Into the Jaws of Death by Robert Lyman

Author:Robert Lyman [Lyman, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2013-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Newman recorded the numbers of participating personnel to be 156 men from No. 2 Commando with 90 demolitions-trained commando soldiers selected from across the whole of the Special Service Brigade, with two medical officers from the Royal Army Medical Corps (Captains Barling and Paton) and a journalist, a total of 249. Between this date and the start of the operation up to a further twenty men joined the operation.*

The distinction between the three types of parties – demolition, protection and assault – had not changed since his original orders on 16 March. Because of the need to attack thirteen separate targets Newman concluded that each group had to be commanded by an officer. The demolition parties varied in strength according to their task, for which they were to carry 1,350 pounds of specially prepared charges (made up by Major David Wyatt of SOE) that could be placed, connected and detonated in a very few minutes. They were then to withdraw to the point of re-embarkation. As these parties had to manhandle their charges, their only personal armament consisted of Colt automatic pistols, newly arrived from the USA. On the other hand the protection parties, comprising an officer and four other ranks, were heavily armed with Bren guns, Thompson sub-machineguns and grenades. Their task was to provide close protection to their allocated demolition party whilst the explosives were being laid, after which they were to cover the party’s withdrawal back to the point of re-embarkation.

Finally, each assault party had at least two officers and twelve men, armed similarly to the protection parties. Their tasks were to begin during the journey up the Loire, when they were to assist the Royal Navy to engage targets as the landings drew near. Thereafter their responsibilities included the destruction of enemy gun positions, the formation of perimeters and bridgeheads and the blocking of lines of approach by the enemy from the town, by which the enemy might enter the demolition area. Newman felt it necessary in his preamble to this section in the orders to warn:

It must be definitely understood by parties detailed that the task to which they are allotted is of first priority and must be carried out before any other task is attempted. Furthermore it is not the function of a Demolition Party to entertain the idea of killing Huns until their main tasks and any subsequent allotted tasks have been successfully completed.

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