They razed or blew up buildings, killed every male over 16 and anyone found in the countryside, including women and children, was massacred. In Kalavrita, a town on the Greek mainland that was a focal point of guerilla activity, German troops herded all the males over 15 into fields and machine-gunned them. In the India / Burma theatre 142 Commando Company also operated in conjunction with the U.S. unit Merrill's Marauders. [ citation needed] 1944 [ edit ] No. 4 Commando engaged in house to house fighting with the Germans at Riva Bella, near Ouistreham. After subduing the opposition, No 4 Commando moved inland to link up with 6th Airborne Division. The raiding force departed Lagos in Nigeria on board its two tugs during the morning of 11 January, and while at sea practised lowering Folbots and boarding ships at sea under the command of Captain Graham Hayes.

Ian Fleming, who later went on to write the James Bond series of novels, was serving in British Naval Intelligence at the time of this operation. This book ties Fleming to the SOE operation and speculates on how the heroes of that action contributed to the character of James Bond. Thomas William Winter was born on New Year’s Day 1905. Little is known about his early life but, while working as an engineer, he enlisted into the Army on November 4, 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War. By then, he was 34 and older than most of his fellow soldiers. boat, 17ft 6ins (5+m) long with a beam of 4ft 6ins, weighing 2 cwt that could be assembled by two men in 1.5 minutes, dropped Graham Hayes with 9 men at St Honorine Just nine days later, the raiders, once again led by March-Phillipps and including Winter, were on the offensive again in Operation Aquatint. March-Phillipps was killed in Operation Aquatint in September 1942. This secret operation took place on the German-occupied French coastlines. In an attempt to hurt the enemy, increase allied morale, and change the tide of the Second World War, March-Phillips led a special forces raider team (SSRF) of 11 onto a beach via Goatley canoes. None of them would return.

The Mission

Operation Postmaster was launched in January 1942. During this, No. 62 Commando carried out a raid in neutral Spanish Guinea, when they seized an Italian liner, a German tanker and a yacht from Santa Isabel. [24]

Sample from Special Forces Hero - Anders Lassen VC, MC** - Abduction of General Kreipe - Paros, April-May 1944 an Auxiliary Operations Group and independent raids in the English Channel ceased. SSRF was later disbanded and for his part in their operations Bourne was awarded the DSC. Two of the commandos were captured and executed, but the other two were smuggled out of France and into Spain by French resistance members. The strike was a huge propaganda boost for the struggling Allies, and the Germans were forced to guard their ships more closely from then on, an increased expenditure of resources. The raid, under the command of Major Gus March-Phillipps, founder of the SSRF, was carried out on January 14. Of the three enemy ships, Burundi and Likomba were moored together and were approached by the Nuneaton raiders, including Winter.An intriguing question is whether Gus March-Phillipps, an established novelist with an in depth knowledge of working as a secret agent licensed to kill, would not himself have written the James Bond stories, had he survived the war. Saunders, Hilary St. George (1959) [1949]. The Green Beret: The Commandos at War. London: Four Square Books. Throughout the battle he was an inspiration to his men and the few Italian ‘co-operators’ who joined in the fight. The Germans were finally driven from the island at a loss of 16 men killed, 35 wounded and seven taken prisoner. The Allied losses amounted to just one man killed and one wounded. Next day, German stukas dive-bombed Simi. Foot, Michael (2004). SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-5528-7. Brian Lett´s book is an inspiring and exciting book that should please not just SOE and Fleming/Bond buffs.

Brown, Gordon (2008). Wartime Courage: Stories of Extraordinary Courage by Ordinary People in World War Two. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 0-7475-9607-7.The first two operations led to him being awarded the Military Medal. The third resulted in abject failure and dire consequences for all involved. This book is a pretty good yarn and telling of the WWII story of Operation Postmaster, a 1941 commando mission of the British Special Operations Executive (or SOE, the British counterpart to the US Office of Strategic Services(OSS)). After seven months as a mechanics instructor with the Royal Army Service Corps, Winter volunteered for the Parachute Wing, No 2 Commando, in 1940.