NICK JELLICOE SBS and Major Jellicoe's role in the Battle of Leros
SPECIAL FORCE OPERATIONS LEADNG UP TO LEROS
GEORGE JELLICOE • Coldstream Guards • Scots Guards Ski Battalion • No.8 Commando • LAYFORCE • SAS • SBS • UNRRA
THE DESERT WAR • Attacks on exposed MSR • Sidi Haneish ‐ evolution of North African raiding • June 1942 Heraklion raid
MAYNE
BERGÉ
TSIGANTES
LEWES
INCORPORATION INTO SBS • Stirling took Decision to use Langton and Jellicoe experience for raiding Aegean island and mainland already taken (2nd SAS Sicily and 1st SAS Europe) • Reorganized March 1943 (after Stirling’s capture).Two new units report to Col. Henry ‘Kid’ Cator, effectively first DSF • SRS: 280 men, mostly A (Mayne) • SBS: 250 men, 55 from Sutherland’s SBS (Folboat, 2nd SBS), D squadron and GSS (Jellicoe). Included Lassen, Maclean, Verney and Milner‐Barry. • Move to Athlit • SBS Aegean island raiding 1943
THE SAS-SBS LINEAGE
REORGANISATION OF SBS • Formation of L (Langton), M (Maclean to Lapraik) and S (Sutherland) • L – Langton, formerly SAS D • M – Maclean to Lapraik (incl.Stud Stelling) • S – Sutherland (incl.Lassen from 62 Commando) • Others – Porter Jarrel (medic), Philip Pinkney (survival foods), Duggie Pomford (boxer), Dick Holmes, Roy Trafford, Doug Wright, Bill Cumper, Tony Drongin, Randolph Churchill
WAR IN THE ISLANDS • SBS Formation for Aegean ops. • Successful (and not so successful) island raiding
Brig. Tilney surrender to Gen. Müller
• Sardinia – Operation HAWTHORN under command John Verney, target 6 airfields. • Crete – David Sutherland in command, target 3 airfields
• Dodecanese ops – Rhodes to Leros
Tsigantes Jake Easonsmith, KIA Leros 1943
BACKGROUND TO RHODES MISSION • 25/7 Mussolini replaced by Badoglio. • Interest by Churchill in Dodecanese & Rhodes: leverage with Turkey, supply route, entry point to Danube basin. Italians ‐ 35K troops 8 ‘penny packets and almost without transport’. Germans ‐ Ulrich Kleeman 7.5K Sturmdivision Rhodos • Rhodes/Leros, naval base and deep water port; Rhodes/Kos airfields • Objective: persuade Campioni to help secure airfields (Marizza, Calato and Cattavia) and port. Could not be reinforced before 15/9.
DOOMED TO FAILURE? • Strategic disagreement between allies on the Aegean operation • Little or no planning preparation for Italian armistice • Little / no inter‐service co‐ordination • Loss of 8th Indian division & late assembly of landing craft • Lack of armour • Withdrawal of U.S. air support
CRITICAL ROLE OF AIR COVER
Leros‐Piraeus 171 n. miles
Leros‐Cyprus 390 miles Haraklion 221 n. miles Leros‐Gambut (Benghazi) 390 miles
RAIDING FORCES MIDDLE EAST SAS
SBS
LSF
LRDG
GSS
PPA
N Europe / Italian Theatres RAIDING FORCES MIDDLE EAST SAS
SBS
LSF
LRDG
GSS
PPA
RAIDING FORCES MIDDLE EAST SBS
LSF
LRDG
GSS
PPA
ASSAULT SCHEDULE
OCT
NOV
DEC
Kos 3‐4 Simi 7‐12
Leros 12‐16
KOS - Unternehmen Eisbär X Antimacchia
(Lambia)
AIR ATTACK
LOGISTICS BUILD (LCS)
ASSAULT
TROOP BUILD‐UP
11th
Parachute Battalion (PR) 13 / 14 Beaufighters (Antimacchia) 1st Bt. Durham Light Infantry (DLI) 15/9. 680. A, B Co. 2nd Bt. Royal Irish Fusiliers (RIF) 17/9 Bt. Royal West Kent Rgt. (RWK) Bt. East Kents Rgt. (Buffs) 10th. Rgt. 50th Inf. Div (Regina) 3,500
SBS – 55 men 2 patrols from S Detachment (Sutherland under Milner‐Barry) and M Detachment (Macbeth). LRDG – 130 men (Easonsmith)
KOS - Unternehmen Eisbär AIR ATTACK
TROOP BUILD‐UP
LOCAL COMMAND CONTACT DROP ZONE PREP (Antimachia)
ASSAULT
COMBAT SEARCH & SUPPORT EVAC RAIDING
SIMI Stellin – recce on Rhodes 21/9 Lassen – fortification of Calchi Pavlides (GSS) with LRDG– recce on Kalymnos
SEP
OCT
NOV
Simi 7‐12 SBS, Royal Irish & RAF personnel from Kos 4/10
LEROS - Unternehmen Taifun AIR ATTACK
TROOP BUILD‐UP 234th Infantry Brigade (Major General F G R Brittorous) LRDG (Lloyd Owen) 15/9.
SBS 4/10 COASTAL WATCH
LEROS OPERATIONS • Positioned north of San Isidoro • Tilney’s HQ during surrender • Search and Rescue
Alan Phipps, RN
Alan Phipps
GREECE ‘44 • Liberation of Greek mainland • Patras operations and ELAS • Megara drop • Liberation of Athens
Spiliatopolous, Aristees Sklros, Brigadier P Katsotas, GSS RAF Regt. Parachute Drop, Megara, Greece 1944
Archbishop Damaskinos