Operation Houndsworth
| Operation Houndsworth | |
|---|---|
| Part of Burgundy , France | |
| Result | British and Allied success |
United Kingdom
FFI
Nazi Germany Major Bill Fraser Unknown- 'A' Squadron
(144 men)
8 Wounded
220 Killed or wounded
6 trains derailed
70 vehicles destroyed
Operation Houndsworth was the
Background
The men involved in Operation Houndsworth were part of the
In 1944 the Special Air Service Brigade was formed and consisted of the British 1st and 2nd Special Air Service, the
In May 1944 the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) had issued an order for the Special Air Service Brigade to carry out two operations in France. The two operations were Operation Houndsworth in the area of Dijon given 'A' Squadron 1st Special Air Service and Operation Bulbasket in the area of Poitiers given to 'B' Squadron 1st Special Air Service.[6]
The focus of both operations would be the disruption of German reinforcements from the south of France to the
Mission
Operation Houndsworth consisted of 18 officers and 126 men of 'A' Squadron, 1st Special Air Service (SAS).[8][9] The SAS reconnaissance party landed in the area on 6 June 1944. They were followed by the rest of the squadron under the command of Major Bill Fraser over the night of 10/11 June 1944. A number of Jeeps armed with Vickers K machine guns were also parachuted in.[10] The squadron was established in a patrol base in the mountainous wooded countryside southwest of Dijon near Chalaux, in the Morvan which is in the Nièvre department.[11]
The SAS expanded their operations further to the south near Dijon with Operation Wallace which took the pressure off Houndsworth.
The Squadron then proceeded with operations during which the Lyon to Paris rail lines were blown up 22 times.
The squadron also killed or wounded 220 Germans, captured 132
The Germans eventually became aware of the location of the SAS camp and started what they thought would be a surprise attack on 20 August 1944. Unknown to them, members of the French resistance knew about the attack, and Corporal David Danger of the SAS got through the cordon the Germans had put around the camp and was able to warn the squadron. Pre-warned, the SAS fought off the Germans.
Operation Houndsworth ended in September 1944.[12][13] Danger was awarded the Military Medal on 29 March 1945 for his part in foiling the attack on the camp, and his skill in maintaining radio communication from behind enemy lines for four months.[14][15]
References
- Notes
- ^ Molinari, p.22
- ^ Haskew, p.39
- ^ Thompson, p.7
- ^ a b Shortt & McBride, p.15
- ^ Shott & McBride, p.16
- ^ a b "Operation Bulbasket". Royal British Legion. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Shott & Mcbride, p.14
- ^ Ian Wellsted: With the Maquis , in Action with the French resistance
- ^ Bowman, p.144
- ^ Buxton, section 5
- ^ Young, p.161
- ^ a b c d "Operation Houndworth" (PDF). Special Air Force Association. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- Daily Telegraph. London. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Recommendations for Honours and Awards (Army)" (fee usually required to view pdf of full original recommendation). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "No. 37004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 March 1945. p. 1711.
- Bibliography
- Bowman, Martin W (1988). The Bedford triangle: U.S. undercover operations from England in World War 2. Stephens. ISBN 0-85059-934-2.
- Buxton, David (1994). Honour to the Airborne Part 2. Liverpool Medal Company. ISBN 1-899422-00-5.
- Haskew, Michael E (2007). Encyclopaedia of Elite Forces in the Second World War. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-577-4.
- Molinari, Andrea (2007). Desert Raiders: Axis and Allied Special Forces 1940-43. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-006-2.
- ISBN 0-85045-396-8.
- Thompson, Leroy (1994). SAS: Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-87938-940-0.
- Young, Irene (1990). Enigma variations: a memoir of love and war. Mainstream. ISBN 1-85158-294-0.