it took off from RAF Langar on 21 December for Munich. The plane was shot down around midnight, possibly by Reinhold Knacke. Joe Donaghy, Keith Beattie and Govert J. van Lienden, a Dutch historian, are hoping Devon locals may have the answer. Mr Donaghy said: “He may be North Devon’s forgotten war hero. We are hoping to find descendants of the crew of the Lancaster which crashed in a village in Holland in 1942.” So far he has discovered that Sgt. Walker, service no. 1119267, was the son of William and Beatrice Walker and from Fremington. If you have information, contact Joe Donaghy at [email protected]

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Death Of Last D-Day Veteran Of Merville Battery Raid

ABOVE Fred Milward shortly after the

award of his Legion d'Honneur.

BULLETIN BOARD

WE ARE sad to report on the passing of Frederick ‘Fred’ Milward of the 9th Parachute Battalion, the unit which took and neutralised the German gun battery at Merville on D-Day. Fred, who was born in Ticehurst, East Sussex, on 16 January, 1924, had served first with the Home Guard at Westfield, also in East Sussex, during the first two years of the war before joining up with the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1941 and later volunteering for the newly-formed Parachute Regiment. According to Fred, volunteering for the Parachute Regiment had much more to with the fact that members of the regiment were issued with double rations of cigarettes than any desire for action, glamour or glory. However, Fred’s war was destined to be one of desperate and frantic action – and a good deal of action, glamour and glory! It would also see his part in one of the key Allied objectives of D-Day on 6 June 1944. According to Fred, his service with the local Home Guard was not without incident and he

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recalled an amusing and very Dad’s Army-esque episode when a Dornier 17-Z was shot down near the village on 15 September, 1940. Rushing to the scene, ‘armed’ with a motley collection of sticks, pikes, kitchen knives and shotguns, the platoon reached the scene and peered cautiously through a hedge to see the surviving German aircrew, with holstered pistols, standing by their bomber. Nervously, the platoon conferred as to what course of action they should take – all of them terrified about breaking cover and confronting the enemy airmen. Suddenly, the village ‘Bobby’ rode into view down the adjacent lane on his bicycle, pedalling furiously and whistle blowing, whilst waving his arm and commanding ‘Follow me, men!’ and riding into the field ahead of the anxious Home Guardsmen who breathlessly brought up the rear! Commencing a period of intensive training with the 9th Parachute Battalion, Fred and his colleagues soon realised they were being trained for a ‘special job’ under their CO, Major Otway. That job turned out to be the storming of the Merville gun battery with its heavy casemented guns which threatened the ‘Sword’ landing beaches with the training taking place on a replicated battery in the English countryside. On the night of 5/6 June, Fred and his comrades were dropped over Normandy but, as he was preparing to exit the Dakota aircraft a flak shell burst underneath them, bucking the aircraft up and throwing out Fred prematurely. As he went, he hit the tailplane which neatly removed his parachute helmet. Luckily, he hit the tailplane falling backwards, otherwise he would likely have

The last survivor of the 'Great Escape' has celebrated his 100th birthday at a party organised by the RAF. Jack Lyon, a Flt Lt in the RAF, was shot down over enemy territory and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III, Sagan. Mr Lyon kept surveillance on the camp's Luftwaffe guards during construction of escape tunnels and was awaiting his getaway in the early hours when the daring plan was discovered. Seventy-six men were able to get out of the camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944, in by far the largest breakout of its kind. Later, it was immortalised in the 1963 film The Great Escape. Only three men evaded recapture and made it back to England. The other 73 were picked up by the Germans, of whom 50 were executed by the Gestapo.

18 www.britainatwar.com

suffered a broken neck due to the fact that the chin strap would have prevented the helmet from being slid off over his head. Upon landing, Fred knew exactly where he was from the extensive training he had undergone and he duly joined up with his surviving comrades to storm and take the battery in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Of the 155 men who went into the battery, only 75 walked out – Fred among them. He carried on fighting in Normandy until being wounded on 26 July 1944 in the Bois de Bavant area by a German shell which exploded as he raced to help the pilot of a Spitfire who had been shot down in front of his position. With shrapnel wounds down his left side, and permanently deafened in one ear, Fred’s frontline war was over but he remained in Europe escorting and guarding

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German POWs. On one occasion, one of the POWs, in an effort to escape, grabbed Fred’s bayonet and stabbed him in the arm. Post-war, Fred carried on parachuting (in a civilian capacity) until he had achieved 50 drops. He was also commissioned in the RAF Volunteer Reserve and had a life-long love of all things military, and of flying, and also building superbly detailed model aircraft almost right up until his death. Ever since the 41st anniversary of D-Day, Fred made a pilgrimage to Normandy and in 2016 was awarded the Legion d’Honneur while actually stood in the Merville Battery. Aged 93, Fred was the last survivor of the 9th Parachute Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, who took part in the famous Merville raid. He died in Hastings on 23 July. BELOW Fred Milward whilst

serving in the Parachute Regiment, 1944.

United States military forensic and recovery teams have initiated possible site investigations aimed at potentially recovering a number of still 'missing' US Army Air Force airmen lost when their aircraft came down over Britain in 1944. A B-24 Liberator lost near Arundel, West Sussex, on 22 June and a B-26 lost at Ashburnham in neighbouring East Sussex on 6 June 1944, D-Day, have been the subject of initial site surveys and metal detector/ geophysics investigations with more preliminary work planned before possible excavations in the future to search for the missing airmen. The two projects are likely to be lengthy forensic operations. Look out for the intriguing story of the B-24 investigation in our new series on 'Conflict Archaeology' starting soon in an upcoming issue of Britain at War.

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Unexploded ‘Cookie’ Halts Frankfurt

70,000 Evacuated After 4,000-pounder Found in Financial Capital The previous day, 22,000 people – a quarter of the population - had to leave their homes in Koblenz after another unexploded bomb was found during the construction of a new school. On Christmas Day, 2016, 54,000 were evacuated in Augsburg after a large British device was uncovered and in May this year, 50,000 were forced from their homes in Hannover. A school in Darmstadt was evacuated in July after a child found an incendiary bomb and carried it in. Although the accidental explosion of wartime bombs is rare, 11 EOD technicians have been killed in Germany since 2000. Thankfully, on this occasion the Cookie was defused safety, news which was met by loud applause amongst evacuees.

PLACES TO VISIT

NEARLY 10% of the population of the city of Frankfurt was evacuated on 3 September as Germany’s specialist Kampfmittelbeseitigungsdienst EOD unit worked on a 4,000lb bomb found near the city’s Goethe University. Found on 30 August on Wismarer Strasse, the device was a 4,000lb HC Blockbuster (Wohnblockknacker) or ‘Cookie’ bomb, a powerful high explosive commonly dropped by the RAF. While German police felt the device was stable enough to delay removal and disposal until a time where the operation would have a much reduced impact, on account of its large size and filling extensive precautions were taken ahead of the disposal operation as EOD experts maintain that age, vibration, and temperature changes make such devices more unstable. The subsequent evacuation was the largest to take place in post-war Germany. In addition to 70,000 residents, within the one-mile evacuation zone was the German Federal Bank – where half

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of Germany’s gold reserves are held - and two major hospitals where 100 patients, including premature babies and those in intensive care, were moved. Up to 20 care homes were also affected. Police patrols and helicopters with heat-sensitive devices ensured everyone ordered to do so had left. Frankfurt was hit hard in RAF and USAAF raids during the Second World War. The city’s medieval centre was destroyed, and half its homes destroyed. Home to 553,000 people, the population more than halved as in addition to nearly 6,000 deaths, residents fled the city. Today in Germany, on average, 5,500 unexploded wartime devices (around 2,000 tonnes in total) are found each year - 15 a day – and it is estimated 100,000 devices still lie undisturbed. On the same day the Frankfurt device was unearthed, Berlin’s main airport, Tegel, was closed by an unexploded device found nearby. Many aircraft were redirected to the new BerlinBrandenburg airport, which is yet to open.

The rescue of a German U-Boat commander, Kapitan Kurt Tebbenjohanns, of the UC-44, by three fishermen from Dunmore East in August 1917 was the centre piece of a centenary commemorative event entitled ‘Friend and Foe 1917: U-Boat activity and rescue in Waterford Harbour’ held in Dunmore East, County Waterford, Ireland, on 4 and 5 August. Tebbenjohanns, the only survivor of the 30-man crew, was rescued by three young men who braved the danger posed by mines laid across the mouth of Waterford Harbour to search for survivors after hearing an explosion at sea. The events included the laying of a wreath to honour and remember those who died in Waterford Harbour due to war actions, including the crews of UC-44, and the trawler/ minesweepers George Milbourn and Loch Eye.

20 www.britainatwar.com

The ‘Cookie’ Blockbuster

THE UNEARTHING of a Cookie bomb, especially one in such an intact condition, is relatively uncommon. To be in this condition, they normally have to be found in rivers. A fragile device, a Cookie would often smash apart if it didn’t go off and they easily detonated if dropped while loading. Engineers crammed as much explosive content inside as possible, 3000lbs of Amatol or Torpex, so they were thinly-cased and cylindrically shaped, having no fins and only a small conical nose, making them aerodynamically unstable, meaning they fell straight down. The case was not built for survivability or to add a fragmentation effect, and the Cookie did not have the same penetration or durability characteristics as a conventionally-shaped device, nor did they need to. They were not fitted with time-delay fuses, either, as the Cookie was intended to blow off roofs to make falling incendiaries more effective.

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A service for L/Cpl William Loney has been held at CWGC Arnhem Oosterbeek Cemetery in The Netherlands. L/Cpl Loney, of The Parachute Regiment A.A.C., was killed on 17 September 1944 during the Battle of Arnhem. William was buried as an unidentified L/Cpl and was commemorated by name on the Groesbeek Memorial. However, research submitted by the Royal Netherland Army’s Recovery and Identification Unit has led to his grave being identified. The service, conducted by Rev. Dr Brutus Green CF, Chaplain, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, was organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and saw the dedication of a named grave marker. The ceremony was attended by members of the British and Dutch military, local dignitaries and 'L/Cpl. Pegasus' The Parachute Regiment's mascot.

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| BRIEFING ROOM

HMS Queen Elizabeth Welcomed to Home New Royal Navy Flagship Enters Portsmouth

THE ROYAL Navy’s new aircraft carrier and flagship vessel, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has been welcomed into her homeport at Portsmouth for the first time. She steamed into Portsmouth after the first of her sea trials and an exercise with ships of the Royal Navy and the US Navy. Thousands watched the carrier, escorted by a flotilla of craft and a series of flypasts, as she entered the harbour at 7.10am on 16 August. Her arrival was preceded by the construction of an entirely

new berth for the ships of her class, and also by numerous dredging operations which uncovered more than 20,000 interesting, and sometimes explosive, historical finds! Often referred to as a ‘Supercarrier’, a name formerly reserved only to the large American carriers of fame, the 65,000 tonne Queen Elizabeth and her future sister ship, Prince of Wales, offer capabilities similar to that of US carriers and also enhanced interoperability with the US Fleet.

(COURTESY OF DEREK FOX)

Barr & Stroud Mark 100 Years of Supplying Navy Famous Glasgow Firm Provides Silent Service with ‘Eyes’

PLACES TO VISIT

IN ONE of this years’ more unusual centenaries, on 31 August 1917 Govan-based engineers and optical technicians, Barr & Stroud Ltd, delivered an example of their FY1 No.1 Periscope to the ArmstrongWhitworth shipyard at Wallsend. There, under construction, was HMS M3. The experimental M3, like her sisters, were as much monitor as they were submarine, the illfated class originally fitted with 12in guns for bombardment work and to engage enemy shipping. Since then, Barr & Stroud (now a subsidiary of Thales Optronics and considered to be the oldest part of Thales Group) continued to provide the Royal Navy with leading high-quality periscopes,

becoming its sole supplier. Then, as is the case now, periscopes provide submarine commanders with ‘eyes’ beneath the waves, a source of vital intelligence, visuals, navigation, and targeting aids. Barr & Stroud developed the first focus-adjustable periscope in 1920, and by the 1950s had improved range estimation and navigation with the first radar-fitted example. Electronic warfare masts, infra-red, and laser rangefinders followed, with the first remote control periscope coming in 1991. Other landmark developments include night-vision, thermal imaging, and further improvements to navigation and targeting.

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Cambridgeshire Branch ‘Gallipoli – Soldiers’ Experiences’, a talk by Prof. Gary Sheffield on 4 October, 19:30 start. Venue: Comrades Club, 58 Cambridge Street, Godmanchester, PE29 2AY Contact: [email protected] Tel: 07783 302902.

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Staffs (North) and Cheshire (South) Branch Leading Great War archaeologist, Andrew Robertshaw, talks about ‘Digging The Trenches – Archaeology on the Western Front’ on 9 October, 19:00 start. Venue: Newcastle Methodist Church Hall, Merrial Street, Newcastle under Lyme, ST5 2AD. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01782 256754.

Ahead of the Great War, Barr & Stroud also produced an effective rangefinder for the Navy which was widely exported, and other successful products included trench scopes and sights. In the Second World War, with its workforce peaking at 6,000 employees, Barr & Stroud produced 30,000 rangefinders, 150,000 gun and bomb sights, and, each month, 2,000 binoculars. Later, they produced electro-optical and thermal components for the Rapier and Swingfire missiles and the TOGS sight for Britain’s Challenger tanks. The firm’s

periscopes, like the Royal Navy’s submarines, have quickly developed from the simple and rudimentary designs of 100 years ago and in 2018, Thales will unveil its latest next-generation design intended for the upcoming Dreadnought-class of ballistic missile submarines. Still based in Glasgow, the firm currently produces the sophisticated optronic sensor mast fitted to the new Astute-class submarines, which provides and records a full 360° view around the boat, without the apparatus entering the hull of the submarine. Astute-Class submarine, HMS Ambush, with her hi-tech optronic sensor mast. (ROYAL NAVY, CROWN COPYRIGHT)

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Milton Keynes Branch Peter Hart’s talk, ‘Aces Falling, War Over the Trenches, 1918’ is on 20 October, 19:30 start. Venue: Roman Park Residents Club, 1 Constantine Way, Bancroft Business Park, Milton Keynes, MK13 0RA. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01908 377451.

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Somerset Branch The first major land engagement of the Great War, ‘The Battle of Mons’, is the subject of Colin Ellender’s talk on 11 October, 19:30 start. Venue: Othery Village Hall, Fore Street, Othery, Somerset TA7 0QQ. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01823 698156

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

BELOW

The Junkers 87 shot down at St Lawrence, Isle of Wight, on 8 August 1940.

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ATTACK OF T W

hen an incoming raid was plotted off Le Havre by the Chain Home radar system at 15:34 hours on 8 August 1940 it was clear that, once more, the Luftwaffe’s intentions were directed towards Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ which had been attacked and harried relentlessly since the early hours by both E-Boat and air attack. Immediately, the fighter controllers sent off the Hurricanes of 43 Sqn from Tangmere and Spitfires of 152 Sqn from Warmwell, with orders for 43 to proceed at once to convoy ‘Peewit’ with 152 headed for Weymouth Bay. As the threat grew more immediate, so the controller bolstered his forces over ‘Peewit’ by sending off 145 Sqn at 16:00, with 238

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Sqn being called on at 16:20 – the former being sent towards the Isle of Wight and 238 Sqn following 152 Squadron down into Weymouth Bay. Earlier that day, the controller had got caught getting squadrons in place over the convoy early enough, and on this occasion he was a little more timely. This time, the Stukas were actually caught over the ships.

FIGHT AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS

The aeroplanes of various elements of St.G 1, St.G 3 and St.G 77 made up the attacking force of a total of 82 Junkers 87 Stuka dive-bombers, and Hptm. Waldemar Plewig of II/St G 77 takes up the story from his perspective : “Besides the Gruppen commanded by Sigel, and another commanded by Hozzel

[NB: Hozzel had in fact led an aborted raid earlier in the afternoon and did not participate in this action] my Gruppe was to assemble over Cherbourg and carry out a large scale attack. My Gruppe started as ordered, but noticed that one of the other Gruppen was not ready for takeoff. Climbing up steadily, we proceeded to the gathering point. As we approached the coast, I realised that the third Gruppe was already hanging over the Channel above us, and long before the stated time. Our own fighters must have split up as only a few 109s and 110s were to be seen. The majority of the fighter escort must have already flown to the target area with the Gruppe of early starters. Only this could explain why my Gruppe, when later approaching the convoy, flew right into the arms of the RAF fighters which had been lured up by the first Gruppe; our escort then split up, the first Gruppe returning with the escort whilst my far weaker escort had to fight against overwhelming odds.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

F THE PUMAS Since the early hours of 8 August 1940, Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ had been harried by E-Boats and Stuka attacks in the English Channel. In late afternoon, off the Isle of Wight, the convoy came in for more Stuka punishment – although not without cost to the raiders, as Andy Saunders explains.

Despite our predicament with the fighter escort, there was no turning back and I ordered the three Staffeln of II Gruppe to attack. I, along with the reinforced Stabs Kette, waited until the end. As we could see more and more enemy fighters appearing above us, I decided not to climb up to the usual altitude and started the attack instead from about 12,000ft. After the three Staffeln had attacked their targets, I chose mine and went into a dive and released my bombs from about 1,800ft. The Spitfires and Hurricanes dived with us but we were able to observe some near misses on the ships. Now, I

attempted to throw off my adversaries by irregular flying at sea level – we always flew that way as it gave fighters less of a chance to hit us. However, during the descent, I was repeatedly shot at. My gunner, Fw Schauer, fired back until he was hit. I think he was hit in the neck and the thigh, because I noticed a jet of blood. In the meantime, I was hit in the right arm and right calf and had to fly with my left hand. At the same time, the oxygen supply was hit and a box of ammunition was struck by tracer bullets. When the plane started to show signs of burning on the right side, I decided to baleout. My gunner did not reply over the intercom, and I could see him hanging lifelessly in

his harness. As he did not react to my orders to throw off the canopy, and I had levelled off above the water and the ‘plane was well alight, I decided to jump at the last moment. I had failed in my efforts to throw out the gunner – he was certainly dead and I just hoped that his body might be washed up somewhere. So, I said goodbye to my companion and friend, Kurt Schauer.”

KILLED OUTRIGHT

In Waldemar Plewig’s account he speaks of the RAF fighters diving with him, and that is indeed what the Hurricanes of 43 and 145 Sqn succeeded in doing. Not quite early enough on the scene to prevent at least the majority of Stukas diving to attack, the massed 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

RIGHT

A Junkers 87 of II/ StG 77 is ‘bombedup’ ready for another sortie.

RIGHT

Ground crew members top up the oil on a Junkers 87 of StG 1 preparatory to raid over Britain. (COURTESY OF

CHRIS GOSS)

BELOW

Hptm Waldemar Plewig. (COURTESY OF

CHRIS GOSS)

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Hurricanes certainly managed to wreak some havoc as they got in amongst the enemy aircraft. Plt Off Peter Parrott of 145 Sqn was one of those in action and got a confirmed victory over one of the Junkers 87s: “The best strategy was to hit them as they pulled out of a dive. I got one from the beam as it recovered from dropping its bombs. [sic] I followed it as it flew on towards the Isle of Wight after pulling out of its attack. We were very close to the sea, about a hundred feet or so, and its only evasive action, apart from flying low, was to make a series of gentle turns each way.” (Note: Whilst Plt Of Parrott believed ‘his’ Ju 87 Stuka to have dropped its bombs, this was not actually the case. When the aircraft came to rest on the Isle of Wight it was found to be carrying its full bomb load; one x 250kg bomb and 4 x 50kg bombs.) Parrott had managed to get in a short burst of fire which had actually severed the aircraft’s fuel lines and killed outright its rear gunner, Uffz Schubert. With the damage he had sustained to his aeroplane there

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was no chance that the pilot, Uffz Pitroff, would be able to make the return flight across some 60 miles of English Channel. He had no choice but to put down on land. Wobbling past the St Lawrence hospital, the Stuka pitched down in a field by Orchard Bay, bounced across a small depression and careered into the next field where it rolled to a halt in the far hedge. However, on its final approach a local lad, Alan Twigg, decided he would lend Plt Off Parrott a helping hand. Grabbing his “Daisy” .22 air rifle he took a pot-shot at the Stuka as it went overhead, only to be admonished for his apparently extreme foolhardiness: “What if you’d hit one of its bombs?” shouted one of his elders “…you’d have blown us all to kingdom come!”

had to fly our mission most accurately by compass. Our wing leader had to give each squadron commander short and accurate instructions from what he knew, then everyone got dressed. The most important piece of clothing is the life jacket. Then, shortly before 16:00 [sic] the whole group is ready, the first formation to take off being our Commander’s formation. A small signal lamp flashes and like a flock of large birds the squadrons rose up one after another into the sky. We all circle our base and collect information, then head off towards the Channel battleground. After only a few minutes we are at the coast. Below us, as far as the eye can see, is the Channel. Once it was the busiest shipping lane in the world. Now it is the

Of course, in the somewhat unlikely event that one of Alan’s low-velocity .22 lead pellets had actually pinged off a bomb, then the most dramatic effect would have been to assuage young master Twigg’s hostility towards the German raider. Such was the impetuosity of youth!

largest ships’ graveyard. "Water – nothing but water below us. We cannot see the coast or enemy ships. Our thoughts are with our engines, those reliable humming helpers in our operation. Our eyes go from instrument to instrument checking; water cooling, tachometer, pressure gauge – all of them are regularly checked. If our engine gives up there is only one thing for us and that is the Ditch. The Channel is large and wide and on the other side is the enemy island.

‘THE LARGEST SHIP’S GRAVEYARD’

Apart from Waldemar Plewig’s experiences that day, we also have a contemporary account given in a German radio broadcast from one of the participating Stuka crewmen who flew in this attack with II./StG 77. Clearly, it was made with the German public and propaganda in mind, but nevertheless provides interesting insights: “At the briefing we were told that our target is a British convoy trying to force the Channel route. We were given a code name for our attack; “Puma”. We had no proper location and so we

‘LISTING BADLY, AND ON FIRE’ "Ahead, shyly, there is a light strip emerging from the blue-green water. At first you can hardly make it out. The English south coast, and the white cliffs of the steep shore. A few hundred metres above us fly some squadrons of fighters – Me 109s and the long range destroyer Me 110s as protection for us. Half-right in front of us at about

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

3,000 to 4,000 metres the first air battle has already begun. You can hardly tell friend from enemy. We can only see small silver specks circling. Now we must be especially alert. The coast is getting nearer, to the left, below us, the Isle of Wight and we already see ten or twelve ships. They, as they in turn spot us, try somehow to avoid our attacks by zig-zagging. We fly steadily eastwards towards them. Suddenly we hear through our R/T “Number four aircraft has crash-landed!”. One of our 4th Staffel machines has had to go down into the water. His engine must have failed. We hope everything goes well for them as we press on.

“PUMA ONE – TO ALL PUMAS – PUMA ATTACK!”

"We are above the convoy, it all seems to be small ships, coasters. Our 1 Staffel has already started to attack. Now the formations pull apart. Each one of them chooses a ship that has not yet been hit by one of the other squadrons. Our Staffelkapitän’s formation starts its attack dives near to the coast. But what is this? I cannot believe my eyes. There is a third formation which attacks with us in a dive from the left. At the same instant I hear “Puma – alert. Enemy fighters diving from above!” When we are diving vertically the English fighters have virtually no chance to shoot our Stukas so they always tried to intercept us earlier or catch us later on when we have pulled out of our dives. On account of them being so much faster than us we always form up for mutual protection.

"That’s for later. Right now I select my formation’s target which is the most southerly ship of the convoy. Before I commence my dive I make sure by asking my radio operator if everything is clear behind us. I receive the reply “All clear!” Then we dive down without braking (i.e., did not deploy their dive brakes) as in our perilous position we need speed to get back into our unit formation again. My bombs land close alongside the ship, my left-hand Kettenhund aircraft also scores a near miss by a very near margin, but the third aircraft of the formation hits the ship square amidships with his bombs. Within seconds a huge flame shoots up from the ship and a large cloud of smoke bellows out of her insides. As we fly away, we can see her listing badly and on fire. 

ABOVE

Ships of Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ steam down the English Channel on 8 August 1940. LEFT

Plt Off Peter Parrott of 145 Squadron, who shot down the Junkers 87 at St Lawrence.

LEFT

A Junkers 87 of III./ StG 1 manages to return to its French airfield despite serious damage inflicted on 8 August 1940. (COURTESY OF CHRIS GOSS)

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

RIGHT

to bear. Again and again the English attack from astern. Again and again I feel the bullets striking my aircraft, but I don’t think the engine has been hit. The motor is quiet and smooth. The closer we get to the centre of the English Channel the fewer English aircraft attack us. Our squadrons find each other bit by bit and we form up. To the left of us flies our 4th Staffel. One of the planes has a smoke trail behind it. The pilot gives the message: “Aircraft damaged, going into the water!” At that moment a Spitfire (sic) comes from ahead, shoots, and down into the water the damaged Stuka goes. But the Englishman does not live long to enjoy his cheap victory, and as he veers away after his attack he gets hit by an Me 109 and dives vertically into the sea.

Plt Off J E ‘Jas’ Storrar of 145 Sqn also engaged Junkers 87s near the Isle of Wight on 8 August 1940.

during the operation or if it was simply made up for the broadcast. ‘SMASHED INTO THE SEA

AND EXPLODED’

Aside from the claim by Peter Parrott for the Ju 87 downed at St Lawrence, the rest of 145 Squadron had also put in multiple claims for aircraft destroyed. The total squadron “bag” for the late afternoon shoot being six Junkers 87s and two Messerschmitt 110s destroyed. One of the pilots who added to this claim was Plt Off J E Storrar who attacked a Ju 87 Stuka: “As I finished my ammunition with little obvious effect I suddenly became aware that there was a flame around his right undercarriage leg. I came up alongside. There was no sign of the rear ABOVE

Close-up detail of the cockpit area of the Junkers 87 after it came to rest at St Lawrence following Parrott’s attack.

RIGHT

The bloodspattered gun position of Uffz Schubert in the Junkers 87 downed at St Lawrence.

‘FLAMES LIKE A BONFIRE’ "Now, the English defenders are right on top of us! Spitfires and Hurricanes. From a distance you cannot distinguish these from our own Me 109s. Above the Isle of Wight it makes for a terrible battle. About sixty aircraft of all makes, German and English, fighting for their lives. Some of the English draw back towards the coast, on the left of me an Me 109 drops into the sea. The pilot is able to get out and slowly he guides his parachute towards the water. Another aircraft, the make I cannot see clearly, circles in flames like a bonfire above us. Then it explodes and falls in many small pieces. You can only recognise the engine compartment. "When we all collect towards the south, the English take us on. Only weaving helps you if you want to escape the eight machine guns of the English fighters. Our radio operators shoot whenever they can get their guns

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After 30 minutes flying we at last see the coast of Normandy. We all sigh with relief. My formation comrades approach to the side of the aircraft, nod and smile. Everything in our squadron seems to be alright. We land at our base. Unbelievably, all of the aircraft from our Staffel have returned. Some had up to 40 bullet holes in their fuselages and wings, but all landed safely. Later, we heard that our Commander, Major Plewig, is missing. Also, a Hauptmann and Unteroffizier as well. We cannot believe it. Nobody saw the CO ditch.” In its content, the broadcast was surprisingly frank and informative, but we cannot be certain that the codename “Puma” was actually used

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

saw two Messerschmitt 109s pulling in behind us. I yelled “Break!” over the R/T and turned in hard towards them. As I got round to engage I pressed the button and it just hissed – of course, no ammunition. So I kept turning to avoid them and they eventually disappeared. Sub Lt Smith didn’t come back and was never found. I was the last person to see him alive.”

‘THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BATTLE OF THE WAR’

gunner but the pilot was looking at me and I was no more than twenty or thirty yards away. I could see his face clearly and could virtually see his hand on the stick. The flame suddenly burst over the top of the wing. We both looked at it for what seemed like seconds when the Stuka’s wing suddenly buckled – it turned over and smashed into the sea and exploded. "I circled the smoke a couple of times, and was then joined by another Hurricane from 145 Sqn who headed back with me towards the Sussex coast. I could see as we pulled back our hoods he was giving me the thumbs-up and that it was Sub Lt F A Smith, a pilot who had joined our squadron from the Fleet Air Arm. I then had a sudden urge to look back over my other shoulder and

On the credit side, 43 and 145 Squadron’s had certainly downed a number of aircraft, albeit that the final “score” was over inflated. In summarising the air fighting over Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ on 8 August, however, RAF Fighter Command was singularly up-beat in its assessment: “Three engagements took place and considered as a whole may be reckoned from the point of Fighter Command the most successful battle of the war. Altogether eighty-four enemy machines

were destroyed or severely damaged, at least sixty of these being confirmed, as against the loss of eighteen of our aircraft and fifteen pilots. The German High Command reverse the ratio and claim the score as forty-nine to twelve in their favour.” It was hardly an accurate or objective appraisal of events that day by either side, but by 16:45 that day, the Air Ministry noted, the English Channel was clear of any further significant enemy air activity. Despite their losses, the Stuka force had nevertheless acquitted itself well. Meanwhile, the Stuka downed on the Isle of Wight, the first of its type captured intact, was carefully transported back to the mainland and plans made to repair and test fly it. However, the acquisition of a better example a few days later led to the St Lawrence Stuka ultimately being scrapped – although, unfortunately, the ‘better’ example was subsequently destroyed by souvenir hunters. 

LEFT

Tin-hatted RAF personnel take cover whilst retrieving the wreck of the Junkers 87 at St Lawrence whilst Ventnor radar station comes under attack on 13 August. LEFT

Initially, it was intended to repair and test fly the Junkers 87 downed on the Isle of Wight but the plan was abandoned. Here, the fuselage of the aircraft awaits its eventual fate. (COLOURED BY DOUG BANKS)

LEFT

Junkers 87 Stukas returning from a sortie, almost down at sea level, and flying irregular courses to throw off potential attackers as Waldemar Plewig described.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | AERIAL ARTILLERY

Junkers Ju 87

THE WEAPON

If ever a sight and a sound came to symbolise the terror of the German Blitzkrieg then it was the Junkers Ju 87 – the Stuka. Here, Jonathan Falconer takes a look at the history of this infamous warplane. SPAIN AND POLAND

ABOVE

The face of Blitzkrieg: Ju 87 B Stukas from III Gruppe of Stukageschwader 77 (III./StG 77) in close formation over Crimea after an attack on Sevastopol, 1942. (ANDY SAUNDERS COLLECTION)

BELOW

Ju 87 Bs take off for a dive-bombing sortie during the Polish campaign in September 1939. (VIA AUTHOR)

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E

ven its name sounds aggressive, derived as it is from the word ‘Sturzkampfflugzeug’, which is the generic German term for dive-bomber. With its distinctive cranked wing and vulture-like looks, the blood curdling shriek of a Stuka in a vertical power-dive was certain to strike fear and panic into the most battle-hardened soldiers as well as defenceless civilians. In the early days of the war the Ju 87 certainly lived up to its fearsome reputation but later, when it came up against better equipped adversaries and the war had changed in character, the Stuka finally met its match.

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The first in a succession of prototypes of the Ju 87 flew in the spring of 1935 and in late 1936 a handful of pre-production aircraft were secretly shipped to Spain where they flew with the Condor Legion in the Civil War. It was in Spain that the fledgling Luftwaffe gained invaluable experience, testing and refining the Blitzkrieg tactic and developing air-toground communications between its dive-bombers and armoured units. This ‘dry-run’ paid dividends for by 1939 the Luftwaffe and its dive-bombers were ready to wreak havoc in Poland. It was during the Spanish Civil War that the Ju 87 acquired a nickname that was to stick among the divebomber’s air and groundcrews for the rest of its service life. The Stuka was named ‘Jolanthe’ by Oberstleutnant Günther Schwartzkopff, the Gruppenkommandeur of IV.(St)/ LG 1’s 11th Staffel, the Luftwaffe unit that supplied the clutch of Ju 87 A-1s (‘Antons’) to the Legion Kondor in Spain. His inspiration was a large pink sow called Jolanthe, the porcine heroine of the German blockbuster romantic comedy, ‘Krach um Jolanthe’ (Trouble with Jolanthe), released in 1934. The

small group of ‘Antons’ flown by the Legion Kondor became known as the ‘Jolanthe Kette’, sporting the unit badge of a pink pig on an oval disc emblazoned on their port undercarriage wheel spats. On 1 September 1939 Stukas were in the vanguard of the Blitzkrieg on Poland, where its banshee howl and terrifying accuracy set the benchmark for Germany’s future conquests. Its campaigns in the West in 1940 saw France and Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway, fall hopelessly under the hammer-blows of both Panzer and Stuka. In its Ju 87 B (‘Bertha’) and R (‘Richard’, long-range) versions, Stukas proved highly effective as airborne artillery, moving swiftly through France and the Low Countries working in close cooperation with the Panzer columns, demolishing all opposition that lay in their paths.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND MEDITERRANEAN

When it came to the next phase in Hitler’s plan for domination in Europe, the English Channel stood in his way before he could subdue Great Britain. It was this narrow stretch of water and the inherent flaws in the Stuka’s design that

AERIAL ARTILLERY | SECOND WORLD WAR

saw the dive-bomber meet its match over southern England in the summer of 1940. Its limited range, slow speed and poor defensive armament saw the Ju 87 suffer at the hands of the RAF’s fighters in the Battle of Britain. After 18 August the Stuka was withdrawn from the frontline and the Stukagruppen were moved up to the Pas-de-Calais in anticipation of Operation ‘Seelöwe’ (Sealion), where it was intended they’d support the airborne and amphibious invasion of England – which never came. Germany’s attention now turned to other theatres of operations in the Mediterranean, the Balkans and in North Africa. The ‘Bertha’, ‘Richard’ (and later the ‘Dora’) marks were adapted for service in the heat and dust of North Africa where, during the early campaigns, it was very effective, but with the invasion of Russia on 22 June 1941 came a bitter war of attrition that the Germans had neither foreseen nor prepared for. From then until the end of the conflict most of the Luftwaffe’s Ju 87 squadrons (as well as a handful of Stuka units operated by its allies) were heavily involved in the fighting on the Eastern Front.

Black Sea and Baltic Fleets. With the Ju 87 D-series (the ‘Dora’) introduced in January 1942 the wing-mounted 7.92mm MG17 machine guns were replaced with a pair of 20mm quick-firing MG151/20 cannon to bolster the destructive power of the aircraft’s bomb-load. Additional armour plating was bolted to the cockpit and around vital components to defend the crew and their aircraft from ground fire. New weapons systems were also developed that added to the choice of firepower available to the Stuka: anti-personnel cluster-bomb dispensers and multi-gun pods were hung beneath the Stuka’s wings to drive back the hordes of Russian infantry and soft-skinned vehicles on the exposed Steppes. To counter the fast-growing numbers of Soviet tanks a potent new weapon was added to the Stuka’s arsenal in 1943.

Twin 37mm autocannon were fitted to the Ju 87 G (‘Gustav’, a development of the Ju 87 D-5) in under-wing gun pods, which proved to be deadly tankkillers. Armed with the ‘Panzernacker’ or ‘tank cracker’ (as they were nicknamed) Gustavs flew their first anti-tank operations on 5 July 1943, which was also the first day of Operation ‘Citadel’ – the epic tank battle at Kursk.

ALWAYS AT THE SHARP END

Several other variations on the basic Ju 87 design were either trialled or considered by the Luftfahrtministerium’s Technisches Amt, the most notable among them being the Ju 87 C (‘Cäsar’) and the Ju 87 F (‘Friedrich’). Intended for service on the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier, the Cäsar was essentially a navalised Ju 87 B with folding wings and an arrester hook. Delays in the 

TOP LEFT

Nicknamed ‘Jolanthe’, Ju 87 A-1s in Spain were called the ‘Jolanthe Kette’ and sported a sow emblem. (AUTHOR)

ABOVE LEFT

Ju 87 B-2s of StG 77 on a forward airfield at Prilep, Yugoslavia, during the Balkan campaign, 1941. (ANDY SAUNDERS COLLECTION)

ABOVE

A profile of the Ju 87 B-2. (AUTHOR) BELOW

Ju 87 Ds of StG 5 over the Leningrad Front, 1943. (ANDY SAUNDERS COLLECTION)

THE EASTERN FRONT

It was primarily in the war with Russia that the role of the Stuka evolved from one of dive-bombing to embrace groundattack and close air-support, but it should not be forgotten that the Ju 87 achieved remarkable success in the maritime strike role against the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, and vessels of the Soviet

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SECOND WORLD WAR | AERIAL ARTILLERY figureheads of the invincible German war machine. The front covers of Der Adler and Signal magazines regularly showed artists’ impressions of Stukas winning the war for Germany, while Karl Ritter’s contemporary propaganda film, Stukas, commissioned by the Luftwaffe, followed the fortunes of three Stuka squadrons and their crews, incorporating authentic documentary footage of Ju 87s in action to lend credibility to the production. To a 21st century audience the film is painfully jingoistic and propagandist, extolling the honour of dying for ABOVE

Scourge of the Red Army: when the Ju 87 G ‘Kanonenvogel’ was introduced to combat at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, its pair of BK 37 ‘Panzernacker’ autocannon decimated Russian tank formations.

(ANDY SAUNDERS COLLECTION)

RIGHT

The Ju 87 regularly graced the front cover of the Luftwaffe’s bi-weekly propaganda magazine Der Adler. (AUTHOR)

MIDDLE

Released on 25 June 1941, three days after the launch of Operation Barbarossa, the Luftwaffe propaganda film Stukas tells the story of a dive-bomber squadron during the Battle of France.

(AUTHOR)

RIGHT

Ace Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most successful groundattack pilot of the Second World War, with 519 tank kills and 2,530 sorties to his credit. (AUTHOR)

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carrier’s construction caused a policy rethink and the Cäsar was cancelled in May 1940 after only five aircraft had been built. The Friedrich was planned as a successor to the Ju 87 D, with enhanced aerodynamics and a retractable undercarriage, as well as a rotating vertical tail surface to give the rear gunner an improved field of fire. In the end it was deemed to offer little improvement over the ‘Dora’ and so the idea was abandoned in 1943. As a design, the Ju 87 was a survivor. In a steady succession of improved marks and variants Stukas were in continuous action from the first day of war, right up until the very last throes of the Third Reich in early May 1945. They were always at the sharp end where the fighting was at its fiercest, and it is a testament to the bravery and tenacity of its crews that they fought on even after the tide of war had turned against them.

THE CAVALRY OF THE AIR

Early in the war the image of the Ju 87 as a Teutonic harbinger of destruction was seized upon by Joseph Goebbels and his Nazi propaganda ministry to turn the Stuka and its crews into sylised

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the Fatherland, but nonetheless after it was premiered in Berlin on 27 June 1941 it became a runaway success with wartime German cinema audiences, grossing 3.18 million Reichsmarks (RM) in its first six months, against production costs of 1.96 million RM. Adding to the cult of the Stuka as the elite cavalry of the air, a ‘Stuka Lied’ (or song) was specially composed with a rousing refrain, ‘We are the black hussars of the air, the Stukas, the Stukas, the Stukas!’, which also forms the finale of the film.

Many Stuka pilots were recipients of the Knight’s Cross, but one in particular became the most famous and highly decorated Luftwaffe flier of the entire war. His name was Hans Ulrich-Rudel. He began his operational career in Greece in 1941 with StG 2, the ‘Immelmann’ Geschwader, which soon transferred to the Russian Front which was where Rudel quickly built a reputation as a skilled and daring dive-bomber and ground-attack pilot. By the war’s end he had completed an unsurpassed 2,530 combat missions (most of these sorties completed on the Eastern Front, and mainly with the Ju 87) and included one Russian battleship, one cruiser, a destroyer and 519 tanks among his kills, making him the most successful groundattack pilot of all time. Hitler took a close interest in Rudel and awarded him the Knight’s Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves and Diamonds on 29 March 1944, as only the tenth German serviceman to receive such an award. On New Year’s Day 1945 he was further invested, with the highest award made to any German serviceman in the Second World War, specially created for Rudel by the Führer, who pinned to Rudel’s breast the Knight’s Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves and Diamonds, in Gold, during a ceremony in the Reich Chancellery. The Stuka may have died in the flames of the collapsing Third Reich in 1945, but its legacy lives on in the 21st century as the inspiration behind the design of the American Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II groundattack jet – the legendary ‘Hog’. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

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h lo B e so ss r re rit Stuk u m at a ish a sin nhin e at e up lly t Isl offe in g d ta u ak es n th the le lo ered cks ntil en a dur sive ta e S C ss o go 1 p in ag fo ken tuk ha . An r w t th 6 A arti g 19 ain r a a a nn d it ro ug cu 4 st sit The tten hea had el u , in hou ugh ust; larl 0 ha the 1 es a ti v a p at t s e in y d ou 8 A on ttac on. y to lso s unt tack ust ntir dee heav not ll o ho il s ain el d y th tc ug 16 ks d n wn 8 A on in y , 18 at w om ust, Au aga ot ama sh i ug sh g a h to Au er e fo re gu in Am er ge ip ts u ip s s w st pi co tal gu e c r t sul st, st a h o s d a t n in or 19 g an mm of st ert he ed an irf th d b ng retu beyo g t 4 i o d r d a S led h a 0, a e t ee st rn n ev wa itte ne h aid, inly tuk in a the elds be ircra hre n th thos ed d re ou nd er s t d a u fo s a f ra n an t r tw ft e e e w pa di mo he gai ndr r ex ign orc the aga d r th eal s een and othe Gru sho ith s ir a ve u la n ed a ifi e r d in ad P ey et t w r p t d er nd wh -bo nted rge st so an mp can wit iffe on ar lo olan we back hem ith Gru pe c ow iou fou ich mb by st c ut d n le, s t. T h lo ren s ac se d i re fo . I tw pp om n a s d r of t er th o-o h c in aw he ss t ce s n th r t o e m n am es its he . It e rd oa e S a EV pted were 193 row the had b oth n los and d kil age da air Stu wa Jun ina st t tuk S m c k s k t ar a jus too 9. W n in Stu een ers ing er, led . IM W TR OL RA age raft a fo also ers ed a get s t a h i to ka th da six D AG V s aft hi A I s a ea tho ba fo e ma F d. I des rce a r 87 ttac ca urin E l T v r N f s e w r t E fo Th n tro lo ai m y t ut ttle ce irs ged k Po mp g t r e o a r y st d att o a o si t o er 18 it G G Co lan aig he er be do ve nce d ns u Br pera e no Au is ce Y GE th xam rne aid ed o 21% in F r n , of sim ub r e S p y I ag r wa anc trie the in Ba itis tio sig gu rta R t s c l , e a s t M s w sh uk e, lan in ou pl qu ttl h I ns ni t, inl , s a Lo ot as ten d st its eap a fo the nd w A rse y es e o sle ag fic 19 y t t h r o , N cu su n m St re dow we of . wi ey tion f B s d ain ant 40, he Ba rbe cce . Ho ida uka tu n re r c a u s t t S f i a c t h s w b ro d tu is; tai rin th tu he se rn , (A ttl d e du s w ev le m ra al w n, g e ka re th ed on TO RT of ri as er B l w n , O e at  n y ere th the BY Y A Brit g t e D ) A ai he

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

service because of ‘unacceptable losses’ as has been suggested across subsequent decades? In considering the cessation of Junkers 87 operations against Britain during the summer of 1940 it is necessary to look at the bigger picture in the focus of Luftwaffe air attacks against the country. First, though, it may be apposite to look at how the official narrative of the Battle of Britain, produced by the Air Historical Branch in the immediate post-war period, perceived the part played by the Junkers 87. The heading of that particular commentary was nothing if not direct: “The Failure of the Junkers 87 There is certainly no doubt that the Germans were convinced by the operations during the first half of August that Ju 87s could not be used where they would meet fighter opposition. After 18 August they were withdrawn from the battle, the intention being to use them against Channel

36

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ABOVE

Stukas are prepared for another sortie out across the English Channel during the summer of 1940. TOP RIGHT

The Stuka took a heavy toll on merchant shipping in the English Channel during the Battle of Britain. RIGHT

Running the gauntlet; British merchant ships come under dive-bombing attack as they pass through the Dover Strait. BELOW

Massed formations of Stukas heading out for targets in the Channel or on mainland Britain were a formidable sight.

shipping when an invasion expedition was launched. This accounts for the concentration of dive bombers in the Pas de Calais during the first days of September and their complete inactivity during that and the following months.” In its assessment of why the Ju 87 force had been concentrated in the Pas de Calais, the Air Historical Branch historians had certainly got it right. But their perception as to why the Germans had failed to use the Stuka in

attacks against Britain after 18 August may have been a little skewed. The dismissal, here, of the Ju 87 as a ‘failure’, and the suggestion that its withdrawal was purely based upon that premise, is doubtless the origin of long held beliefs that the decision was purely attrition based. It is necessary to look a little deeper into the background of that draw-down of usage and to understand an evolving German strategy in air attacks against Britain.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

LEFT

Precision attack. a Ju 87 releases its 250kg bomb against a road target in France. BELOW

Oblt Kurt Gramling of 10./ (St)LG1 sits astride a bomb ahead of a sortie. On 14 August he was shot down sinking the South Folkestone Gate Light Vessel.

SHOCK TO THE STUKA FORCE

The sustained Stuka assault against shipping targets in the English Channel that gained momentum in early July leading up to 8 August 1940 had also shown the dive bomber’s value as a highly efficient platform for targeting shipping, merchant and naval. These attacks tailed off by the end of the first week in August in pursuit of the fresh German objective to “…eliminate the Royal Air Force both as a fighting force and in its ground organisation”. These aims had been set out clearly in Adolf Hitler’s Directive No.17, issued on 1 August 1940; namely, attacks against flying units and their ground installations. It was primarily in pursuance of that aim that the Stuka force was directed away from shipping in the Channel and towards land-based RAF targets. Certainly, the shock to the Stuka force in 1940 occasioned by the mid-August losses must have caused a re-evaluation of how they were used and their vulnerability against defending fighters. But it cannot be said that their lack of use over Britain post 18 August was the result

of unacceptable losses. In fact, if we look at the total number of Junkers 87 losses during the Battle of Britain up to and including 18 August we see that just fifty-two were actually destroyed. If we take the unit to have suffered the greatest losses (St.G.77) it is interesting to note that all aircraft and crews had been fully replaced within a week. Additionally, if the losses had been so catastrophically unacceptable then one might have expected at least some units to have been disbanded or subsumed into other formations. None were. Instead, their sudden disappearance from the skies of southern England probably had more to do with a shift in emphasis of German war aims and the impending planned invasion of Britain than anything else. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN THIS PAGE

operating as we were across the widest part of the Channel the operational endurance of the Me 109 was pretty much at its limit once we reached the English coast. This range problem had been exacerbated by the Me 109’s need to constantly weave and zig-zag across our formations to stay with our slower aircraft, and this further increased their fuel consumption. So, they were at the extreme range of their usefulness once we had reached the Sussex coast or the Isle of Wight. We could not have had effective fighter cover further inland, and the Me 110, which did have the range, was useless as it needed

A much battered Junkers 87 Stuka after being shot down at Bowley Farm, South Mundham, on 16 August 1940 following the attack on RAF Tangmere.

CENTRESPREAD

The scene in Shorncliffe Crescent, Folkestone, after a Junkers 87, being pursued by Hurricanes, flew through power lines and crashed into residential properties.

‘LOW SPEED AND PERCEIVED VULNERABILITY’

For the most part, the Stuka force had been committed against airfields and RAF targets situated directly along the south coast. With the exception of an attack on RAF Detling on 13 August, they had not ventured far inland - those airfields situated further away from the coast being 38

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assigned to conventional bombers. Although the Stuka force had the range, especially with the Junkers 87-R version, it was Oblt Johannes Wilhelm of St.G 77 who explained the Luftwaffe reasoning behind Ju 87 target allocation, geographic considerations and his view as to supposed withdrawal due to losses. “Our dive-bombers required the close escort of Me 109 fighters, and

its own fighter cover! In any case, because of our low speed and perceived vulnerability, there was a resistance to taking our formations too far inland when the balance of air superiority rested with the RAF. Best to go in hard on the coast and run away quickly; we only had to poke the hornet’s nest briefly and then get out again. By the day I was shot down (18 August 1940) Stuka units operating from our part of France on the Cherbourg peninsula had exhausted all RAF targets in our operational sector and we’d been told that we were to be imminently moved up into the Pasde-Calais. The reason was obvious. We would be operating against Royal Navy ships in the Dover Strait and against ground targets as the invasion unfolded. I never heard from other POWs who later came into the prison camps that the Stukas had been pulled out because of losses, and I don’t think they were.” Here, then, is an informed insight into the draw-down of Stuka operations after 18 August 1940. A similar view about the impact of Stuka losses was shared during

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR a 1983 conference at the US Army War College by Major Paul-Werner Hozzel of I./St.G.1. At this event, Professor John Stolfi of the US Navy Post-Graduate School, Monterey, California, in conversation with Hozzel, put forward the view that whilst Stuka losses over Britain in 1940 were severe it was necessary to look at it statistically and “spread the thing out in time.” In other words, he suggested, one should look at Stuka losses in context with other German bomber types; for example, the Heinkel 111. Stolfi suggested that whilst there were no single attacks during which the

He 111 suffered comparable grievous losses they ultimately lost just as many aircraft, too, throughout the Battle of Britain. If not more. The same could be said of other bomber types, as well. It was a proposition with which Hozzel did not disagree.

WAITING FOR THE INVASION

Whilst the entire Stuka force repositioned itself in the Pas-de-Calais during late August, so the Luftwaffe was about to embark upon the ‘Blitz’ in day and night attacks against London, major cities and industrial centres; an assault which commenced on 7 September. Meanwhile, the Stuka force stood primed and ready – but it was a force that would have been of little value against targets such as London. The Stuka was not the tool for that particular job, and thus the Junkers 87 units stood-by, waiting for the invasion whilst honing their skills against targets off the French coast. There was, though, another factor in the draw-down of Stuka operations by Fligerkorps XXX and the transfer of the entire Stuka force to Luftflotte 2 in the Pas de Calais. Clearly, and notwithstanding particular successes on 4 July when RAF fighters failed to interfere with major Stuka operations in the Channel or against Portland, it was apparent to the Luftwaffe that the Junkers 87 was extremely vulnerable to fighter attack and needed close escort. This, as we have seen, was a problem in respect of operations from the area of the Cherbourg peninsula across one of the widest parts of the English Channel against British land targets. And the problem, specifically, was the operational range of the Messerschmitt 109. Certainly, if engaged by fighters ahead of the target, or over it, then the Me 109s would quickly have to break off and run for home because of fuel limitations. Additionally, the duration of a Stuka attack could be

ABOVE

Arguably one of the most famous photographs of the Battle of Britain, as a Stuka howls earthwards after being shot down over Chichester.

some minutes whilst individual Ju 87s went down in their dives to deliver their bombs. This added period of time simply compounded the problem of the Me 109s being unable to loiter throughout the attack. Whilst Me 109s could be sent on ahead, or else other units sent out to cover the Stukas withdrawal, this did not always fulfil 

RIGHT

The aftermath at Chichester after the diving Stuka had crashed on the outskirts of the city. BELOW

The devastation at RAF Ford after a massive attack by Ju 87s on 18 August 1940 which caused a large death toll, destruction of buildings and loss of British aircraft on the ground.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN

ABOVE

Oblt Johannes Wilhelm at Chichester Railway Station en-route to the ‘London Cage’ after being shot down on 18 August 1940.

TOP RIGHT & ABOVE

This Ju 87 landed almost intact near Littlehampton on 18 August, its pilot seeking help for his mortally wounded gunner. Not much remained after the souvenir hunters found it! RIGHT

The remains of a Stuka downed at Honor Farm, Pagham, on 16 August.

40

the requirement for close and effective fighter escort over the target. Thus, it had become difficult to mount a wholly effective fighter escort for Junkers 87 operations against targets in West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Dorset. On the other hand, if Stuka formations could be taken to targets within easier range for the Me 109s, and with a sufficiently large escort, then outcomes could well be different.

THE STUKA FORCE ‘REDUNDANT’

When the Stuka force was relocated to the Pas de Calais it had already shown itself to be a potent weapon against shipping. This would surely have presented the Royal Navy with a dangerous challenge as its capital ships and destroyers were committed to wreaking havoc amongst the German invasion fleet. Against ships and fixed land-based targets, within sensible range of fighter cover, the Stuka would have theoretically been back in its element and operating in the specific role for which the weapon had been designed. However, by mid-September, Hitler postponed

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Operation Sealion and the role of the Junkers 87 Stuka dive bomber against Britain was effectively over. In the air war over the British Isles, the Stuka force was now redundant. But they would soon have work anew. Briefly, there was a sporadic return to operations against shipping in the Channel over the winter of 1940/1941, and even a short-lived and rather pointless involvement

in one or two night bombing raids against British targets. To all intents and purposes, the Stuka’s war against these islands had come to a natural conclusion and the Junkers 87 units were prepared for operations in the East, against the Soviet Union, and in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Once again, the deadly nature of attack by Stuka became self-evident. Notwithstanding its shortcomings, and often heavy losses, the dive bomber force remained a potent weapon even in the face of determined fighter opposition. As a precision weapon, the Junkers 87 was the only aircraft on either side during the first two years of the war that could deliver accurate bombing attacks against pin-point targets; and therein lay the basis of the aircraft’s fearsome reputation. However, the Ju 87 did have weaknesses and these

BATTLE OF BRITAIN | SECOND WORLD WAR

were very quickly identified and exploited by RAF fighter pilots. Such weaknesses were also understood by the Luftwaffe, and escorting fighters adapted their tactics accordingly to best protect their charges. At least, insofar as they were able to. That said, protection by the Me 109 escorts could not adequately compensate for the main weakness of the Ju 87; the point when it pulled out of its dive. Whilst they were in the dive, however, the Stuka was almost invulnerable to attack as Flt Lt Frank Carey of 43 Squadron found out: “In the dive they were very difficult to hit*, because in a fighter one’s speed built up so rapidly that one went screaming past it. But it couldn’t dive forever!” (*The diving speed of the Junkers 87 was 450kph, or 280mph) Very often, and incorrectly, it is stated that the Ju 87 Stuka was vulnerable during the dive, although that was not so as Frank Carey confirmed.

Ideally, the Stuka formations needed to be hit before they started their bomb-delivering dives but, if present, the Me 109 close escort could be a force to be reckoned with. On 18 August, for example, there were over a hundred and fifty escorting Messerschmitts; more than one per Stuka in the formation! In their fighter-protection role to the Stuka, the Me 109s flew in a mass formation as top-cover to the divebombers on approach to target, but the fighter formation then split with one half remaining above the Stukas

BELOW LEFT

at altitude whilst the others dived to around 3,000ft to protect the Ju 87s when they pulled out of their dives. Thus, in theory, the higher formation could cover the Stukas backs as went down, ready to descend on pursuing defenders. When the bombers had pulled out of their dives at around 1,000ft (often much less than that) the lower formation of Me 109s were

BELOW

RAF Lympne, Kent, was given ‘the Stuka treatment’ – but it was not a significant base. Often, targets hit by Stukas were largely irrelevant to Britain's defence. BELOW RIGHT

This memorial card is for a Stuka pilot lost as crews trained for the invasion of Britain.

After pulling out of their dives, the Stukas would leave the target area in loose gaggles.

already in position to again protect them from above. On 18 August, though, the defenders managed to catch and shoot down at least four of the bombers before they commenced their dives, just at the point when the high level escort was at its weakest, simply because half had already split off to provide low-level cover. Also, a good number of the fighters had already turned for home, low on fuel. Pulling out of their dives, the Stuka’s tactic was to leave the target area in loose gaggles at cruising speed. If one of their number came under fighter attack

the pilot simply opened his throttle and accelerated past the dive bombers in front, thus drawing his pursuer into the guns of the Stukas he had just overtaken. That, at least, was the theory. Meanwhile, covering fighters above might well be on the attacking fighter’s tails, too. These, then, were some of the Stukas weaknesses. But what of its strengths?

THE STUKA’S AWESOME ABILITY

In terms of land targets hit by Stukas during the Battle of Britain, the pinpoint accuracy of the aircraft was clearly apparent and scarcely a bomb landed outside the immediate area surrounding each target. In many instances, targeted buildings took multiple direct hits and at Ford the airfield was put out of use for several weeks. Those which were attacked at Thorney Island and Gosport had remained operational but with much reduced efficiency, and the Chain Home radar station at Poling was put out of action for some days. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | BATTLE OF BRITAIN RIGHT

To hide that the Stuka force had re-located to the Pas-de-Calais, their former airfields on the Cherbourg peninsula were ‘populated’ by dummy Ju 87s to mislead British reconnaissance.

ABOVE

Maj. Paul-Werner Hozzel. BELOW

Aircrews of the long-range Junkers 87-R are briefed prior to a sortie.

42

It had been a similar picture at RAF Tangmere, just two days previously, where there had been grievous damage, destruction of aircraft and loss of life. If any were needed, this was proof that a small load of bombs delivered accurately could have a far more devastating military effect than many times greater that weight of bombs dropped conventionally but with less precision. It was also a potent demonstration of

the Stukas awesome ability. Worth recording, perhaps, that on completion of his training the Stuka pilot was expected to put at least 50% of his bombs in a radius of twenty-five metres from the centre of the practice target. Little wonder that the targets hit by the Junkers 87 during the air

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campaign against Britain had fared so badly. On the other hand, it is also the case that many of the targets selected for Stuka treatment represented an almost entirely wasted effort given their relative lack of importance. Between early July and midAugust 1940, the Stuka managed to achieve not inconsiderable results, especially considering that it was a tactical aircraft used to try to achieve a strategic objective. The Stuka had driven the Royal Navy’s destroyer flotilla of Dover Command from its home port, having sunk or neutralised a number of destroyers that might have otherwise interfered with an invasion fleet. They had also disrupted and wreaked considerable havoc amongst east and westbound Channel convoys and had forced the complete re-routing of outbound Atlantic convoys from the Channel. Additionally, they had caused major damage to seven RAF airfields (albeit not all of them in Fighter

Command stations) and had hit and temporarily disabled three vital radar stations. All in all, the role of the Stuka during the Battle of Britain was not a completely unmitigated disaster. It is the case that the Stuka itself was not the ‘failure’ that the Air Historical Branch had long ago declared, and more the case that any ‘failure’ lay with how the Stuka was used against Britain in 1940. This arose from clear inadequacies in Luftwaffe intelligence assessments and flawed target selection that was consequential upon those inadequacies. Whatever its weaknesses and failings, the Junkers 87 Stuka had been a potent weapon in the Luftwaffe’s arsenal during the Battle of Britain. 

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LETTER OF THE MONTH

Mystery Of A ‘British Woman’ Buried At Dieppe

Dear Sir - I have been an avid reader of the magazine for several years. The August issue covering Dieppe was of particular interest as it has a relevance to a local research project I have been involved in. That was to do with our parish’s First World War men (and a woman) who served. One of these was a James Flanagan. He served for 14 years, before, during and after the war seeing action in France, at Gallipoli and Salonika. On being demobbed he took on his two nephews whose father had died in the war and mother in the great influenza pandemic. In the Second World War, he was in the Home Guard whilst his son, George, who despite being in a reserved occupation joined the Navy.  Both father and son worked at the Bolton’s copper works in Churnet Valley. As in the First World War, the second war saw the company turned over to war work, manufacturing under carriage assemblies for the Lancaster bomber as well as copper driving bands for shells and cartridge cases. Coincidentally, my grandfather worked for the same company before and after the war and will more than likely have known Jim Flanagan.

 George was in action at Dieppe where he was posted as missing with his parents having no idea what had become of him. What is known is that he was on landing craft and his CWGC entry states he was attached to HMS Victory III, a shore-based establishment. He was just 18 years old. His mother always thought he would return one day, so much so that she left his coat hanging up on a peg by the door.  It was only after the war that they discovered he had been killed and buried under the name of his sweetheart, Sarah Winton. It seems that prior to going off to war the couple had bracelets made with each other’s name on, with them wearing each other’s named bracelet. One can only imagine why those burying his body did not recognise it to be that of a man, but he was initially buried as ‘Sarah Winton – A British Woman’.  How this came to be found out is a fascinating story. Jim Flanagan was subsequently hurt in a factory accident and as compensation Bolton’s gave him a better paid job. He saved his additional money and used it to visit the Dieppe area to tour the cemeteries with his wife, Mary, in the hope of finding George’s grave.  Their visits were often timed to be at the events to mark the

anniversary of the raid and they got to know an Englishman named Stanton who had a French wife. They stayed with them on occasions, it seems.  After several unsuccessful visits to find George’s grave, they were once more in Dieppe and on their last evening they were at the cemetery at Hautot-Sur- Mer, this time for a religious ceremony. At the end of the service a man approached Mary Flanagan and asked her if she would accompany him to pray at the grave of an Englishwoman. She did not know this man and was reluctant to go with him as it was dark, but she eventually went with him. After following him through the cemetery they arrived at the grave and Mary saw the name of the woman. It was Sarah Winton. She knew straight away that she had found George’s final resting place. When she turned to explain to the stranger, he was gone. She never saw him again.  Mary, was quite a religious person and she was convinced this was George guiding her to his grave. George’s body was exhumed, positively identified and reburied

with the correct name – initially the marker was a temporary cross, but later it was marked by the traditional CWGC headstone.  Jim, as he was known, and his wife Mary visited their son’s grave in the 1950’s and are pictured with it. They also visited Brown’s Copse Cemetery in France where Mary’s brother George Wheawall is buried having lost his life there in 1917.  George Flanagan was a name on our local war memorial in Kingsley, Staffordshire, along with others who I knew nothing about. I now know far more, and that is in the main due to a fantastic historical construction that his family have put together over the years.  Whilst these large scale actions deserve recognition it is the individual contribution and loss suffered that are so very important and why remembrance is in my view something we should never stop doing.  I have included a picture of George and one of his grave with its original marker to Sarah Winton. Martyn Hordern By email

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

Remembering Operation Fork Dear Sir - I read with interest the article by Alex Bowers on the British occupation of Iceland during the Second World War in the August issue of Britain at War. My father, Private (later Sergeant) Maurice Wann, was part of Alabaster Force in Iceland that included the 1/4 Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry to which his small section of Royal Army Service Corps were attached. The KOYLI and supporting troops were transported to Iceland aboard the troopship Andes (a brand new Royal Mail Lines ship requisitioned for trooping duties) sailing from Glasgow and arriving at Seydisfjordur in late June 1940. I include a photo of Andes (still in her original Royal Mail Lines colours!) moored in Seydisfjordur which was taken by my father. Interestingly, one of the officers with the 1/4 KOYLI in Iceland was a certain Captain Richard Todd, famous post-war for his acting role in The Dambusters. He left the KOYLI during their time in Iceland to command a Signals course and then transferred to the 6th Airborne Division with whom

he landed at Pegasus Bridge on D-Day. The 1/4 KOYLI were in Iceland in part to hone their Arctic skills, I suspect with a view to their returning to Norway at some later date. They had been part of Maurice Force during the Norwegian debacle earlier in 1940. In fact, my father’s RASC detachment had also been sent to Norway aboard the Polish troopship MV Chrobry, arriving at Namsos in late April just in time to be evacuated. They only landed four men at Namsos and the rest (my father included) returned to Leith without even disembarking! Later in the evacuation, the Chrobry was bombed and set on fire in Vestfjord. Luckily most of her troops and crew were rescued by Royal Navy destroyers. My father was stationed in Iceland until January 1943 when he returned to the United Kingdom aboard the troopship HMT Leinster. As far as I know from my conversations with him, my father enjoyed his posting to Iceland and seems to have got on well with the Icelanders that he met and worked with. Many of the RASC men were

billeted with local people. In fact, he always wanted to visit Iceland again but never managed it. After Iceland my father was then posted to the Azores as part of the British Forces sent there to operate the airfield at Lagens Field (later known as Lajes Field by the US Forces) on the island of Terciera. Dad’s RASC detachment were involved with bulk storage of fuel for the airfield. Lagens Field became an important base for anti-submarine

patrols over the Atlantic by both British and American aircraft. My father remained in the Azores until December 1945. I believe that Lajes Field is now the main international airport on Terciera. The British occupations of Iceland and the Azores during the Second World War rarely get a mention in history books. Thank you for putting the war in Iceland ‘on the map’. Janet Cox By email

Yangtze Veterans Forgotten? Dear Sir - I wonder if I can ask for your assistance and for some publicity regarding the men who served on HMS Concord during the infamous Yangtze River incident?

My father served on HMS Concord in 1949 as a radar plotter at the time of the Yangtze Incident. But his story wasn’t how the film of the same name portrayed it. In fact, HMS Concord did go up the Yangtze

to rescue HMS Amethyst - although this seems to have been hidden or overlooked by the authorities at the time. And it still is not being recognised. The crew of the other ships HMS Black Swan, HMS London and HMS Consort were awarded a Yangtze clasp (along with the crew of HMS Amethyst, obviously) in recognition of what happened, but the HMS Concord crew did not get one and we are fighting for it to be given  posthumously. Perhaps I can give your readers a link where they can find out more, by looking at the message board associated with the page regarding HMS Concord at: http://www. maritimequest.com My father, each time he saw the

film Yangtze Incident, always got cross and said ‘...they have got this all wrong!’ So, from an early age, I knew the truth, but there has been many cover ups in the past. I really would like to ‘get this out there’ so other people know about it. There are probably families whose relatives served on HMS Concord and don’t know the story or the facts. I am hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction to sort this all out, so the truth is known, and for the men from Concord to be recognised and be presented the Yangtze Clasp. Or, perhaps somebody could explain the reason why they were not included? Mrs Christine Giles Hastings. By email.   www.britainatwar.com

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FIRST WORLD WAR DIARY October 1917: A month of decisive actions; in the month American troops first entered the frontline, within weeks of each other, the battles of Caporetto, Beersheba, and Passchendaele yielded significant gains for their respective victors. While, at home, the British public were subjected to further assault from the air.

HOME FRONT:

1 October: A flight of 12 Gotha bombers attack London and Margate, bombs also fell in Essex and Suffolk. Fourteen were killed, with 42 injured. One Gotha was shot down over Dover. The following night another raid killed 12.

WAR AT SEA:

2 October: Cruiser HMS Drake is torpedoed by U-79 about five miles off Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland. Eighteen were killed. She did not sink immediately, and steamed closer to land before colliding with SS Mendip Range. The remainder of Drake’s 900 crew were taken off before she sank. 10 October: The hospital ship HMHS Goorkha strikes a mine off Malta. None were hurt, with all 362 patients and crew evacuated before the ship was towed to Malta and decommissioned.

19 October: Eleven Zeppelins set out to attack industrial areas in northern England, but were forced south by bad weather and endured a disastrous mission. The weather prevented the craft from forming up and 10 Zeppelins crossed between Cromer and the Humber between 18:30 and 20:30. The last craft did not cross the coast until after 10pm. L41 mistakenly bombed Birmingham, thinking it was Manchester, and most of the others hit the countryside between Luton, Bedford and Northampton. L45 bombed London, where one bomb hit Piccadilly Circus and killed 33. Ipswich was bombed by L54. Four craft were swept over France, where L44 was downed over Lunéville and L45 crashed at Sisterton, near Marseille. L50 also crashed in south east France, near Dommartin, then rose again and drifted out to sea. L49 crashed near Bourbonne-Les-Bains, with L55 crashing near Tiefenort, Germany. The RFC scrambled 78 aircraft, but poor weather resulted in only six contacts and led to one fatal accident and 19 crash landings. One pilot, Lt. G Harrison, flew his FE2B from Stamford, Lincs. He engaged L45 but was forced away after his guns jammed. Only one other pilot, 2nd Lt. T Pritchard, flying from North Weald, got to fire at a raider, also attacking L45 as it passed over Chatham. Critically low on fuel, he stalled on landing at Hooe, near Bexhill, walking away with concussion. In total, the raid killed 36 and injured 55. 29 October: One Gotha attacked between Burnham and Southend, causing no damage. The following night, two raiders dropped bombs on the RFC base at Swingate Down, near Dover, and also hit the town’s harbour. The cost of the damage amounted to just £2. 31 October: Twenty-two Gothas crossed the coast and headed for London. However, Dover, Ramsgate, Herne Bay, Gravesend, Gillingham and Chatham were largely hit instead, 207 of the 274 bombs dropped hitting the Kentish towns. Ten were killed with 22 injured.

WESTERN FRONT:

4 October: General Plumer’s 2nd Army attacks at Broodseinde, part of the wider offensive at Passchendaele. The day became recorded as ‘the black day’ in German official histories. The advancing infantry were supported by a creeping barrage and gained an average of 1000yds, securing most of their objectives, namely to cross the Gheluvelt Plateau and occupy ridges overlooking Reutelbeek Valley. Serious attempts of exploitation did not occur, several German divisions remained held back and two strongpoints, Flandern II and Flandern III, would require artillery support to attack, which was not possible as British gun-lines, already firing at the limits of their range, were unable to cross a strip of broken ground in famously muddy conditions. British casualties reached 20,000 killed or wounded, a third Australian or New Zealander. German casualties were 30,000. 9 October: British and French armies attack around Poelcappelle. While mostly successful – albeit at high cost - the gains in the south of the advance, in front of Passchendaele, were quickly lost. Three days later, the First Battle of Passchendaele was launched. Intended to build on the Poelcappelle offensive, the attack brought only modest gains and generated 13,000 Allied casualties, including 3,000 New Zealanders – one of the worst days in that country’s military history. On the 13th, Haig agreed there needed to be a pause in the offensive, until the weather improves and the artillery reinforced, redeployed, and resupplied. 21 October: 1st Infantry Division is deployed in the Sommerville sector, near Nancy. They were the first American troops to move into frontline positions and were initially under French command.

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OCTOBER 1917 WORLD MAP WAR AT SEA:

16 October: The Battle of Moon Sound. A German taskforce supporting minesweepers following the invasion of the Estonian Archipelago, rans into a smaller Russian fleet attempting to escape the Gulf of Riga. The stand-out engagement was a duel between Russian battleship Slava and German battleship Konig, in which Slava’s waterline was penetrated. Flooding left the ship, with her increased draft, stranded the wrong side of a shallow channel. Ordered to be scuttled, the crew in fact grounded her and left, Slava was finished off by Russian destroyers. 17 October: Of Lerwick, two German cruisers, Brummer and Bremse, sink nine neutral merchant ships and two destroyers (HMS Mary Rose and Strongbow) from a convoy sailing from Scandinavia to Britain. Around 250 British and Scandinavian sailors were killed, the German ships sustained no losses. Both Charles Fox and Edward Brooke, the destroyer captains, were credited for bravery, Fox posthumously.

SLOVENIA:

24 October: Central Powers forces initiate a massive bombardment across the Isonzo front. They use gas in addition to conventional munitions, and to significant effect. At 07:00, the infantry attacked, a young officer named Rommel spearheading with the lead companies and by mid-afternoon, Austro-German troops hold Caporetto. Italian generals were instructed to defend the Tagliamento River. General Cadorna, Chief of Staff, later ordered a general retreat to the river, as Austro-German forces had taken the line east of the Isonzo. By early November, the Germans had crossed the Tagliamento, and although they were unable to press on effectively, the Italians were forced back to the Piave River to consolidate. Caporetto was a serious defeat, but, the Italian Army survived, and eventually halted the 60 mile advance at Monte Grappa, saving Venice. 10,000 Italians died with, 30,000 injured and 265,000 captured. Cadorna was removed, replaced by General Armando Diaz. Austro-German causalities were lighter, 70,000 total.

MIDDLE EAST:

31 October: General Allenby attacks Beersheba, arriving before enemy reinforcements and quickly seized preliminary objectives. The outnumbered Turkish garrison of about 4,500 offered resistance but were overwhelmed, the 60th London Division and 74th Yeomanry Division capturing Hill 1070 and all their objectives. Beersheba was broken by a gallant charge, bayonet in hand, by the Australian Light Horse - elements of which simultaneously dismounted and engaged entrenched opposition at Tel es Saba. Beersheba, and its wells, fall, 1,000 Turks became casulties, 2,000 captured. The British lost 171 killed.

EAST AFRICA:

WESTERN FRONT:

17 October: To escape the advancing forces of General Van Deventer, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck marched against the King’s African Rifles. They clash at Mahiwa, and although an ill-fated frontal assault on the second day generated heavy casualties for the KAR, both sides were forced to leave the field. The British lost 2,700 killed and wounded, the German Schutztruppe 95 killed and 420 injured (from a force of 1,500). Whilst this was a costly defeat for the British, Lettow-Vorbeck’s victory was pyrrhic, his losses unsustainable.

23 October: After pressure from Haig, the French advance nearly four miles and capture Fort La Malmaison and the Chemin des Dames ridge. At least 50,000 Germans were killed, wounded, or captured, while French losses were comparatively light – 14,000. 26 October: The Second Battle of Passchencale. The Canadian Corps launched their attack against the eponymous village. They are joined by British and other Allied divisions and reached their first objective, the southern slopes of the Bellevue Spur, by 16:30. On the 30th, the attack renewed, and the Canadians took the remainder of the Spur. The battle raged until 10 November, but Passchendaele and much ground was taken, at the cost of more than 15,600 Canadian casualties and an additional 15,000 British, French, Anzac, and Belgian men lost. German losses were comparable. The commander of the Canadian Corps, General Currie, played a large role in the success, correctly estimated the number of casualties expected, and having earlier successfully lobbied for time to prepare.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY

TRAPPED AT

ST VALERY

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FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY | SECOND WORLD WAR

FOR THE MEN OF THE 51ST (HIGHLAND) DIVISION, TRAPPED AT ST VALERY-EN-CAUX BY ROMMEL'S 7TH PANZER DIVISION IN 1940, THEIR HEROIC LAST STAND HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN OR SUBSUMED INTO THE DUNKIRK EVACUATION LEGEND. THE STORY OF ONE OF THE REGIMENTS, THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS, IS TOLD BY STEWART MITCHELL.

T

he 51st (Highland) Division was one of the most famous units of the British Army and was already much respected by the Germans as a consequence of their encounters during the First World War. The infantry regiments who made up the 51st (Highland) Division were the Gordon Highlanders, Black Watch, Seaforth Highlanders and Cameron Highlanders, from Grampian, Tayside and the Highlands. There were other supporting units of

artillery, medics and signallers, all from northern Scotland together with armoured support from the Lothian & Border Horse. Before the German offensive began on 10 May 1940, the 51st (Highland) Division was transferred to French command in order to give them some battle experience on the Maginot Line. They were blooded there before engaging in a fierce battle at Abbeville, on the Somme, where the failure of the French armour to break the German line resulted in

the Division and their French allies being overwhelmed by the superior equipment and numbers of the Germans. When the German Panzers reached the coast, the 51st (Highland) Division was cut off from rest of the British Expeditionary Force which was being evacuated through Dunkirk. Although the Division was mechanised, their withdrawal was slowed by the French army’s horse drawn transport as they fell back on Saint-Valery-en-Caux, on the Normandy coast. 

BELOW

Pipers from the captured 51st Division practice in camp Stalag 383.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY

BROTHERS IN ARMS

It was hoped that another miracle evacuation of the men by the Royal Navy would be possible from the small harbour at St Valery on the night of the 11 June, but fog thwarted the rescue attempts. Furthermore, the harbour at St Valery was far from ideal for any evacuation as this small town sits in a cleft in the chalk cliffs with just a small tidal harbour, which was dry at low tide.

When German tanks took the cliffs overlooking the harbour, any ship approaching the shore was fired on but a surrender had been precipitated by the French surrendering prematurely. Despite a valiant last stand, the British surrender became inevitable and approximately 1,500 Gordon Highlanders were forced

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RIGHT

The 5th Gordons parade after their mobilisation, 1939.

BELOW

George (left) and Jack Caldwell.

BELOW

5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders being inspected by the French General, Fagalle, 1940.

into five years of captivity along with thousands of other soldiers of the 51st (Highland) Division. Their only crime, which earned them an indefinite prison sentence with hard labour, was that they had fought for their country against Nazi tyranny. Many of these men had joined the Army less than twelve months before, having been called up or had volunteered in the country’s hour of need. They were not a random group of men; many Territorial Army (TA) soldiers were friends and neighbours

from before the war, or had close family relationships. For example, in the ranks of the Gordons there were at least twenty sets of brothers while others were cousins, etc. These included the four Steel brothers from Dyce, Aberdeen, the three Hutcheon brothers from Balmedie, Aberdeenshire and three sets of twins. Among the Gordon’s casualties were some particularly poignant stories. Jack Caldwell, George Raeburn, George McLennan, Gordon Reid and Donald Pegler all learned of the death of their

FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY | SECOND WORLD WAR brothers whilst serving in the same Division. After the surrender, around 8,000 men from the east and north of Scotland spent the next five long years as prisoners of the Germans in prisoner of war (POW) camps in Poland and Germany and there was hardly a family in the north of Scotland which was not affected by the loss of the 51st (Highland) Division. The captured men were force marched through northern France and Belgium and into Holland. After two weeks on the road, they were crowded onto filthy coal barges on the River Rhine. This was a horrendous journey with no shelter at night and little food or water being provided by the Germans

working on farms, and survived close shaves when he was almost recaptured. The French Resistance offered him the opportunity to travel to Spain with forged papers but, in January 1941, he was arrested with his French guide when crossing into the Unoccupied Zone of France (Vichy France). He escaped again, and in a selfless heroic effort he successfully returned to Lille to warn the Resistance that their group had been compromised. Furnished with new identity papers, he was successfully delivered to Marseilles at the second attempt but was persuaded to stay in France and use his proven ability, resourcefulness and good command of French to act as a Resistance courier.

RIGHT

Pipe Major George McLennan, a man and piper of legendary standing within the Gordon Highlanders.His son, John, was also a piper, and was killed on 12 June 1940.

LEFT

James Sinclair and others undergo physio treatment whilst in German POW camp.

BELOW

Men of the 51st pose for a photograph, under guard.

Under the alias ‘Jean Dubois’, he made six return trips to Lille and helped over twenty Allied servicemen escape to safety. He was recaptured in August 1941and given a very rough time by the Gestapo. James Smith was very fortunate to survive until liberated by American forces at Untermassfeld, in central Germany, in April 1945. He was later awarded the Military Medal for his brave actions. Among the Gordon Highlanders who successfully got back to Britain was Leslie Wilson, a twenty year old Edinburgh student who lived with his wife in Aberdeen. His was probably the most circuitous route home, a journey of more than 5,000 miles. He cycled to southern France where he crossed the frontier into Spain twice, only to be arrested by 

who were simply overwhelmed by the number of prisoners in their hands. The journey to the POW camps took six weeks, and by the end of this terrible journey the men were exhausted, filthy and almost starving.

A SELFLESS HEROIC EFFORT

Scores of enterprising Gordons did, however, manage to escape from the column of POWs marching into captivity and tried to make it back to Britain. Many of these escapees made their way to Marseilles, hoping to go over the Pyrenees into neutral Spain and then to British Gibraltar. They had remarkable adventures, often working on farms and blending into the local community. Some were helped by the Resistance who couriered them to southern France and provided guides to get over the Pyrenees and a good many of them managed to make a “home run”. After escaping the marching column, James Smith, a 5th Battalion Gordon Highlander, was hiding in the Lille area,

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SECOND WORLD WAR | FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY the Spanish police and escorted back to France. After a further unsuccessful attempt to steal a small boat, he finally stowed away on a ship sailing from Marseilles. Landing at Algiers, he travelled by train to Casablanca where the American Consulate provided assistance. He was given money and taken to a hotel where, to his great surprise, he encountered Robert Copland who was not only another Gordon Highlander, but also from Edinburgh and also from his own battalion. It was all the more remarkable that, independently, Copland had made a similar journey. After a further arrest, Leslie Wilson proved a hard man to incarcerate and escaped no less than nine times from German and Vichy forces. He spent Christmas day 1941 in solitary confinement in a prison in the remote northern Moroccan town of Guercif from where he was sent to Missour where he spent six months in incarceration. Another escape from here earned him a sentence of seven months imprisonment, where he remained until the Allies invaded French North-West Africa in November 1942 ABOVE

A wounded member of the Gordon's is given prosthetic legs. ABOVE RIGHT

Ran Ogilvie. RIGHT

General Rommel stood with Major General Victor Fortune, in front of some of the 51st Division's officers and men. Fortune worked tirelessly to improve conditions for the men taken prisoner under his command.

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which, like Robert Copland, led to his liberation and return to Britain. In recognition of his gallant and distinguished service he was also awarded the Military Medal.

SERVICE WITH POLISH RESISTANCE FORCE

Meanwhile, the men incarcerated in Germany and Poland were forced to work in salt mines, coal mines, quarries, factories and on the land - often in the extreme temperatures prevailing in central and eastern Europe. Work was hard and, in the mines and quarries especially, accidents occurred. Many Gordon Highlanders successfully escaped from their POW camps, but generally it proved too difficult

FORGOTTEN MEN OF THE DUNKIRK STORY | SECOND WORLD WAR to reach a neutral country and so most escapees were recaptured. Some remained at large and joined local partisan resistance fighters, such as the polish resistance force A.K. (Armia Krajowa). William Grieg, a 5th Battalion Gordon Highlander, was awarded the Czechoslovakian Military Cross when he broadcast an appeal to the Allies for assistance to save Prague, whilst John Duncan served continuously until 1945 with the A.K. in southern Poland, and later received a commission in the Polish Home Forces. Officers and senior NCOs were held in separate camps from other ranks but were not required to work. Oflag VIIB (Eischstätt) had a fully functioning pipe band, with Captain David Morren as their Drum Major. David Morren’s musical ability was obviously important in this but it was equally important for him to present the correct image. The hair for his sporran was created using string from Red Cross parcels and the mantle was cast after melting down cigarette tins. Similarly a pipe band was formed at Stalag 383, Hohenfels, Germany, where it was the pride of the camp and a great morale booster for all the Scots POWs. In what was a strange and almost symbolic twist of fate after D- Day, it was the re-formed 51st (Highland) Division which liberated St Valery from the

Germans on the 1 September 1944. Events had now gone full-circle. After the war, a huge granite monolith, hewn from an Aberdeenshire quarry, was sculpted to form a striking monument and now sits in a commanding position on the cliff top above the town of St Valery-enCaux. The unveiling took place in June 1950, on the 10th Anniversary of the surrender, with all of the regiments of the 51st (Highland) Division represented at the ceremony.  ST VALERY AND ITS AFTERMATH This book by Stewart Mitchell, author of this feature, is published by Pen & Sword and tells the full story of the Gordon Highlanders of the 51st Highland Division. Go to: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk ISBN: 9781473886582 RRP: £25.00

LEFT

Highanders Johnny Rhodes and James Sinclair, two of more than 900 members of the Regiment identified by the author.

BELOW

The memorial to the 51st overlooking St Valery's harbour, where, German Panzers ammassed and halted end any prospect of evacuation.

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Phil Jarman looks at her work.

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10

capturing the power of the british war machine



In contrast to her sensitive portraits, artist Anna Airy captured the power of British industry in the First World War.

ART OF WAR | ANNA AIRY

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C

apturing the scale of heavy industry alongside the heat and energy evident in the production of machines and weapons made for war was a challenge met by Anna Airy, the first female war artist working in this particular environment. In a series of paintings that showed highly detailed depictions of the workings within a range of industrial settings, Airy’s accomplished draughtsmanship allied to her dramatic brushwork resulted in work of the highest calibre. The scenes captured on canvas in the latter stages of the First World War by this young exponent from the renowned Slade School of Art was quite a contrast to the gentle portraiture and figurative work created by the artist in the earlier years of the Twentieth Century. Although women were sometimes in evidence near the front line, working as nurses or in supporting roles, it was not deemed suitable for women artists to record the scenes of battle or work in potentially dangerous areas. This was a view maintained throughout most of the Twentieth Century until the war artist Linda Kitson accompanied troops as they sailed to liberate the Falkland Islands in 1982. As in the case of Dame Laura Knight during the Second World War, Airy was commissioned to record the war effort in the factories on the Home Front and capture the women undertaking jobs vacated by the male workforce as they joined the fighting services across the world. In her early

ANNA AIRY | ART OF WAR

years, Airy was encouraged to draw and paint by her Aunts, who took charge of their niece following the untimely death of her mother shortly after childbirth in 1882. She was brought up in the home of her Grandfather, George Airy, who was formerly the Astronomer Royal of Great Britain. Winning a number of prizes for her portraits, still life and figurative outcomes, Airy worked in a range of media including oils, watercolours, pastels and print in the form of etching. Despite working alongside eminent artists such as Augustus John and Sir William Orpen, Airy was the recipient of awards in consecutive years from 1901, including the celebrated Slade School Scholarship in 1902. Exhibiting across Europe at prestigious artistic events, Airy’s attention to detail and her mark-making techniques were not dissimilar to the work of the masters, Velasquez and Frans Hals. It was probably the inclusion of architectural detail, the subtle colour palette and brave brush strokes evident in the artist’s work that led to her major commission by the Munitions Committee in 1918. One of the most striking large-scale paintings she completed during the war years was created at the Singer Manufacturing Company in Clydebank in Glasgow. Previously producing sewing machines, the American owned company went on to manufacture the largest regularly

ABOVE LEFT

Women working in an alien environment during 1918, Anna Airy captures the scale and power of shell manufacture at the Singer works in Glasgow. ABOVE

The glow of the forge illuminates the workers toiling as they create the barrels of these 18in artillery pieces in 1918. LEFT

used artillery shells employed on the Western Front. The interior view of the factory clearly shows the predominantly female workforce amidst winches and pulleys working on the shell casings as the massive projectiles are moved around on wooden trolleys. The muted use of colour, the diminished light filtering through murky windows in the factory roof and the concentrated activity as the women toiled in a slightly haphazard fashion, fully captures the environment that employed thousands of workers during the conflict. The accuracy when recording the architectural detail, the chains and machines clearly show Airy’s observation skills and understanding of mechanics and the

process evolving in front of her as she worked. Another in the series of paintings produced in response to her commission was the more ordered depiction of the building of DH9 fighter aircraft, observed from an elevated position. Airy shows how the influence of industrialists such as Henry Ford had inspired the production of machines made for the war effort. The different trades coming together to create a final outcome, visible within the composition are a mixture of men and women intently occupied in their part in the overall process. Parts of the framework and fuselage are taking shape in the left of the picture, to the final fully painted aircraft seen on the right, ready for 

The more orderly approach to aircraft manufacture at the Hendon works towards the end of the war, an early version of a production line captured on canvas.

OPPOSITE

A more delicate approach to Airy's work is evident in this portrait of Monica Burnand painted in 1916.

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ART OF WAR | ANNA AIRY

ABOVE

A later piece by the artist captured in rural Suffolk, excited children with their collection of blackberries during harvest time 1937.

despatch. This painting, recorded at the Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Hendon, appears to contrast with the more chaotic approach to production that was evident in Glasgow. The glow of the forge, and the sheer scale of the creation of huge killing machines, such as the 18-inch guns under construction at the ArmstrongWhitworth factory in Openshaw, Lancashire, is another example of one of Airy’s series of paintings created in 1918. Similar to the women working in Glasgow, the painting invites the viewer to feel the heat and size of the production operation when dealing with casting and boring the barrels of

RIGHT

The heat from the molten metal was thought to fuse the artist’s shoes to the floor as she worked to record this painting in Hackney Marshes in London.

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such large calibre guns. The darkness that surrounds the painting creates a focal point in the mid distance, and draws the viewer into the key activity caught by the light spreading from the right of the composition, reminiscent of the dramatic lighting effects typical of the Dutch School from previous centuries. At the time, few people thought that paintings containing such strength and content captured in a heavy industrial setting could have been produced by a woman who favoured quite different subject matter in her pre-war work. A further large-scale painting was produced by Airy in the final stages of the war depicting Canadian troops

in an army cookhouse whilst based in Surrey. This painting was commissioned by the Canadian War Memorials Commission and is now housed in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. During the 1920s and 1930s, Airy created artwork possessing a more gentle approach; subjects were more playful with mainly rural themes and portraiture. Her work during this period was lighter in nature, enjoyed commercial success and was exhibited annually at the Royal Academy as well as many significant collections and venues. In 1933 Airy moved to Playford near Ipswich with her husband, painter Geoffrey Pocock. In this rural setting she produced a range of meticulous watercolours, and pen and ink details of hedgerows and images of country scenes. It was possibly a surprise to the accomplished artist that at the outbreak of the Second World War, Airy had her application to the War Artists’ Advisory Committee rejected. However, she had opened the door for other women artists to follow in her footsteps. Despite this disappointment, Airy was elected President of the Ipswich Art Club and taught at the Ipswich School of Art, where she was regarded as a brilliant and inspirational teacher. In her memory, an award fund was established a year after Airy’s death in 1964 . Furthermore, an exhibition showcasing the work of young artists is held annually, providing encouragement and stimulation for aspiring creatives in the Ipswich area of Suffolk. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | WAR IN THE PACIFIC

LIFE AND DEATH OF A

'FIRE -BUG' BUG'

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WAR IN THE PACIFIC | SECOND WORLD WAR

Bill Newton was already an inspiration before he climaxed his wartime flying career with two astounding feats of valour. Steve Snelling charts a saga of death-defying courage in a little-known campaign which was savagely ended by one of the most infamous war crimes of the Pacific war.

T

he sky over Salamaua was a blur of flak and flame as the six Bostons swept, one after another, across the Japanese-controlled base on the north-eastern coast of New Guinea. Flying fourth, below and to the right of Flight Lieutenant Bill Newton’s diving bomb run, Flying Officer Dick Fethers was momentarily distracted by the fire that seemed to erupt all around. In the jarring, smoke-shrouded confusion of explosions on the ground and ack-ack lacing the air and peppering his aircraft, he flew too low, decapitating a line of coconut palms with his starboard propeller. Breaking away from his strafing attack, he caught sight of Newton’s Boston emerging from the

maelstrom of shot and shell, its fuselage “a ball of fire”. With the raid continuing behind him, Fethers watched his friend’s ghastly progress as the stricken bomber flew on across the Huon Gulf, trailing flames and smoke and losing height and speed all the time. Somehow, the doomed aircraft made it beyond Laupui Point, a little over two miles south east of Salamaua, before ditching. In the last moments before splashing down, both engines burst into flames and the burning bomber was seen to skim and bounce 150 yards before settling down by the nose about a thousand yards from shore. Banking left, Fethers circled the aircraft as close as he dared in an effort

FAR LEFT

With belts of cartridges slung round his neck Bill Newton poses for the press while undergoing pilot training.

to catch a glimpse of any survivors. Two men wearing lifejackets were observed in the water before Fethers realised he had forgotten to release his bombs. Returning to the target area, he completed his mission before flying back to find the two men swimming steadily for the shore protected, albeit temporarily, by a circling screen of Bostons. From their height it was impossible to identify the men in the water, but the clear sighting of the pilot’s hatch in the closed position seemed to indicate 

BELOW

A graphic illustration of the kind of low-level sorties carried out by the crews of 22 Squadron. This picture shows two Havocs, the American version of the Boston bomber, carrying out a strike against a Japanese seaplane base along the coast of Dutch New Guinea on July 22, 1944.

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courage” that was matched only by his morale-boosting ebullience on the ground. What Hampshire described as his “unfailing cheery nature, blended with a nonchalant air and an infectious laugh” made him universally popular among aircrew and ground crew of all ranks. To fellow squadron pilot Charles Learmonth, he was “a constant source of happiness”, while another friend and future squadron commander John Hickey remembered him as “a boyish young pilot who bubbled over with enthusiasm” and an airman of exacting standards who nevertheless retained “a strong streak of devilment off-duty and a desire for fun”.

ABOVE

Bill Newton, seated far right, was a gifted all-round athlete who excelled at cricket. Seen here with the Melbourne Grammar School team of 1936, BELOW

Official war artist Roy Hodgkinson’s rendering of one of the raids on Salamaua

beyond reasonable doubt that Bill Newton, having pulled off a masterly ditching in a crippled aircraft, had been unable to escape. His commanding officer, Wing Cdr Keith Hampshire, duly reported: “The fact that the dinghy immediately behind the Pilot’s head was observed by fifteen other Aircrew, not to inflate, appears to confirm this. If the Pilot’s hatch opens the dinghy must escape and float. There is no other escape for the Pilot…” Hampshire and his aircrew, however, were wrong, though it would take another seven months for the events

of 18 March 1943 and its grisly aftermath to be fully revealed.

‘STREAK OF DEVILMENT’

Bill Newton was already a legendary figure within the ranks of 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, long before the attack on Japanese installations, buildings and store dumps that freckled the northwestern foreshore of Salamaua harbour. Hampshire regarded him as “one of the outstanding officers in the unit” whose operational career was marked by a “tenacious

ABOVE Bill Newton while serving as a reluctant instructor at No 2 Service Flying Training School at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, in 1941.

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| SECOND | WORLD WAR INAMIENS THE PACIFIC JAIL RAID WORLD WAR TWO WAR

Born in St Kilda, Melbourne, in 1919, the son of dentist Charles Newton and his second wife Minnie (née Miller), William Ellis Newton seemed to have it all: charm, good looks, intelligence and a splendid physique. A fine allround sportsman, he excelled on the cricket pitch, where his skill as a fast bowler earned him a call-up for the Victorian Second XI. But his greatest ambition was to join the RAAF and learn to fly. It was a desire delayed, for the sake of his mother, until February 1940 when he quit his job in a local silk warehouse to enlist. Commissioned as

a pilot officer in June, he completed his advanced pilot’s training in September only to have his talent rewarded by a posting to a flying school in New South Wales teaching novice aviators the rudiments of flying. According to John Hickey, Newton was “a very good instructor, patient and tolerant”, though his patience was sorely tested when it came to his craving to see action. To his immense frustration it was not until May 1942, as a newly-promoted Flight Lieutenant, that his wish was finally granted with his posting to 22 Squadron, then in the process of re-

equipping with American Douglas DB7 Boston attack bombers in place of their out-dated single-engine Wirraways. The Japanese 'blitzkrieg' was in full swing. And having already occupied a vast swathe of South-East Asia together with countless island groups in the South-West Pacific, the Imperial Japanese Navy turned its attention towards Australia. At the end of May, three midget submarines penetrated Sydney Harbour, increasing fears of an impending invasion and diverting the aircrew of 22 Squadron to the unaccustomed and totally unexpected role of anti-submarine operations off the coast of New South Wales. Weeks of mostly uneventful sorties followed during which Bill Newton, already one of the most experienced pilots in the unit, merely added to the 900 flying hours recorded in his logbook prior to joining 22 Sqn. Such was the alarm raised by the attack that it was not until October that the bulk of the squadron finally headed out to New Guinea and a role for which they were far better suited. Newton, however, would have to wait a little longer for his chance. For a further two months he was occupied ferrying aircraft up and down the east coast of Australia before he eventually caught up with his squadron 

LEFT

Bill, third from right, with fellow instructors in front of a Wirraway training aircraft at Wagga Wagga. BELOW LEFT

Bostons of No 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, flying in formation with A28-3, the aircraft in which Bill Newton was shot down on his 52nd operational mission, in the foreground. BELOW

Flight Lieutenant William Ellis ‘Bill’ Newton (19191943). He was one of three halfbrothers who served in the army, navy and air force during the Second World War.

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RIGHT

22 Squadron personnel at Ward’s Strip, Port Moresby. The picture features many of Bill Newton’s closest friends who flew with him on a series of hazardous sorties, including ‘Rocky’ Mullens, seated third from left, Charles Learmonth, seated sixth from left, Keith Hampshire, seated seventh from left, and Dick Fethers, next to him.

at Ward’s Strip, Port Moresby just four days before the end of 1942.

‘FIRE-BUG’

BELOW

A 22 Squadron Boston blown to pieces during a strike against Japanese positions at Gona in late 1942.

In his absence, 22 Squadron had been busy, supporting the Allied ground offensive on Buna and Gona by lowlevel strafing and bombing attacks and taking casualties in return. Due to their losses, which were, in part, a result of defective bombing techniques, and a shortage of equipment, the squadron was rarely able to muster more than eight aircraft for any operation, as Newton quickly discovered for himself. For his first operation in New Guinea, his Boston, A28-7, was one of only three aircraft slated for a New Year’s

Day attack on the Custom House at Salamaua, followed by a strafing run against enemy positions near Sanananda Point. That initial mission left an indelible mark after mechanical problems on the return flight forced him to detour to Dobodura, an emergency strip within 10 miles of Buna. Forced to wait three days while spare parts were located, delivered and finally fitted, he had plenty of time to contemplate the squalor and suffering that were a legacy of the recent heavy ground fighting. Anxious to avoid upsetting his mother, he likened his baptism of fire to “going into bat in a cricket match” while reserving his true feelings for

his mess-mates back in Moresby. To one of his fellow pilots, he insisted: “Until all the army fellows involved with the fighting around Kokoda-Buna and WauSalamaua had got two medals each, none of us in the RAAF should be considered for one.” That first op proved a portent of things to come as Newton found himself in the thick of a relentless air campaign targeting the key Japanese staging posts at Lae and Salamaua, along with shipping movements in an effort to disrupt the flow of reinforcements and supplies. During January and February he clocked up 10 missions, many of them involving long flights over mountainous terrain to carry out hazardous daylight 62

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| SECOND | WORLD WAR INAMIENS THE PACIFIC JAIL RAID WORLD WAR TWO WAR

bombing and strafing strikes against well-defended enemy strongholds often at no more than tree-top height. He piloted one of four Bostons which staged a daring low-level attack on Lae airfield just as enemy aircraft were preparing to take off in support of an in-bound convoy. On another occasion, he narrowly escaped destruction over Salamaua when ground fire hit an engine, forcing him to shut it down and divert once again to Dobodura for emergency repairs. His regular Boston (A28-15), dubbed Spirit of Sport, displayed a cartoon version of the Japanese war leader Tojo being clobbered with a boomerang that seemed to reflect his devil-maycare personality and desire to inflict maximum damage on the enemy.

According to Keith Hampshire, an analysis of his ‘ops’ showed that 90% of them were flown in the face of “heavy fire”. And such was his reputation that he was “constantly”, in the words of his squadron commander, “allotted targets in heavily defended areas in order that the junior members of his squadron could be given less difficult targets”. Bold and brash in equal measure, Newton was renowned not just for the accuracy of his bombing but the determination displayed in delivering his attacks, “disdaining evasive action against enemy fire to the detriment of the allotted task”. “Time and time again,” observed Hampshire, “he has been seen in vulnerable positions to shoot it out with non-deflection shots, over an area a mile long, with as many as 15 to 20 pom-pom and .5 guns opposing him.”

His record for “initiating fires in enemy grounded aircraft installations, buildings and dumps” was second to none and earned him the nickname ‘The Fire-bug’. To his comrades he was “a man amongst men” and to the Japanese, who came to know him as ‘Blue cap’ on account of the battered old cricket hat he habitually wore on his low-level sorties, he was regarded with a mixture of dread and respect. As for Newton himself, he appeared to revel in his notoriety. “No matter what happens,” he wrote his mother, “I am enjoying myself.”

‘RAGING INFERNO’

ABOVE

A Boston bomber sweeps low across a Japanese ‘Betty’ bomber during an attack on Lae airfield. Newton took part in two such sorties in the space of less than 48 hours in early March to prevent enemy aircraft operating in defence of a troop convoy bound for New Guinea. MIDDLE LEFT

There was to be no let-up in operations. Determined to retain their foothold in New Guinea, the Japanese assembled a 16-ship convoy with 9,000 reinforcements bound for Lae. But American and Australian air force units, alerted by a system of coast watchers, were ready and waiting. At dawn on 2 March, six Bostons from 22 Sqn, including Newton’s A28-11, swept across Lae airfield, bombing and strafing as they roared through a wall of close-range fire to temporarily put the strip out of action. The raid, which heralded the start of the so-called Battle of the Bismarck Sea in which 12 ships were sunk and about 3,000 enemy troops killed in what one writer described as “a land battle fought at sea and won from the air”, was followed by another carried out against the same target the next day. 

The line-up includes Dick Hunt, far left, Charles Learmonth, third from left, Dick Fethers, fifth from left, and Alec McKay, seated on the bomb. Fethers, Hunt and McKay flew on both of Newton’s ‘VC missions’ with McKay’s Boston sustaining damage to its nose, bomb bay and cockpit cover during the March 16 sortie. LEFT

A 22 Squadron Boston sheltering beneath trees on the edge of Ward’s Strip, Port Moresby.

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RIGHT

22 Squadron Bostons raining destruction along the foreshore at Salamaua on March 16, the first of Newton’s ‘VC missions’. BELOW

Flight Sergeant John Lyon flew around 40 sorties with Bill Newton. Separated after capture, he was bayoneted to death two days later according to official records. His body was discovered by chance five years later and re-interred in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Lae. BELOW RIGHT

A Japanese destroyer makes desperate efforts to avoid destruction during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in which Bill Newton played a key supporting role.

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Newton’s was one of three aircraft that struck in a repeat of the previous morning’s assault. Making two runs against ferocious anti-aircraft fire, they turned the strip into an inferno of fire and smoke to once again prevent support reaching the embattled convoy. Next up for Newton, following a further aborted trip to Lae, was another familiar ‘hot-spot’ - Salamaua, scene of his first New Guinea ‘op’ and his closest brush with disaster a few days later. As one of the enemy’s key bases in the Huon Gulf, Salamaua, with its array of storage depots and headquarter buildings, was protected by one of the most formidable anti-aircraft defences in the South-West Pacific, manned by army and navy gunners considered to be among the most accurate of any in New Guinea. Armed mainly with 40mm and 20mm cannon, together with 12.7mm heavy machine guns, they were most heavily concentrated along the foreshore at a point known as MacDonald’s Junction where a narrow isthmus wriggled out towards a towering rocky headland on which was perched an observation post. Seven Bostons, led by Squadron Leader ‘Stace’ Dillon, were slated for the 16 March raid: their objectives being two newly-installed 40,000 gallon fuel tanks and nearby buildings close to where the defences were thickest. As had become customary, Newton and his crew, Scottish-born Flight Sergeant John Lyon, wireless operator/upper

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gunner, and Sergeant Basil ‘Herbie’ Eastwood, lower gunner, were given the most important and demanding task aboard A28-7 for what would be his 51st mission. Following their usual flight path, the Bostons roared in over the 5,000foot high mountains to the west before diving down onto their targets along the foreshore. They were met, as expected, by a hail of fire, but Newton did not deviate. According to what Hampshire described as the largest fire he ever saw during the Pacific war. Still not done, Newton then proceeded to brave the cauldron of fire all over again in his battered and tattered bomber, strafing enemy installations while more bombs rained down. By the time it was over, three of the Bostons had sustained extensive damage, but none more so than A287. Newton’s bomber, later described as “the most badly damaged aircraft anyone had ABOVE Salamaua isthmus seen from the air during a 22 seen fly”, was a flying wreck, Squadron strike against its headquarters buildings, jetties riddled with shell holes. In and storage facilities. all, the aircraft had sustained Hampshire, his aircraft was hit “time four direct hits, damaging both wings, and time again during the approach” puncturing fuel tanks and seriously as he headed straight for the fuel tanks damaging the port engine which with his wingman, Dick Fethers’, flying Newton shut down before deciding on lower and slightly behind, blazing away his next course of action. at the gun positions. His death-defying He could have diverted to Dobodura, charge paid off in spectacular fashion as but with the strip lacking engineering his bombs struck home, rupturing both facilities he knew that would have tanks and igniting “a raging inferno” of meant the aircraft being written off at a fire and smoke rising to 8,000 feet in time when the squadron needed every machine it could muster. He, therefore, took the brave decision to limp back 180 miles across the Owen Stanley range to land with a flat main tyre back at Ward’s Strip, where an examination found no oil left in one engine, the ignition leads shot off in the other and around 100 holes ranging from 1-16 inches wide freckling the aircraft’s fuselage, tail and wings. It was a remarkable feat of flying at the end of an extraordinary display of low-level bombing which prompted Hampshire to prepare a recommendation for the Victoria Cross for ‘the Fire-bug’. It was still a work in progress when Bill Newton set out, two days later, on his 52nd and final mission.

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LEFT

An aerial reconnaissance photograph of Salamaua taken in early 1943. MacDonald’s Junction, with its conglomeration of anti-aircraft guns, was situated close to where the isthmus joins the mainland.

‘PURPOSEFUL COURAGE’

Flying Boston A28-3, Newton, Lyon and Eastwood, all of whom had come through their latest ordeal miraculously unscathed, were among six 22 Squadron crews listed for another daylight strike against Salamaua. Their objective was a former cinema converted into a storage building which was sited “adjacent [to] the same AA [positions] which had damaged his aircraft so extensively”. Hampshire considered it “an extremely difficult target” and “an even harder one” than the heavily-defended oil tanks which he had destroyed at considerable peril fewer than 48 hours before. And yet, as his squadron commander later observed, he undertook the mission “without quibble… fully conscious of the danger”. The attack was carried out at a little after 0900 followed the pattern of all the others. ‘Stace’ Dillon and ‘Rocky’ Mullens led the way, Mullens strafing enemy anti-aircraft positions around MacDonald’s Junction while Dillon roared in at tree-top height to disgorge his 11-second time delay bombs. They were followed by Newton and Fethers. It was almost a re-run of two days earlier with Fethers cast as low-level wingman to Newton’s diving attack through a storm of fire. Only this time fortune did not favour the brave. The flak was intense. “Black puffs were all

over the area at about 1,000 feet,” wrote Fethers’ gunner, Fred ‘Shorty’ Jacobson. “Plenty of light AA was fired at us from all positions. We were too low for the heavy stuff…” Newton, however, was not. Hurtling down from 7,000 feet at a speed of 300mph, he was met by the full fury of the enemy’s heaviest weaponry. With 700 yards still to go to the target, 40mm cannon shells tore into his port engine. As the building loomed ever larger, the Boston was hit repeatedly, but Newton ploughed on, employing the same “purposeful courage” that had become his trademark. As his old Aussie Rules Football team-mates later remarked, “If he needed to run through a brick wall to get to the ball and win the game, he would.” It was a hazardous approach that had served him well, but not this time. Almost as soon as he released his four instantaneous fuse bombs, unstoppable fires broke out in his smashed port engine and rear fuselage. Even as his target erupted in a sheet of flame and smoke it was apparent that they could not make it back to base. His only thought was to save his crew while putting as much distance as he could between them and a vengeful enemy. Other crews looked on in awe as he kept control of the blazing Boston, turning to bring it nearer to the shoreline, “at the same time

maintaining flight as long as possible, to take him away from the enemy locations, before throttling off and executing an excellent alignment on the water…” The scorched, bullet-raked wreck floated for a while before sinking, its pilot’s hatch closed, leaving two 

BELOW

Ground crew replenishing ammunition for a 22 Squadron Boston’s .5 inch machine-gun while another man works on its .303 inch guns at Ward’s Strip.

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pilot Charles Learmonth confided: “We will miss him in the Squadron as he has almost been the body and soul of the whole place. It’s funny how it’s always the best chaps who go…” Heartfelt though it was, it would prove a premature lament for, contrary to all the evidence, Bill Newton was still very much alive when that mournful tribute was written, although his eventual fate was to be far more gruesome than originally feared.

‘COLD SHIVER’

ABOVE

The burning fuel storage tanks which Newton set ablaze on March 16. According to Keith Hampshire the smoke and flames rose to 8,000 feet and could be seen 50 miles away. ABOVE RIGHT

Rear Admiral Ruitaro Fujita, the Commander of No 7 Naval Base Force covering Lae and Salamaua who ordered the execution of both Bill Newton and John Lyon, in Hong Kong after the Japanese surrender in 1945. He died in 1947 before he could face a war crimes trial. Newton’s executioner, Lieutenant Uichi Komai, a unit commander in No 5 Sasebo Special Naval Landing Party, was killed in action in the Philippines in February 1945.

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men, assumed to be Lyon and Eastwood, swimming towards a palm-fringed beach. Circling above them, Fethers’ crew watched their progress. “At first it appeared that one of the WAGs [wireless air gunners] was helping the other, as they swam towards the shore about 900 yards away,” wrote ‘Shorty’ Jacobson. “After they had swum about 300 yards it was plain the two were swimming side by side and making fair headway by breast stroke…” Taking off his Mae West, Jacobson threw it down to them before reluctantly turning and heading back to Ward’s Strip. Two of the other bombers diverted to Dobodura where they refuelled before returning to search for the airmen in the hope of initiating a rescue operation. Flying low over Laupui Point they saw Newton’s target still wreathed in flames, but nothing of their comrades save for tracks leading from the sea, across the beach and into the jungle, and others along the shore which suggested a manhunt was already under way. Back at Ward’s Strip reports were duly collated which served only to reinforce Hampshire’s original VC recommendation. With details of the second sortie added, it was promptly endorsed by Air Commodore Joe Hewitt, Air Officer Commanding No 9 Operational Group, RAAF, in Papua, who called Newton’s final exploit “a pre-eminent act of valour for which he paid the supreme sacrifice”. Writing home on March 19, Newton’s close friend and fellow

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Only later, as the full doleful story emerged, did it become clear that Newton had contrived to escape from the Boston and to swim ashore in company with his wireless operator, John Lyon. There, they met with two friendly natives who led them into the

RIGHT This widely-published photograph was erroneously reported as showing the execution of Bill Newton. However, war crimes investigators established the victim as 27-year-old Sergeant Leonard George Siffleet, a member of the Australian ‘M’ Special Unit, who was beheaded at Aitape on 24 October 1943. His capture and death were not linked in any way to Newton’s execution, but the misapprehension persisted.

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jungle with the intention of delivering them to an Australian coast watcher, one of a band of intelligence-gatherers operating behind enemy lines. But they never made it. Perhaps influenced by the sight of aircraft searching for them, the airmen decided to separate from their guides and made their way back to the coast where they were captured by a Japanese patrol. After being subjected to a brutal interrogation, first at Salamaua and then at Lae, they were split up. Lyon was taken to the perimeter of Lae airfield where he was made to dig his own grave before being bayoneted to death under the gaze of the base commander, Rear Admiral Ruitaro Fujita. Newton, who was considered on the basis of his comrades’ search and rescue efforts, to be a “person of importance, possessing considerable rank and ability”, was returned to No 5 Sasebo Special Naval Landing Force based at Salamaua. It was there, near to the scenes of his greatest successes, that was added to a saga of skill and courage a final horrific chapter revealed in the captured diary of a Japanese serviceman. Incorporated in a press release on October 5, 1943, the translated entry for March 29 told how Newton, who was not named in either the diary or the report, was given a last drink of water before being driven from the base guardhouse to a place of execution, on

LEFT

Bill Newton’s grave marker with the poignant inscription: ‘For God, My King, My Country’ in Lae War Cemetery.

the edge of a water-filled bomb crater. There, Newton was made to kneel. The entry continued: “He is apparently resigned; the precaution is taken of surrounding him with guards with fixed bayonets, but he remains calm. He even stretches out his neck, and is very brave… The Unit Commander has drawn his favourite sword… It glitters in the light and sends a cold shiver down my spine. First he touches the prisoner’s neck lightly with the sword. Then he raises it overhead. The prisoner closes his eyes for a second and at once the sword sweeps down…” Five days after the report was made public, a headless corpse, wearing Australian pattern service slacks and shirt, was recovered from a bomb crater some

30 feet from the shoreline at Kila Point. A little over a week later, the London Gazette announced the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Flight Lieutenant William Ellis Newton for his “many examples of conspicuous bravery”. The citation made no mention of his execution despite the Australian Government’s attempts to have it re-written. His savage death marked the end of a short and gallant life that “served as an inspiration” to his comrades in arms. Summing him up, Keith Hampshire listed his many qualities before concluding: “Bill is one of those rare fellows I shall miss for a long time and… remember for an age”. 

LEFT

Lae War Cemetery, close to the mouth of the Markham River on the Huon Gulf, where the remains of Bill Newton and John Lyon are buried together with 2,816 named and un-named servicemen killed in the struggle to free the east coast of New Guinea from Japanese tyranny. The body of Basil Eastwood, who died either in the attack on Salamaua on March 18 or when their aircraft ditched in the sea, was never found and he is commemorated on Panel 7 of the Lae Memorial. [PICTURES FROM THE AUTHOR’S COLLECTION AND COURTESY OF THE LATE CHAZ BOWYER AND 22 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION, RAAF.]

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IMAGE of WAR

BRITISH HEAVY METAL

West Berlin, West Germany, 18 June 1989 Mk.10 Chieftain tanks of C Sqn, 14th/20th King’s Hussars Regiment, advance down the Straße des 17 Juni on the last annual Allied Forces Day parade. Behind them is the Siegessäule (Victory Column). C Sqn consisted of 18 Cheiftains, and in 1989 operated in support of the Berlin Infantry Brigade. The unique camouflage came about in 1983, the brainchild of a Dragoon Guards Major. Every vehicle was painted to the same pattern (each rectangle about 18in sq.) regardless of size or type, both for effect and to hide numbers. The urban colours and blocky appearance disrupted the shape of the vehicles and proved quite effective at 100yds distance or more. Two years later the 14th/20th served with distinction in the First Gulf War on Challenger I. (US DEPT. OF DEFENSE)

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY

‘PE S OF I TA ABOVE

Winston Churchill & Charles de Gaulle, 1942.

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ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY | SECOND WORLD WAR LEFT

PER SONS OF IMPOR TANCE’

Hendrick F. Van Riel, Section D, and Norman E. Hope, Section D.

WHEN GENERAL DE GAULLE ARRIVED IN BRITAIN IN JUNE 1940 HE HAD LEFT BEHIND HIS WIFE AND FAMILY. URGENTLY, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SOUGHT TO RESCUE THEM AND SET IN MOTION AN ILL-FATED PLAN TO SNATCH THEM FROM FRANCE, AS DAVID J B SMITH EXPLAINS.

T

he fate of France was sealed with the stroke of a pen on 22 June 1940. The French government had agreed and signed the terms of a German armistice in the same railway carriage as the Allied armistice had been signed in 1918. Days before, on Monday 17 June, the giant wind direction indicator at RAF Mount Batten was hanging deflated and motionless, but the West Country air station was a hive of activity. Aircraft from 10 Sqn, Royal Australian Air Force, part of 15 Group, RAF Coastal Command, had recently begun to patrol the Western Approaches in the war against the U-boat. Their versatile Sunderland aircraft, with its considerable endurance, was also frequently utilised to transport VIPs. The air station’s proximity to the north-western French coast saw it particularly busy in the run up to the fall of France. That evening, at around 18:00, a high-priority telephone call was received in the outer office of the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), Western Approaches, Adm. Martin Dunbar-Nasmith VC. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY

WITH ADMIRALTY PASSENGER FROM PLYMOUTH SOUND TO NORTH COAST OF BRITTANY AT EARLIEST 18/6. PASSENGER WILL GIVE DETAILS OF DESTINATION ON ARRIVAL ABOUT 2359/17. AIRCRAFT TO BE FULLY ARMED AND TO KEEP DEFENSIVE WATCH AT ALL TIMES ESPECIALLY WATERBORNE. RETURN TO BASE ON COMPLETION D. 2100 On receipt of the ‘Form Green’, an aircraft was detailed and a crew sourced for this most secret mission. The ideal aircraft was located within the 15 Group Communications Flight – an ‘L’ series

MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER

The caller from the Admiralty identified himself as a representative of the Director of Naval Intelligence (DNI) and the call was forwarded directly to the C-in-C. Dunbar-Nasmith was told that, under direct instruction from the Prime Minister, arrangements had to be made forthwith to take an Admiralty passenger on a secret mission to the north coast of Brittany. The passenger would indicate where they wished to be landed and on the instructions of Winston Churchill, they would endeavour to collect certain individuals and bring them to the aircraft for onward passage back to RAF Mount Batten. Admiral Dunbar-Nasmith sent a specific request to the Officer Commanding 15 Group RAF Coastal Command. A ‘Form Green’ authorising the flight was duly signalled to No. 10 Squadron: A. PL/G12/17/6 B. MOUNTBATTEN C. ONE WALRUS TO PROCEED 72

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TOP

Sikorski, McNaughton, Churchill, and de Gaulle, 1941. ABOVE

Admiral Martin E. Dunbar-Nasmith 3rd from left. RIGHT

MBT 26 comes alongside her berth. The boat would have an important role to play in the attempt to rescue de Gaulle's family.

Mk. I Vickers - Supermarine Walrus, serial number L2312. Traditionally, communications flight aircraft were used to ferry around senior officers, transport small items of stores and equipment, and act as a training aircraft to allow pilots to keep their flying hours up. Basically, a communications aircraft that was also a squadron workhorse. Later that evening, the mysterious passenger arrived at Roborough Airport in Plymouth. The person detailed by DNI was 37-year-old Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), Section D operative, Captain Norman Hope. Norman first loomed large in the sights of MI5 in mid-October 1939. At that time he was a petroleum executive employed by the Shell Oil Company. Hope had a good knowledge of French and a considerable grasp of Spanish and Italian. MI5 actively pursued him with a view to making use of his services and N.E. Hope duly signed the Official Secrets Act on 17 October 1939. Very soon afterwards he became a member of Section D of the SIS – the forerunner of the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

‘MOST SECRET’

Section D was responsible for developing plans and mustering resources which could be useful for undermining Germany’s economy and war potential by means of subversion, propaganda and sabotage. The SOE did not exist at this time, but came into being in early July 1940. The Special Operations Executive was the product of an amalgamation of three existing organisations; MI(R), a

ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY | SECOND WORLD WAR think tank of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the War Office, Electra House (EH), the secret propaganda arm of the Foreign Office and, finally, Section D of the SIS. Civilians who were indoctrinated into the British intelligence services were given the provisional rank of 2nd Lieutenant – the lowest rank for a commissioned officer. After only a short while at Section D, Norman Hope was given the substantive rank of Army Captain. At the time of this mission, Norman Hope was head of the Belgian Section within Section D. The SIS operative originally designated for this mission was French-speaking, Belgian-born agent Colonel Louis Franck. However, the British government had grave concerns about what would happen to the Belgian gold reserves if the country gave up their

had many flying hours between them. F/Lt Bell had been flying 10 Squadron’s massive Sunderland aircraft out of Mount Batten continually in the weeks prior to this mission. Before departing from Mount Batten, Norman Hope did give away a bit more about the purpose of his mission and the collection of persons of importance. This information was later recorded in a ‘Most Secret’ memo from C-in-C, Western Approaches to DNI. Captain Hope informed those present that he was carrying a lot of French money. He was asked by the Duty Controller when they were likely to return – he could not say. Tellingly, he did say that it all depended on whether the people concerned could be found and that it was possible their return could be complicated by events on the French coast. The Germans ABOVE

British servicemen leaving Brest as part of Operation Aerial. LEFT

A Walrus on the water, the aircraft had a primary role in air-sea rescue.

BELOW

A Mk.1 Walrus next to its hangar.

were only days away from seizing all the French channel ports. The aircrew boarded L2312 on the slipway adjacent to hangars 3 and 4 at RAF Mount Batten. Final pre-flight checks were made and the Bristol Pegasus 775hp radial engine burst into life. The aircraft taxied to the head of the slipway and waited. Norman Hope strode towards the aircraft, dressed in a brown suit and brown shoes, carrying his hat and a tan-coloured attaché case – typical British attire for a secret mission into possible enemy territory. With a final wave to the ground crew, F/Lt Bell taxied the Walrus out of the Cattewater and into Plymouth Sound. Bell slowly inched the throttle forward as the aircraft skimmed across the 

armed struggle against the Germans and Louis Franck was seconded as a courier to take messages by hand to the Belgian King. So it was that Captain Hope walked into RAF Mount Batten’s Operations Room at 01:15 on 18 June 1940. Waiting for him was 24-year-old Flight Lieutenant John Bell, Royal Australian Air Force. F/Lt Bell would be the pilot of Walrus L2312. Captain Hope divulged that the ultimate location was Carantec in Brittany. The two men examined charts of the north-western French coast and a method of approach was discussed. The aircrew began routine aircraft checks and plotted a navigational route. The rear hatch of L2312 was hurriedly fitted with a Vickers Mk. I gas operated .303 machine gun, borrowed from a refitting Sunderland. Flight Sergeant Charles Harris, RAAF, would be the air observer/navigator. Corporal Bernard Nowell, RAF was selected to be the flight mechanic/wireless operator. F/Lt Bell was an experienced pilot and Sgt Harris an accomplished navigator, and they www.britainatwar.com

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY water and lifted into the air, passing low over Plymouth Breakwater at 03:00 on Tuesday 18 June.

‘THE HONOUR OF FRANCE’

At the start of the Second World War, Colonel Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle had been appointed as the Commander of the 5th Army Tank Regiment and De Gaulle embarked on a meteoric rise within the ranks of the French military. Outspoken regarding his strategies of combining tanks and air support, de Gaulle gained the ear of senior figures in the French government. By May 1940 he was Commander of the 4th Armoured Division and achieved distinction for halting the German advance at Abbeville between 27 and 30 May 1940. De Gaulle’s military career continued to go from strength to strength. He was soon appointed Acting Brigadier in early June 1940 and only days later was asked by the president of the French Council, Paul Reynaud, to become the Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War. De Gaulle attended several meetings with members of the British government, including Winston Churchill. It was on returning from a

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RIGHT

The slipway for No.3 and No.4 hangers at RAF Mount Batten, today.

BELOW

The ship Prinses Josephine Charlotte, the vessel on which Madam de Gaulle eventually escaped France. (BATTLEFIELD

COPYRIGHT BHC 001112)

BOTTOM

An aerial view of the Warlus L2312 crash site at Kerbiquet. (GLIDAS

SAOUZANET)

meeting in Great Britain on 16 June that de Gaulle learnt of Paul Reynaud’s resignation as President of the Council of Ministers, and the subsequent call for an armistice by Reynaud’s successor, the aging Marshal Pétain. Anticipating the worst, de Gaulle planned and executed his timely escape perfectly. On Monday 17 June, de Gaulle boarded an aircraft at Bordeaux aerodrome and was flown to Great Britain. Churchill wrote of de Gaulle’s escape: “He carried with him, in this small aeroplane, the honour of France.” But the French General had left behind his wife and children and felt heavily the weight of France on his shoulders. It was inconceivable that Charles de Gaulle had not set measures in place for the safety of his own family, should it seem France were to capitulate, and on 10 June, de Gaulle had had his two teenage children transported from their family home in Paris to Rebréchien, a small village near the town of Orléans. It was here where Madame de Gaulle and their disabled daughter, along with the nanny, Mademoiselle Marguerite Potel, were waiting. On 11 June, the de Gaulle party travelled to Carantec and stayed with Madame Richard, an aunt of Madame de Gaulle, although the family lodged in several houses during their

time in Carantec to avoid detection by German spies or would-be collaborators.

‘GO AT ONCE TO ENGLAND’

The secret purpose of Captain Hope’s mission was clear. SIS Section D had been tasked to locate and extract the wife and children of Charles de Gaulle and bring them back to Great Britain. Prior to leaving London, Hope had been passed secret intelligence stating that Yvonne de Gaulle, accompanied by her children – 12-year-old Anne, 16-year-old Elisabeth and 19-year-old Philippe – had travelled from their home in Paris to the Brittany coast, specifically Carantec, where relatives of Yvonne lived. On the evening of 16 June, two plain-clothed men arrived at the safe house in Carantec. The men, possibly from the French external intelligence agency the Deuxième Bureau, had been sent by Charles de Gaulle. They gave Yvonne passports and money and conveyed the message: “Go at once to England.” The next morning Yvonne and Philippe left ‘La Villa d’Arvor’ in Carantec, and travelled the 43 miles to Brest in a car driven by Yvonne’s sister, Suzanne Rérolle. On arrival, Yvonne visited the British Consulate to enquire about the possibility of onward travel to England. The consulate staff at Brest were hurriedly shutting up shop

ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY | SECOND WORLD WAR

Thouars – only 500 metres away from Grève Blanche.

HURTLED OUT OF THICK FOG

and evacuating as part of Operation Aerial. Members of the Allied forces and servicemen from the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) who hadn’t managed to be evacuated from Dunkirk as part of Operation Dynamo, filtered towards the north-western French ports. On 15 June, the withdrawal of the remaining elements of the BEF had started. This final withdrawal took place between 15 and 25 June 1940. The consulate staff suggested the de Gaulles leave with them on the next available ship. Yvonne could not leave France as Anne and Elisabeth were still in Carantec. She returned to ‘La Villa d’Arvor’, but unknown to the de Gaulle family, a plan to extract them had already been set in place by the British Government. As the de Gaulle family slept on the evening of 17 June, the Walrus aircraft was crossing low over the Channel, heading for Carantec. The flight time was less than an hour. Although dark, there was little or no cloud and the visibility was generally good. The aircrew were aiming for the clearly distinguishable tip of Carantec. The approximate position where they had chosen to land was an area of water flanked by a stretch of sand, with a stone walkway extending out into the bay. This beach area, known as Grève Blanche, is on the north-eastern tip of Carantec. The location of the de Gaulles’ safe house was on La Rue Dupetit-

What happened to the Walrus between 03:00 and 04:40 on 18 June will probably remain one of the many enduring mysteries of World War Two. There have been several theories and conflicting stories – none can be 100% corroborated and many myths continue to be innocently perpetuated today. As dawn broke over Brittany, a typical early morning fog rolled in across the French coast. It was at 04:40 that residents of the small hamlet of Kerbiquet, near Ploudaniel, were awakened by the sound of a very low-

flying aircraft. Kerbiquet is 25 miles from Carantec; for some unknown reason, the Walrus had overshot the landing area and continued flying for around 11 minutes. Witnesses said the aircraft hurtled out of the thick fog. It looked to be on fire and flying very low – so low, in fact, that the shouts and screams of those on board could be heard. The pilot circled the aircraft over Kerbiquet two or three times as if looking for a good location to land. From above, the fields in this area looked flat. However, French farming techniques often incorporated a talus, or embankment, with sloping furrows across many farmed fields. F/ Lt Bell committed his final approach to what appeared to be large, flat field near several houses in Kerbiquet. The Walrus was primarily accustomed to landing on the sea or a flat landing strip, and although this aircraft type had landing gear, the hull of the Walrus was very close to the ground. Any undulation could cause serious damage. Bell made a low angle of approach, skimming over trees and hedgerows. As they touched down, the aircraft ploughed into a talus and immediately broke in two. The port and starboard 75-gallon fuel tanks ruptured and the aviation fuel exacerbated the already burning fire. Simultaneously, the 

LEFT

A view of the RAF Mount Batten wartime indicator (MB) and site of wind direction indicator.

LEFT

RAF Mount Batten today, the old workshops in the foreground. Note the Walrus shaped pontoon on the Cattewater. BELOW

The RAF Coastal Command memorial at Mount Batten.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY

ABOVE

The plaque dedicated to the RAAF ocated at Plymouth Barbican. TOP RIGHT

Extract from the Ploudaniel deceased register at Ploudaniel . Note: ‘Aviateur X’. (PASCAL MESSAGER)

RIGHT

'Stele', or memorial dedicated to the men onboard Walrus L2312. Located adjacent to the crash site in Kerbiquet, France.

BELOW

The grave stones at St Yves Church Ploudaniel.

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rounds from the Vickers machine gun spontaneously discharged, owing to the heat. Once the cooked-off bullets had finished zipping through the grass, several locals made their way towards the edge of the field and the crash site. The two parts of the main aircraft fuselage lay upturned. The Walrus had seemingly flipped over. The undercarriage lay some distance away and smaller wreckage was spread over a wide area. The villagers managed to pull the four occupants out of the smouldering aircraft and lay them down in the field. There were no survivors.

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The four bodies were taken by the villagers to the small town of Ploudaniel, about a mile and a half from the crash site. Overseen by Francois Louis Huguen, the Mayor of Ploudaniel, the bodies of the men were searched for identification. Considering this was a secret mission, the French managed to obtain a lot of information from the airmen’s effects. They found out the names of the aircrew, service numbers, nationalities, where they were stationed and, in the case of Corporal Nowell, even his home address. Initially they had trouble identifying Sgt Harris. At first they thought he was called Sgt Bennett. However, it transpired that Bennett was the surname of a Staff Sergeant at RAF Mount Batten who had signed all their identity cards. The only person they could not identify was duly named in the town’s deceased register as ‘Aviateur X’. This was the elusive Captain Norman Hope SIS.

‘AVIATEUR X’

Around the same time on 18 June, oblivious of the British attempt to extract her family, Yvonne de Gaulle talked her sister into driving them all back to Brest for a second time. At 08:00 the British Naval Liaison Officer (BNLO) at Brest reported back to the Admiralty

on the progress of Operation Aerial. A detachment of Belgian servicemen and civilian stragglers – which, unknown to the BNLO, included Madame de Gaulle, her children and nanny – were being embarked on one of the last transport vessels to leave Brest. Leaving Suzanne Rérolle behind, the de Gaulle party escaped France on board the Belgian passenger ship Prinses Josephine Charlotte. They arrived safely at Falmouth early in the morning of 19 June. The fast-approaching German mechanised forces were only hours away from Ploudaniel as a large contingent of local residents gathered to show their respects as all four servicemen were hurriedly buried in the cemetery of St Yves Church. Their graves were marked with simple named white wooden crosses, but the name on the cross of Norman Hope remained ‘Aviateur X’ for quite a while. Flt Lt Bell and Sgt Harris were the first Australian casualties of the war and the first fatalities on active service in the RAAF since its formation in 1927. By the morning of Wednesday 19 June, Walrus L2312 was overdue at RAF Mount Batten. The Admiralty were unaware of Madame de Gaulle’s subsequent arrival at Falmouth and questions were starting to be asked at a very high level. MTB 29, a British Motor Torpedo Boat, was tasked to approach Carantec and land an interpreter in an attempt to complete the mission. Additionally, they were to find out what had happened to Captain Hope and the Walrus. The interpreter was actually another member of Section D of the SIS – French-speaking, Belgian-born Hendrik Van Riel. That evening at 20:30, Van Riel sailed from Plymouth on board MTB 29. They were headed for the main channel leading to Morlaix. On arriving at 00:01 on 20 June it was obvious the low height of the tide would prevent them from approaching the landing area at Carantec. The MTB lay off in Morlaix Bay until it could make its approach. Around dawn, the MTB slowly made

ATTEMPT TO RESCUE DE GAULLE FAMILY | SECOND WORLD WAR headway towards the original landing area designated in the Walrus’ flight plan – Grève Blanche. At 06:00, Van Riel and Lt J.T. Mannooch, who was captain of MTB 18 and had come along to assist, landed on the beach in a small boat. Van Riel ran up the beach and disappeared into Carantec. Lt Mannooch returned to the MTB, which then retreated back into the Bay. It was not long before Van Riel returned to the beach empty-handed. It transpired that the German forces had arrived in Carantec just 24 hours before.

Van Riel also discovered that the de Gaulle family had left the locality and noone had seen the Walrus. Once back on board, Van Riel intended to proceed with the MTB up to Morlaix in an attempt to seek more information about Norman Hope and the Walrus. Unfortunately, the MTB was spotted by a hostile aircraft and Lt C.A. James, captain of MTB 29, ordered the 70ft craft to increase speed and head away from the French coast, setting a course for Plymouth. MTB 29 arrived back at Devonport at around 10:40 on 20 June. By this time, it was

general knowledge that the de Gaulle party had arrived in Great Britain.

FATE ESTABLISHED

Sixteen months had gone by when, out of the blue, two refugees who had escaped from France walked into the offices of the British Red Cross Society. They recounted the story of the crashed Walrus and the subsequent burial of the aircrew at Ploudaniel. Finally, the eventual fate of the Walrus, sent to rescue Madame de Gaulle and her children, had been established. After the

war, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission duly replaced the wooden crosses with standard pattern headstones and ‘Aviateur X’ was properly named as Captain N.E. Hope – Intelligence Corps. To this day it is not known if Norman Hope told the aircrew who their intended passengers were. The de Gaulle family themselves only found out about the attempt to extract them after the war. Meanwhile, the residents of Ploudaniel remember the sacrifice made by the men of L2312 on 2 November each year – All Souls’ Day. 

COLUMN

The service issue Longines watch found at the Walrus L2312 crash site. (SAOUZANET/ TRÈGUER)

CENTRE

La Villa d’Arvor in Carantec. The de Gaulle family stayed in the annex far right from 16-18 June 1940.

BELOW

Grève Blanche beach, Carantec, where MTB 29 landed Van Riel and the original destination for Walrus L2312.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS

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s r e p u o r s r o r T f oope r T

A vital part of keeping up the morale of troops on the front line was recognised from the very outset of hostilities and part of that objective was provided by the men and women of the ENSA organisation. Alex Churchill takes a look through the personal photo album of one of its members.

T

he Entertainments National Service Association, or ENSA, was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during the Second World War. ENSA officially operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes and its role in providing entertainment for the troops became legendary. Many of the ‘big names’ in entertainment from the 1930s and 40s became involved, and many other entertainers made their names, initially, with ENSA before going on to become familiar household names for decades after the war. However, it was the massed ranks of other performers and entertainers who made ENSA what it was. Toni Lucas was amongst their ranks.

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ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS | SECOND WORLD WAR

2 2 Toni with her elder sister Phyllis

1 1 Toni Lucas on joining ENSA At the beginning of the war, 18-year-old Toni joined ENSA in Northern Ireland. The Entertainments National Service Association, founder of Ealing Studios, it attracted a number of stars such as George Formby, Spike Milligan, John Gielgud, and Vera Lynn - but plenty of non-celebrity performers like Toni too. The first ENSA variety performance took place at RAF Hendon in October 1939 and was broadcast by the BBC.

Toni’s father didn’t want her to join ENSA. As well as the concerns he had about his teenage daughter joining the war effort, he thought as a ballerina she was too good to pursue a career in the kind of variety entertainment that she’d now be involved in with ENSA. But the work was well paid. A chorus girl could expect to earn £4 a week for performing in a review, double a realistic wage anywhere else.

4 4 Toni and the rest of the cast shortly after arrival at Calais

3 3 Toni and fellow performers at Southport From 1939 to 1943 Toni would perform in up to fifty shows a month on the Home Front. Most performances took place in Northern Ireland, but there were trips to Scotland, Wales and England too. The group, who travelled with a mobile cinema, were known as 'The Top Knots', but there were others touring at the same time too, such as 'The Masqueraders' who were from County Antrim.

There was opposition to the idea of ENSA following troops onto the continent, but as D-Day approached, a determined Basil Dean made preparations anyhow. When Brussels was liberated in September 1944, ENSA established a Headquarters in the city. Toni Lucas sailed for mainland Europe in November 1944, part of a slimmed down cast that now sported khaki uniforms in case they were taken prisoner so that they would be distinguishable from civilians. Brussels was a shock to them, for it was lit up and dazzling after darkened London. As soon as their equipment was set up for the first show, Toni and the other dancers dashed off to explore. In 1945 Laurence Olivier was made an honorary army officer when he took part in a six week tour of the continent performing Shakespeare. Whilst in Brussels, the cast of “Make Believe” stayed in the same hotel as he and Vivien Leigh, and shared drinks with him in the bar.

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SECOND WORLD WAR | ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS

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5 5 Bridge at Arnhem As Christmas approached, things took a serious turn. One night the girls were all sleeping in a hostel that had been commandeered when they heard gunfire and all jumped out of bed. The cast had to get dressed in the middle of the night as the front line was shifting and they left with all the locals waving at them and shouting “Goodbye Elngleesh.” This was the beginning of the last German offensive in the west, the Battle of the Bulge.

6 6 Gerald Desmond Gerald was born into show business in Dublin in 1916. The family, who performed a mind-reading act, had changed their name from O’Connor to Desmond because it made them more marketable during the troubled years running up to Irish independence. Gerald originally served with a bomb disposal unit but was rendered unfit for active service after an accident. He was lucky to survive as part of a crew transporting a bomb for disposal when it exploded, destroying their lorry. He was thrown from the vehicle and was in hospital for eighteen months with serious shrapnel injuries to his face, back, neck and shoulders.

7 7 Amesfort June 1945 Here, Toni relaxes after discovering that the Canadians turned out to be a rowdy crowd! At one show, Toni and the other girls were surprised to see balloons floating about the stage. They turned out to be condoms. At another show, there was a power cut mid-performance and it was suggested that the audience all light their torches so that the show could go on. This proved to be a cheeky opportunity for the troops. When the dancers looked down, they found that the only parts of their anatomies lit up were of rather a suggestive nature. All of the girls were the subject of male attention. At one hotel the owner and his son even tried to get into their rooms. But Toni only had eyes for Gerald. After one performance at Amesfort in July she wrote in her diary “Good show, Saw Gerald Desmond after show, had a bit of a party, like him lots.”

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8 8 Nijmegen 1945 Now that the ENSA performers had moved into territory that had been occupied, they were exposed further to some of the horrors of war. From Nijmegen they watched Arnhem being bombed. During their time touring with “Come and Get It”, when they were near the border with Germany, the call went out appealing for clothes for young girls who had been released from nearby concentration camps. Toni and the rest of the ENSA girls did what they could and donated underwear and blouses for the refugees.

ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS | SECOND WORLD WAR

9

10 10 Performance at Luneberg - 1945

9 ENSA Coach The cast were in Holland when news came that Hitler was dead. They celebrated in Enschede with the locals. When VE Day came, Toni and the rest of the performers were in Groningen. There were huge parties, but they were still commissioned, and there were still plenty of troops to be entertained and so they got back in their coach and headed into Germany.

As soon as the cast crossed the border into Germany, they found that they were not necessarily welcome. The locals could be extremely hostile. Toni and her fellow performers were staying in huge mansions that had been hastily abandoned by Nazi officers, but often they had left their staff behind who looked down their noses at the ENSA performers.

11

13 12 11 & 12 Sightseeing in Berlin The ENSA performers followed the victorious Allied armies to Berlin. Toni and other cast members pose with a Russian soldier outside the Reichstag and on the doorstep of Hitler’s bunker, yards from where the Führer’s body was burned with that of his mistress.

13 Gerald and Toni shortly after their wedding Toni and the cast finally left for home in the late summer of 1945. On their return, Toni and Gerald settled down and got married. They had a travelling variety show in Northern Ireland immediately after the war with their own cabaret act, ‘The Desmonds'. In the sixties they moved to London with their two daughters, Geraldine and Deirdre. Gerald and Toni continued to perform together for fifty years. He passed away in Wiltshire in 1995, Toni ten years later.

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12/09/2017 14:47

Home Front Tin Helmets Probably the most recognised piece of kit from the Second World War is the British tin helmet which was also used in a variety of forms on the Home Front. Adrian Blake takes a look at collecting such helmets and the huge range and variety that were in use. In the vast majority of cases, Home Front helmets all look the same and are often categorised as the “Tommy” or “Brodie” helmet. However, metal content (and therefore protection levels) and many new materials were introduced to compensate for the reduction in available metal. Holes in the side of the brim indicate the metal content/quality. Composite Helmets are certainly not a new idea and the story of the American PASGT being the world’s first “plastic helmet” is incorrect. Perhaps one of the most common but derided British helmets of all time was introduced specifically for the home front. The Civilian Protective Helmet, or “Zuckerman” as it become known, was not a military helmet but was designed and constructed specifically for the public. Its distinctive high domed crown, designed to better absorb impacts, sets this helmet aside. It is often overlooked by collectors, however interesting examples can be found in different styles and with various markings applied. With over ten million produced, they are numerous and relatively cheap. British Second World War helmets are very simple and in the main consist of three key parts: the shell, the liner and a strap, with the shell and liner usually being date-stamped. Sadly, there appears to be an increase in the number of people who’ll use whatever means they can, often strong paint strippers, to expose a helmet date to prove its wartime credentials but one should not be concerned with non-matching dates. Liners are easily replaced, and some staff were told to remove their own liners and take them to another duty to ensure their new helmet would fit. However, the date stamps applied to liners is an area where fakers like to play and you’d be surprised how many 1940s dated post-war liners have convenient damage to the fourth number of the date stamp! A number of non-standard commercial helmets were also made for sale to the public, and whilst some of these can easily be mistaken for their MkII cousins some are very different.

ROLE TITLES AND STATUS

With regard to what was painted onto the helmets, and in an attempt to simplify the challenges faced, there were rules issued about markings to helmets although such rules were misconstrued, ignored, criticised and enhanced to include a particular organisation’s existing or preferred

ABOVE The high-domed civilian firewatchers (FG - Fire Guard ) helmet. LEFT A rescue squad helmet marked with its identifying 'R'.

markings. On top of this, there was a British sensitivity to role titles and status. Wartime records show that a number of senior staff members expressed dissatisfaction that their deputy was allowed to wear the same marking as they had. Collecting only the markings which were officially communicated on a nationwide basis would certainly restrict ones collection and remove a massively rich vein. Geographically speaking there were two main areas with their own set of rules; London and the provinces. It would be highly satisfying to stop there in the knowledge that there were just two consistent sets of markings. But that was not the case. Applying a broad-brush approach, one could assume these two areas could be defined simply 

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by the rule of application of diamonds outside London and stripes in London. However, in July 1942 the two main schemes were standardised and stripes were adopted nationwide. This resulted, or at least should have resulted, in the wholesale disappearance of the diamond as role identifiers but unsurprisingly this wasn’t universally adopted. As a result, one can still obtain diamond-marked white helmets and, if one looks closely enough, striped helmets with diamonds still visible under a 1942applied overpaint. Unfortunately, identification of markings is not as easy as just two schemes. In many cases, including London, new rules were introduced to fill gaps perceived in the official nationwide guidelines or simply to satisfy local concerns. This means that big frontal diamonds, side “flashes”, bars, stars, coats of arms and many other quirks can be found.

POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES

The visibility of overpainted markings is something that some find particularly interesting. It often enables one to understand the wearer’s promotion through a particular service and the transition of some Services themselves. However, these are not always the tidiest or visually impressive helmets and are often pushed aside in favour of the perfect examples. Evidence of a previous existence in the form of an underlying set of markings is often only visible when the helmet is tipped into light and a ‘ghost’ image is visible. This can often reveal a superior set of markings under the top coat of paint and the challenge collectors face is whether to remove the top coat to reveal the more interesting markings below. However, in 40 years of collecting I’ve yet to see more than a handful of stripped helmets which still look presentable after a

ABOVE RIGHT The range of marking patterns and styles is illustrated here. RIGHT The well-recognised Warden's helmet. BELOW Some helmets were uniquely badged to the relevant authority.

messy attempt at paint removal. There are numerous stories, perhaps apocryphal, about beautifully marked civil helmets being over-painted khaki in the 1970s to produce ‘Army’ helmets which were then fetching better prices and proving a lot more interesting than boring old Home Front items! One would think that bastions of discipline and consistency like the Police service would not be undermined by varying rank badges and markings, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Indeed, the markings of Police helmets provide one of the best examples of variety when it was discovered at a wartime police conference that over ten different badge combinations were being used nationwide to display the same rank! Prior to the war, the Fire and Police forces were numerous, disconnected and really quite insular and this reflected the approach to helmet markings. Once the Fire Service became the National Fire Service, the most consistent and disciplined force in respect of helmet markings was created. Ranks and roles were covered by a combination of helmet base colour, rings around the crown and the colour thereof.

WARDENS AND CIVIL DEFENCE

Police and Fire were just two of the Services. Others included Wardens, Casualty Services, Gas, Rescue, Repair and Industrial ARP. All had defined colours and markings which can be spotted on newsreel footage of the time. For markings-per-service, the Industrial ARP wins hands down. This was the name given to forces created from Company employees to support the company workplace. Most Companies of over 30 employees had to appoint staff with training - including First Aid, Rescue, Messenger, Cleansing etc. and these were often helmeted forces bearing a Company logo along with the Service identifier; e.g. “R”, “M”, “FAP”.

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Just to add to the challenge, services themselves were merged or restructured which resulted in further changes. One of the largest changes was the amalgamation of Light Rescue teams with First Aid personnel which brought “L.R” and “FAP” under one reporting line. The creation of a totally new force like the Civil Defence Reserve also had its impact. It is fascinating to read old articles about militaria when everything was “30 bob” (£1.50) and all freely available. In those days the Exchange and Mart was pretty much the only non-shop sales medium and there was no “Cash in the Attic” on TV telling everyone that everything they had was rare and valuable. My first Home Front helmet cost £2.75 over thirty years ago, and that same helmet could probably command over £100 now. As with all collecting, advice on pricing is extremely difficult. The correct price for any helmet is that which the seller is happy to concede and the buyer is happy to pay. As one would expect, the more senior or rarer the helmet, the higher the price. That said, there is no shortage of Home Front helmets although the special ones are hard to find and more likely to be languishing in collections. Faking threats exist with standard plain helmets being acquired, enhanced, and then sold as a more senior ranked item. In addition to unscrupulous traders, there are those reproducing stencils and water slide transfers, supposedly for the reenactor market. Luckily, the base product, the helmet itself, is not yet being copied but the paintwork certainly is. And that is the main problem with this particular field of interest; it is almost totally down to a simple layer of paint.

INFORMATION REGARDING MARKINGS

ABOVE A variety of Home Front Police helmets. BELOW Fire service helmets tended to be marked-up to a nationwide standard.

One thing guaranteed when collecting helmets from the Home Front is the problem one has maintaining a straight face when new markings are being explained. The absence of information regarding markings results in speculation and guesswork. For example, the post-war body the NHSR (National Hospital Service Reserve) is one example with some believing it stands for National Heavy Service Rescue, which apart from making no sense as a name, didn’t exist as one of the CD Services. 

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ABOVE A private company helmet, marked 'Vickers'. RIGHT A wartime chart illustrating just some of the wide range of civilian helmets. BELOW RIGHT Stacking helmets in a collection should be avoided to prevent

circular stack marks.

BELOW A Rescue helmet which has been overpainted over a First Aid Post (FAP)

helmet.

To the creative, or perhaps “unscrupulous”, “W” is for Weapons (actually usually Wardens), “E” for Explosives (usually Electrical or Engineer)…the list goes on. Some sellers won’t accept that a helmet was simply worn by an old chap who looked out from a roof top of a small company in Ipswich making rubber insulators, preferring instead a more exciting role. And yet the possible history behind that item could be extremely interesting.

CLEANING AND PRESENTATION

Any collection of Home Front helmets produces an impressive set of shelves to look at but there are factors to consider, perhaps not least being the weight of the helmets themselves. Fortunately, they’re not as tall as many other helmets and being pretty much all the same size one can probably display more per vertical inch than any other helmet type – this is important, as you can’t stop at one! Heat can be an enemy in that it often softens internal crown pads which eventually fall off if unsupported. Liner flaps will droop, again if unsupported, but these can be reshaped over time. Without doubt, the biggest threat to these items are stack marks. These black circular marks found on many helmets

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are the residue of liners of helmets which have been stacked on top of other helmets. Over time, the liners adhere themselves to the shells of the underlying helmets and, often, directly across the lettering itself! As for cleaning, the usual issues apply. Some collectors like the just-found look and the apparent authenticity it brings. Others prefer the pristine look and sometimes use abrasive substances to remove stack marks, stains and dirt - but this brings the risk of damaging the paintwork one is trying to reveal. Warm water with a soft sponge is usually good enough and will not cause damage. To summarise; Home Front helmets can provide an almost endless pool in which to fish. They are often more reasonably priced than their military cousins and are certainly more colourful. But, whatever you do, DON’T STACK! 

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12/09/2017 16:02

SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID

CHURCHILL’S

GREATEST

Just months after Pearl Harbor Japanese carrier aircraft would again launch a tactical masterstroke. Professor of Naval History, Eric Grove, explains how the IJN forayed into the Indian Ocean in the Easter of 1942.

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FEAR

IMAGE Plt Off Jimmy Whalen downs two Vals in one pass over Ceylon, 5 April 1942.

He downed another later that engagement. (ANTONIS KARIDIS)

INSET Whalen with his Hurricane. (VIA ANDREW THOMAS)

INDIAN OCEAN RAID

W

hat was Winston Churchill’s greatest wartime fear? Defeat in the Battle of Britain? Capitulation at Dunkirk? The U-Boat Menace? Surely, German invasion? According to Lester Pearson, Canadian Ambassador and later Prime Minister, Churchill ‘considered the most dangerous moment of the war, and the one that caused him the greatest alarm, was when the news was received that the Japanese Fleet was heading for Ceylon’. This thrust into the Indian Ocean not only threatened the Empire but also the main line of communication to the vital Persian oilfields and the whole

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SECOND WORLD WAR

British position in the Middle East. The Japanese Naval Attaché in Berlin had long been pressured to carry out a coordinated move on Ceylon, information the British knew. But, Japan had very much its own agenda and although a move to take Ceylon had its attractions, shortages of troops and shipping required in the war against the Americans or in Burma precluded such a manoeuvre. There were other priorities; New Guinea was yet to fall and a major operation would be required to complete its conquest. This might be followed up by a move to the southeast to isolate Australia. 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID However, the American fleet was far from defeated, as was proven by the offensive activities of its aircraft carriers around the Japanese Empire’s periphery. There was, therefore, a need to concentrate on an action to finish it off. The destruction of the US Fleet became the main objective but other potential axes of attack and equally the British Eastern Fleet could not be ignored. The decision was taken to adopt a three-stage strategy. First, there would be Operation ‘C’, a raid to destroy British bases in Ceylon. This would cover the western flank of the

expedition to take Port Moresby and complete the New Guinea campaign. Finally, an operation was to be mounted against Midway, to bring on the final action with the Americans.

POWERFUL STRIKE FORCE

The Japanese force to carry out the raid was the same ‘Kido Butai’ group under

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RIGHT

HMS Cornwall.

(HMP/NHHC)

BELOW

Flagship Force 'B', HMS Resolution (V.Adm Algernon Willis, Somerville's 2-in-C). Despite appearances, the unmodernised battleship was comparatively vulnerable. Behind her is HMS Formidable.

BELOW

Somerville's flag, the modernised HMS Warspite with the Dutch cruiser Jacob Van Heemskerk.

Vice Admiral Nagumo that attacked Pearl Harbor. The carrier Kaga had been damaged, reducing the striking force to five carriers, however, the veteran group was still potent. The flagship Akagi with 27 ‘Zero’ fighters, 18 ‘Val’ dive bombers and 27 ‘Kate’ level/ torpedo bombers; Hiryu and Soryu, each with 21 ‘Zeros’, 21 ‘Vals’ and 21 ‘Kates’; and Shokaku and Zuikaku with 18 ‘Zeros’, 27 ‘Vals’ and 27 ‘Kates’ each. A formidable group, almost certainly the most powerful carrier striking force on the planet. Kido Butai sailed for the Indian Ocean on 26 March, the carriers accompanied by all four Kongo-class battleships, the seaplane cruisers Tone and Chikuma and the light cruiser Abukuma, which was leading a number of destroyers. Nagumo decided to attack Colombo on Easter Sunday, 5 April, hoping to catch

the British by surprise by striking on a holiday morning with most of the fleet in port. He hoped for a repeat of Pearl Harbor. British codebreaking revealed an attack was on the way, although it was thought the blow would fall on 1 April. A new Eastern Fleet had just been assembled with Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville at the helm, and although the Prime Minister considered the command something of a poisoned chalice, a better choice of commander could not have been made. Somerville was thoughtful, progressive and fully aware of the potential of naval air power which he had exercised in command of Force ‘H’ - effectively the Royal Navy’s first carrier taskforce. He was ordered to remain on the defensive, but the intelligence break presented an opportunity.

INDIAN OCEAN RAID

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On paper, Somerville’s command looked powerful, five battleships, three aircraft carriers, seven cruisers and 16 destroyers. All was not as it seemed, however. The only modernised battleship was Somerville’s flag, Warspite, fresh from repairs at Bremerton after the damage she received off Crete. The other four battleships were all R-class, Resolution, Royal Sovereign, Ramillies and Revenge. These were powerful but not modern. They were slow and short-ranged, only capable of 18 knots for up to four days. The main weakness was the air. Interwar problems; staff convinced naval aircraft were inevitably of lower performance than land-based types, and that guns and armour were the main defences of carriers, plus a national priority for strategic air warfare, had long rooted. The two new armoureddeck carriers Indomitable and Formidable, carried between them 25 single-seat

“A formidable group, almost certainly the most powerful carrier striking force on the planet.”

fighters, nine Sea Hurricanes and 16 Martlets. Joining them, 12 Fulmar two-seat fighter aircraft, 45 Albacore torpedo bombers and a single Swordfish tasked with towing targets. The air components were understrength, but just about adequate. Another dozen Swordfish were on Hermes, the first carrier ever laid down as such, though Hosho was the first purpose-built carrier to be launched. Hermes had been placed in reserve in

1937, forced back into frontline use after a quick refit in August 1939. With the assistance of radar and a developing technique of fighter control, the carriers could defend themselves efficiently, if briefly, until Japanese numbers told; the agile Zeros outnumbered the Sea Hurricanes and Martlets four to one, while Fulmars were outclassed by the Japanese fighters. They were otherwise highly capable of disrupting Kates until Zeros disposed of

ABOVE

Adm. Sir James Somerville (r), C-in-C Eastern Fleet, on Warspite.

BELOW

V.Adm Chuichi Nagumo on the bridge of his flagship, Akagi.

them; Vals stood a good chance against Fulmars, though, once they had dropped their bombs. The Albacores were death traps by day but could operate at night; using highly secret search radar and flares. The Fulmars, which had one advantage – low-level performance – were also night operable. Fighting at night was a vital capability Somerville sought to exploit, his one true advantage, although he had serious misgivings about the training of his pilots and 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID ships have hardly been in company with another ship during the war. On top of that most of my staf are pretty green, I have to supervise almost everything myself. It will improve as time goes on but it certainly is a devil of a job at present.’ Somerville hoped for support from Ceylon-based aircraft. Especially useful were Catalina flying boats, as reconnaissance would be vital. Eight were arriving at Koggala. At the end of March, however, only one was serviceable, along with a Dutch Catalina required for liaison. There was a small force of 14 RAF Blenheim and six Fleet Air Arm Swordfish. Air defence – and potential fighter cover for Somerville - was provided by a joint RAF/FAA fighter component of 65 aircraft, three squadrons of Hurricanes and three of Fulmars. observers, a motley crew of veterans and recruits, barely operable at best - A problem Nagumo did not have. The Eastern Fleet also contained two heavy cruisers, Cornwall and Dorsetshire, five light cruisers, HMS Enterprise, Emerald, Dragon, Caledon and the Dutch Jacob Van Heemskerck, the heavy cruisers and two E-class ships were exceptionally fast, and well-armed. There were also 16 destroyers, a mix of British, Australian and Dutch vessels. There had been no time to work up the biggest single fleet the Royal Navy had deployed so far in the war, and Somerville was concerned about its lack of training. Not since the start of the war had two British Fleet carriers

ABOVE

The Japanese strike force (L to R): Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna, and Kongo - taken from Zuikaku. RIGHT

IJN carrier Zuikaku conducts operations off Ceylon, April 1942. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

BELOW

Kido Butai commander, V.Adm. Chuichi Nagumo.

(NHHC)

operated together, and such a large force of battleships was an unusual luxury. Aware he could potentially lead the first carrier vs. carrier clash, he noted: ‘The trouble is, the leet I now have is much bigger than anything anyone has had to handle before or during this war. Everyone is naturally very rusty about during their “leet stuf”- most

SECRET LAIR

Despite his weaknesses Somerville had one fundamental advantage, key to his maintaining the Eastern Fleet as a ‘fleet in being’. In actuality, he was not operating out of Ceylon, as the Japanese thought. He was located at a secret base 600 miles to the southwest, Addu Atoll, in the Maldives.

INDIAN OCEAN RAID

ABOVE

A Bristol Blenheim of 11 Sqn takes off from the airfield at Colombo Racecourse. LEFT

Fulmars were important parts of both Force A's air group and the Ceylon-based fighter force, but were outclassed by Zeros.

The Admiral divided his fleet into two; ‘A’, a carrier task group based around Warspite, Indomitable and Formidable, escorted by the cruisers Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Enterprise and Emerald and six destroyers. Force ‘B’, was a slower group with the four ‘R’s, supported by Hermes for reconnaissance sorties and escorted by Caledon, Dragon and Jacob van

Heemsherk and eight destroyers. Somerville sortied from Addu and had his fleet deployed in a waiting position south of Ceylon on 31 May. His aim was to avoid the Japanese by day but be in position to mount a surprise night attack with Albacore torpedo bombers, Enterprise, Emerald and his destroyers. If successful, this would leave cripples

BOTTOM

Indomitable was the more powerful carrier in Force 'A'. She flew the flag of R.Adm Denis Boyd, and carried 45 aircraft, including 24 Albacores.

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SECOND WORLD WAR

to be finished off by his heavy surface ships. Nothing, however, turned up. Nagumo had delayed his move, awaiting confirmation the location of USN carriers last spotted off Wake Island. Some of Somerville’s ships, designed for cold waters, were showing signs of the problems encountered when serving in the tropics. The ‘R’s were short of water and fuel and the ships’ companies were suffering in stifling conditions. There were also fears of attack from submarines. Therefore, on the evening of 2 April Somerville ordered the fleet back to replenish. He had judged his position correctly. If the Eastern Fleet had remained, there would almost certainly have been a major action, probably with disastrous results. The British facing a vastly superior carrier force by day and Japanese destroyers superbly trained to fight at night with their long-range Long Lance torpedoes. Perhaps considering that numerous attacks on individual merchant ships in the region was the extent of the raid, Somerville was now doubting his intelligence, and detached some units to Ceylon. Dorsetshire had interrupted a refit to join him and was sent to Colombo to resume it. Cornwall also went to Colombo to escort a convoy returning Australians home. The carrier Hermes and the Australian destroyer Vampire also detached for Trincomalee to prepare for the planned invasion of Madagascar. As the Eastern Fleet began to arrive at Addu, Kido Butai was located. A first search to the east found nothing but a Canadian aircraft had taken off early on 4 April to scout 300 miles southeast of Ceylon. It was about to return to base when an object was sighted to the south. As the flying boat closed in, the Japanese striking force was spread out below. The Catalina was sighted and as it sped 

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SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID north, six Zeros were flown from Hiryu to intercept. Badly damaged the Catalina was forced down. Despite strafing, six survivors were picked up out of a crew of nine. They had sent off the vital, but garbled, signal reporting the existence of Japanese fleet, but not precisely what ships had been seen.

ECHOES OF PEARL

Somerville duly sailed. First went Force ‘A’, escorted by six destroyers, Cornwall and Dorsetshire immediately recalled. The next day Force ‘B’ sortied, four battleships (still short of water), three cruisers and eight destroyers. The aim

“A Japanese naval victory in April 1942 would have given Japan total control of the Indian Ocean, isolated the Middle East and brought down the Churchill government.” — Sir Arthur Bryant

was not to defend Ceylon but to be in position for a night attack as the Japanese withdrew. At 03:00 on 5 April, Easter Sunday, Ceylon’s defences were alerted and the harbours at Colombo and Trincomalee cleared, nearly 50 merchant ships

scattering away. At dawn, a wing of 127 aircraft flew towards Colombo, 53 Kate level bombers and 38 Val dive bombers, escorted by 36 Zeros. With echoes of Pearl Harbor, Ceylon’s radar was not operational because of maintenance and relaxed shift changes. The range

ABOVE

IJN carrier Akagi, off Sukumo Bay, Shikoku, after her 1935-1938 refit, April 1939. (NHHC)

LEFT

The view from a rear gunner of the IJN flagship, Akagi. On deck are a 'Kate' (left) and a 'Val'. Akagi carried 27 of the former and 18 of the latter.

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of the Japanese air groups had been underestimated - it was thought there was enough time to get the system running. The aircraft were spotted by patrolling Fulmars and a Catalina (coincidently, the same one which found Bismarck the previous year) but were assumed to be British. There were also communications problems and apart from a lone pair of Hurricanes on patrol the Japanese were overhead the airfields at Ratmalana and Colombo Racecourse before any fighters took to the skies. Caught over Colombo were six Swordfish, flying from Trincomalee to Ratmalana to refuel, before making

INDIAN OCEAN RAID

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SECOND WORLD WAR

an attack on the enemy fleet. All were dispatched. Nineteen Hurricanes and 12 Fulmars took off from Ratmalana but 13 of these aircraft, mostly Hurricanes, were lost. The Japanese were unaware of the fighters based at the Racecourse and the 17 Hurricanes there were able to surprise them. However, used to battling German and Italian fighters, the pilots made the mistake of dogfighting with Zeros and nine were lost. Fortunately, survival rates of Hurricane pilots over Ceylon were unusually high. The Japanese admitted five Vals lost and another two damaged - both ditched

on return flight - though the British claimed 24 kills. The Japanese claimed 39 victories, but actually downed no more than 27 aircraft. The Blenheims hidden at Racecourse successfully formed up to attack the IJN carriers, but could not find them. The Japanese were disappointed that, so to speak, the cupboard was largely bare in Ceylon’s harbour. The destroyer Tenedos, immobilised and undergoing refit, was sunk as was the merchant cruiser Hector. The submarine depot ship Lucia was hit. Further damage was inflicted on harbour and railway installations and 85 civilians were killed and 77 injured. This was largely collateral for the Japanese concentrated on immediate military rather than logistical targets. What few bombs did land near the oil storage tanks hit a nearby hospital. There had been no raid warning and morale in Colombo cracked with an exodus from the city. But, the main blow was still to fall. A seaplane sighted British ships hurtling south, to the west of the Kido Butai and

TOP

HMS Formidable launches one of her Albacores. The disparity between the strike aircraft of the two carrier groups is obvious. ABOVE

Sqn Ldr Birchall, whose Catalina made the first sighting of the IJN force. He was captured and endured a harrowing tenure as POW. LEFT

Kido Butai from Akagi. Astern are Soryu, Hiryu, the four Kongos, Zuikaku and Shokaku. Crew have added padding to Akagi's island.

much to the shock of Nagumo. A second strike stood by, but had been held back and reequipped to hit Ceylon. Hastily rearmed to tackle warships, the wing was sent to deal with these contacts. The spotted ships were Cornwall and Dorsetshire, speeding to join Somerville. Fifty-three Vals from Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu, led by Lt Cmdr. Egusa, Soryu’s air commander, gave a remarkable display of efficient dive-bombing. Walter Fudge was on Dorsetshire, he reflected: “A group of us were sitting in a movie house in Colombo, when on the screen, appeared “MEN OF H.M. SHIPS RETURN TO THEIR SHIPS IMMEDIATELY” … back aboard ship and out to sea we went. It was 11:00pm and not until the next morning did we notice being in company with HMS Cornwall. Furthermore we had some of Cornwall’s crew and Cornwall had some of ours.” The first aircraft was sighted at 11am, within three hours, the main attack force found their targets. Fudge remembered: “In less than ten minutes Dorsetshire was sunk and within ive minutes more Cornwall went down too… Two shipmates went down in the mess and refused to leave the ship – they were non-swimmers. At a time like that it is every man for himself. I recall seeing our new Captain Agar VC giving a salute on the fo’c’sle intending to go down with the ship; but Cassier, another shipmate, would not allow that! He bundled him over the side… A yell from the bridge to the 4in AA crews – “Why aren’t you iring?” Reply – “All dead except me!” [As she sank] there was no vortex – just ear-splitting noise from the bombs… The water was warm… We swam away and a few low-lying planes machine-gunned swimmers and I found a bullet in my ankle but only under the skin – the depth of water must have slowed down its velocity… We were [there] for over 30 hours – one man taken by a shark… Tropical sun and thirst were problems but the wounded had the worst time. Only one whaler boat survived and this was illed with the wounded and those badly burnt. The remainder of us clung to loating object, rafts, and loats.”  www.britainatwar.com

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SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID LEFT

HMS Hermes off Yantai, 1931.

(USN NATIONAL MUSUEUM OF

NAVAL AVIATION)

RIGHT

IJN carrier Hiryu, on speed trials, 28 April 1939. (NHHC)

RIGHT

IJN battleship Kirishima at Kure, March 1940.

(KURE MARITIME MUSEUM)

BELOW

Despite greatly enhanced antiaircraft armaments - and the fact the cruisers had long stood to - in just eight minutes, Dorsetshire was hit by several 250lb and 550lb bombs, one exploding a magazine. She sank by the stern at 13:50. Cornwall was hit eight times, sinking bow first five to ten minutes after her sister. Of their crews, 420 perished. The 1,126 survivors were picked up by the cruiser Enterprise and the destroyers Panther Paladin and Panther. Somerville, now promoted to full admiral, scrambled Albacores to try to find the Japanese carriers. Two of the aircraft were shot down but one found and partially reported Nagumo’s force.

There was finally the chance for the desired night action, but, there was no information on enemy composition or a certain heading (last seen turning northwest). He could not plot an accurate course to attack and he could not position his ships to follow-up on the radar guided strike, at that moment stood ready, as further sorties failed to find the Japanese who were actually moving southeast. Somerville decided the Japanese outclassed him sufficiently, and that his only option was to withdraw. Both Churchill and First Sea Lord Pound approved intentions to send Force ‘B’ ‘out of danger at the earliest moment’ to the

Force B battleship, HMS Ramillies, pictured in 1920. (US LIBRARY OF

CONGRESS)

INDIAN OCEAN RAID

coast of Africa while Somerville was to take Force ‘A’ to Bombay. On 9 April, the day the British forces withdrew from Addu, the Kido Butai was to the east of Ceylon and launched a major strike at Trincomalee. However, they had once again been spotted by a Catalina, and reports from the several merchant ships they had attacked confirmed their composition. The harbour was therefore cleared of all but the cargo ship Sagaing and the monitor Erebus. The most important of the ships escaping to sea was the Hermes, escorted by HMAS Vampire. Others were the corvette Hollyhock, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary oilers Athelstane and Pearleaf, and the tanker British Sergeant. At sunrise, Nagumo launched 91 Kates, escorted by 38 Zeros. Despite the large wing assembled, the results were limited. Erebus was near-missed and Sagaing sunk. Damage was inflicted on what little dockyard facilities there were and 13 aircraft were destroyed and buildings hit at China Bay airfield. This time radar warning was received and 15 Hurricanes were in the air along with six Fulmars; two more Hurricanes scrambled. They had learnt not to get into turning fights with the IJN fighters, but again the Japanese, still outmanoeuvring the British, won the air battle. Eight Hurricanes and a Fulmar were shot down in exchange for a Kate and two Zeros. Another Kate failed to return and two Zeros were shot down by AA while strafing China Bay. One crashed into a fuel storage tank north of the airfield, the only damage inflicted on the fuel sites. Thinking they missed the bulk of the British fleet, chance would set the Japanese up for another raid. A seaplane from the battleship Haruna made the chance sighting of the escaped British ships 65 miles to the south of Trincomalee, heading for the Maldives. The British noticed the spotter, and ordered an immediate return to port.

TOP

A Val divebomber takes off from Akagi. The type was a formidably accurate platform and could also serve as an effective fighter.

ABOVE

Survivors from HMS Dorsetshire pictured on the deck of HMS Paladin. (HMP)

|

SECOND WORLD WAR

Nagumo, again thinking he’d been caught by the whole fleet, rearmed and sent off Egusa with 85 Vals flying from all five carriers, escorted by nine Zeros. This was a lesson the Japanese would not learn, a mistake they catastrophically repeated at Midway. Hermes was carrying no aircraft and had little AA protection. Plans to fit her with a HighAngle Control System, two eight gun pom-pom mounts, and to upgrade existing armaments, were repeatedly delayed and cancelled on the outbreak of war. At least 32 bombers attacked Hermes and, despite the arrival of Fulmars, 90% of the released bombs hit home and she was quickly lost. On Vampire, they thought they escaped unscathed, until 

www.britainatwar.com

99

SECOND WORLD WAR | INDIAN OCEAN RAID RIGHT

HMS Hermes, battered by repeated bomb hits, sinks off Ceylon.

more aircraft came. She downed one of her attackers, but succumbed, breaking in two. Nine of her complement of 119 were killed. On Hermes, 307 were lost. The casualties included the captains of both ships. The survivors were picked up by the hospital ship, Vita.

AT JAPAN’S MERCY

Soryu’s Vals sank British Sergeant, Athelstane and Hollyhock and only Pearleaf escaped. The British fighter screen lost two aircraft, but downed four Vals and damaged two more. As the Japanese strike wing returned, it found the Kido Butai under attack by nine Blenheim bombers flying from Colombo

“We were saved from this disaster by an airman on reconnaissance who spotted the Japanese fleet and, though shot down, was able to get a message through to Ceylon which allowed the defending forces there to prepare for the approaching assault; otherwise they would have been taken by surprise.” - Sir Winston Churchill RIGHT

One of a series of photos taken as Hermes sank. The negatives were underwater for four hours. Her crew clusters by the superstructure; On the horizon, ten miles distant is Ceylon. (HMP)

BELOW

The burning hulks of heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire as they sink,. (ALL IMAGES VIA

AUTHOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

Racecourse. The carrier Akagi and the Tone bore the brunt, but were only near-missed – Akagi sustaining slight damage. Engaged by Zeros and Vals, five Blenheims were shot down, two Zeros were lost. Nagumo, his mission accomplished, withdrew through the Straits of Malacca to participate in operations in the Pacific. After his visit to Bombay, Somerville, in Warspite, transported General Wavell, C-in-C India, to Colombo for discussions on the dire strategic situation. The Admiral’s position was always untenable, and the British were unable to generate the deadly night attack that may have turned the potential first carrier vs carrier clash, a British Midway, but Somerville was nonetheless compared to Jellicoe, a man who could, but didn’t, lose the war at sea in a single afternoon.

100 www.britainatwar.com

Both the Prime Minister and the First Sea Lord defended the commander from parliament, after all, the bulk of the fleet survived, and the Japanese were opposed. Indomitable and Formidable were sent to Kenya, where the fleet concentrated. These carriers, with Warspite and Ramillies, supported the

invasion of Madagascar and this success against Vichy France helped assure control of the sea off East Africa. The rest of the Indian Ocean was, for now, at Japan’s mercy. Only her lack of resources and other priorities saved the fleets of the British Empire. 

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

Invasion Airfields Then And Now

Edited by Winston Ramsey Publisher: After The Battle www.afterthebattle.com ISBN: 978-1-870067-91-1 Hardback: 224 pages RRP: £34.95

B

WHENEVER A book from After The Battle Publications arrives at the editorial office, we know that it will be a superb product – and their latest offering certainly didn’t disappoint! Whilst the various ‘fixed’ airfields in the United Kingdom are rather easier to record, photograph and document than the somewhat temporary and transient nature of Allied airfields used during the invasion of Europe in 1944, Winston Ramsey has done a superb job in accurately recording all of the airfields used as the invasion forces rolled across France and Belgium towards Germany. In his 1945 report to the Combined-Chiefs-of-Staff on the success of Operation ‘Overlord’,

the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, wrote that ‘…on the morning of June 9 I was able to announce that for the first time since 1940, Allied air forces were operating from the French beachhead bases.’ By any standards, this was a magnificent achievement which had been made possible by much pre-planning which, in turn, enabled temporary airfields to be rolled out (often, quite literally!) in order to operate behind the everadvancing front line. For the most part, these airfields were little more than strips of farmland, often nothing much more than tents or farm buildings, and aircraft dispersed and maintained out in the open. Sometimes, these were temporary airfields initially used by the Luftwaffe, but wherever and whatever they were, their usage enabled a firm grip to be had on the advantage of air power. With squadrons just minutes away from the front, instead of having to operate at long range from across the Channel, Allied strength in the air could be further amplified. Of course, some of the airfields were already established aerodromes – occasionally with full facilities, runways etc., that now fell under ‘new management.’

| RECONNAISSANCE REPORT

The occupation and use of such facilities enabled US bomber aircraft to be based there, including B-26 and B-17 aircraft, thus lessening the range and the response time when called upon to attack specific targets in support of the ground invasion forces. In telling the story of these important if not vital airfields, Winston Ramsey has examined the history of each and every one. In the majority of cases, he has included photographs of the airfields during the period of their use, including images of the aircraft, aircrew and personnel who were based there. Often, these provide the perfect subject matter for After The Battle’s trademark then-and-now comparison photographs. In every case, however, we find coloured maps and photographs of the airfields, including images of the scenes at these historic sites today. Often, they are now changed beyond any recognition and this fact alone highlights the importance of recording these important locations before all reference points and all knowledge is lost. Where possible, the editor has included either vertical or oblique coloured

photographs of the airfields to bring the whole subject alive. Not neglected, either, is the story of how the airfields were selected and constructed – including technical information on the various trackway temporary surfaces that were quickly laid out to facilitate almost immediate use by fighter aircraft and heavier types. For those with an interest in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, as well as the use of Allied air power, this is absolutely essential reading. If we were in the business of awarding stars for the books we review, then this would certainly be given five gold ones! REVIEWED BY ANDY SAUNDERS

Illustrations  References/Notes Appendices  Index 



www.britainatwar.com 103

RECONNAISSANCE REPORT |

Unfailing Gallantry

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

Three In Thirteen

From Jet Provost To Strikemaster

The Normandy Battlefields

By Alun Thomas

by Roger Dunsford with Geoff Coughlin

HELION AND Company are certainly

THIS VERY readable book recounts the

WITHOUT A doubt, the Jet Provost is

THIS IS a truly superb guide to the

making a mark for themselves in the

operational biography of night fighter

one of the most ‘neglected’ RAF aircraft

Normandy battlefields, as fought from

publishing of military unit histories,

ace Flt Lt Joe Singleton. The story

of the Cold War in terms of published

the beaches to Falaise, by an editorial

and this rather nice work is a useful

concentrates on his service with 25 Sqn

material. And yet, in many respects, it

team who have already shown their

complement to that range and to the

on night defence duties between late

was one of the most important.

skill and expertise. Sadly, George Forty

library of any serious student of the

1941 and spring 1944, during which

Western Front.

By David Watkins

By Simon Forty, Leo Marriott and George Forty

This was the basic trainer on which

died during the production of the book

he flew Beaufighters, and later the

most of the ‘jet-jockey’ fighter pilots of

and will be sorely missed, but no finer

Mosquito, shooting down seven German

the RAF’s Cold War squadrons would

title could stand as a memorial.

war-raised formation, became much

aircraft and damaging three more.

have learned their craft and, as such, it

The book progresses through such

more effective by war’s end and

The title is drawn from his remarkable

saw widespread service - and in some

topics as Mulberry Harbours, artillery,

adopted a sophisticated approach

combat on the night of 19 March 1944

considerable numbers across a period

traffic management, air power, the

depending upon the prevailing tactical

during the so-called ‘Baby Blitz’ when

spanning some 38 years before it was

Tiger, and collateral damage before

situation. This is supported by original

in the space of thirteen minutes he

finally withdrawn from service in 1993.

looking in detail at the various battles

sources and reports, showing that 8th

destroyed three Ju 188 bombers.

The aircraft also proved to be a popular

and operations throughout the bitter

mount for a variety of RAF aerobatic

fighting in Normandy. The reader is also

This book argues that 8th Division, a

Division, despite the torrid fighting at

Although rightly concentrating on

Ypres, was able to operate at a tempo

Singleton’s operational career, the

teams – The Cranwell Poachers and The

taken on a well thought out ‘journey’

far higher than achieved before. The

early chapters vividly describe his

Macaws amongst them.

which utilises maps, contemporary

first examination of the 8th since 1920, this book gives the background to works such as ‘General Jack’s Diary’, and examines the new tactics of 1917–18. Indeed, books such as this offering are regularly adding to the sum of knowledge of the Great War, and this particular title is one which does just that. As expressed above, Helion

recruitment and training in wartime

imagery and photographs of scenes,

Britain which is enhanced by extracts

later, into a ground-attack aircraft (the

monuments and other significant

from his log book. The use of the

Strikemaster) this variant was not taken

features of the fighting.

contemporary notes is continued

up by the RAF but was used extensively

through the subsequent chapters such

by other air forces.

The quality of photographs used, and of the recent photography, is

as that written on 15 January 1943 in

In total, this highly successful aircraft

exceptionally high and is put together

his first Mosquito combat: ‘Patrol – Do

has seen service across 13 different air

in an exceptional book where endless

forces with no less than 723 Jet Provost

fascination can be had in the then-and-

and Strikemaster variants built. Thus,

now comparisons of French towns and

in providing us with such a creditable

villages, looking back in time through

work of both narrative and technical

these images.

217 damaged – 3 squirts – hit on 1st and 3rd.’ These comments are expanded on

and Company are doing a superb job

in the detailed appendix that includes

in making sure that many otherwise

facsimiles of the combat reports

neglected areas of military history are

Singleton wrote after each action and

being properly recorded.

some handwritten letters.

Despite its otherwise scholarly

Whilst the Jet Provost was developed,

This is a valuable addition to the

detail, David Watkins has filled a gap in

Without doubt, this would be a most

telling the story of a significant post-war

useful guide to have when touring the

aircraft. Until now, it has perhaps been

Normandy battlefields, which it excels

overlooked in favour of rather ‘sexier’

in explaining the complexities of the

combat types, but this book is still sure

campaign, blow by blow, battle by

to be popular.

battle. A must-read.

content, this is not only a good read but

bookshelf about a less well-known role

it is also an excellent reference. Highly

and of a little known, but successful,

recommended.

pilot.

Publisher: Helion and Company

Publisher: Casemate UK

Publisher: Grub Street

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

ISBN: 978-1-910777-61-9

ISBN: 978-1-61200-441-9

ISBN: 978-1-910690-35-2

ISBN: 978-1-61200-419-8

www.helion.co.uk

Hardback: 435 pages RRP: £29.95

104 www.britainatwar.com

www.casematepublishers.co.uk Hardback. 270 pages RRP: £19.99

www.grubstreet.co.uk Hardback: 244 pages RRP: £25.00

www.casematepublishers.co.uk Hardback: 192 pages RRP: £19.99

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

Stopping Hitler

An Official Account of How Britain Prepared to Defend Itself in the Second World War Captain G.C. Wynne

NO-ONE COULD imagine another world war after the horrors of the Great War, and the principle of collective security which underpinned the League of Nations promised no war of aggression could ever occur again. But in 1932, Japan attacked China and the constituent countries of the League of Nations did nothing about it. War had, once again, become a possibility. That same year saw the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany; within months, the latter had withdrawn from the League of Nations and announced its intention to rearm. The world was becoming a dangerous place and Britain had to consider how it would defend itself. Over the next couple of years the Chiefs of Staff put together a

plan for the defence of Great Britain. This took two forms; ‘distant defence’, which meant bomber attacks on Germany, and ‘close defence’, provided by fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft guns. In addition, there was a Home Defence plan to protect the south east and eastern coast against invasion. The idea was for a continuous defence zone around these coasts, 26 miles deep, from the Tees to Portsmouth, sub-divided into an outer Artillery Zone six miles deep, which would contain 34 eight-gun anti-aircraft batteries, with, behind that, an Aircraft Fighting Zone. This was intended to be 20 miles deep, an area where fighters would engage enemy bombers. Behind this coastal zone there was to be an inner artillery zone of local defences; to man all this would require 43,500 men. It was a well-considered plan, but was rejected by the Government on financial grounds. But the need for a strong air force was accepted, with the money coming from Navy and Army budgets. However, in 1936, with the German occupation of the Rhineland, the Government at last recognised that war was not just possible but likely in the next three years. Finally, home defence was

NEXT MONTH

| RECONNAISSANCE REPORT

given priority and the War Office was given the money it needed. Stopping Hitler is a detailed study of the preparations and actual measures taken to prevent invasion during the Second World War. It covers defence against air attack up to 1942 and the vast amount of effort directed at preventing amphibious landings by the Germans, known as the ‘Julius Caesar’ plan. By 1942, the threat of invasion had receded, but danger still presented itself in the V-weapons. The last section of the book deals with measures taken to minimise the effects of flying bombs and rockets. Whilst much has been written about the invasion plans for Britain, little attention has been given to what realistic prospects Britain's defence would have had in countering it. Though undertaken belatedly, by the time invasion became a possibility the essential groundwork had been undertaken. Could Hitler have successfully invaded in 1940? After reading this book, I don’t think so. Reviewed by Robert Mitchell Publisher: Frontline Books

Christopher Ward Watch

Special Edition C9 : P2725 Tm–B www.christopherward.co.uk

ONCE IN a while a product comes across the editorial desk that has more than just a ‘Wow!’ factor. This is one such product. On 15 September 1940, Sgt Ray Holmes of 504 Sqn collided with a Do 17 bomber in his Hurricane and baled-out as the German bomber plunged onto the forecourt of Victoria Station, the Hurricane crashing into Buckingham Palace Road. It was from here, in 2004, that parts of Hurricane P2725 were excavated with Ray Holmes present to witness the unearthing. Now, TMB Art Metal, have made portions of alloy from the Hurricane available to Christopher Ward Watches for a limited edition run of 100 watches. The black face is inspired by cockpit instruments, the rear of the case engraved with an outline of the story around a map of London. Each watch comes in a presentation case with its own handbook and certificate. This is definitely for the man who has everything. And with Christmas looming, it might just be that very special gift for the significant other in your life? This is a thing of beauty and history, and will surely only appreciate in value across the years. RRP: £2,495

www.frontline-books.com ISBN: 978-1-47389-552-9 Hardback. 388 pages RRP: £25.00

Illustrations  References/Notes Appendices  Index 



Contributors for the forthcoming issue include Capt. Peter Hore, Steve Snelling, Peter Hart, Mark Khan, Austin J Ruddy and Andy Thomas

ADEN: FIFTY YEARS ON

ENIGMA SNATCH! U-110 CAPTURE

BRITAIN AT WAR MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017 ISSUE ON SALE FROM 26 OCTOBER 2017 www.britainatwar.com 105

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

October 1917

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY October 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 October 1917. RIGHT

Pictured at the end of, or just after, the First World War, this is a view of the battlefield around Hill 60. The road has been constructed from railway sleepers resting on baulks of timber. Note the various artillery shells lying around. The place was described by one British soldier as ‘Hell with the lid off’.’ BELOW

The scene of desolation that was the Hill 60 area in 1917. A scale for the many craters is provided by Lieutenant J.W. Murray of 15th Battalion AIF who can be seen left of centre. (COURTESY OF

THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL; E00582)

A

S LORD Ashcroft points out in his account of Private (later Captain) William Boynton Butler VC, sacrifice was undoubtedly one of the driving forces behind the action. However, at least one of the eight other Victoria Crosses gazetted in October 1917 was of a similar nature. Born in Glenmavis, North Lanarkshire, on 1 April 1893, John Carmichael enlisted into the Lowland Engineers on 8 June 1915. Realising that he would see little chance of immediate action in this unit, he transferred to the infantry and was posted to the 9th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters. In early 1917 he transferred to the 9th Battalion (Pioneers), North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’). On 8 September 1917, during the Third Battle of Ypres, Sergeant Carmichael was a member of a party excavating a trench close to Hill 60 near Zwarteleen – Hill 60 is now a memorial park in the area of Zillebeke south of Ypres. This feature was so-named on British military maps because the

106 www.britainatwar.com

contoured height of the ground was marked at sixty metres above sea level. Carmichael’s citation for the VC in The London Gazette takes up the story: ‘Sjt. Carmichael saw that a grenade had been unearthed and had started to burn. He immediately rushed to the spot and, shouting to his men to get clear, placed his steel helmet over the grenade and stood on the helmet. The grenade exploded and blew him out of the trench. Sjt. Carmichael could have thrown the bomb out of his trench, but he realised that by so doing he would have endangered the lives of the men working on top. By this splendid act of resource and self-sacrifice Sjt. Carmichael undoubtedly saved many men from injury, but it resulted in serious injury to himself.’ After the war, Carmichael returned to his native Airdrie where he was presented with a cheque for £1,000. He used this to start a chicken farm and bus company. He also took an active

part in the welfare organisations of exservicemen. Like Butler, Carmichael also served in the Home Guard during the Second World War, reaching the rank of Lieutenant in the Lanarkshire Home Guard.

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY October 1917

GALLANTRY AWARDS GAZETTED IN OCTOBER 1917 Two of the VCs announced in October 1917 were to men of the same unit, and, indeed, resulted from the same action. They were Lance-Sergeant John Moyney and Private Thomas Woodcock, both in the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards. John Moyney’s greatgrandson, Chris Percival, wrote the following about his background: ‘[He] was born on January 8th 1895 in Rathdowney, Co. Laois. As a young man, he worked with local farmers. He enlisted on 7 April 1915 with 2nd Battalion Irish Guards and left for France on 5 October 1915 with No 5 Company. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 20 December 1915 and Lance-Sergeant on 18 October 1916 [...] By the late summer of 1917 Moyney was a Lance-Sergeant in No.3 Company, under the command of Captain Gunston, who recommended him for the VC. On 12/13 September 1917 at Ney Copse, Belgium, north of the Broembeek stream, Moyney was in command of fifteen men forming two advanced posts. ‘The Broembeek cut through the northern sector of the Ypres front, between Wijdendrift and the southern edge of Houthulst Forest. At 2.45am on

the 13 September, Moyney and his men were left isolated after a German attack. They found themselves surrounded and cut off as a result of their comrades being captured on one flank and had been ordered to retreat on the other flank, thinking that Moyney and his men had been captured or killed.’ An account of what followed was published in The London Gazette: ‘In spite

9 74 32 878 696 82 1,693 3,464

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

TOP LEFT

of being surrounded by the enemy he held his post for ninety-six hours, having no water and little food. On the morning of the fifth day a large force of the enemy advanced to dislodge him. He ordered his

ABOVE Jack Moyney VC’s grave in St. Cronan’s Cemetery in Roscrea, County Tipperary. (COURTESY OF DECLAN O’REILLY)

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

men out of their shell holes, and, taking the initiative, attacked the advancing enemy with bombs while he used his Lewis gun with great effect from a flank. ‘Finding himself surrounded by superior numbers, he led back his men in a charge through the enemy, and reached a stream which lay between the posts and the line. Here he instructed his party to cross at once while he and Pte. Woodcock remained to cover their retirement. When the whole of his force had gained the south-west bank unscathed he himself crossed under a shower of bombs. It was due to endurance, skill and devotion to duty shown by this non-commissioned officer that he was able to bring his entire force safely out of action.’ Moyney returned home after the war and obtained a job as Head Porter in Roscrea Railway Station, County Tipperary, where he worked for almost forty years. He passed away in 1980 aged 85, the last surviving Great War Irish VC holder. One of the men in Moyney’s post on the night of 12/13 September 1917, 

After the war, Hill 60 was left as it was, a memorial to those soldiers whose bodies were never recovered. Although softened by the passage of time, many of the shellholes, craters and trenches can still be discerned. In 1920, Hill 60 was bought by Lt-Col. Cawston who later sold a half share in it to J. Calder. In 1930, Calder donated Hill 60 to the forerunner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains the site to this day. ABOVE LEFT

Towards the rear of the Hill 60 memorial site, on elevated ground, is this largely intact pillbox. The visible part was constructed by Australian troops in 1918 on top of an earlier German structure.

www.britainatwar.com

107

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

October 1917

RUNNING TOTAL OF

GALLANTRY AWARDS AS OF THE END OF OCTOBER 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 TOP RIGHT

Canadian soldiers in a captured German trench during the Battle of Hill 70, August 1917. The men on the left are scanning the sky for aircraft, while the soldier in the centre appears to be re-packing his gas respirator into his carrying pouch. Dust cakes their clothes, helmets, and weapons. (ALL IMAGES HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE)

344 5,926 823 20,134 15,006 67 2,283 72,656 117,239

Thomas Woodcock had been born in Wigan, Lancashire, on 19 March 1888, the son of Isabella Twigley and Henry Woodcock. He married Mary Mitchell in 1909. His citation in The London Gazette provides the following account: ‘He was one of a post commanded by L./Sjt. Moyney which was surrounded. The post held out for 96 hours, but after that time was attacked from all sides in overwhelming numbers and was forced to retire. Pte. Woodcock covered the retirement with a Lewis gun, and only retired when the enemy had moved round and up to his post and were only a few yards away. He then crossed the river, but hearing cries for help behind him, returned and waded into the stream amid a shower of bombs from the enemy and rescued another member of the party. The latter he then carried across the open ground in broad daylight towards our front line regardless of machine gun fire that was opened on him.’

RIGHT

As early as September 1917, General Arthur Currie and other Canadian Corps commanders attend a memorial service to men who fell at the Battle of Hill 70. (LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA)

108 www.britainatwar.com

Unlike Moyney, Woodcock did not survive the war. He was killed in action at Bullecourt on 27 March 1918. Two men serving in Canadian Corps were awarded the VC in October 1917, in both cases for their actions during the Battle of Hill 70. Though the battle itself lasted from 15 to 25 August, Private Harry Brown was in October awarded the VC for his actions on 16 August, Sergeant Frederick Hobson for his gallantry two days later. Brown had been working in a munitions factory when he enlisted with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, in Ontario, on 18 August 1916. After being posted overseas, he joined 10th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The citation for the VC states: ‘After the capture of a position, the enemy massed in force and counterattacked. The situation became very critical, all wires being cut. It was of the utmost importance to get word back to Headquarters. This soldier and one other were given the message with orders to deliver the same at all costs. The other messenger was killed. Pte. Brown had his arm shattered, but continued on through an intense barrage until he arrived at the close support lines and found an officer. He was so spent that he fell down the

dugout steps, but retained consciousness long enough to hand over his message, saying, “Important message.” He then became unconscious, and died in the dressing station a few hours later [actually on the 17th]. His devotion to duty was of the highest possible degree imaginable, and his successful delivery of the message undoubtedly saved the loss of the position and prevented many casualties.’ Though serving in 20th Battalion (Central Ontario) CEF at the time of the Battle of Hill 70, Frederick Hobson had been born on London on 23 September 1873. He was also a British Army veteran, having served in the ranks of the Wiltshire Regiment during the Boer War. Like Brown, Hobson did not survive his VC action: ‘During a strong enemy counterattack a Lewis gun in a forward post in a communication trench leading to the enemy lines, was buried by a shell, and the crew, with the exception of one man, killed. Sjt. Hobson, though not a gunner, grasping the great importance of the post, rushed from his trench, dug out the gun, and got it into action against the enemy who were now advancing down the trench and across the open. A jam caused the gun to stop firing. ‘Though wounded, he left the gunner to correct the stoppage, rushed forward at the advancing enemy and, with bayonet and clubbed rifle, single handed, held them back until he himself was killed by a rifle shot. By this time however, the Lewis gun was again in action and reinforcements shortly afterwards arriving, the enemy were beaten off. The valour and devotion to duty displayed by this noncommissioned officer gave the gunner the time required to again get the gun into action, and saved a most serious situation.’ Hobson was aged 43 at the time of his death. 

LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH" Captain William Boynton Butler VC

Captain LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

William Boynton Butler VC

SACRIFICE

AGGRESSION • BOLDNESS INITIATIVE • LEADERSHIP 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. Captain William Butler’s award is part of the collection and Lord Ashcroft feels that it falls within the category of sacrifice: “In what is apparently the simplest quality of bravery, Sacrifice epitomises selfless responsibility. Noble, strong, dependable, life is offered up to protect, save or comfort others. It is not always lost, but it is always freely given.”

W

BELOW

Captain William Boynton Butler VC’s medal group. (LORD ASHCROFT COLLECTION)

illiam Boynton Butler was born in Armley, Leeds, Yorkshire, on 20 November 1894. He was the illegitimate son of William Boynton, a colliery worker, and his partner Caroline Butler, a wool weaver. In fact, his parents married shortly after his birth in December that year, by which point he had already been given his mother’s surname as his own surname and his father’s surname as his second Christian name. William Butler’s childhood was spent at his family’s modest home in Hunslet, Carr, Leeds, where he lived with his parents and his brother and three sisters. He was educated locally at St Oswald’s school in Hunslet, which he left around 1907.

ABOVE A group of Victoria Cross winners photographed on 5 December 1917. They are, from

left to right: Private Michael James O’Rourke of the 7th (1st British Columbia) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force; Sergeant James Ockendon of the 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, awarded the Victoria Cross in Belgium on 4 October 1917; Private William Boynton Butler of the 17th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment; and Corporal Ernest Alfred Egerton of the 16th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, awarded the Victoria Cross in Belgium on 20 September 1917. (LORD ASHCROFT COLLECTION)

Butler, who was quiet and unassuming, spent some seven years working down the pit as a pony driver, in the same coal mine as his father, before enlisting. He eventually joined one of the newly-created “Bantam Battalions” (for men of less than 5 foot 3 inches in height), the 17th (2nd Leeds Pals), West Yorkshire Regiment, in Leeds on 9 January 1915. He had previously been turned down for the military on the grounds that he was too short at 5 feet 2½ inches tall. Once in the Army, however, Butler was attached to a Trench Mortar Battery and was trained at Ilkley, Yorkshire. By June 1916, he was serving on the Western Front attached to the 106th Trench Mortar Battery (also known as a Stokes Mortar battery after the name of the weapon’s inventor). On 6 August 1917, Butler was in charge of a mortar on the British line east of L’Empire, France. His precise position was between Cambrai and St Quentin, some sixty miles to the south of the

Third Battle of Ypres, which had commenced in Flanders on 31 July – exactly a week earlier. In fact, on 5 August the 17th West Yorkshires had been relieved from their front line position by the 19th Durham Light Infantry, returning to billets at L’Empire. However, the next day was misty and the enemy, apparently taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions, successfully raided Guillemont Farm at around 03.30 hours with a force of some 150 troops. Within forty-five minutes, the West Yorkshires had 'stood to' and during the night and the following day they supplied working parties. It was during heavy fighting on 6 August that Butler showed such quick thinking and bravery that he was later awarded the VC. His citation, published on 17 October 1917, takes up the story: “For most conspicuous bravery when in charge of a Stokes gun in trenches which were being heavily  www.britainatwar.com 109

LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

Captain William Boynton Butler 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

ABOVE Men of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry fuse Stokes trench mortar shells near Wieltjie, 1 October 1917. (NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND)

shelled. Suddenly one of the fly-off levers of a Stokes shell came off and fired the shell in the emplacement. Private Butler picked up the shell and jumped to the entrance of the emplacement, which at that moment a party of infantry were passing. He shouted to them to hurry past as the shell was going off, and turning round, placed himself between the party of men and the live shell and so held it till they were out of danger. “He then threw the shell on to the parados [a protective, elevated area of earth and sandbags at the rearmostside of a trench], and took cover in the bottom of the trench. The shell exploded almost on leaving his hand, greatly damaging the trench. By extreme good luck Private Butler was slightly injured [severely bruised] only. Undoubtedly his great presence of mind and disregard of his own life saved the lives of the officer and men in the emplacement and the party which was passing at the time.” By 22.30 hours the following day, the 17th West Yorkshires were relieved once again, this time by the 18th Highland Light Infantry. Weeks later, Butler described to the press how the shell had been fired into the emplacement. “I picked it up and showed it to my mate. ‘It’s going off,’ I said. ‘I know it is’, he replied, and stopped still and never shifted. I hardly knew what I did, but I jumped to the entrance of the emplacement with the shell, which was an eleven-pounder, and there I saw a party of infantry passing. “I shouted to them to get out of the way, and they did so quickly. Those 110 www.britainatwar.com

on the right rushed away, and a man turned about a dozen men back with him. I then threw the shell on to the parados. Not being too far over, it fell back to the bottom of the trench and burst. It damaged the trench, but didn’t injure any of the men.” It appears Butler was more seriously wounded at some point after his VC action, but, following medical treatment, he was back with his battalion on 18 November 1917. Butler received his VC from George V at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 5 December 1917, when his parents were present. The next day he was the guest of honour at a civic reception in Leeds. On the same day, he visited his old school, St Oswald’s, where he was presented with a china clock from the citizens of Leeds. He also received a gold medal from a Leeds man and £300 from other well-wishers. After the war, he was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre. On 7 February 1920, Butler married Clara Johnson at Hunslet Registry Office and the couple went on to have a daughter. It is understood that Butler was given a medical discharge from the Army in 1921. After that, he worked for the North East Gas Board. For the rest of his life, Butler was an enthusiastic supporter of his regimental association and also the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. In 1940, after the outbreak of the Second World War, he served in the Home Guard. After the war, Butler attended the Victory Parade of June 1946. During

the final years of his life, he suffered from poor health and he died in his home in Leeds on 25 March 1972, aged 77. Butler was given a full military funeral four days later and was buried in Hunslet Cemetery, Leeds, originally in an unmarked grave – but this was rectified in 1994. I feel privileged to be the custodian of his medal group having purchased it privately in 2011. 

ABOVE

A Stokes Mortar crew in action at the front. The men are from the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and are near Le Quesnoy. (NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NEW ZEALAND)

ABOVE The memorial to the Leeds VC holders that can be seen in The Headrow, a street in the city centre. Butler is commemorated in the lefthand column. (STEVE TERRINGTON/SHUTTERSTOCK)

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BATTLE f BRITAIN ROADSIDE STUKA! West Sussex, 16 August 1940

Following a dive-bombing attack on nearby RAF Tangmere, this Junkers Ju 87 B-2, coded T6+HL, Wk.Nr. 5580, of 3/StG 2, was shot down by Hurricanes of 43 Sqn and Spitfires of 602 Sqn and crashed by the B2145 Selsey Road, near Church Norton Junction, West Sussex, at 13.00 hours on 16 August 1940. The crash tore off the undercarriage as it careered across the road and through a hedge. Uffz Paul Bohn and Ogefr Johannes Bader were both taken Prisoner of War. Considerable damage was caused at RAF Tangmere, but two days later another massive attack by Stukas took place against targets in West Sussex. On both days, serious losses were inflicted against the Stuka force.

(Coloured by Doug Banks)

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The First W

rld War in Objects

CRESTED CHINA TANK

NO.39

submarines of the sea and the aeroplanes and airships of the air, to the people who fought and the memorials that now stand in their memory. Individually they appear to us now as interesting artifacts of a bygone era; collectively they provide a fascinating “potted” history of the war.’ There was often fierce competition amongst the potteries to be the first to produce a piece of crested china commemorating a new invention or incident. The crested china model seen here, depicting the Mark I Male tank C5, named Crème de Menthe, is an excellent example. Commanded by Captain Arthur Inglis, C5 was one of the tanks that went into action on the morning of 15 September 1916 during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. This was the date when Britain would unleash its new secret weapon, the battle tank, upon the unsuspecting enemy for the first time. Though C5 was filmed during the attack, almost certainly by the cameraman Frederick Bovill in the Canadian sector (reports from German sources indicate that Bovill was seen advancing with the Canadians and their supporting tanks, filming as he went), the public was not permitted to see any images of the new ‘landships’ for over two months. It was on 22 November 1916, that The Daily Mirror carried a picture of C5 in the battle. Under the headline ‘“Hush, Hush” – a Tank Goes “Galumphant” Into Action on the Western Front’, the image showed C5 missing one of its rear steering wheels – this having been lost in the attack. Just seven days later, the most enterprising of the potteries, Arcadian, produced its first crested china model of C5 – complete with just one steering wheel. TOP Crème de Menthe advancing to the attack on 15 September 1916. C5

did reach her objective, but only after the majority of the infantry she was supporting had already arrived. Despite this, her 6-pounder guns were used to destroy a number of German machine-gun posts located in the Courcellette sugar factory, resulting in the surrender of fifty German soldiers. (HISTORIC

MILITARY PRESS)

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, in a moment of inspiration, the Stoke-on-Trent-based Falcon Pottery, owned by William Henry Goss, started manufacturing white porcelain models which were generally embellished with the coat of arms of a particular town, city or county. In so doing, Goss created a whole new ‘souvenir’ market, his pieces of crested china, ‘fancy ware’ as they were often called, being eagerly sought after by tourists and collectors alike to mark a memorable holiday or national event. For almost half a century, Goss’ products, and those from a number of other firms, formed the basis of a burgeoning seaside souvenir industry. It was one, though, that was drastically curtailed by the outbreak of war in 1914. ‘In an attempt to stem their dwindling sales,’ the crested china specialist Robert Southall wrote, ‘many manufacturers from the small Stoke-on-Trent potteries turned their attention to things martial. From postcards and photographs, written descriptions and hearsay and the pages of newspapers and magazines, they culled inspiration for their china models. No stone was left unturned and models representing all aspects of the war were produced: from the tanks and armoured cars of the land, the ships and

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LEFT The very image of C5 that appeared on the front of The Daily Mirror – by the time this footage was taken on Pozières Ridge, by Frederick Bovill or his assistant, she had lost one of the tail wheels. It was the first time that a photograph of a British tank in action had been published in the United Kingdom. The Daily Mirror had paid the Canadian War Records Office the not inconsequential sum of £1,000 for exclusive rights to this series of images. (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; LC-B2-4068-4)

BELOW The crested china model of C5, Crème de Menthe, that was produced within days of the publication of the first pictures of her in action during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The mistake with the missing wheel was soon rectified. Crested china tanks were one of the most popular subjects produced by the potteries in the war.

With only 100 pieces being manufactured to mark the RAF’s centenary in 2018, the C9 P2725 TM-B Limited Edition contains an aluminium disc recovered from Hurricane P2725 - a plane that foiled a German bomber’s attempt to attack Buckingham Palace by ramming it out of the air on 15 September 1940 – which has been engraved with a map of London. Appropriately, its dial design is also influenced by the Hurricane’s instrument panel.

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