On 20 February 1944 a B-17 bomber (Flying Fortress) which the
crew called ‘Mi Amigo’ was part of the 305th Bombardment Group, US 8th
Army Airforce based at Chelveston Airfield in Northamptonshire and ‘Mi Amigo’
was one of 700 American B-17 bombers involved in Operation Argument.
Operation Argument was an intensive one-week joint operation
with RAF bomber command to destroy high value and heavily defended aircraft factories and Luftwaffe
airfields in Alaborg Denmark and Leipzig Germany and the bombers had to run the
gauntlet of extensive anti-aircraft artillery and German fighters.
On 22 February there was heavy fog over the Luftwaffe base
in Alaborg and the target could not be
seen from the air as the B-17’s were being attacked by swarms of German
fighters during which three American aircraft were shot down and most of their crews
were killed or captured. Due to the fog
and continuous waves of German fighters the mission was aborted; the surviving
aircraft began their return to England and once they reached the North Sea, they
started jettisoning their bombs.
Mi Amigo had been extensively damaged and there were concerns one or more of its engines would seize up before reaching England, but the crew managed to dump their 4,000 lb bomb load over the sea.
The crew of Mi Amigo
According to historian Paul Allonby, Mi Amigo was several
miles from its base in England and its engines which had all been damaged were
fading quickly as its pilot Lt Kriegshauser steered his crippled B-17 out of thick
clouds and found they were over a major city in Sheffield. As he looked for a suitable field for a crash landing,
he could only see houses, roads and trees and then in the distance he saw a large
field called Encliffee Park which was a public play area with thick woods
behind it.
Lt Kriegshauser prepared his crew for a crash landing and
started his final approach when he suddenly saw a large group of children playing in the field
and immediately aborted the landing in the full knowledge his aircraft would crash
into the woods.
After crashing the wreckage of the B-17 was scattered across
the hillside, the aircraft was split into two and the front section was on fire
and the crew were dead.
Several eyewitnesses say the aircraft circled the park for
some time and it is believed the pilot sacrificed the lives of himself and his
crew to avoid a group of children in the field.
Lt Kriegshauser was posthumously awarded the US Distinguished
Flying Cross.
During the crash a large number of trees had been destroyed
and in 1969 a grove of American Oakes was planted to honour the crew of Mi
Amigo. There is also a memorial to the crew in the park and Tony Foulds who was
one of the children in the park at the time of the crash continues to personally
tend the memorial.
On 22 February 2019 after a long campaign by Tony Foulds, who is now 82 years old, British and American military aircraft took part in a flypast over Endcliffee Park in Sheffield to mark the 75th anniversary of the American crew of the bomber Mi Amigo.
Tony Foulds ar 82, who was one of the children playing in the field
After war was declared in 1914
Albert Ball enlisted into the army and served with several units including the
Sherwood Foresters and was soon promoted to sergeant and gained his commission
as second lieutenant on 20 October. Ball was eager to see action but was assigned
to training recruits in England so in
the hope of being sent to France he
transferred to the North Midlands
Cyclist Company, but the company remained in England and he expressed his
frustration in a letter to his parents dated 25 February, he wrote, “I have just
sent six boys to France and I hear they will be in the firing line on Monday.
It is just my luck to be unable to go”.
In March 1915 Ball started taking private flying lessons at Hendon Aerodrome and after qualifying for the Royal Aero Club Certificate, on 15 March 1915 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corp (RFC) and trained at Mousehold Heath Aerodrome near Norwich. He completed his training at the Central Flying School Upavon and was awarded his wings on 22 January 1916 and a week later was officially transferred from the North Midland Cycle Company to the RFC as a pilot.
At the age of 20 Captain Albert Ball became the first
celebrity fighter pilot after shooting down 44
enemy aircraft in just one year. He was also the first man during the
war to be awarded three DSO’s.
After his first dog fight Ball wrote in one of his letters
to his parents:
“I like this job, but nerves do not last long and you
soon want a rest…” and in a later letter to his father he discouraged the
idea of his youngest brother following him into the RFC.
Albert Ball was described as a ‘lone wolf’ because he mostly flew solo missions and stalked enemy aircraft from below and used an adapted Lewis machine gun to fire upwards into the enemy’s fuselage.
Gun adapted to fire upwards
Although he quickly became a fighter ace and enjoyed aerial combat Ball had no hatred
for the enemy and in a letter to his parents he explained, “I only scrap
because it is my duty … nothing makes me feel more rotten than to see them go
down, but you see it is either them or me, so I must do my duty….”
On his 20th birthday Ball was promoted to
temporary Captain.
In another letter to his father Ball wrote, “I get tired of always living to kill and beginning to feel like a murderer… I shall be so glad when I have finished.”
The last fight of Captain Ball, VC, DSO and 2 bars, MC, 7May 1917 by Norman Arnold 1919
On the evening of 7 May 1917 near Douai, 11 aircraft of No. 56 Squadron RFC led by Albert Ball encountered German fighters from Jasta 11 (Red Baron’s flight). A violent dogfight in deteriorating visibility resulted in all the aircraft being scattered. Cecil Arthur Lewis who took part in the battle described the mass dog fight in his memoir ‘Sagittarius Rising.’
Lewis recalled Ball pursuing a red Albatros D.111 belonging
to the ‘Red Barons’ younger brother Lothar von Richthofen who eventually landed
near Annoeullin with a punctured fuel tank and Lewis said he last saw Ball flying
into a dark thundercloud before disappearing.
In keeping with the propaganda of the period British newspapers claimed after being shot down 20-year-old Albert Ball dyed in the arms of a French girl who had pulled him from the wreckage of his machine and only after the war did several eyewitnesses described what really happened when Ball crashed behind the German lines.
The wreck of Ball’s aircraft photograph taken by German soldier
A German pilot on the
ground, Lieutenant Hailer saw Ball’s plane falling upside down with a dead
propeller from the bottom of a dark cloud at an altitude of 2000 feet.
Brothers Franz and Carl Hailer and two other men in their
party were from a German reconnaissance unit and Franz later noted, “it was
leaving a cloud of black smoke… caused by oil leaking into the cylinders… The engine had to be inverted for this to happen…
The Hispano engine was known to flood its inlet manifold with fuel when upside
down and then stop running…”
Franz Hailer and his three companions ran to the crash site
and Ball was already dead when they arrived. The three German soldiers said the
crashed aircraft had suffered no battle damage and no bullet wounds were found
on Ball’s body and a German doctor at a field hospital later said Albert Ball died
from a broken neck and a crushed chest. His limbs were also fractured, and his
injuries suggest he was killed due to impact with the ground.
Based on these eyewitness accounts It is now considered probable
Ball was not shot down but had become disorientated and lost control. This has been described as temporary vertigo
which had claimed other pilots. A month
after Ball crashed the Germans dropped a message over the British lines
announcing he was dead and had been buried in Annoeullin with full military
honours.
In 1918 Walter Briscioe and H Russell Stannard published a seminal biography, Captain Ball VC and reprinted many of his letters. They quote Ball’s most notable opponent Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) saying “he considered Ball by far the best English flying man.” The authors also quote an unidentified RFC pilot who fought with Ball during his last battle as saying, “I see they have given him a VC . Of course, he won it a dozen times over; the whole squadron know that.
After the war
After the war British authorities discovered Ball’s grave which had been behind the German lines and the Imperial War Graves Commission (now called the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) moved 23 British bodies from graves in the location where Ball was buried to Cabaret Rough British Cemetery, but at his father’s request Ball’s grave was allowed to remain and Ball is the only British grave from WW1 the rest are German soldiers. Ball’s father also bought the French field where his son died and erected a memorial on the crash site.
Award citation Victoria Cross
Lt (temp Captain)
Albert Ball, DSO, MC, late Notts and Derby. R. and RFC
For most
conspicuous and consistent bravery from 25 of April to the 6th May
1917, during which period Capt. Ball took part in twenty-six combats in the air
and destroyed eleven hostile aeroplanes, drove down two out of control and
forced seven others to land.
In these combats
Capt. Ball, flying alone, on one occasion fought six hostile machines, twice he
fought five and once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he
attacked an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he brought
down at least one enemy.
Several times his
aeroplane was badly damaged, once so seriously that but for the most delicate
handling his machine would have collapsed, as nearly all the control wires had
been shot away. On returning with a damaged machine he had always to be
restrained from immediately going out on another.
In all Capt. Ball
has destroyed forty-three German aeroplanes and one balloon and has always
displayed most excellent courage, determination and skill.
Distinguished
Service Order (DSO)
For conspicuous
gallantry and skill. Observing seven enemy machines flying in formation, he
immediately attacked one of them and shot it down at 15 yards range. The
remaining machines retired. Immediately afterwards, seeing five more hostile
machines, he attacked one at about ten yards range and shot it down, flames
coming out of the fuselage. He then attacked another of the machines which had
been firing at him and shot it down into a village, where it landed on the top
of a house. He then went to the nearest aerodrome for more ammunition and
returned to attack three more machines, causing them to dive under control.
Being then short of petrol he came home. His own machine was badly shot about
in these fights.
Distinguished
Service Order (DSO)Bar
For conspicuous
skill and gallantry. When on escort duty to a bombing raid he saw four enemy
machines in formation. He dived on them and broke up their formation and then
shot down the nearest one, which fell on its nose. He came down to about 500
feet to make certain it was wrecked. On another occasion, observing twelve
enemy machines in formation, he dived in among them, and fired a drum into the
nearest machine which went down out of control. Several more hostile machines
then approached, and he fired three more drums at them, driving down another
out of control. He then returned, crossing the lines at a low altitude, with
his machine very much damaged.
Distinguished
Service Order (DSO) Bar
For conspicuous
gallantry in action. He attacked three hostile machines and brought one down,
displaying great courage and skill. He has brought down eight hostile machines
in a short period and has forced many others to land.
Military Cross
(MC)
For conspicuous skill and gallantry on many occasions, notably when, after failing to destroy an enemy kite balloon with bombs, he returned for a fresh supply, went back and brought it down in flames. He also completed great execution among enemy aeroplanes. On one occasion he attacked six in one flight, forced down two and drove the others off. This occurred several miles over the enemy’s lines.
The following is an extract from the official combat report
written by Robson:
3
September 1916
From:
Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, Sutton’s Farm
To:
The Officer Commanding N0.39 H.D. {Home Defence} Squadron
Sir
I
have the honour to make the following report on night patrol made by me on the
night of 2-3 instant. I went up at about 11.08 pm on the night of the second
with instructions to patrol between Sutton’s Farm and Joyce Green.
I
climbed to 10,000 feet in fifty-three minutes. I counted what I thought were
ten sets of flares, there were a few clouds below me but on the whole, it was a beautifully clear night.
I
saw nothing until 1.10am when two searchlights picked up a Zeppelin
S.E. of Woolwich. The clouds had collected
in this quarter and the searchlights had some difficulty keeping on the airship.
By
the time I had managed to climb to 12,000 feet and I made in the direction of
the Zeppelin which was being fired on by a few anti-aircraft guns; hoping to
cut it off on its way eastwards I very slowly gained on it for about ten
minutes.
I
judged it to be about 800 feet below me and I sacrificed some speed in order to
keep the height. It went behind some clouds avoiding the searchlights and I
lost sight of it. After fifteen minutes of fruitless search I returned to my
patrol.
…
At about 1.50 am I noticed a glow in the N.E. of London. Taking it to be an
outbreak of fire I went in that direction. At 2.05 am a Zeppelin was picked up
by searchlights over N.E. London as far as I could judge.
Remembering
my last failure, I sacrificed height, I was about 12,000 feet, for speed and
nosed down in the direction of the Zeppelin. I saw shells bursting and night tracers
flying around it.
When
I drew closer, I noticed that the anti-aircraft aim was too high or too low,
also a good many shells burst about 800 feet behind, a few tracers went right
over; I could hear the bursts when about 3,000 feet from the Zeppelin.
I
flew 800 feet below it from bow to stem and distributed one drum {ammunition
drum on a Lewis machinegun}, it seemed to have no effect.
I
therefore moved to one side and gave them another drum along the side, also
without effect. I then got behind it and by this time I was very close, 500
feet or less below, and concentrated one drum on one part (underneath rear). I
was at a height of 11,000 feet when attacking the Zeppelin.
I had hardly finished the drum before I saw the part fired at glow. In a few seconds the whole rear was blazing.
When
the third drum was fired there were no searchlights on the Zeppelin and no anti-aircraft
was firing.
Having little petrol left I returned to Sutton’s Farm, landing at 2.45 am. On landing I found the Zeppelin gunner had shot away the machine gun wire guard, the rear part of the centre section and had pierced the main spar several times.
Wreck of the Schutte-Lanz airship at
Cuffley – note that this airship was commonly referred to as a Zeppelin at the
time.
The above represents the official and clinical account written for the
benefit of his commanding officer by Leefe Robinson and does not capture the
true events. From eyewitness accounts First world War aviation historian David Marks
gave the following account of the events of that night and what happened
afterwards:
“SL11 {Zeppelin} caught fire and in
full view of the Metropolis, the giant raider fell in a roaring mass of flame,
striking the ground at Cuffley. The crew of 16 died as millions of Londoners
cheered the unknown hero who had been the first to shoot down an airship over
mainland Britain.
Railway whistles blew, factory hooters
were sounded, whilst people poured into
the streets, singing and dancing. People broke out into spontaneous renditions
of God Save the King and Rule Britannia.
Robinson landed safely at Sutton’s
Farm with little petrol and oil left in his machine’s tanks. The exhausted
pilot was borne shoulder-high in triumph from his biplane.
On 3 September, which was later
referred to as “Zepp Sunday”, news of Robinson’s victory spread with incredible
speed. Over the next two days 10,000
people travelled to the tiny village and police and troops were called in to
control the crowds who clamoured for souvenirs of the wreck.
For shooting down SL11, Robinson was
now the most famous pilot in the country and could not go without official
recognition for long. On 9 September 1916 King George V handed him the Victoria
Cross at Windsor Castle.
When SL11 was shot down, it was described officially and in the press as Zeppelin L21. This misidentification persisted for decades and was probably deliberately done for propaganda purposes.” (David Marks)
“We think nothing now of high-speed
interceptors taking off and attaining incredible altitudes within seconds. In
1916 men were flying aircraft made of wood and canvas, with engines with only
tens of horse-power and small capacity fuel tanks. Maximum heights would have
been not much over 10,000ft and it would take many minutes to get there. There
was one advantage – the airships they were hunting were fairly sluggish.
We are also talking about one man, in
control of a low powered and often unreliable aeroplane, at night with no
electronic navigation aids, just a canvas backed map and a compass. Then you
need to appreciate that Leefe Robinson was buffeted by cold air in an open
cockpit, with a leather helmet and a thick and bulky sheepskin lined outfit. He
had no radio and had to fire his often-unreliable machine gun by hand.” (David
Marks)
After being awarded the VC and becoming a national hero the army was reluctant to send him to the front line and used him for public relations and propaganda. Not liking his celebrity status Robinson made constant requests to be assigned combat duties on the Western Front and in April 1917 his request was granted and was ordered to report to No.48 Squadron as a flight commander.
On 15 April 1917 Robinson led a formation of six aircraft against Albatrol D.111 fighters from Jasta 11 led by the legendary ‘Red Baron’ Manfred Von Richthofen. During the dog fight four British fighters were shot down including Leefe Robinson who was injured whilst crash landing behind German lines and was quickly captured.
Jasta 11
Manfred Von Richthofen (Red Baron)
After being reported dead by British
newspapers two months later his family received a letter from him which said he
was safe and was a POW.
Due to making several escape attempts Robinson was moved to various prison camps and kept in solitary confinement and was eventually repatriated in early December 1918 and spent Christmas with his family and friends in Stanmore Middlesex. Shortly after Christmas day, at the age of 23, Robinson contracted Spanish flu and died on 30 December at his sister’s home in Stanmore which is now part of Harrow.
Funeral of Leefe Robinson VC
William Leefe Robinson VC was buried with full military honours with thousands lining the route to All Saint’s Church Harrow Weald and a solitary RAF aircraft dropped a wreath which was laid on his grave.
During the First World War there are many accounts of RFC (Royal Flying Corp) pilots modifying their aircraft. Whilst serving with No. 6 Squadron on the Western Front Pilot Officer Louis Strange decided to improve the fire power and accuracy of his aircraft by fitting a Lewis Machine Gun on the top wing above the cockpit of his Martinsyde S.1 Scout.
On 10 May 1915 Strange was engaged in aerial combat against a German Aviatik two-seater and during the lengthy dog fight Strange had to reload his Lewis Gun. After standing up in the cockpit to change the drum his aircraft immediately became unstable, flipped on its back and Strange was thrown from the aircraft but managed to grab the ammunition drum which was still attached to the Lewis Gun.
As his aircraft started to develop a slow spin towards the
ground from five thousand feet strange was seen hanging from his inverted aircraft.
Strange later explained: “I kept kicking upwards behind me until
at last I got a foot and then the other hooked inside the cockpit. Somehow, I
got the stick between my legs again and jammed on full aileron and elevator; I don’t
know exactly what happened then, but the trick was done. The machine came over the
right way up and I fell off the top plane and into my seat with a bump.”
It was later estimated Strange was only 500 feet from the
ground before he eventually regained control of his aircraft.
On his return to the airfield Strange was reprimanded for causing unnecessary damage to his instrument panel and seat.
During the Second World War Strange was too old for
operational flying and on 21 May 1940 was the control officer with No. 34
Squadron (RAF) at Mervile. After the
airfield had been evacuated and with no other pilots available, Strange flew a Hurricane
fighter back to England. Apart from this being an advanced aircraft he had
never flown before the guns had been removed and most of the instruments were missing.
At 8000 feet Strange dodged anti-aircraft artillery before being attacked by several Messerschmitt Bf 109’s and was forced to fly at very low level to lose his attackers. One month later Strange was awarded a bar for his DSO.
Awards and citations
Distinguished Service Order
Lieut. Louis Arbon Strange, M.C., D.F.C.
For his exceptional services in organising his wing and his
brilliant leadership on low bombing raids this officer was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross not long ago. Since then, by his fine example and
inspiring personal influence, he has raised his wing to still higher efficiency
and morale, the enthusiasm displayed by the various squadrons for low-flying
raids being most marked. On 30th October he accompanied one of these raids
against an aerodrome; watching the work of his machines, he waited until they
had finished and then dropped his bombs from one hundred feet altitude on
hangars that were undamaged; he then attacked troops and transport in the
vicinity of the aerodrome. While thus engaged he saw eight Fokkers flying above
him ; at once he climbed and attacked them single-handed; having driven one
down out of control he was fiercely engaged by the other seven, but he
maintained the combat until rescued by a patrol of our scouts.
London Gazette, 7 February 1919[24]
Military Cross
Second Lieutenant (temporary Captain) L. A. Strange, The
Dorsetshire Regiment and Royal Flying Corps.
For gallantry and ability on reconnaissance and other duties
on numerous occasions, especially on the occasion when he dropped three bombs
from a height of only 200 feet on the railway junction at Courtrai; whilst
being assailed by heavy rifle fire.
— London Gazette, 27 March 1915[15]
Distinguished Flying Cross
Lieut. Louis Arbon Strange, M.C. (Dorset R).
To this officer must be given the main credit of the complete
success attained in two recent bombing raids on important enemy aerodromes. In
organising these raids his careful attention to detail and well-thought-out
plans were most creditable. During the operations themselves his gallantry in
attack and fine leadership inspired all those taking part.
— London Gazette, 21 June 1940[39]
Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross
Pilot Officer Louis Arbon Strange, D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C.
(78522), R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve.
Pilot Officer Strange was detailed to proceed from Hendon to
Merville to act as ground control officer during the arrival and departure of
various aircraft carrying food supplies. He displayed great skill and
determination whilst under heavy bombing attacks and machine-gun fire at
Merville, where he was responsible for the repair and successful despatch of
two aircraft to England. In the last remaining aircraft, which was repaired
under his supervision, he returned to Hendon, in spite of being repeatedly
attacked by Messerschmitts until well out to sea. He had no guns in action and
had never flown this type of aircraft previously, but his brilliant piloting
enabled him to return with this much needed aircraft.
John Hannah was born on 27
November 1921 in Paisley Scotland and joined the RAF in 1939.
After being trained as a wireless
operator and air gunner in 1940 he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to 83
Squadron which flew Handley Page Hampden bombers.
At the age of 18 John Hannah become the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross for aerial operations during the Second World War.
Victoria Cross citation
the London Gazette 1 October 1940
The
King has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the
undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery.
652918
Sergeant John Hannah
On
the night of 15th September 1940, Sergeant Hannah was the wireless
operator/air gunner in an aircraft engaged in a successful attack on an enemy
barge concentration at Antwerp. It was subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire
and received a direct hit from a projectile of an explosive and incendiary
nature which burst inside the bomb compartment.
A
fire started which quickly enveloped the wireless operators and rear gunners’
cockpit, and as both the port and starboard petrol tanks had been pierced there
was grave risk of the fire spreading.
Sergeant
Hannah forced his way through to obtain two fire extinguishers and discovered
that the rear gunner had had to leave the aircraft. He could have acted
likewise through the bottom escape hatch or forward through the navigator’s hatch
but remained and fought the fire for ten minutes with the extinguishers and
beating the flames with his logbook when these were empty.
During
this time thousands of rounds of ammunition exploded in all directions and was
almost blinded by the intense heat and flames but had the presence of mind to
obtain relief by turning on the oxygen supply. Air admitted through the large
holes caused by the projectile made the bomb compartment an inferno and all the
aluminium sheet metal on the floor of the airman’s cockpit was melted away
leaving only the cross bearers.
Working
under these conditions which caused burns to his face and eyes Sergeant Hannah
succeeded in extinguishing the fire. He then crawled forward and ascertained
the navigator had left the aircraft and passed the latter’s log and maps to the
pilot. This airman displayed courage, coolness and devotion to duty of the
highest order and by his action in remaining and successfully extinguishing the
fire under conditions of the greatest danger and difficulty enabled the pilot
to bring the aircraft to its base.
In late 1941 due to weak health as a result of the severe burns he had sustained John Hannah was discharged from the RAF with a full disability pension, but his health continued to deteriorate.
After being unable to find a job to support his wife and three young children he became a taxi driver after his aunt borrowed him her car but due to increasing ill health, he returned the car in 1943 and could no longer work. John Hannah died on 7 June 1947, aged 27, at Markfield Sanatorium in Leicester where he had been a patient for four months.
On 27th August 1979 an army convoy of three-ton
lorries and land Rovers from the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment
(2 Para) drove into a well-planned IRA ambush.
The first explosion (IED) is thought to have been a device weighing half a ton which was concealed under hay on a flat bed lorry. The explosion killed six members of 2 Para travelling in a lorry at the rear of the convoy.
Warren point Searching the area
Immediately after the explosion other members of 2 Para cordoned off the area, called for reinforcements and soldiers from the Queens Own Highlanders flew to the scene in helicopters from their base at Bessbrook in county Armagh.
The dead and injured were
being air lifted from the scene when a second explosion killed a further ten soldiers
from 2 Para, a lance corporal from the Queens Own Highlanders and his
commanding officer.
After this explosion one eyewitness said they heard heavy
automatic fire from the other side of the
canal which forms the border and soldiers returned fire.
RUC Inspector Error McDowell said, “We were patrolling in South Armagh at the time and we got the call to come to Narrow Water… It was just complete devastation, bodies everywhere… The second device detonated as troops raced to those killed and injured by the first…”
One member of 2 Para who survived the attack, Tom Caughey,
later told the Irish Sun, “I was in the last wagon and I remember we just
came through the roundabout and onto the dual carriageway and it went up… I
remember it as a flash and a rumble, the sensation of flying… jettisoned from
the three-ton truck…. I found myself coming around and seeing my legs on fire,
not really taking it in. Sitting up and looking about… There was carnage
everywhere, I couldn’t see anybody actually moving… I kept looking at my legs which
were on fire, burning and suddenly a switch went off and I thought to myself,
your legs are burning…”
18-year-old Tom Caughey was being evacuated by helicopter when the second large IED exploded.
The eighteen soldiers killed at Warren Point
Roll of honour Warren
Point 27 AUGUST 1979
Andrews- Corporal Nicholas J, age 24 (2 Para) Married
Barnes -Private Gary I, age 18 (2 Para) Single
Beard- Warrant Officer Walter, age 31 (2 Para)
Blair- Lieutenant Colonel David, age 40 (Queen’s Own Highlanders)
Married with two children
Blair- Private Donald F, age 23 (2 Para)
Dunn- Private Anthony G, age 20 (2 Para) Single
England- Private Robert N, age 23 (2 Para) Married with one
child
Fursman- Major Peter, age 35 (2 Para)
Giles- Corporal John C, age 22 (2 Para) Married
Jones- Private Jeffrey A, age 18 (2 Para)
Jones, Corporal Leonard, age 26 (2 Para) Married with
18-month-old daughter
Jones- Private Robert D.V, age 18 (2 Para) Single
MacLeod- Lance Corporal Victor, age 24 (Queen’s Own Highlanders)
Rogers- Sergeant Ian A, age 31 (2 Para) Married
Vance – Private Thomas R, age 23 (2 Para)
Wood- Private Anthony G, age 19 (2 Para) Single
Woods- Private Michael, age 18 (2 Para) Single
Ireland- Lance Corporal Chris G, age 25 (2 Para) Married
with one child
(Unless otherwise stated all photographs are Public domain/common licence)
Hannie Schaft was born in Haarlem northern Holland on 16
September 1920.
After the German occupation of the Netherlands Hannie Schaft started providing stolen and forged identity papers to Jewish families to prevent them being deported to concentration camps. This first act of resistance by 20-year-old Shaft came to the attention of the Council of the Resistance which was a group closely linked to the Communist Party of the Netherlands and they decided to recruit her.
The leadership wanted her to become a courier but Schaft refused and said she wanted to fight the Germans.
Schaft with Sten Gun
Shortly after completing her
firearms and other training a member of the resistance pointed out a senior
Gestapo officer and told her to kill him.
Schaft walked behind the officer then put her pistol to his head and pulled the trigger but all she heard was a click. Unbeknown to Schaft the Gestapo officer was a member of the resistance, she had been given an unloaded pistol and this was a test to ensure she was capable of assassinating members of the occupying forces and collaborators.
The pistol of Hannie Schaft (Haarlems Vertzts Museum)
One of several assassinations took place on 15 March 1945 when Hannie and 16-year-old Truus Oversteegen whose sister was also with the resistance shot dead Ko Langendisk who was a paid German informer. Truus later said, after the assassination they both hid in a hotel and Hannie put on face powder because she wanted to die pretty.
Sisters (L) Freddie (R) Truus Oversteegen. Former members of the Resistance
Hannie Schaft had distinctive red hair and after being involved in acts of sabotage and several assassinations she was high on the German wanted list and was known as ‘the girl with the red hair’. Aware the Germans had her description and were looking for her Schaft dyed her hair black and continued her resistance work.
Apart from assassinations and
sabotage including her part in blowing up a power station near Haarlem she also
transported and distributed weapons.
On 25 March 1945 Schaft was
arrested at a routine German checkpoint in Haarlem but only after her
interrogators noticed the red roots of her hair did the Gestapo suspect she was
the woman on their wanted list. It has also been alleged another member of the
resistance identified her after they had been tortured.
Three weeks before the end of the
war Hannie Schaft was shot but the first bullet did not kill her. It has been widely
claimed although seriously injured Schaft said to her executioner, “I shoot
better than that”, after which she was killed by a second bullet to the
head.
On 27 November 1945 Hannie was reburied during a state funeral along with 421 other members of the Dutch resistance who had served with various organisations.
Stamp dated 1962 issued by the DDR (Communist East Germany)
During the Cold War East Germany
used Hannie Schaft in their propaganda and printed a postage stamp in her
memory and due to increasing tensions between the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact
and western Europe the history of the Communist
section of the Dutch resistance became politically unpopular. Only after the
fall of the Berlin Wall did the communist resisters who fought for the
liberation of the Netherlands once again
start to be recognised for their
sacrifices and bravery.
In March 2010 Andrée Peel died of pneumonia at a British nursing home at the age of 105 and was buried at All Saints Church in Long Ashton near Bristol.
A casual observer seeing the honour guard from the Royal
British Legion with their banners marching ahead of the funeral procession
would be aware she had connections with the British military but it is unusual
for the deceased to be honoured by two nations: her coffin was covered with
both the French and British flags.
Andée Virot was born on 3 February 1905 in Brest and when Germany occupied France in 1940, she was running a beauty salon in Brest and immediately started to resist the German occupation by distributing clandestine newspapers calling for patriots to resist the German forces.
After coming to the attention of the Gaullist Free French based in Dorset Square London, Andree was given command of the Breton clandestine circuit and used the field name ‘Rose’.
Her resistance activities quickly expanded and included gathering
intelligence on the German navy and their submarine pens, German troop
movements and the effects of allied bombing and her reports were sent to London
by wireless.
She also organised weapons, sabotage stores and agents from
the Special Operations Executive (SOE) as well as the Free French Section (RF) to
be dropped by parachute onto remote farmland
but she always said her greatest achievement was helping 102 allied
aircrews shot down over France to evade capture and return to England and later
said this was the contribution she was most proud off.
By May 1944 Andrée Virot was high on the Gestapo wanted list and after obtaining forged identity papers she left Brittany and travelled to Paris where she was less well known by the Gestapo and the Abwehr (German military intelligence).
On 9 June, three days after D-day she was arrested and sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp and later transported to the equally notorious Ravensbrück camp in Germany. The day she was due to be executed by the SS the camp was liberated by American forces.
Andrée kept the infamous blue-and-white striped pyjama suit issued to her at Buchenwald.
After the war Andree ran a restaurant in Paris where she met an Englishman named John Peel who she later married, and the couple moved to Long Ashton near Bristol and in 1999 she published her memoirs, Miracles do Happen. After the death of her husband in 2003 Andrée moved into the care home where she later died peacefully in her sleep.
Her work with the resistance and the rescue of 102 British
and American aircrews was honoured by several decorations including the King’s
Commendation for Bravery presented to her by George VI, the US Medal of
Freedom, the French Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour which in 2004 was
upgraded to Chevalier of the Legion. She
also received a personal letter from Winston Churchill thanking her for saving
the lives of British aircrews.
Robert Nairac was born in British
Mauritius in 1948, not in Ireland as some journalists have stated, and his only
connection with Ireland before joining the army was during his time as a postgraduate student at
Trinity College Dublin where he studied Irish
history.
Nairac was not an SAS officer, as some journalists have also wrongly stated, he was a Captain in the Grenadier Guards and served at least three tours of duty in Northern Ireland with his regiment before volunteering to undertake selection and training for intelligence work.
Taken in Northern Ireland before joining intelligence
As the disappearance and murder of
Robert Nairac continues to be surrounded by myths, conspiracy theories and speculations
the following is based on what is generally regarded as facts.
Robert Nairac was an intelligence liaison officer based at Bessbrook Mills which like Forkhill and Crossmaglen were the most dangerous parts of Northern Ireland where roadside bombs were common and travelling in and out of the area had to be by helicopter. In these remote areas near the border with the Irish Republic strangers were not welcome and were viewed with suspicion.
Left- taken whilst working under cover
Whilst travelling alone in this hostile area and meeting contacts Robert Nairac was using the name Danny Mcalevey from the Ardoyne in Belfast which was also an IRA stronghold. According to several writers he was happy with his cover identity and was seen visiting various places in South Armagh and the surrounding area which journalists at the time called Bandit Country because of the bombs and snipers who sometimes operated from the safety of the Republic.
Bessbrook
On Saturday 17 May 1977, it is
thought Nairac planned to meet a contact at the Three Steps Inn at Drumintee
which was another dangerous area close to the Irish border and some writers
claim he had made several visits to this bar.
Robert Nairac was wearing a black
donkey jacket, a pullover, flared grey trousers and scuffed down suede shoes
and took with him his Browning 9mm pistol and two additional full magazines.
Although he also had an SLR and 80 rounds of ammunition he left this in the
armoury.
Whilst signing out of the base he
said he would only be going out for a few hours and would return by 23.30 hrs. He then drove out of Bessbrook
Mill in a red Triumph Toledo at 21.30 hrs.
His car had a radio concealed under the seat and using his call sign ’48 Oscar’ he told the operations room at Bessbrook he was travelling towards Drumintee.
The Three Steps
At 21.58 hrs he reached the pub
and told the operations room he was closing down radio contact.
Several eyewitnesses recall Nairac
drinking and speaking to customers but how his cover was blown may never be
known.
Several customers recall Nairac fighting in the carpark with five to seven men and was holding his own before eventually being overpowered, thrown into the back of a car and driven away at speed.
Taken prior to is abduction by the IRA
It is known Robert Nairac was
driven over the border and tortured for several hours but refused to divulge any
information and stuck to is cover story of being Danny Mcalevey from the
Ardoyne.
Later the IRA said he was a brave
man till the end and never spoke and was eventually shot in the head. Robert Parker in his book Death of A Hero, makes
the valid point that if Robert Nairac had talked all his contacts would have been
killed by the IRA and they owe their lives to his bravery.
According to a report by the Irish Times the Garda (Irish Police in the Republic) found blood, teeth and hair but could not find his body and after the Good Friday Agreement the IRA refused to tell the Garda where the remains of Captain Robert Nairac are buried.
Robert Nairac’s GC and GSM with Northern Ireland Clasp
Citation for the award George Cross
“The Queen has been
graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the George Cross to:
Captain Robert Laurence Nairac (493007), GRENADIER GUARDS.
Captain Nairac served for four tours of duty
in Northern Ireland totalling twenty-eight months. During the whole of this
time he made an outstanding personal contribution : his quick analytical brain,
resourcefulness, physical stamina and above all his courage and dedication
inspired admiration in everyone who knew him. On his fourth tour Captain Nairac
was a Liaison Officer at Headquarters 3 Infantry Brigade. His task was
connected with surveillance operations.
On the night of 14/15 May 1977 Captain Nairac
was abducted from a village in South Armagh by at least seven men. Despite his
fierce resistance he was overpowered and taken across the border into the
nearby Republic of Ireland where he was subjected to a succession of
exceptionally savage assaults in an attempt to extract information which would
have put other lives and future operations at serious risk. These efforts to
break Captain Nairac’s will failed entirely. Weakened as he was in
strength-though not in spirit-by the brutality, he yet made repeated and
spirited attempts to escape, but on each occasion was eventually overpowered by
the weight of the numbers against him.
After several hours in the hands of his
captors Captain Nairac was callously murdered by a gunman of the Provisional
Irish Republican Army who had been summoned to the scene. His assassin subsequently
said: “He never told us anything”. Captain Nairac’s exceptional
courage and acts of the greatest heroism in circumstances of extreme peril
showed devotion to duty and personal courage second to none.”
Further reading:
John Parker, Death of a Hero:
Captain Nairac GC and the undercover war in Northern Ireland
John Parker, Secret Hero: The
Life and mysterious death of Captain Robert Nairac
Albert Willingham was living in Drayton Hampshire before
enlisting into the Dorset Regiment.
After volunteering for Airborne Forces and successfully passing selection and parachute training he was posted to Headquarters Company 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment and in September 1944 was killed in action during the Battle of Arnhem. It took 74 years for his bravery and self-sacrifice to come to public notice.
Private Albert willingham
According to Dilip Sarker (Arnhem 1944: The Human Tragedy of
the Bridge Too Far, published in 2018)
Whilst under enemy fire Willingham managed to drag an injured officer to a cellar which was full of wounded Airborne soldiers and around twenty Dutch civilians hiding from the fighting. After German forces started clearing surrounding buildings a stick grenade was thrown down the steps to the cellar and landed in front of a young mother, Mrs Bertje Voskuil and her 8-year-old son Henri. Without hesitation Private Albert Willingham showed a total disregard for his life as he stood between the grenade and the young family to shield them from the blast and was killed.
Alan Malcher 