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Index of all Combined Operations Web Pages.
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Background
Combined Ops Unsprung Why Churchill set up the Combined Operations Command, the duties and
responsibilities he gave it and its guiding principles, development and
achievements. Read this web page and you'll better understand the
context in which all the other website pages are set.
D Day Interactive Painting
An interactive painting
of a major landing on Sword beach based upon the experiences of real
landing craft. The painting illustrates the hazardous nature of beach
landings in an easily understood visual form. Click on the
numbers embedded in the painting for a description of specific parts of
the action or just scroll down the web page and let the story unfold.
Wolfe's Combined Operation How Wolfe's raid on Quebec in 1759,
unwittingly set the ground rules for successful amphibious Combined
Operations in the 20th century. The main lesson was that all parties
involved should contribute to the planning process and have an good
understanding of each others capabilities and roles in the operation
ahead.
Biographies (Short)
Roger Keyes Churchill's 1st appointment to the
post of Director Combined Operations,
which ended in acrimony just 15 months
later, in Oct 1941, due to intolerable tensions between Keyes and
the Chiefs of Staff of the three services. Keyes was a personal
friend of Churchill's and it was with a heavy heart he found it
necessary to replace him.
Mountbatten Despite his youth and lack of naval rank, Churchill appointed Lord
Louis Mountbatten to the redefined role of Combined Operations
Adviser to the Chiefs of Staff from 17/10/41 to 17/3/42 and Chief of Combined
Operations from 18/3/42 to 10/43, by which time he had gained the
respect and confidence of the Chiefs using his undoubted diplomatic
skills.
Geoffrey
Pyke A wartime scientific adviser, whose
unusual and creative mind knew no bounds. Described variously as
a
'One Man Think Tank' and 'not a scientist, but a man of a vivid, uncontrollable imagination and a totally uninhibited tongue.'
However, such was his contribution to the war effort, that
Mountbatten, on leaving to take up his post in Burma, sent Pyke a
personal note of thanks and appreciation.
Rickard C Donovan
As
part of his duties at the Combined Operations Command HQ (COHQ) in London, Irishman, Rickard Donovan was involved in planning
for the D-Day
landings of June 6th,
1944, which history attests was a defining,
historical
moment for the world. This is a short biography
and appreciation of his life and times.
Lt
Douglas Adshead-Grant
The man
who designed the ubiquitous Combined Operations Badge. On 13/01/42, Lord
Louis Mountbatten, Chief of the Combined Operations Command,
issued a general invitation for badge designs to be submitted. One
of several by Lt D A Grant, RNVR, of HMS Tormentor, was approved on
19/02/42.
Commandos
No 1
Commando A brief history of
No 1 Commando, from its formation in July 1940, to disbandment in 1946.
No
4 Commando A brief history of
No 4 Commando, from its formation on 4 March 1941, to disbandment in July
1945.
No
5 Commando A brief history of
No 5 Commando, from its formation in July 1940, to disbandment in January
1947.
No 9
Commando A brief history of No 9 Commando, from
its formation in the summer of 1940, to disbandment in late 1946.
No
11 (Scottish) Commando - The Black Hackle The
Commando was formed in
July 1940. Its members were dispersed to other Commando units a little
over a year later. However, much was packed into this
period, as this 20,000 word Commando history, by Graham Lappin, describes.
30 (Commando) Assault Unit
In March 1942,
Commander Ian Fleming RNVR, later to become famous for his James Bond
novels, proposed the formation of an Intelligence Assault Unit,
based on the German AbwherKommando units. The unit's
primary role was to move ahead of advancing Allied forces, or to
undertake covert infiltrations into enemy territory to capture much
needed Intelligence in the form of codes, documents, equipment or enemy
personnel.
45 (RM) Commando (1)
The amphibious landings on the beaches of Normandy and the immediate
aftermath are brought together with the story of Marine, Bernard Charles Sydney
Fenton. It covers the early years of 45 Royal Marine Commando and draws
heavily on the official publication 'The Story of 45 Royal Marine
Commando' written by the 45's officers and published privately for
members of the unit and their relatives. Front lines were often unclear and
transient as troops on both sides moved around the contested area. This is
graphically illustrated in the detailed descriptions of the many actions
45 Commando was involved in.
45 (RM)
Commando (2)
This account, of 45 Royal Marine Commando,
concentrates on the amphibious landings on the beaches of North Africa and
Sicily and their immediate aftermath.
50 (Middle East) Commando Mainly operating in the eastern Mediterranean as part of 'Layforce', named after
their commander, Robert Laycock. They were frustrating times for these
Commandoes, with frequent cancellations of planned operations and changes to
agreed plans. Operation Abstention, for example, was described by Admiral Cunningham as ‘A rotten business and reflected little credit to
everyone’ and by a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent
as "Confused, Incompetent, Inept and a Mess."
52 (Middle East) Commando Mainly operating in north-east Africa as part of 'Layforce', named after
their commander, Robert Laycock. In December 1940, the
5th Division's
Staff Officers, deployed the Commando as reinforcements to fill out the ranks of
their infantry in north east Africa, in the mistaken belief
that this was an appropriate role for commando trained troops.
After about three months, 52 (ME) Commando returned to Egypt when the Italians
withdrew from East Africa.
Royal Naval Commando (The Beach Commandos) In larger amphibious raids and landings,
it became apparent that tight control of the movement of men, vehicles
and supplies, over the beaches, was essential to avoid delays and
bottlenecks. These had the potential to disrupt the supply chain with,
potentially, serious consequences to front line operations. The RN
'Beach' Commandos exercised their authority with vigour. One such is
reputed to have ordered a General to "Get off my bloody beach!"... which
I sincerely hope he did!
Royal Air Servicing Commandos
Recruited from RAF service personnel by
notices posted at RAF Stations.. 'Volunteers wanted in all trades for
units to be formed to service aircraft under hazardous conditions.' As
the Allies advanced from Normandy towards Germany air strips close to
the front line were required for use by the RAF to service, refuel and
maintain operational aircraft. The volunteers were trained to defend
themselves and to protect their valuable supplies and equipment against
enemy attack. Fifteen
units were formed, each commanded by an engineering officer and usually
with an armament officer and an adjutant. Each unit comprised about 150
men organised into four flights similar to army platoons. There was a
flight sergeant with corporals as section leaders. A sergeant was
responsible for each trade such as engine, airframe and armourers.
Royal Air Servicing Commandos No 3201 Unit
An often light hearted account of one unit Royal Air Servicing Commando
unit which operated in North Africa. Illustrated with cartoons drawn by the author.
The Sacred
Squadron An elite WW2, Greek commando
unit which operated
in North Africa and
the islands of the Aegean.
They were not part of Combined Operations but drew inspiration from the
Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) and later regular commando units.
Commanding Officer, Tsigantes, named his unit 'Sacred Squadron' and
along with the legendary David Stirling, the founder of the famous
Special Air Services (SAS), he thoroughly reorganised the Squadron,
turning it into an elite commando unit.
US Ranger to British
Commando How the war of a 20 year old USA volunteer, G W McCurdy, was changed by a late night
in a Belfast city pub! As his story unfolds, it seems he was in luck the day the
Rangers RTU'd him (Returned To Unit). He was an independent spirit but
reduced to tears when his British Commandos friends marched away into
the North African night to the sound of the Scottish bagpipes.
W Commando The
story of Canada's Juno Beach Commandos from training in Scotland
to the Normandy beaches on D-Day and beyond. W Commando were Canada's Beach Commandos. They were specially trained
Commandos to create and maintain order on Juno Beach during the Normandy
landings. Such was the uncertainty of what they would have to deal with they
were trained in chemical warfare, clearing beach obstacles with explosives
and even driving Sherman tanks! However, their main task was to keep the
movement of men, machines and supplies flowing smoothly across the beach
area to the front line.
 D-Day and its Aftermath
D DAY BY
VETERANS In this 75th Anniversary Year of D-Day around 30 personal
recollections of veterans plus a few other web pages of possible interest have
been brought up to date. Their personal accounts of D-Day are now illustrated
with Imperial War Museum photographs, extracts from the Admiralty's "Green List"
of Landing Craft dispositions just prior to D-Day (where appropriate) and Google
maps.
Coastal
Command Coastal Command were not, of course, part
of Combined Operations but, on and around D-Day, they played a vital
role in support of the invasion fleet. German submarines (U Boats) were
known to be concentrated in French ports and they were expected to
attack the invasion fleet particularly on the approaches to, and in, the
western side of the English Channel. Coastal Command's planes were
equipped with radar and depth charges. Their
task was to cover every part of the 'Operation Cork' area from southern Ireland to
the mouth of the Loire, 20,000 square miles, every 30 minutes, day and
night for an indefinite period... and it wasn't by accident that the
interval was 30 minutes! These are one pilot's recollections.
Fighter Direction Tenders Fighter Direction
Tenders were, in conjunction with their HQ ships, floating command and control centres which
bristled with antenna and aerials for radar, communications and
intelligence gathering purposes. They were the eyes and ears for the
large scale invasion forces off the beaches of Normandy in June of
1944. They extended the cover provided by shore based radar and
communications on the south coast of England well into enemy occupied
France. There were 3 Fighter Direction Tenders designated FDT 13, 216
& 217. After about 3 weeks, the two survivors were withdrawn as land
based mobile radar units were established in France.
FDT
216
by a
Leading Aircraftsman
This page
is based on the diary of
LAC, Leslie Armitage, who served on Fighter Direction Tender (FDT) 216 off the American beaches of Utah and
Omaha. It covers only 10 days from June 5, 1944 because
a further 22 days went down with the ship! On July 7, FDT 216 was hit by
a torpedo, turned turtle and was deliberately sunk because she was a
hazard to shipping. By then, her vital work was almost over as mobile
land based radar units established themselves in Normandy.
HQ Ships In WW2, Headquarters Ships and HQ Assault
ships shared the task of implementing the detailed plans for large
scale amphibious landings on enemy held beaches. They also monitored the
progress of these plans and adjusted them in the light of experience and circumstances. In modern parlance, they were floating
Command and Control Centres with enormous capacity to communicate with
aircraft, other ships, home shore establishments and units operating in the
battlegrounds. They worked closely with the FDTs.
Landing Craft
A handy index to 40 or so
personal recollections from veterans about many
types of landing
craft, training and operations,
including D-Day.
Mulberry Harbours
The Allies needed secure sheltered harbour
facilities within days of the Normandy landings to supply their
advancing forces until were captured and made usable. How did they
erect two harbours, each the size of Dover, in just a few days in
wartime, when Dover took 7 years to construct in peacetime? It was a
civil engineering project of immense size and complexity. Such was
Churchill's annoyance at what he perceived to be slow progress, that
he indulged his frustration in a terse signal to Mountbatten on the 30th May, 1942... "Piers
for use on beaches.
They must float up and down with the tide. The anchor problem must be
mastered. Let me have the best solution worked out. Don't argue the
matter. The difficulties will argue for themselves."
Operations
Neptune &
Overlord D Day, June 6, 1944. Operation Overlord
and its seaborne component, Operation Neptune, were the culmination of
four years of planning and training by Combined Operations planners and the
three traditional services, including the USA. The role of the Combined
Operations Command, in this
process was recognised in
Churchill's Signal
to Mountbatten which he sent on D-Day + 6 after he returned to Downing
Street from a visit to the Normandy beaches.
PLUTO The Pipe Line Under The Ocean, was
a storage, pumping and pipeline distribution network in southern/central
England, designed to supply petrol to the Allied armies in France, as
they advanced towards Germany. This page tells the story of the planning, development, testing
and installation of the 21 pipelines across the English Channel and the contribution of PLUTO to
the war effort.
Poetry A fine collection of heartfelt poems
mostly about the Normandy landings on D Day and the Commando Memorial at Spean
Bridge, near Fort William, Scotland.
RAF Air Sea Rescue
For five specially selected crews serving in the
RAF Air Sea Rescue Service, D Day found them holding predetermined
positions some miles off the Normandy beaches. Inexplicably, their
orders told them to switch on their searchlights shortly before
midnight. Heavy aircraft were soon heard overhead
carrying thousands of paratroops behind enemy lines. They were guided by
the searchlights acting as navigational beacons! The Air Sea Rescue
crews knew nothing in advance of this small but vitally important task.
Later, they resumed their normal duties patrolling the waters off the
coast of north west France in search of downed airmen.
Royal Observer Corps Seaborne Ops
The 796 civilian
personnel from the ROC, were not formally attached to Combined
Operations, although their curious uniforms had aspects of all three
services! This created the unique spectacle of civilians in RAF blue uniforms,
with Army black berets serving as Royal Navy Senior NCOs!
On board ships on D-Day and beyond, they identified approaching aircraft as friend or foe,
for the information of gunners. This, potentially, would reduce friendly
fire incidents while increasing the number of enemy aircraft downed.
Documents & Signals
Infamous Commando Order [Hitler]
As a result of an unfortunate incident on the
island of Sark, a number of German soldiers
were shot, by Commandos of the Small Scale
Raiding Force (SSRF), with their hands tied behind their
backs. This, apparent, execution incensed Hitler, who shortly
afterwards issued his infamous Commando Order.
On the 23rd Oct, 1942, the first to die as a
result of this order, were Commandos captured
after a brilliantly successful raid in Norway.
See Operation
Musketoon.
Western Front
Preparations [Hitler]
On
November 3, 1943,
Hitler's top secret
Directive 51 was
issued on the subject of preparations for the
anticipated invasion from the west. This
ordered the transfer of men and materials from
the eastern front because the greater and
more immediate threat, was in the west.
A
Nation's Gratitude
(Churchill)
On D-Day + 6,
Churchill
and his military advisers
visited the Normandy
beaches to see for themselves the culmination of 4
years of planning and training for the largest amphibious
invasion force in history, which involved hundreds of
thousands of service personnel. On his
return to Downing Street
that evening he wrote to Mountbatten, then in
Burma, to express
the Nation's
gratitude for what he
described as 'the manoeuvre in progress
of rapid development'.
Operation Neptune was the amphibious phase of Operation
Overlord without which there would have been no invasion. The success of the whole venture depended on
everyone playing their part but none more important than
those Army, Navy and Air Force personnel in Combined
Operations who made it possible to 'bridge'
the English Channel on D-Day.
Combined Operations Insignia
Lt
Douglas Adshead-Grant A short biography of the man who
designed the ubiquitous
Combined Operations Badge. On 13/01/42, Lord
Louis
Mountbatten, Chief of the Combined Operations Command, issued a general
invitation for badge designs to be submitted. One
of several by Lieut D A Grant, RNVR, of HMS Tormentor, was approved on
19/02/42. Nothing much was known about Lt Grant until
his family responded to an appeal for information. He had a more
interesting naval career than you might imagine!
Insignia Design & Development
A
copy of an article entitled 'The Combined Operations Badge,
1942-1946' by Terry Carney,
based on research
he carried out at the National Archive, Kew, London.
It includes many drawings of early design ideas
including the transformation of the RAF seagull into a menacing eagle.
Insignia Specimens
75 images of Combined Operations
Insignia from the early 1940s to the present day, including some from
overseas.
Lieut D A Grant, who suggested the design, could not have known how its
use would spread around the world and how it would endure over the
decades to the present day.
Insignia in Use
Old photos of veterans, tattooed arm,
ship's funnel, scaled model of craft, Christmas card, Commando
certificate etc - all clearly show the ubiquitous Combined Operations
badge in use. If you have any examples you're happy to share, please
send them in with a brief note for possible addition to the
website.
Landing Craft
(USA craft prefixed by 'US')
Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
New LCAs - Handover to Royal Navy Rare
photographs of newly completed Landing Craft Assault (LCAs) being handed
over to the Royal Navy by ship builders, Elliotts of Reading, Berkshire,
England. It is believed the photographs were taken in September 1944
when the craft were most likely earmarked for the war against Japan.
10th
LCA Flotilla / 60th LCA Flotilla / 574 LCA Flotilla
After the disaster of the Dieppe raid,
the 10th LCA Flotilla was largely reformed as the 60th LCA Flotilla and
saw action in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. As D Day approached the
Flotilla was re-designated 574 LCA Flotilla and took part in the D-Day
landings and beyond..
519 LCA Assault Flotilla
Leonard Albert King was just 20 years old
when he piloted
his flat bottomed Landing Craft Assault
(LCA) from his mother ship to the Normandy beaches early on D-Day
morning. Unusually, the small
flotilla of 6 LCAs of which he was part, was
earmarked for Juno beach but was loaned to the USA
for Omaha and Utah. They were amongst the very first to
land on D-Day to face enemy guns, mortars and shells. LCAs (Landing Craft
Assault) were small troop carrying craft usually
transported on mother
ships to within a few miles of the
landing beaches. At a predetermined time and place,
they were lowered into the water with their crew of 4 and around
35 fully armed troops, to
make their way to the landing beaches where the enemy lay in
wait.
524
LCA Flotilla
524 LCA Flotilla took part in the initial assault
landings on Gold Beach on D-Day against heavily defended enemy positions. There
were 18 craft in the flotilla, 15 LCAs each carrying around 35 assault troops and 3 LCS (M)s
providing heavy machine gun cover.
All were carried to Gold beach on their 'mother ship' the SS Empire
Arquebus. This account explains
the experiences of both type of craft separately although, on
training exercises and operations, they operated closely as a single unit.
LCA, LCM & LCI (L)
Landing Craft Various. Canadian, Kendal Kidder
was a bit of a character. He trained and served
on different types of small landing craft; Landing Craft Assault (LCA), Landing Craft Mechanised
(LCM) and Landing Craft Infantry Large LCI (L). A light hearted look at
wartime life as the names of his crew exemplify; 'I'll kill
de guy' Kirkpatrick, stoker.
'Tombstone' Leavy, second cox'n, 'Parrot' Mitchell, first cox'n and
"H'ok"
Gallant, a French Canadian from Prince
Edward Island.
Landing Craft Infantry
US LCI (L)
502 US
Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 502, carried 196 Officers and men
of the Durham Light Infantry to Gold Beach on D-Day, June 6th,
1944. The well planned and disciplined order fell into disrepair
as she and her sister craft approached the landing beach to chaotic
scenes. Despite this, 502 successfully disembarked her troops onto a
broached British LCT and hence onto the beach. They also rescued 27
stranded British sailors whose small landing craft from earlier landings
were lost. Unusually, this account includes photographs taken during the actual
landing. Based on the writings and recollections of
John P Cummer and information from the craft's Deck Log. Includes
some moments of quiet reflection as they neared the battleground.
Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM)
601 LCM Flotilla
601 LCM (Landing Craft Mechanised) "Build-Up" Flotilla
comprised 16 identical
craft whose primary purpose was to
ferry supplies, ammunition,
fuel etc
from large vessels anchored several miles
offshore to the landing beaches. They did this for 6 weeks from D-Day
but their battle
with the elements had
more tragic consequences
than their battle with the enemy. They were on their way
home from Normandy when they encountered very rough weather. Most of the
craft were in rather poor condition by then and two
sank but the crews were
rescued by another LCM. However, any jubilation was short-lived since,
three hours later, it foundered as well. Only one man survived out of a
total complement of 32.
Landing Craft Support (Flak, Gun, Rocket, Support)
Landing Craft Support Squadron
The primary
task of support landing craft LCGs,
LCFs and LCRs (Guns, Flack and Rockets) was to soften up
entrenched enemy positions on and near the beaches in advance of the
initial assault troops
landing. Hundreds of high explosive rockets were launched in rapid
sequence onto the landing beaches by the LCRs but all firing ceased as
the LCAs, carrying the initial assault troops, were nearing the beach.
The LCGs & LCFs, however, continued to provide protective fire cover if
the LCAs were attacked from land, sea or air. Because they could operate
close inshore they also fired on targets identified by the advancing
troops. The LCGs were described by the BBC as "mini destroyers"! There
are separate accounts of the 3 support craft on this page.
LCF
Landing
Craft Flack (LCFs) were converted Landing Craft Tank (LCTs) with the front ramp
welded in position and the hold decked over as a platform for
anti-aircraft guns. There
were a number of variants (Marks) but most were around 150/200 ft long with a
beam of around 30/40 ft. (For an approximate conversion to metres, divide by
3.3). LCTs were designed to carry tanks and heavy transport while the LCFs were equipped with anti-aircraft guns to provide air cover for
the invasion fleet, particularly the troop carrying Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
flotillas, which were poorly equipped to defend themselves against air
attack. A light-hearted and humorous style belies the very dangerous
situations the author found himself in and the death and destruction he witnessed.
LCF 7 Landing
Craft Flack. The
author faced death on many occasions and witnessed much carnage.
But, as he walked down LCF7s gangplank for the last time, with the
heartfelt thanks of the Captain and his fellow officers ringing in
his ears, he gave the customs officer a deferential wink as he stepped ashore
with a heavy heart.
LCG (L)
13
Sick Bay Attendant, John
Francis Percival was 20 years of age when he joined the Royal Navy.
He remembers his first day at HMS
Collingwood.... There we stood, a band of civilians with our
suitcases, average age about 20. “Right you lot, get fell in over there”,
barked a petty officer. We were split up into sections of thirty. My group
of thirty was introduced to PO Woods, a stocky, red-faced man with a
smile that made him look human. “Right lads, you’re in the navy now. The
first thing you have to learn is to do as you’re told, pay attention, obey
all orders and we should get on well. You’re in the Fo’c’sle (Forecastle)
Division, hut number 4. The floor is now the deck, the walls the bulkhead, the ceiling the deckhead, the bathrooms the ablutions and the toilets
the heads. You’ll soon get used to it.” From such a mundane start, Sick
Bay Attendant Percival did not know what lay ahead for him on a Landing
Craft Gun within the Combined Operations Command, names which meant
absolutely nothing to him. It was to be the adventure of a lifetime with
moments of indescribable human tragedy.
LCG (L) 19
Landing Craft Gun
(Large)
number 19, was a class of landing craft described by the BBC as "mini
destroyers". She
was equipped with two rapid fire pom-pom guns positioned aft on the port
and starboard sides of the bridge. They were manned by Naval seamen. The
heavy armament comprised two 4.7 inch Bofors guns, manned by Royal
Marine gunners and situated on the main gun deck. There were about 32-35
crew members, both Naval and Royal Marine seamen.
LCGs were converted landing craft
tank (LCTs) that provided supporting fire in the area of
landing beaches during amphibious assaults in WW2. They were capable of
disabling tanks, gun emplacements and other obstacles likely to oppose
or obstruct the progress of assault troops on and around the landing
beaches. It was home to
linesman, Harold Dilling, for over two years off North Africa, Sicily,
Italy and Yugoslavia.
LCS(M)s
in support of the 524 LCA Flotilla. While the LCAs carried armed troops to the landing beaches, LCS(M)s,
manned by Royal Marines, escorted them in to the landing beaches, while
providing fire cover for them. The BBC described the LCS(M)s as 'mini
destroyers'. Until the beaches and their environs were cleared of the
enemy, the Marines were exposed to gun and mortar fire while in the
vicinity of the beaches.
LCT (R) 363
Landing Craft Tank (Rocket).
In
approaching enemy held landing beaches from the sea the initial assault troops
were likely to come under fire from machine guns, mortars, shells and snipers
and be confronted by a variety of beach obstacles, including mines.
There were other measures for dealing with the latter but blasting an
area of beach about 400 yards by 100 yards would degrade everything in
it.
The more the enemy's defensive preparations and
communications were destroyed, disabled or
disrupted and the enemy troops manning their posts were disorientated, the
fewer casualties would be suffered by Allied troops in establishing their
beachheads To assist in
this, the
Allies
developed
a
number of secret weapons
one
of which
was the Landing Craft Tank (Rocket)
- LCT (R).
In just a few seconds, LCT (R)s could fire hundreds
of
rockets, each with the explosive value of a 6 inch shell. They were fired
onto the landing beaches
just ahead of the first wave of assault troops so accuracy in ranging and timing
was paramount to avoid self inflicted Allied casualties. This account is by
stoker Frank Woods, DSM, who served on LCT (R) 363.
US LCT (R)
The deployment of British made
United States manned Landing Craft Tank (Rocket) vessels off Omaha, Utah
and Southern France
as told by Lt Commander Carr who was in charge
of 14 such craft and their crews.
After a few months training in the USA with converted British Mark 3
LCTs, they shipped to Scotland in November 1943. They were based at HMS
Roseneath, known to them as US Navy European ‘Base II’ in the River
Clyde estuary, where their training continued with the LCT (R)s they
would take to war. The
British rocket craft were twice the size of their USA equivalents with
the capacity to launch over a thousand explosive
projectiles onto enemy held beaches just minutes ahead of the initial
assault troops landing. Ranging and timing were, therefore, vital to avoid Allied
casualties. The more the enemy's defensive preparations and
communications were destroyed, disabled or
disrupted and the enemy troops manning their posts were disorientated, the
fewer casualties would be suffered by Allied troops in establishing
their beachheads.
US LCT (R) 439 United States Landing Craft (Rocket)
439 - US LCT (R) 439, was a specialized landing craft which carried 2896 5 inch x 4
feet (127mm x 1.2m) explosive rockets, designed to soften up enemy coastal
defensive positions immediately prior to the landing of the initial assault
troops.
Her Commanding Officer was Lieutenant (jg) Elmer H Mahlin and his 2nd in Command
was Ensign George F Fortune, the author of the first part of the craft's
story. The second part gives the Commanding Officer's perspective as compiled by his
son, Stu from the contents of his father's old sea chest.
Landing Craft Tank (LCT)
9th LCT
Flotilla In mid October 1944, the terrible
fate of the 9th LCT (Landing Craft Tank) Flotilla was sealed, as its
craft sailed beyond Lands End in the tow of merchant ships. It was part
of Convoy OS92/KMS66 bound for the Mediterranean en route to the Far
East. There had been warnings of bad weather, but the rules and
procedures
in place to protect the safety of the craft in these
circumstances, proved ineffective. Over 50 men were lost
as 6 craft foundered. How did the tragedy happen and was it avoidable? This is the tragic story
of "The Lost LCT Flotilla."
LCT (3) 318
This Landing Craft
Tank was itself a veteran as she made ready to deliver the Canadian Fort
Garry Horse and their 5 Duplex Drive (DD) Sherman tanks to Juno Beach.
Incredibly, these tanks would disembark 2 or 3 miles from the beaches
and "swim" for the shore! LCT
318
saw action off Dieppe, North Africa,
Sicily, Italy and Normandy. After such an illustrious wartime service,
the end came from a most unexpected source.
318 was built by the Teesside Bridge and Engineering Company and launched on
February 14, 1942.
LCT (4) 749 Landing Craft Tank (Mark 4) 749 was in the first assault wave onto Gold Beach on D-Day
morning. 749 was part of the 28th LCT Flotilla ‘D’ LCT
Squadron. Her cargo included specially adapted tanks (known as Hobart's Funnies)
for the clearance of beach obstacles in advance of troop landings. This
was extremely hazardous work undertaken before enemy resistance had been cleared. Crew member,
Crew member, stoker Mountain, was
lawarded the DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) for his cool conduct
under fire. This account was written by Commanding Officer,
Lieutenant Jack E Booker, RNVR.
LCT 795 Landing
Craft Tank 795. From early training to D-Day and beyond
seen through the eyes of the craft's electrician. The crew lived through
hazardous work off Normandy when they disembarked the USA's 531 Engineer
Shore Regiment onto Tare Green sector of Utah beach at H-Hour + 320
minutes; just before mid-day. The crew's safety and well-being depended
on each other and they bonded well as a team but that came to a sudden
and unexpected end. Their craft was unexpectedly written off during
repairs, while the crew were scattered to the four winds on home leave.
They were individually allocated to other duties and the author never
saw his shipmates again.
LCT 821
On D-Day, Signalman Eric J Loseby served with His Majesty's Landing Craft Tank 821 of the
42nd
Flotilla of ‘I’ Squadron Landing Craft.
From training and over-wintering in the cold waters around Scotland's
north-eastern shores to undertaking running repairs while stranded on a
Normandy beach, there were many hardships and dangers from the natural
elements and the enemy. The common purpose
of these non specialised landing craft was to transport the Allied
armies, their weapons, equipment and supplies across the English Channel
to the landing beaches and on the return to southern England to
transport prisoners of war (PoWs) and wounded troops.
LCT 858 was in
the initial assault forces off Gold beach on D Day, when the defending
German positions were most active. The craft's 1st Lt, J L Hurley, was
awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, DSC, for an attempt to rescue
soldiers in the water, while under heavy enemy fire. The craft suffered
serous damage to its rudder so they teamed up with another LCT with a
working rudder but no engines and, lashed together, they slowly made their
way back to England. LCT 858 was immortalised in a commemorative stamp, a
photo of which is on the webpage..
LCT 861
was a unit of the 38th Flotilla of
Assault Group S3, Support Squadron. Their primary task on D-Day was to
deliver a detachment of the 76th Field Regiment and four of
their self-propelled Priest 105mm howitzers mounted on a Churchill tank
chassis and two half-track reconnaissance vehicles to Sword beach. The
24 guns carried by the flotilla fired on enemy positions from a distance
of 11,000 yards down to just 2,000 yards, when the initial assault
troops were about to land. Although official records show 9 LCTs were in
the flotilla, both accounts of 861 on D-Day record only 6. It's entirely
possible 3 were loaned to another support squadron.
LCT 979
saw action on the Normandy beaches.
A few months later, she took part in Operation Infatuate, the assault on the
island fortress of Walcheren. Against the odds they survived, battered
but not broken.
LCT 980
HMLCT 980 survived the D-Day landings and a subsequent return
visits to the Normandy beaches after which she became part of another
flotilla in readiness for any future landings that might arise. That
came in early November 1944 in the form of the much more arduous
landings on the island of Walcheren in the River Scheldt estuary. She
survived that too and after a stay in Ostend returned to the UK where
she was assessed as just seaworthy but beyond economical repair. She was
ordered to moor on the River Thames where she was de-masted and
ridiculed by punks who missed the draft because of their age. Revenge,
when it came was sweet but their return journey down the Thames was a
sad time for their once proud small craft of the Royal Navy.
LCT 1171 & LCH 75
Landing Craft Tank & Landing Craft
Headquarters. LCT 1171
survived the Normandy landings but broke her back, split in two and sank
on a routine return trip to UK shores. LCH 75 was a HQ ship fitted out
for Far East Service. The atomic bombs halted her journey in the Middle
East. A remarkable trip to the USA followed, when this US owned vessel
was returned to its owners.
LCT 2304
Midshipman, John Mewha of LCT (5) 2304 often wondered what became
of the men of the US 238 Engineering Combat Battalion (ECB) that his LCT
delivered to Utah Beach on the morning of D-Day, June 6, 1944. Sixty one
years later, through Tony Chapman, archivist and historian of the LST & Landing Craft Association,
John Mewha was reunited with former Lieutenant, Ernest C James of
Company A, 238 Engineer Combat Battalion. Under their commanding
officer, Captain Richard Reichmann, the ECB men were shipped to Utah
beach by LCT (5) 2304. A UK Landing Craft Tank
carrying US Engineers to a US landing beach. Both Midshipman Mewha and
Lieutenant James left a record of their memories of that fateful day.
LCT 2331
Royal Navy Signalman, Mike Crumpton
was a late addition to the crew of LCT 2331 in April 1944. Come D-Day
they successfully disembarked USA Army Lt George Worth commanding the 1st Platoon of
Company B of 238 Engineer Combat Battalion with his men and vehicles...
but in the wrong place! The shared experience of the crew of 2331 during
the following 6 weeks when they simply disappeared from official
records, is unbelievable. No one they were in contact with saw it as
their duty to inform the authorities and Mike's frantic mother had made
enquiries but after D-Day nothing was known. Read this remarkable and
fascinating story of service to the Allied cause under the most
difficult circumstances imaginable.
"I" LCT
Squadron
This is an incisive, often amusing account of a
WW2 Landing
Craft Tank Squadron of around 50 LCTs and LCIs (Landing Craft Infantry),
written by its Commanding Officer shortly after the end of the war. The
story starts in the harsh, cold, winter of 1943/44 in the Moray Firth on
the north east coast of Scotland and ends with the hazardous landings on
the Normandy beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The story is told by the
Flotilla's Lieutenant Commander Maxwell O W Miller, RN, later Commander.
Of his men he warmly wrote; Elie Halévy, that great French historian of the British people, says somewhere,
that the most inexplicable thing about the British Navy is that its greatness
has been built up against a background of ill-used sailors, in ill-found ships,
commanded by the most undisciplined corps of officers that ever stepped a
quarterdeck. In the recent war, it was my good fortune to serve in Major Landing
Craft, the Tank and Infantry Landing Craft that bore the brunt of the
landings in France and Italy, and to command a squadron that would have
delighted Monsieur Halévy’s historian’s heart!
Landing Craft Vehicle (Personnel)
LCV (P) 1228
Landing Craft Vehicle
(Personnel) 1228, was a relatively small flat bottomed boat with a
capacity to deliver a few vehicles or around 35 fully armed assault troops
or general supplies onto the landing beaches.
There were many hundreds of these craft deployed on D-Day, June 6th,
1944. 1228 was part of the 805 LCV(P) flotilla of 16 craft bound for
Gold beach. Her initial cargo was one hundred 5 gallon jerry cans of
petrol. The 3 man crew's concerns about the hazardous cargo, soon gave
way to survival strategies in the choppy waters of the English Channel.
1288 survived
a little over 24 hours.
814 LCV(P)
Flotilla 814 Landing Craft Vehicle (Personnel)
"Build-Up" Flotilla comprised 16 identical craft whose primary task was
the transport of men from large troop carrying ships anchored a few
miles off shore to the landing beaches. On D-Day, Royal Marine, Roy
Nelson, was a crew member on LCV (P) 1155 aboard a Landing Ship
Tank (LST) for the journey across the English Channel to the landing beaches of
Normandy. 7 of the 16 craft in the flotilla were subsequently recorded as war losses
and two Royal Marines from the flotilla were killed. Their Commonwealth
War Grave Commission records were corrected as a result of information
gleaned during the preparation of this account.
Landing Ship Infantry (LSI)
HMS Royal Ulsterman
was a WW2 troop carrying ship called a Landing
Ship Infantry (Hand Hoisting) or LSI (H). Its purpose was to carry
large numbers of fully armed
troops and the Landing Craft Assault (LCAs) they would use to travel the last few miles to the landing beaches. LSIs are often referred to as 'mother
ships' because of their 'brood' of LCAs, 6 in the case of the Royal Ulsterman,
all securely fixed to hand operated davits ready to be lowered, fully laden,
into the water. She was an ex English Channel ferry and saw action
off North Africa, Pantellaria, Sicily, Italy and Normandy.
HMS Empire Battleaxe
The 'Empire' ships were built to carry
eighteen LCAs [Landing Craft Assault] and to accommodate about one
thousand troops. British LCAs were lowered over the side with troops and
their light equipment already on board while the USA lowered their LCAs
empty with troops scrambling down nets and ladders to board them.
HMS Glenearn HMS Glenearn was a Landing Ship
Infantry (Large), LSI (L). The purpose of this class of vessel was to carry
large numbers of fully armed
troops and the Landing Craft Assault (LCAs) that would carry them on the last few miles to the landing beaches. The LSI (L)s are often referred to as 'mother
ships' because of their 'brood' of LCAs, 24 in the case of the Glenearn,
all securely fixed to davits ready to be lowered, fully laden, into the water like a
modern lifeboat. Since an LCA typically carried around 35 fully armed troops and some craft would
return for a second load of troops, the Glenearn could carry around 1,500
men. She was a converted 16 knot cargo liner of about 10,000 tons and a D-Day
veteran that also saw service in the Pacific theatre.
Landing Ship Tank (LST)
LST
HMS Misoa Requisitioned from
the shallow waters of
Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo in South America, Misoa saw service off
N Africa, Pantellaria, Sicily, Italy and Normandy. These
are the wartime memories of a young Royal Navy seaman who served on
her. Although his ship didn't have the sleek lines and style of
a cruiser, she came through many hazardous actions, relatively unscathed.
She was regarded as a lucky ship since the only bomb to hit her failed
to explode. As the crew were dispersed in April/May of 1945 as Misoa lay
off Inveraray in Scotland, there was a sense amongst the crew that a
great adventure and shared experience had finally come to an end.
LST HMS Thruster
HMLST(1)
Thruster was built by
Harland and Wolf, Belfast, Northern Ireland and launched on
September 24th, 1942. She later took part in the invasions of
Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and Southern France. The photographs on
this page are a rare record of those times since the taking of such photos
was forbidden.
US LST 28 This was a large landing craft
around 400 feet long and 50 wide with a capacity of around 1500 tons.
There were a number of variants of this class of vessel which carried
tanks, lorries, heavy equipment, supplies and troops. Its draft was 15
ft aft and 4 ft forward making it possible to land directly onto
unimproved beaches. It was armed with a variety of 40mm, 20mm and
machine guns. It carried its own 40 ton crane for loading/unloading and
was akin to a RoRo ferry but with only one ramp.
Other
Landing
Barge Kitchen 6 (LBK 6)
When the enormous scale
and composition of the Normandy invasion
force became known, it was realised that many small craft, operating off
the landing beaches, would not be equipped with a galley to prepare their
own hot meals, or indeed any meals. The Landing Barge Kitchen was designed and
developed to satisfy the anticipated
demand. They had a capacity to provide 1,600 hot meals
and 800 cold meals a day and operated like an amphibious fast food outlet
with unlimited parking! In this account we follow the history of the craft
from the Normandy beaches to its 21st century use, despite several
declarations to 'retire' her.D-Day
Landings A general overview of landing craft operations on the 5 landing
beaches of Normandy. It includes Landing Craft Tank (Armoured) - LCT(A),
Landing Craft Tank (High Explosives) - LCT (HE), Landing Craft Tank
(Rocket) LCT(R) and Landing Craft Assault Mortars - LCA(HR). Includes
often harrowing stories of real events by veterans who were there.
Landing Craft
and a Young Canadian
Volunteer After the war, LLoyd Evans asked himself
"How
did I end up in a conflict 4000 miles away which took me to countries I
only recognised as names in a school atlas?"
A comprehensive, often humorous account of life on a Landing Craft in the
UK, Africa, and Europe from the perspective of a young Canadian volunteer. Lloyd
packed more experience of life into just a few years than many young
people today achieve in a lifetime. Although there were enjoyable times of rest and
relaxation, always present was the next unknown mission with moments of great
danger.
HDML 1301
This account of the role of Harbour
Defence Motor Launch HDML 1301 in Operation Brassard will be of
greatest interest to researchers or those with a special interest in
the subject. It provides a valuable insight into the complex and
detailed planning which preceded all raids and landings. It was
prepared by David Carter whose father, Lt F L Carter, RNVR was killed
in the action.
HDML
1301 Recovery The son of the craft's WW2 skipper,
who was killed during a landing on the island of Elba in June 1944, navigated the 1301 on a
1,400 nautical mile journey from Gibraltar to the Netherlands for
restoration. This is his account of the journey.
Landing
Craft Crew List We aim to gather together information on WW2
landing craft crew members from existing websites, annotated photographs,
official records and any other plausible sources. If you possess any
material likely to be of interest, or know where information on landing
craft crews is available, please let us know using
this link. All information, no matter how small, will be gratefully
received. The craft are listed in alphabetical order and then by the
pennant number.
Miscellaneous
ROC - Royal Observer Corp
Although not part of the Combined Operations Command, 796
volunteers from The Royal Observer Corp, joined ships and craft on
D-Day and beyond to provide early identification of approaching ships and
planes for Allied gunners. This would help reduce friendly fire
incidents and concentrate defensive resources on enemy targets,
HMS COPRA
HMS COPRA was
a Royal Navy shore base for the maintenance of personnel records and
the calculation of pay and allowances for RN personnel attached to Combined Operations.
COPRA stands for Combined Operations Pay Records & Accounts. This
account focuses on the establishment in Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Notice Boards
Operations and Units
Appeals for
information on raids and landings involving the Commando and other
units with email contacts for replies.
Veterans
Appeals for information about
individual Combined Operations veterans, with email contacts for
replies.
Other
Appeals for information of a general nature, with email
contacts for replies.
Poetry
Poetry Page
Heartfelt poems about
D-Day
and the Commando
Memorial at Spean Bridge which remembers 1,700
Commandos who were killed in action.
Post War Combined Operations
Post WW2 Combined Ops
1)
24 photographs taken in 1948 while on Combined Operations
manoeuvres at Ekernforde, in Schleswick Holstein,
Germany. 2) A Regimental Signaller with the
Royal Artillery, remembers the Combined
Operations Bombardment Unit (COBU) ant the 1956 Suez landing, which was
the first Combined Operation to use helicopters.
Raids
& Landings
Raids & Landings Index
Raids &
landings in chronological order from Operation
Catapult
at Mers-el-Kebir on 4/7/40 to Operation Infatuate at Walcheren in early November
1944.
Landing
Craft All
40 + landing craft, whose wartime service is listed on this web page, were involved in raids and landings. Just click on the link
opposite to see the web pages concerned.
Operation Starkey
The
invasion that never was. Deceptions designed to confuse the enemy and
tie up his resources needlessly, were an effective tool of war. In
this case, the systematic bombing of
selected targets around the Boulogne area of northern France, over several weeks in late August and early September
1943 and an invasion armada of empty ships, were the key elements.
Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF)
This early raiding force was an initial response to Churchill's
order to harass the enemy along the shores of 'friendly' occupied
countries. The SSRF,
specialised in "pinprick" raids on the coasts of northern France
and the Channel Islands. They were designed to demoralise German
troops and cause enemy resources, that would otherwise be
used more effectively on other fronts, to be needlessly deployed
elsewhere..
Re-enactments &
Renovations
HDML 1301
Harbour Defence Motor Launch 1301 had a
leading role in
Operation Brassard, the invasion of Elba.
Her captain was killed in the action and over
50 years later, his son navigated the craft on
a 1,400 nautical mile journey from Gibraltar
to Holland for restoration. Includes
information on its post war
service and return to Holland for restoration.
LST
7074 Visit the
webpage to see her today alongside the
D
Day Story on the seafront at Southsea. It's a jaw dropping and humbling
experience to learn about its young crew and the vital, hazardous work
they undertook.
Remembrance
Combined Ops Memorial Sub-Web
A single click
to this web page will provide information on
visiting the memorial, the dedication ceremony
(mainly photos), past fundraising, design and
construction etc.
Memorials and Plaques There's
only one memorial to
Combined Operations (link above) but there is
a surprising number of memorials and plaques
devoted to the countless Combined Operations
units and operations around the world.
Roll of Honour
Family and friends of veterans killed in action or
training while serving in or alongside
Combined Operations, are invited to add
veterans' details to this page, including an
optional photograph.
They Also Served
Family and
friends of veterans who served in or alongside the Combined
Operations Command, are invited to add
veterans' details to this page, including an
optional photograph. We owe a debt of gratitude
to those who served the Allied cause on raids
and landings and were fortunate to
return home after the conflict.
Science & Technology
DD Tanks
DD Tanks were designed to make their own way to the landing
beaches after disembarking from their Landing Craft a few miles offshore. Each was fitted with twin Duplex Drive screws
(hence DD) and an inflatable floatation screen. Whether they swam,
sailed or motored, this remarkable amphibious craft and their brave crews,
were early arrivals on the Normandy beaches.
Fighter Direction Tenders (FDTs)
Fighter Direction
Tenders were, in conjunction with their HQ ships, floating command and control centres which
bristled with antenna and aerials for radar, communications and
intelligence gathering purposes. They were the eyes and ears for the
large scale invasion forces off the beaches of Normandy in June of
1944. They extended the cover provided by shore based radar and
communications on the south coast of England, well into enemy occupied
France. There were 3 Fighter Direction Tenders designated FDT 13, 216 &
217. After about 3 weeks, the two survivors were withdrawn as land based
mobile radar units were established in France.
Mulberry Harbours
The Allies needed secure sheltered harbour
facilities within days of the Normandy landings to supply their
advancing forces until ports like Cherbourg were captured. How did they
erect two harbours, each the size of Dover, in just a few days in
wartime, when Dover took 7 years to construct in peacetime? It was a
civil engineering project of immense size and complexity. Such was
Churchill's annoyance at what he perceived to be slow progress, that he
indulged his frustration in a terse signal to Mountbatten on the 30th May, 1942... "Piers
for use on beaches.
They must float up and down with the tide. The anchor problem must be
mastered. Let me have the best solution worked out. Don't argue the
matter. The difficulties will argue for themselves."
PLUTO
The Pipe Line Under The Ocean was
a storage, pumping and pipeline distribution network in southern/central
England, designed to supply petrol to Allied armies in France, as they
advanced towards Germany. This page tells the story of the planning, development, testing
and installation of the 21 pipelines across the English Channel and the contribution of PLUTO to
the war effort.
PLUTO
Pipeline Machines Many companies were involved in the
design and manufacture of machines which made the pipeline.
This page provides information on some of the major players.
PLUTO Salvaged
The recovery of the 21 PLUTO pipelines from the depths of the
English Channel, was the mother of all salvage operations - dangerous,
arduous and huge! After two years of hard work,
almost 800 miles were recovered for recycling.
PLUTO in Fawley
PLUTO comprised a sizeable network of
storage tanks, pumping stations and pipelines in southern/central England.
These are the recollections of a young lad whose local community had a
fragment of that network.
Navigational Aids
Navigational aids helped landing craft locate
their target beaches, especially at night. Accurate navigation was vital to
amphibious Operations to ensure landing craft arrived at their intended
destinations, on time. Failure to achieve this, would negate well researched and rehearsed plans
with, potentially, disastrous consequences. This
account, by Commander Philip Noel, tells of his involvement in navigational
experiments while based for 5 years at HMS Saunders, a RN base that was
part of the Combined Training Centre (Middle East) at Kabret on the Little Bitter
Lake, Egypt.
Ice
Ships in the Rockies! The
improbable, but true story of a top secret WW2 project, which
envisaged vast ships made from a mixture of ice and sawdust. Behold ye among the
heathen, and regard and wonder marvellously: for I will work a
work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told to
you. So reads a biblical quotation from the book of Habakkuk
... a name adopted by this top secret project. This page describes
an early project to create a raft like structure made of ice on Patricia
Lake, near Jasper in Canada. The project was abandoned before Pykerete
was tried.
Special Units and Forces
574 Field Security Section
It's likely that Field Security Section of
3 Special Service Brigade did not operate directly under the Combined
Operations Command. However, where 574's activities involved amphibious
landings, or raids, Commando support was often provided... as in the
case of the main 'snatching' operation described on this page.
SSRF The Small Scale
Raiding Force specialised in "pinprick" raids on the coast of Northern
France and the Channel Islands. These raids were designed to demoralise German
troops as well as tying up enemy resources that would otherwise be used
more effectively on other fronts. Opportunities to gather intelligence
were exploited when possible.
COPPs Combined Operations Assault Pilotage
Parties - a name which, for security reasons, had nothing to do with
their real purpose. The 'Coppists' risked their lives gathering
information on proposed
landing beaches and in-shore waters, at night and usually under the noses of
the enemy's
coastal defences, including land and sea patrols. The information they
gathered was absolutely essential in selecting beaches for landing
troops and heavy transport vehicles and tanks... and they had to
complete their surveys without leaving any trace which would alert the
enemy to the possibility of a future attack.
Training
UK Training Establishments
After the evacuation of a third a million men at Dunkirk in June 1940,
planners knew that the next invading force would be from the sea
directly on to enemy held beaches. There would be no convenient ports or
harbours available to the Allies. For this amphibious warfare, hundreds
of thousands of service personnel, from the three services, would
require training in the use of landing craft, while operating as a
single unified force. To meet this unprecedented challenge, the Combined Operations
Command set up 45+ separate training establishments, mainly in the west of Scotland and the south of England, all of
which served to fill a particular training need. The RN crews of the landing craft involved, the
Army soldiers
they carried and the 516 Squadron RAF in support, all required
training singly and jointly as a unified force.
No
1 Combined Training Centre
Around 250,000 personnel passed through the portals of this prime training centre
at Inveraray, Scotland from 1940 to 1944. While nearby, HMS
Brontosaurus, provided training in the use of major landing craft such
as LCTs, the emphasis at Inveraray was on minor landing craft such as
LCAs. Up to 15,000 service personnel were billeted in camps and on boats
on Loch Fyne at any one time. The impact
on the small community of 500 can only be imagined! HMS Quebec was the naval
base at the training centre.
CTC Middle East
The Combined Training Centre (CTC) Middle
East at Kabret, on the Egypt's Little Bitter Lake, was the first
Combined Operations Training Establishment located outside the United
Kingdom. Its purpose was to train RN personnel in the operation of
landing craft and together with the troops of many Allied nations, to
practice amphibious landings prior to operations against the enemy in
the Mediterranean. Its associated naval base, HMS Saunders, was
commissioned in March 1941 (under the name of HMS Stag (Division
K) with Commander RKC Pope DSO, RN in command.
Middle East Signals Training
Signals Training in the Middle East was
undertaken at
HMS Saunders, a Royal Navy shore base which formed part of The
Combined Training Centre (CTC) Middle East, at Kabret on Egypt's Little
Bitter Lake. It was the first Combined Operations Training Establishment
located outside the United Kingdom. Its purpose was to train RN
personnel in the operation of landing craft and, together with the
troops of many Allied nations, to practice amphibious landings prior to
operations against the enemy in the Mediterranean. This page
concentrates on Signals Training.
HMS Brontosaurus
This training centre at Castle Toward, Dunoon, Argyll, otherwise known as the No 2 Combined
Training Centre and CTC Castle Toward (pronounced as in coward)
provided training for officers and crews in the operation of major
landing craft capable of carrying tanks and heavy vehicles.
The centre was located at Toward Point 6mls south of Dunoon on the
Clyde. Includes many photos.
516 Combined Operations Squadron
RAF air support for Combined Operations training in amphibious landings
was provided by 516 Sqd. The training squadron was located
at Dundonald,
Ayrshire
in the south west of Scotland. This was within easy flying distance of
the many training centres around the Clyde estuary. Their duties
included laying down smoke screens and strafing the landing beaches in
the final stages of training to provide realistic conditions likely to
be experienced during initial assault landings, calibration of new
seaborne radar equipment, practice for anti-aircraft gunners etc. They
drew on the services of other squadrons as the demand for their services
outstripped their capacity.
Operation Tiger The
disastrous amphibious training exercise
in Lyme Bay on
the south coast of England. It was an avoidable disaster on an epic scale
and witnesses were sworn to secrecy. 749 American service personnel lost
their lives.
COHQ - Instructional
Pamphlets Amphibious warfare involving beach landings on beaches in enemy occupied
territory, was a new form of warfare. It created a vast training need across the 3 services
which was helped by the production of instructional pamphlets on key
topics such as; Beach Organisation
and Maintenance, Hardening of Commando Troops for Warfare, Employment of
Amphibians in Combined Operations, Bombardment Spotting Instructions,
Cliff Assaults etc.
1st Canadian Corps
This
account of Combined Operations training at the No 1 CTC Inveraray is
presented in two parts; a report from official Canadian war
records and the personal recollections of a Canadian war
artist.
Minor
Landing Craft Canadian,
Kendal Kidder, volunteered for hazardous duties which turned out to be
operating minor landing craft.
Thousands of landing craft of many different types, together with
well trained Navy personnel to operate them, were
essential for any major seaborne landing against entrenched enemy
positions. Kendal saw service in the LCA (Landing Craft Assault)
which carried 35 fully armed troops, the LCM (Landing Craft Mechanised)
which could deliver up to 35 tons of supplies for the troops and the
LCI(L) Landing Craft Infantry (Large), which could carry 250 fully armed
troops. This is a light hearted account of his training.
Wartime Recollections
COHQ -
Memories of a Secretary
Joyce Pitchford, nee Rogers, was employed in Combined Operations
Headquarters (COHQ) in WW2. She worked with both Keyes and
Mountbatten before moving to the War Cabinet when Combined Operations
work diminished following the D-Day landings. She attended the Yalta
conference in early February 1945, as part of Churchill's entourage,
providing secretarial support, but her long journey started
several weeks earlier.
516 Squadron RAF - Memories of a pilot
516 Combined
Ops Squadron RAF, was attached to Combined Operations to provide air
support during amphibious training exercises, calibration of radar
etc. These are the memories of New Zealander, Doug Shears.
Inveraray in Wartime
In the early to mid 1940s, the
small Scottish town of Inveraray, played host to an estimated
quarter of a million men undergoing Combined Operations
training in amphibious landing techniques on the shores of
Loch Fyne. These are the personal recollections of three local residents.
Occupation of
Walcheren Jan
H Wigard of Walcheren, Holland was a boy when he lived
through the trauma of the German occupation.
This is his story, which proved to be a considerable emotional
challenge for him to recall.
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