Damien Lewis - hurchills Hellraisers: The Secret Mission to Storm a Forbidden Nazi Fortress

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

In researching this book I was able to meet, speak to and receive assistance from many individuals who were exceptionally generous with their time. My special thanks and gratitude are extended to all, and my apologies to those that I may have inadvertently forgotten to mention.

First and foremost Id like to thank the family members of those depicted in these pages, who helped me to tell their stories: Christine and Tony Bueno, for inviting me into your Dorset home and for sharing with me your memories and stories of the late Michael and Gwendoline Lees; James Selby Bennet, for inviting me into your Dorset home and for sharing your recollections and memorabilia of your late uncle, Michael Lees; Mrs J. M. Brian, for corresponding with me over your cousin, Michael Lees; Sir Christopher Lees, for corresponding with me over your second cousin, Michael Lees; Gerald & Nichola Eyton-Jones, for inviting me into your home and for sharing your recollections of the late David Eyton-Jones; Nikki Cartlidge, for sharing with me recollections of your late grandfather, Robert Bob Sharpes war years; David Farran, for corresponding with me and finding the time to talk about your late father, Major Roy Farran DSO, MC and two bars; Phil Williams, for inviting me into your home and sharing with me your grandfather, Frank Williamss (Francisco Jeronimo) story of the war years; Cliff Colman, for sharing with me your father, John Colmans (Juan Torrents Abadia) story from the war years; Ian McKenna, for inviting me into your home and sharing with me your father, Major William McKennas story from the war years; Christopher George, for sharing with me the story of your grandfather, Lt. Col. John Douglas George, from the war years; Steven Furneaux, for meeting up and corresponding with me over your grandfather, SAS Trooper Louis Bakers, war years; and Luke Griffiths, for corresponding with me about your grandfather, Major Bartons, war years.

My very special thanks are extended to Jack Mann, Second World War veteran of the SBS, SAS and LRDG, for reading an early draft of this book and for your invaluable insights and recollections from the war years, plus the documents and photographs you were able to share with me. My gratitude is also extended to Ted Ross, wartime radio operator, for sharing with me your recollections of serving with the partisans in Yuogoslavia and your photographs of those extraordinary operations.

In no particular order I also wish to thank the following, who assisted in many ways: research, proofreading and subject matter expertise. Tean Roberts, for your hard work and diligence, as always. Simon Fowler, for your expertise and inspiration, gleaned from the various archives. Paul and Anne Sherratt, for your perceptive comments and guidance. Thanks also to Ben Doyle-Cox, CEO of Platatac, for the very useful introductions you made: they were hugely appreciated. Thanks to Will Ward, Auxiliary Units researcher, for your excellent contacts, and to John Pidgeon, for same. Thanks in particular to Catherine Goodier, archivist at Blind Veterans UK, for all your help and assistance. Thanks also to Sally Allcard, for your expert advice and your translations from Italian and German.

Thanks also to Matteo Incerti, author, journalist and expert on the Italian partisans of the Second World War and the SAS and SOE operators who served alongside them (his books are referenced in the Bibliography). A very special thanks to Don North, the veteran Canadian journalist, who helped in my research of the wartime story and subsequent fate of Canadian journalist Paul Morton (told at great length in his book, Inappropriate Conduct ). Many thanks also to Rob Hann for the correspondence, advice and for the insight provided in his book, SAS Operation Galia , which alerted me to the importance of that mission.

The staff at several archives and museums also deserve special mention, including those at the British National Archives; the Imperial War Museum; and the Churchill Archive Centre at Churchill College, Cambridge. Some files from the National Archives were made available to me as a result of Freedom of Information requests, and I am grateful to the individuals at the Archives who made the decision that those files should be opened.

My gratitude also to my literary agent, Gordon Wise, and film agent, Luke Speed, both of Curtis Brown, for helping bring this project to fruition, and to all at my publishers, Quercus, for same, including, but not limited to: Charlotte Fry, Ben Brock and Fiona Murphy. My editor, Richard Milner, deserves very special mention, as does John English, for his excellent copyediting.

I am also indebted to those authors who have previously written about some of the topics dealt with in this book and whose work has helped inform my writing. I have included a full bibliography.

Thanks are due also to Eva and the ever-patient David, Damien Jr and Sianna, for not resenting Dad spending too much of his time locked away... again... writing... again.

ALSO BY DAMIEN LEWIS

World War Two:

War Dog
Judy: A Dog in a Million
Churchills Secret Warriors
The Nazi Hunters
Hunting Hitlers Nukes
SAS: Ghost Patrol
Smoky the Brave

Modern Day Elite Forces:

Operation Certain Death
Bloody Heroes
Cobra 405
Zero Six Bravo
Operation Relentless

Co-authored by Damien Lewis:

Sergeant Rex
Its All About Treo
Fire Strike 7/9
Operation Mayhem
X Platoon
Homeland
A Dog Called Hope

APPENDIX ONE

Roll of Personnel Engaged on Operation Tombola (taken from the SAS post-operational report)

Drop One: 4 March
Major R. A. Farran
Lieutenant J. Easton
Corporal K. Fitzgerald
Lance Corporal R. Bruce (Balerdi)
Parachutist P. Green
Parachutist F. Williams (Jeronimo)
Parachutist T. Kershaw

Drop Two: 7 March
Captain J. Milne
Lieutenant D. Eyton-Jones
Lieutenant T. G. Stephens
Lieutenant A. R. Tysoe
Corporal Larley

Drop Three: 9 March
Lieutenant M. F. N. Eld
Lieutenant K. G. Harvey
Sergeant R. Godwin
Sergeant F. Hughes
Corporal S. Bolden
Lance Corporal R. Ford
Lance Corporal K. Bjorklund
Lance Corporal J. Longburn
Lance Corporal J. Meager
Parachutist J. Brosnahan
Parachutist P. Burke
Parachutist W. J. Gallier
Parachutist W. H. Giles
Parachutist A. Harman
Parachutist C. Manners
Parachutist F. Mulvey
Parachutist C. McConnell
Parachutist J. Morbin
Parachutist J. Murphy
Parachutist E. Pernell
Parachutist A. Tate
Parachutist F. Taylor
Parachutist W. Whittaker
Parachutist G. Wooding

Drop Four: 10 March
Lieutenant J. Riccomini
Corporal W. Cunningham
Parachutist S. Carlisle

Drop 5: 24 March
Trooper D. Kirkpatrick

By Foot: 17 March
Serjeant S. Guscott
Parachutist R. Ramos

APPENDIX TWO

Casualties (SAS) on Operation Tombola (taken from the SAS post-operational report)

2nd SAS Regiment
Killed
Serjeant S. Guscott
Lance Corporal R. Bruce (Balerdi)

Missing believed killed
Lieutenant J. Riccomini
Corporal S. Bolden

Wounded
Sergeant F. Hughes
Lance Corporal J. Layburn
Parachutist F. Mulvey
Parachutist S. Carlisle

Injured in parachute drop
Lieutenant J. Easton

Russians
Killed: 3
Wounded: 3
Missing: 6

Italians
Wounded: 3