ALLIED RAID

Southland Times, Issue 24829, 22 August 1942, Page 5

ALLIED RAID

CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICES

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 20. “Reports now received make it possible to give a full coordinated story of the raid in the Dieppe area,” says a communique issued by Combined Operations headquarters. “These reports show that the raid was a successful demonstration of the co-ordination of all three services. A large military force was assembled and it arrived off the selected six beaches at the time laid down. Aircraft covered the landings and continued to cover the ships and men throughout the operations.” “The raid had as its objective the testing by an offensive on a larger scale than previously the defences of what is known to be a heavily defended section of the coast, the destruction of German batteries, a radio location station, personnel and equipment and the taking of prisoners for interrogation. The raid was a reconnaissance in force, having a vital part in our agreed offensive policy. It was known that as a consequence of our avowed aggressive policy the Germans had been recently reinforced on the coastal defences and heavy opposition was anticipated. During the raid it was apparent that additional troops and guns had been brought to the area recently.” The communique records the destruction done to batteries and equipment previously reported. It adds that two small enemy vessels were sunk and all the tanks left behind were blown up. There were numerous acts of individual bravery.”

A few hours before it landed ViceAdmiral Lord Louis Mountbatten told one party of commandos: “Your task is most vital. If you do not knock out the howitzer battery the whole operations will go wrong. You must do it, even at the greatest possible risk.” The commandos did not fail, says The Daily Mail’s war correspondent. Our question: “Will the Germans be ready for us?” was answered when a German was sighted at the top of a 100-foot cliff at the bottom of which our assault craft grounded. A German machine-gun stuttered out as we blundered across the shingle to the foot of the cliff. Another commando unit landed a little further westward, intending to take the battery from the rear while we made a frontal . attack. There were only two cracks in the cliffs. Barbed-wire hopelessly blocked one and the other ended in an almost vertical staircase for holiday bathers. A single machine-gun could have held it against an army. The commandos knew the Germans would not believe the raiders were foolish enough to try such a suicidal approach, but the commandos were soon creeping up the crack. The howitzers then began to fire at the fleet, which for the first time was perceived in the increasing light. AMMUNITION DUMP BLOWS UP The commandos cheered the arrival of Royal Air Force planes. They had been told that there would be two Royal Air Force fighters for every three men in the raiding force. A terrific explosion marked the end of the howitzers’ ammunition dump and signalled the attack on the howitzers from the rear. The battery crew knew how to fight and'German snipers accounted for a number of commandos when they were crossing the open ground in front of the battery. The battery commander was sniping from his office window when a commando kicked open the door and sprayed him with tommygun bullets. Bayonets proved the most useful weapon. The commandos raced in and out of battery huts, thrusting, stabbing and firing. When the commandos left not a single gunner was left alive and the guns themselves were destroyed. Throughout the landing, during the fighting on land, and during their reembarkation the commandos were heavily covered by the Royal Air Force. While the principal object of the air force was to cover the landing there in fact developed the greatest air battle of the war since the Battle of Britain. The Germans were forced to call for air reinforcements upon all parts of Occupied France, Holland and Belgium. Many of these reinforcements were engaged long before reaching the battle area and were shot down.

The landing, made on a heavily defended part of the coast, is described by Combined Operations Headquarters as “a reconnaissance in force” and as “part of the pattern of our aggressive policy.” It was known that, as a result of this policy, tire German defences _in Occupied France had been heavily reinforced and recently additional forces had been sent to the Dieppe sector. DESTROYER SUNK Despite this strong opposition the commandos remained ashore for nine hours from dawn and broke into the town itself. The tanks which had to be left behind when the troops reembarked were ordered to be blown up and destroyed. The naval forces lay off the coast throughout thq operation and provided additional cover. There were some losses of small craft and one destroyer, the Barclay, was so badly damaged that it had to be sunk by its accompanying units. The air action in the raid on Dieppe began with an attack on heavy gun positions, says the Air Ministry News Service. From the time the troops began landing fighters gave them a protective covering and attacked the gun-posts. The aircraft were met with a hail of flak from the centre of the town, from ships in the harbour and from cliff batteries. An anti-air-craft battery on top of the Casino was swept with cannon shells. A bomber squadron succeeded in silencing some of the batteries in spite of resistance by German fighters. A Belgian fighter squadron engaged the enemy high above Dieppe and an American force engaged about 25 Fock-Wulfs. Other aircraft laid down smoke-screens. The Germans threw in a great variety of aircraft and there were combats from sea-level to 20,000 feet up. Polish and Czech pilots taking part had successes and British and Canadian pilots flying Mustangs, took a notable part. Their main task was a reconnaissance but several engaged in combat and had successes. FIGHTER SWEEPS OVER FRANCE (Rec. 10.15 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 21. A joint American Army and British Air Ministry communique states: Many squadrons of Royal Air Force, United States, Dominion and Allied fighters made sweeps over Northern France yesterday. In one of these we escorted United States Flying Fortresses to Amiens, where • the railroad was bombed. Our fighters shot down one enemy fighter. None of our planes is missing, although nearly 500 fighters were engaged.”