Operation Frankton, Saint Georges de Didonne,FR - Battlefields on Waymarking.com

[EN]
The Frankton operation is a military operation of World War II , led by a group of ten men of the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment , a detachment of marine commandos . The operation, which began in December 1942 by the LE7 launch five kayaks ( ten men ) off Montalivet aims to attack Axis ships based in the port of Bordeaux.


context

The Frankton operation is designed to meet the desires of Lord Selborne , Minister of Economic Warfare government of Winston Churchill , who asked , in May 1942 , we take steps to attack Axis ships , based in Port of Bordeaux, known to force the blockade between France and the Far East. These convoys carrying weapons to Japan and returning from the Far East with rubber.

This daring operation by design, by the care of its preparation and the courage of his execution was not exceeded by any other of the same kind . A German officer described it as "the most remarkable commando raid of the war" [ref. needed] .
the plan

The plan is , in short, that an officer and eleven men of the Royal Marines back Gironde in small canoes are traveling during the night , and place of limpets mines or explosives magnetic poles on the line floating vessels to be in the port of Bordeaux. The boats will be brought down to less than nine miles from the mouth of the Gironde in a submarine conducting its normal patrol service and will not need to be specially designed .
Mission

On the evening of December 7, 1942 , the British submarine HMS Tuna takes five kayaks to water ( Catfish , Coalfish , Crayfish , Cuttlefish , Conger ) and its ten crew off - Montalivet Soulac ( Department of Gironde) . The sixth kayak ( Sperm ) was torn at the launch , the crew (William Ellery and Eric Fisher) returns enAngleterre aboard the submarine. The entire squad was up the estuary hiding by day , lay mines on the ships he could find and leave their canoes arrived at Bordeaux . One of five boats ( Conger ) disappears from the turmoil of the mouth , a second ( Coalfish ) capsized shortly after , leaving two crew members to their fate. The other three kayaks ( Catfish , Cuttlefish , Crayfish ) are carried by the tide near the Verdon and forced to slide between the pier and four enemy ships at anchor. Shortly after , one of the three kayaks ( Cuttlefish ) disappears. The remaining two kayaks, Catfish ( Hasler / Sparks ) and Crayfish (Wash / Mills) may sail that night and with a favorable tide. They must pass hidden in the bushes of the bank day. The night of 11 December 1942 to 21 hours , the two kayaks are preparing to run the latest phase of their mission. Catfish moves towards the quays of the left bank of the port of Bordeaux and managed to fix magnetic mines on three ships docked . Crayfish on the rest Bassens laying mines and two ships moored at the pier . Mission accomplished , the four men have only a few hours to flee the region. Explosions begin December 12, 1942 from 7am .
the decline

The four men down to the Gironde Saint -Genes -de -Blaye enjoying the ebb tide and current , flow and sink their boats inland to undertake a journey of 160 km in the occupied zone walk up Ruffec (Charente) . For added security the two teams separate. December 14 , 1942, one of two groups ( Laver and Mills) is identified and denounced near Montlieu la Garde. They are arrested and despite their uniform of the British Army will be considered terrorists (not military ) . They were shot in March 1943 in Paris .

The other group ( Hasler and Sparks ) , aided by the French Resistance and the Catalans networks and Spanish Republicans , joined Gibraltar on April 1, 1943 , through parBlaye , Donnezac , Vibrac Saint Germain , Saint Even Careers , Saint- Preuil ruffec ( 18 December 1942 ) , wood Benest , Marvaux (where they remain hidden 42 days) , Roumazières , Limoges, Lyon , Marseille, Perpignan, Bañolas , Barcelona, ??Madrid and finally Gibraltar.
Results of the operation

Mines have exploded, four freighters, the Tannenfels , the Dresden , Alabama and Portland are severely damaged. A Sperrbrecher and oil Cap Hadid are also affected. The French firefighters port, under the authority of the engineer Raymond Brard alias Colonel Raymond Triangle - Phidias Network , immediately called , according to a French report, they deliberately aggravated damage by flooding the ship with their spears to capsize .
State ships

The cargo Tannenfels gives strong band and soon to sink. The rear cargo Dresden , the shield and the propeller shaft were pierced , sinks to the bottom. The ship was holed by Alabama five limpets stuck . The cargo Portland is seriously damaged , fire causing much damage. Subsequently, Tannenfels , Alabama and Portland will be bailed with the help of divers, reassembled and put into dry dock to undergo major repairs . We do not know precisely what happened to the oil and ausperrbrecher Cap Hadid.
The fate of men commando

Ten men who participated in the mission , only the Major HG " Blondie " Hasler and Corporal William Sparks have survived . Of the eight other two drowned , six were captured and shot. They were part of the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment , a group of British Commandos .

Kayak Catfish ( Catfish )
Major HG " Blondie " Hasler (head of commando )
Marine William E. Sparks London .

Mission accomplished , they descend to the Gironde Saint -Genes -de- Blaye, run their boat and sink into the land and embark on a journey in the occupied zone , walk to Ruffec (Charente) . Helped by the French Resistance then réseauxCatalans and Spanish Republicans , they join Gibraltar on April 1, 1943 .

Kayak Coalfish (black cod )
Sergeant Samuel Wallace, a professional soldier who was 12 years of service . Irish singles from Dublin .
Marine Robert Ewart, who lived Scottish Scone, Alloa and Glasgow, was employed in a textile factory . When war broke out , he enlisted in the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment .

Sergeant Wallace and Marine Ewart were captured Dec. 8, 1942 at the Pointe de Grave and executed on the orders of Admiral Julius Bachmann on the night of 11 to 12 décembreaprès lengthy interrogations without speaking . Their execution took place in Blanquefort (Gironde , near the castle now used Dehez place of commemoration. The place of performance is to be in the school premises adjoining the field Dehez but did nothing to do with it then occupied by an Italian detachment. bunker for commemoration today is a repository of Italian ammunition.

Kayak Crayfish ( Crawfish )
Corporal Albert Frederick Laver, professional soldier who had served on the previous year against Rodney Bismarck , tortured and shot in March 1943 in Paris .
Marine W.N. Mills , 21 , from Kettering , used in a sporting goods store , served in civil defense before engaging in the Royal Marines. Tortured and shot in March 1943 in Paris .

The decline Wash and Mills ended near Montlieu La Garde where they are denounced , arrested by the gendarmerie which gives the occupation authorities. Locked in Bordeaux with Mackinnon and Conway then transferred to Paris in early January , all four are tortured and executed 23 March 1943 . Kept for three months, probably because the German intelligence services sought to know by whom they had been helped during their retreat , Corporal Laver, Marine Mills , Lieutenant Mackinnon and Marine Conway died without speaking .

Kayak Cuttlefish ( Squid )
Lieutenant John MacKinnon ( second in command )
Marine James Conway , 20 , from Stockport in Cheshire, milkman .

Lieutenant Mackinnon and Marine Conway, who continued their only road on the Gironde reach Ile Cazeau then Bec Ambes when their boat sank after rammed an underwater obstacle. They fold through the Entre-Deux -Mers to Cessac where a French couple , Mr. and Mrs. Jaubert host the three days at the farm deSeguin . After leaving their host , they try to reach Spain . Captured by the French gendarmerie near La Réole , December 28, 1942 , they are handed over to German authorities who took him to Bordeaux where they find Wash and Mills then transferred to Paris in early January . All four are executed March 23, 1943 .

Kayak Conger ( Conger )
The kayak capsized crossing the bar off Soulac .

Corporal George Sheard , who disappeared on the night of 7 to 8 December 1942 , his body was never found.
Marine David Moffatt, born in Belfast , raised in Yorkshire. Drowned , the body of David Moffatt was discovered December 17, 1942 near La Pallice on Le Bois -Plage -en- Re ( Ile de Ré ) with kayaking.

Kayak Sperm ( Sperm )
Marine William Ellery , London ,
Marine Eric Fisher, from West Bromwich in the suburbs of Birmingham , repair of printing machine

They returned to England aboard the submarine HMS Tuna after their kayak was torn during the launch .

Execution of six Royal Marines made ??uniform under Hitler secret directive of 18 October 1942 concerning the commandos , is a war crime for which Admiral Raeder had to meet at Nuremberg in 1946 and Admiral Julius Bachmann trial in Hamburg in 1948.
commemorations

The memory of the heroes of Operation Frankton is commemorated each year in France , including Bordeaux, Blanquefort , Saint Georges de Didonne and Ruffec .

Plaques were laid in Entre-Deux- Mers Baigneaux and Cessac . Alas that Cessac , located along a bike path, to the farm of Jaubert was vandalized. As part of a proposed relocation of the monument to the war dead of 14-18, the municipality in 2011 , moved to put a second plate against the wall of the town hall in the new location of the commemorations.

[FR]
L’opération Frankton est une opération militaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, menée par un groupe de dix hommes de la Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment, un détachement de commando de marine. L’opération qui commence le7 décembre 1942 par la mise à l’eau de cinq kayaks (dix hommes) au large de Montalivet a pour but l’attaque des navires de l’Axe, basés dans le port de Bordeaux.


Contexte

L’opération Frankton est conçue pour répondre aux désirs de Lord Selborne, ministre de la Guerre économique du gouvernement de Winston Churchill, qui demande, en mai 1942, qu’on prenne des mesures pour attaquer les navires de l’Axe, basés dans le port de Bordeaux, dont on sait qu’ils forcent le blocus entre la France et l’Extrême-Orient. Ces convois transportent des armes à destination du Japon et reviennent d’Extrême-Orient avec du caoutchouc.

Cette opération audacieuse par sa conception, par le soin de sa préparation et le courage de son exécution ne fut dépassée par aucune autre du même genre. Un officier allemand l’a décrite comme « le plus remarquable raid de commando de la guerre »[réf. nécessaire].
Le plan

Le plan consiste, en bref, à ce qu’un officier et onze autres hommes des Royal Marines remontent la Gironde dans de petits canots, ne circulant que pendant la nuit, et placent des mines limpets ou bâtons d’explosifs aimantés sur la ligne de flottaison des navires qu’ils trouveront dans le port de Bordeaux. Les canots seront amenés jusqu’à moins de neuf milles de l’embouchure de la Gironde dans un sous-marin effectuant son service normal de patrouille et n’auront pas besoin d’être spécialement conçus.
La mission

Dans la soirée du 7 décembre 1942, le sous-marin britannique HMS Tuna met cinq kayaks à l’eau (Catfish, Coalfish, Crayfish, Cuttlefish, Conger) et ses dix hommes d’équipage au large de Montalivet-Soulac (département de la Gironde). Le sixième kayak (Cachalot) ayant été déchiré lors de la mise à l’eau, l’équipage (William Ellery et Eric Fisher) rentre enAngleterre à bord du sous-marin. L’ensemble du commando devait remonter l’estuaire en se cachant le jour, poser des mines sur les navires qu’il trouverait et abandonner leurs canots arrivés à Bordeaux. Une des cinq embarcations (Conger) disparaît en passant les remous de l’embouchure, une seconde (Coalfish) chavire peu après, abandonnant les deux membres de l’équipage à leur sort. Les trois autres kayaks (Catfish, Cuttlefish, Crayfish) sont portés par la marée près du Verdon et obligés de se glisser entre le môle et quatre navires ennemis à l’ancre. Peu après, l’un des trois kayaks (Cuttlefish) disparaît. Les deux kayaks restants, le Catfish (Hasler/Sparks) et le Crayfish (Laver/Mills), ne peuvent naviguer que de nuit et avec une marée favorable. Il leur faut passer la journée cachés dans les broussailles de la berge. La nuit du 11 décembre 1942 vers 21 heures, les deux kayaks se préparent à exécuter la dernière phase de leur mission. Le Catfish se dirige vers les quais de la rive gauche du port de Bordeaux et réussit à fixer des mines magnétiques sur trois grands navires amarrés. Le Crayfish reste sur Bassens et pose ses mines sur deux navires amarrés dans le môle. La mission accomplie, les quatre hommes ont seulement quelques heures pour s’enfuir de la région. Les explosions commencent le 12 décembre 1942 à partir de 7 heures du matin.
Le repli

Les quatre hommes descendent la Gironde jusqu’à Saint-Genès-de-Blaye en profitant de la marée descendante et du courant, coulent leurs embarcations et s’enfoncent dans les terres pour entreprendre un voyage de 160 km en zone occupée à pied jusqu’à Ruffec (Charente). Pour plus de sécurité les deux équipes se séparent. Le 14 décembre 1942, l’un des deux groupes (Laver et Mills) est repéré et dénoncé, près de Montlieu la Garde. Ils sont arrêtés et malgré leur uniforme de l’armée britannique seront considérés comme des terroristes (et non des militaires). Ils sont fusillés en mars 1943 à Paris.

L’autre groupe (Hasler et Sparks), aidé par la Résistance Française puis les réseaux Catalans et Républicains espagnols, rejoignent Gibraltar le 1er avril 1943, en passant parBlaye, Donnezac, Saint Germain de Vibrac, Saint Même les Carrières, Saint-Preuil, Ruffec (18 décembre 1942), bois de Benest, Marvaux (où ils restent cachés 42 jours),Roumazières, Limoges, Lyon, Marseille, Perpignan, Bañolas, Barcelone, Madrid et enfin Gibraltar.
Bilan de l’opération

Les mines ont explosé, quatre cargos, le Tannenfels, le Dresden, l’Alabama et le Portland, sont très sévèrement endommagés. Un sperrbrecher et le pétrolier Cap Hadid sont également touchés. Les pompiers français du port, sous l’autorité de l’ingénieur Raymond Brard alias colonel Raymond du Réseau Triangle-Phidias, sont immédiatement appelés, et selon un rapport français, ils ont contribué délibérément à aggraver les dommages en inondant les navires avec leurs lances afin de les faire chavirer.
État des navires

Le cargo Tannenfels donne fortement de la bande et ne tarde pas à sombrer. L’arrière du cargo Dresden, dont le blindage et l’arbre porte-hélice ont été transpercés, coule par le fond. Le cargo Alabama fut troué par les cinq limpets collés. Le cargo Portland est sérieusement endommagé, le feu causant beaucoup de dégâts. Ultérieurement, le Tannenfels, l’Alabama et le Portland seront écopés avec l’ai

Name of Battle: Operation Frankton Name of War: World War II Entrance Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 12/07/1942 Date of Battle (End): 12/18/1942 Parking: Not Listed

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