Cabell - The History of 30 Assault Unit: Ian Fleming’s Red Indians

Frederick Forsyth A Matter of Protocol, the Authorised Biography
The Kray Brothers The Image Shattered
James Herbert Devil in the Dark, the Authorised True Story
Operation Big Ben the anti-V2 Spitfire Missions 1944-45 (with Graham. A
Thomas)
VE Day A Day to Remember (with Allan Richards)
Snipers (with Richard Brown)
Dennis Wheatley Churchills Storyteller
Getting Away With Murder (with Lenny Hamilton)
Witchfinder General the Biography of Matthew Hopkins
Ian Flemings Secret War Author of James Bond
The Hunt for Captain Kidd (with Graham A. Thomas & Allan Richards)
The Hunt for Blackbeard (with Graham A. Thomas & Allan Richards)
The History of 30 Assault Unit Ian Flemings Red Indians
Ian Rankin and Inspector Rebus

( Chap Books )
Dennis Wheatley and the Occult
Black Sniper (fiction)
I was Alive Then The Spike Milligan Interviews
The Grapes of MoD ten years of wine consumption
30 Assault Unit User Manual
Dennis Wheatleys Total War
The Curse of the Bakervilles
William The Story of a Royal Marine
Robert Heinlein Complete UK Bibliography

( Special Introductions )
Furies Over Korea the story of the men of the Fleet Air Arm, RAF and
Commonwealth who defended South Korea, 1950-1953, by Graham A. Thomas
Firestorm, Typhoons Over Caen, 1944 by Graham A. Thomas
Terror from the Sky the Battle Against the Flying Bomb by Graham A. Thomas

First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
PEN & SWORD MILITARY
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright Craig Cabell, 2009

ISBN 978 1 84415 950 5
ePub ISBN: 9781844688203
PRC ISBN: 9781844688210

The right of Craig Cabell to be identified as author of
this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

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Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of
Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Maritime, Pen & Sword Military,
Wharncliffe Local History, Pen and Sword Select, Pen and Sword Military Classics,
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While the author has taken all reasonable steps to track down and clear
copyright of images used, this has not proved possible in every case and
any unavoidable omission is regretted

This book is dedicated to Charles Wheeler, Patrick Dalzel-Job, Lt Cdr D.M. Curtis, Captain Huntingdon-Whiteley, Captain Martin-Smith, Bill Thomas, James Powell and all the other men of 30 Assault Unit. My honour was to talk and meet with some of you for you this modest tome, may your contribution never be forgotten.

While he, Bond, had been playing Red Indians through the
years the real enemy had been working quietly, coldly,
without heroics, right there at his elbow.

Casino Royale , Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming played an important role during the Second World War as a Naval Intelligence officer. One of his many projects was creating a crack team of commandos called 30 Assault Unit (30 AU) (formerly 30 Commando Unit). Their antics and derring-do are one of the best-kept secrets of the Second World War.

Through archive material and interviews with surviving veterans, the history of 30 AU is now pieced together to celebrate the passion and bravery of one of the greatest commando units of the Second World War.

30 AUs mission was to penetrate enemy lines, capture vital intelligence and feed it back to London where it could be assimilated and acted upon. They were the first unit ever to attack a V-rocket establishment, and one of them, Patrick Dalzel-Job, was reputably the main influence for Flemings fictional secret agent, James Bond. Other officers such as Lieutenant Commander Curtis, Captain Huntingdon-Whiteley, Captain Martin-Smith and Lieutenant McFee, remain unknown despite significant bravery, until now.

On 4 July 2008, the BBC News at Ten announced the death of Charles Wheeler. They spoke of his great contribution to broadcasting, calling him the greatest broadcaster of all time. They showed an interview clip where he spoke of being brought up in Nazi Germany, how his friends the Jews used to hide in the woods. The one thing the BBC failed to speak of was Mr Wheelers contribution to the Second World War, how he, as part of 30 AU, tenaciously interrogated prisoners of war and was at the sharp end throughout.

Charles Wheeler, Patrick Dalzel-Job and the other members of 30 AU are some of the true unsung heroes of the Second World War, as this book bares testament. Dalzel-Job was an important figure and Charles Wheeler was his brother-in-arms; but little is known of their bravery and tenacity.

This book highlights Charles Wheelers contribution to the Second World War, which has been largely unappreciated until now. It is testament to the mans character that he never boasted about his contribution to 30 AU; but that is indicative of the war veteran of yesteryear. People like Charles Wheeler, Patrick Dalzel-Job and former broadcaster Raymond Baxter and, I dare say, many friends and relations of people who read this book, rarely spoke about their work during that period. For them, certain things were better off left unsaid, while nowadays, many ex-servicemen are keen to go into print regarding their days of action. Life now is more transparent in many ways. What we have in the following pages is the formation and implication of a very different type of commando unit, which contributed much to the success of the Allied forces during the Second World War and, because of their secret work, have been unappreciated for over sixty years.

Craig Cabell
London, 2009

The key people who made this book happen are: Charles Wheeler, Joan Bright Astley, Bill Thomas and James Bill Powell. Their memories and perceptions became so very important when I applied the personal touch to the wealth of material found in archive; especially the bits that werent mentioned. Each had a fascinating insight and important piece of the complex jigsaw that I was building, which was largely undocumented. Thank you for your memories and perceptions.

I would also like to thank good friends Steve White, Mark Ottowell, Dave Barlow and Graham A. Thomas, for their support during the early stages of this book. I would also like to thank my family for putting up with yet another writing project: Anita, Samantha, Nathan, Fern, my father Colin, Berny and Dave (all the people that have to endure my thought processes on an almost daily basis), and David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen for the companionship while I proofed the final manuscript. I would also like to thank Keith and Penny at The Marine public house, the spiritual home of 30 AU, and Diana, the secretary of 30 AU, who really helped in getting me on the road. It was an honour to talk to veterans of the unit they really are so modest; to talk to the brilliant Charles Wheeler: What do you really know about us, Craig? Thats interesting, now read this and lets talk some more. Bless you, dear sir, I hope Ive done you justice.