Operation Frankton
| date | December 7, 1942 to December 12, 1942 |
|---|---|
| place | Bordeaux , France |
| output | UK tactical victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
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| Troop strength | |
| 13 soldiers, 6 folding boats "Cockle Mk II" | 2 war fish cutters / Outpost |
| losses | |
|
6 soldiers captured and executed, 2 soldiers died of hypothermia |
6 damaged ships |
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Operation Frankton was a military commando operation by a special unit of the British Royal Marines during World War II. The aim of the bomb attacks was to make cargo ships and warships in the port of the French city of Bordeaux occupied by the Wehrmacht inoperable by destroying or damaging them.
The operation had several peculiarities in planning and process. While the port city of Bordeaux was to be reached from the Gironde estuary by sea in kayaks , the plan was to retreat overland through neutral Spain . Unbeknownst to those involved, another British commando was at the time of deployment in the port of Bordeaux, which was pursuing an almost identical mission. As a result of this mishap, a new post was created in the British Ministry of Defense , which was to oversee the smooth running of the various command operations based in the British armed forces and secret services.
The success of the mission was assessed differently: from a tactical point of view, the losses of over 80% of the original forces are dramatic, but strategically seen the remaining soldiers achieved relatively high economic damage and psychological impact .
background
Operation Frankton was part of a series of commando operations by the British armed forces during the Second World War, with which the government of the United Kingdom under Winston Churchill, partly using elements of guerrilla warfare , tried to weaken the German Reich through targeted individual actions in military and economic terms. The decision to carry out commando operations was made after large-scale military offensives in Europe were deemed impracticable for the time being, given the failure of the British Expeditionary Force and its evacuation in Dunkirk .
The operation was on an earlier initiative of the major of the Royal Marines and later head of the operation, Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler. On July 6, 1942, a unit with the code name "Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment (RMBPD)" (roughly: Royal Marine Infantry Harbor Chain Patrol Department) was set up in the seaside resort of Southsea near Portsmouth on the English Channel coast. Major Hasler was named head of the operation, with Captain JD Stewart his deputy. The unit had a strength of 34 men and was stationed in Lumps Fort, an 18th century fortification. Drills were often carried out in Portsmouth Harbor , with soldiers patrolling the maritime harbor barriers at night.
The attention of the British Army High Command had fallen on a possible operation in the port of Bordeaux , since it was a strategically important import port for war goods for the Germans. In the period from June 1941 to June 1942, u. a. Vegetable and animal oil, other raw materials and 25,000 tons of raw rubber imported through the port. Hasler submitted a plan of attack to the British High Command on September 21, 1942. This first plan involved the transport of three kayaks to the Gironde estuary on the French Atlantic coast. The Gironde estuary forms an estuary at this point . The transport of the kayaks to the estuary should be carried out by means of a submarine. Then the soldiers involved were supposed to paddle the 97 km long route across the Gironde to the port of Bordeaux in several nights, while they were supposed to keep themselves and their kayaks hidden during the day. The aim was to prevent discovery by the 32 ships and boats of the Navy that patrolled the Gironde and used the port of Bordeaux. When they arrived at their destination, six to twelve cargo ships were to be sunk and then the flight would be started by land via neutral Spain.
The operation was approved on October 13, 1942, with Admiral Louis Mountbatten , head of the Combined Operations Headquarters, ordering that the number of kayaks deployed was doubled to six. Originally Mountbatten had also ordered that Major Hasler himself should not take part in the operation, as he, as a kayak expert ("Canoes" in the language of the English military at the time), was indispensable as an operational resource. However, he allowed Hasler to participate in the operation after the latter formally presented his arguments for his involvement.
The RMBPD began on October 20, 1942 with the training, in which the handling of the kayak and stick mines as well as diving exercises and "Escape and Evasion" (roughly: escape and evasive training) were drilled. As part of the exercises, an attack against Deptford was simulated, in which the team members started in Margate and sailed up the River Swale.
Folding kayaks, code-named “cockle”, were chosen as the means of transport for the operation. The type of kayak chosen was a two-man foldable canvas kayak with a flat hull and a length of 4.6 m. When folded, the kayak had to be small enough to be brought into the storage room through the narrow passages of a submarine. On site, the kayak had to be brought back on deck, set up and stowed in the torpedo shafts from which it would be removed at the start of the mission. During the operation, each kayak had two men, eight detention mines, three paddles, a compass, a deep plumb with a crank winch, a repair kit, a flashlight, a camouflage net, a waterproof watch, fishing line, two hand grenades, food and water for six days, a wrench to arm the mines and a magnet to moor the kayak on cargo ships. The maximum load for the cockle kayak was approximately 217 kg (420 pounds). The mission members also carried .45 caliber pistols and Fairbairn-Sykes combat knives.
The men on the mission were divided into two departments, each with its own objective.
- A Division Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks in the “Catfish” kayak. Corporal Albert Laver and Marine William Mills in the “Crayfish” kayak. Corporal George Sheard and Marine David Moffatt in the “Conger” kayak.
- B Division Lieutenant John Mackinnon and Marine James Conway in a kayak "Cuttlefish " . Sergeant Samual Wallace and Marine Robert Ewart in the “Coalfish” kayak. Marine WA Ellery and Marine E. Fisher in the “Cachalot” kayak.
A thirteenth man was on reserve, Marine Norman Colley.
Until the conclusion of Operation Frankton, the Combined Operations leadership and the soldiers involved remained unknown that a similar type of operation by the Special Operations Executive was to take place at the same time: also aimed at the port of Bordeaux, a commando unit led by Claude de Baissac was to take place also attack German ships using explosives. Since the Special Operations Executive followed a strict confidentiality policy, both command organizational units had no knowledge of the other's plans.
Course of the operation
Approximation
On November 30, 1942, the Royal Navy's submarine HMS Tuna (N94) cast off from Holy Loch in Scotland, heading for Biscay. On board the submarine, in addition to the crew under the commandant Lieutenant-Commander Dick Raikes, were the six kayaks and the 13 mission members. The planned arrival time and start of the operation on the Gironde estuary was December 6, 1942. This schedule was postponed by one day due to bad weather and the fact that the Tuna had to pass a minefield. On December 7th, it reached the Gironde estuary and appeared about 16 km before it. When setting up the “Cachalo” kayak, its shell was damaged when it was passed through the access hatch, so that only five kayaks remained ready for use. The reserve member Colley was not needed and so he and the crew of "Cachalot", Ellery and Fisher stayed on board the Tuna.
According to the tuna's log, the remaining five kayaks cast off at 7:30 p.m. on December 7, with other sources claiming the start between 7:36 p.m. and 8:22 p.m. The crews of the kayaks should paddle through to their destination, taking a five-minute break every hour. On the first night from December 7th to 8th, the kayak "Coalfish" disappeared in strong waves and cross winds. On the further voyage, the remaining crew members had to deal with high waves of 1.5 m when the kayak "Conger" capsized and the crew finally gave up after it was not possible to peel the penetrated water. The Sheard and Moffat crew held onto two of the three still seaworthy kayaks. Hasler made a dramatic decision: Since the two shipwrecked comrades severely obstructed the remaining kayaks, the two men were pulled as close as possible to the coast, from where they tried to reach the beach by swimming alone.
The crews of the remaining folding boats continued the operation and approached a key waypoint on their planned route when they encountered three German frigates ahead of them. By lying flat on the hull of the folding boats and paddling quietly, the frigates could be passed undetected, but the boats "Catfish" and "Cuttlefish" were separated. After Mackinnon and Conway were driven ashore, they had to leave their boat. They were able to move undetected towards the Spanish border for four days before being betrayed and arrested by the gendarmerie, who handed them over to the German occupation forces. The prisoners were handed over at the hospital in La Reole, some 48 km southeast of Bordeaux.
On the first night, the three remaining boats “Catfisch”, “Crayfish” and “Coalfish” had covered 32 km in five hours and moored near Saint-Vivien-de-Médoc. While they were hiding during the day and were not noticed by anyone, Wallace and Ewart were arrested in the "Coalfish" at dawn near the Pointe de Grave lighthouse at the beginning of the estuary, where they had been driven ashore. At the end of the second night from December 8th to 9th, the two remaining boats "Catfish" and "Crayfish" had paddled a further 35 km in six hours. On the third night, 9./10. December, they covered 15 miles, on the fourth night of 10/11. December only 14 km due to the strong ebb. The original plan had set the attack with the mines on December 10th, but Hasler changed the plan. Due to the strong ebb tide, they still had a shorter distance to cover, so Hasler ordered that they would hide for another day to reach Bordeaux on the night of December 11th and 12th. After a night of rest, the crews spent the following day preparing equipment and mines. Hasler decided that the boat "Catfish" should attack the west side and "Crayfish" the east side of the port facilities.
Bordeaux
The two remaining folding boats "Catfisch" and "Crayfish" reached Bordeaux on the fifth night of December 11th to 12th; the river was calm and the sky was clear. The attack began at 9 p.m. when Hasler and Sparks installed eight detention mines on four ships in the “Catfish”, including the former cargo ship “ Sperrbrecher 14 ”, which had been converted into a mine defense ship . A guard of the "Sperrbrecher 14" seemed to have discovered Hasler and Sparks' boat, but in the end they were able to avoid detection again by camouflaging their boat in the dark. After they had fastened all the mines, they left the port at 12:45 am with the ebb current. At the same time Laver and Mills in the "Crayfish" reached the east side of the docks, but could not find a target. They therefore decided to attack ships at the previously passed port facilities of Bassens north of Bordeaux. There they placed eight detention mines on two ships, five on a large cargo ship and three on a small liner.
The mine explosion was heard by Claude de Baissac, who on behalf of the Special Operations Executive was also about to bring explosives on board German ships.
On the way back down the river, the two boats met by chance at the Île Cazeau (now Île Verte). They continue their way downriver together and at 6:00 am they reached a section of the bank near the municipality of Saint-Genès-de-Blaye. Here they sank their boats to remove their tracks. The two boat crews then set off independently on foot on the long way to the Spanish border. After two days, Laver and Mills were arrested by the gendarmerie in Montlieu-la-Garde and handed over to the German occupation forces.
On December 10, the Wehrmacht High Command published a statement that a sabotage unit near the Gironde estuary was discovered and eliminated on December 8. It was not until January 1943 that the soldiers involved in Operation Frankton were officially registered as missing by the British. Over time, however, information also leaked that five ships in Bordeaux had been damaged by mysterious explosions during the period of use. In 2010 it became known that a sixth ship had also been damaged, even more severely than the five reported. These five ships were quickly repaired and put into service.
On December 18, 1942, Hasler and Sparks reached the small French town of Ruffec, about 160 km northeast of their landing site on the Gironde. There they contacted members of the Resistance at the Hotel de la Toque Blanche and were hidden for 18 days on a nearby farm. Eventually they were directed to Spain through the Pyrenees.
Effects and Consequences
It was not until February 23, 1943 that the Combined Operation Headquarters received a secret message from Resistance member Mary Lindell to the War Department that Hasler and Sparks were safe. On April 2, 1943, Hasler reached Great Britain by plane. He had previously reached Gibraltar with the help of the Resistance escape organization. Sparks was sent back by sea and arrived much later.
For her participation in the operation, Hasler was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Sparks the Distinguished Service Medal. Laver and Mills were also proposed for the Distinguished Service Medal, but since this could not be awarded posthumously at the time, they were instead mentioned in the war report (mentioned in despatches).
Wallace and Ewart had only revealed certain information during their interrogations. They were executed on the night of December 11th in a sand pit in a forest north of Bordeaux on the basis of the command order . A commemorative plaque was installed at the first suspected place of execution at Chateau Magnol in Blanquefort, but this place has since been rejected as false, among other things by the testimony of a German officer involved in the execution. Another memorial is located at Pointe de Grave, where both soldiers were arrested. In March 2011, a new monument was unveiled at the same location, the cost was 100,000 euros.
After the execution of the two Royal Marines, Grand Admiral Erich Raeder noted in the war diary of the High Command of the Navy that this was a novelty in international law, as the soldiers had worn uniforms. The American historian Charles Thomas rates this entry as a sarcastic remark, possibly expressing a guilty conscience for Readers.
Mackinnon had been admitted to hospital because of an infected knee. It has been proven that Laver, Mills, Mackinnon and Conway were not executed in Paris in 1942, but possibly in the same place as Wallace and Conway, also because of the "order of command". The exact time of her execution is unknown.
Sheard and Moffat in the capsized "Conger" did not drown in the first night, but died of hypothermia. Moffatt's body was found on December 14, far north of the Gironde estuary on the island of Île de Ré. Sheard's body may have been discovered and buried further north on the Atlantic coast. Sheard is commemorated on the Hero's Stone memorial in his native Devonport in the North Corner neighborhood. After it became known that the Combined Operations and Special Operations Executive had carried out almost identical operations in the same area at the same time, a new post of control officer was created in the British Ministry of Defense to avoid such duplications, conflicts and rivalries between organizational units Armed forces in the future should prevent.
Remembrance culture and monuments
The words of Lord Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations, are immortalized on a memorial stone at the Royal Marines site in Poole (the current location of the Special Boat Service ):
“Of the many brave and dashing raids carried out by the men of Combined Operations Command none was more courageous or imaginative than Operation Frankton.” “Of the many brave and daring operations carried out by the men of Combined Operations Command, none was bolder or more imaginative than Operation Frankton. ")
Mackinnon is commemorated at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. His comrade James Conway was honored with his own memorial in his hometown of Stockport, it was unveiled on December 10, 2017.
Laver, Sheard, Mills, Conway, Wallace, Moffatt and Ewart are commemorated at the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
Operation Frankton was described by Louis Mountbatten as "that brilliant little operation that was carried out with great determination and courage [...]".
In June 2002 the "Frankton Trail" was opened, a hiking trail on which Hasler's and Sparks' 160 km long retreat route can be relived. “Frankton Souvenier” is an Anglo-French organization founded to commemorate the history of Operation Frankton. The organization plans to further develop the hiking trail and to put up explanatory boards at important points.
On March 31, 2011, a monument made of Portland stone was erected for the "Cockleshell Heroes" and three French people. The memorial stone was transported by the ferry company Brittany Ferries. The cost of the monument is about £ 80,000. The only surviving folding boat used in Operation Frankton, the "Cachalot" can be viewed with other original equipment in the Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon, Essex.
Artistic processing
In 1955, the events of Operation Frankton were filmed as a movie, with some deviations from the actual course, under the title Ascension Command. The film was a box office success in 1956 and also brought about the publication of a book of the same name. “Blondie” Hasler had connections to both projects: During the shooting of the Ascension Day, Hasler was employed as a technical advisor. However, since he hated the title of the future film and the book based on it (in the original English version "The Cockleshell Heroes"), he gave up his position as a consultant and tried to ensure the correct representation of the processes in the book version.
In 2011, the BBC broadcast a documentary about Operation Frankton entitled "The Most Courageous Raid of WWII". The narrator, Paddy Ashdown , used to be a member of the Special Boat Service . In the documentary, Ashdown also points out the poor coordination of the various British Army Command Organizations that led to tactical errors in Operation Frankton due to the similar operation by Claude Baissac taking place at the same time.
literature
- Rees, Quentin: The Cockleshell Canoes: British Military Canoes of World War Two. Amberley, Stroud, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84868-065-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Rees 2008, p. 25.
- ^ Royal Marines: Operation Frankton. September 8, 2008, archived from the original ; accessed on January 27, 2020 .
- ↑ Rees 2008, p. 74.
- ↑ a b c Rees 2008, p. 75.
- ↑ Rees 2008, pp. 75-76.
Coordinates: 44 ° 53 ′ 15.7 " N , 0 ° 32 ′ 11.6" W.