NICK JELLICOE: Special Force operations leading up to Leros

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