Commando

[Hobilar]

As the three small motor boats returned to port the decks of the moored shipping and the dockside were filled with a mass of applauding and cheering people. By the next morning the Fleet Street newspapers were full of praise for the heroism of the British Army's first return to the French coast.

The story begins when soon after the Evacuation from Dunkirk a British Officer, Lt Colonel Dudley Clarke, an aide to the CIGS-General Dill, sat one night contemplating how the Army could exact its revenge on the Wehrmacht for its shameful defeat. Colonel Clarke, a student of Military history, remembered how during the second Boer War the Afrikaaners had employed mounted raiders in hit and run tactics which had caused the Empire's army a great deal of annoyance. Soon he was scribbling down an idea for a force of raiders to mount attacks on German emplacements on the continent. Next morning he was present at a meeting conducted by the CIGS in which the subject of how to inspire the Army with an offensive spirit was being discussed. Dudley Clarke then produced his plan which the General thought had some merit, and soon the idea reached the desk of Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who greeted it with great enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, after the losses in France, the Army was only able only to provide ten independant companies with a high proportion of Officers over 40 who had been left behind by the BEF for home defence immediately available, but a call for volunteers brought forward sufficient men to form ten troops each of three hand-picked officers and fifty-two enlisted ranks of the desired calibre. With this force Colonel Clarke was able to start planning for his first raid, and even the normally conservative Royal Navy were sufficiently inspired by the idea to provide six RAF rescue launches for the operation.

The raid was scheduled for the night of 23/24 June 1940 with the target set as the neighbourhood of Le Touquet with the aim of reaching the German aerodrome at Berk.

Quite natually the War Office was not to keen on the idea of Colonel Clarke going on the raid personnally (An Officer of his rank on the Staff of the CIGS would have made a nice prize for the Germans if he was captured) but after a fair bit of persuassion they agree to let him go as an observer provided that he stayed on the boat and did not put one toe on the shore of France.

The voyage across the channel was far from unevertful. Of the six boats, three from Dover and the others from Folkestone and Newhaven,intendeded to carry the 180 raiders, two had to abort because of engine problems. The night was cloudy but with a calm sea and for a while the boats made good progress. The first hint of danger came ironically enough from the Royal Air Force. Suddenly a flight of RAF fighters dived out of the air to inspect the curious force heading for the French coast. Menacingly the fighters soared over the boats, but luckily did not attack. As the aircraft roared overhead the Commandos desperately waved and gave the required recognition signal, then someone noticed that the pilots all seemed to be peeling off in a South-Westerly direction-Perhaps they were warning of the boats of something. The fact that they were sailing in Air-Sea Rescue boats was a clue ! Sure enough a lookout soon spotted something floating in the water. It turned out to be no more than a yellow bouy. The fighter pilots now satisfied flew off home, but nearly an hour had been wasted-The raiders would now have only two hours ashore.

A while later, Milner-Gibson, the Naval commander of the flotilla told Clarke that he was not sure of his position and that they had lost contact with the second boat. It was now too late to keep the rendevous with the Folkestone and Newhaven boats, and so they were obliged to continue alone with the hope of making a landmsark at the coast on which to establish their position. Suddenly they were all blinded by a searchlight beam. "Christ ! We're almost in Boulogne harbour" yelled Milner-Gibson, but luckily they were not detected and managed to veer away and make their way further along the coast until they found a quiet beach.

The Commandos scrambled ashore and were soon lost in the darkness. All the few men left remaining on the boat could do was stand quietly in the rocking surf and hope that they would not be detected. Soon the crackle of small arms fire could be heard in the distance and Very-lights lit the sky, which only added to the anxiety of those on board. " Aircraft ahead sir !" The warning sent a chill of fear through every man. Flying low over the breakers an enemy aircraft passed overhead but somehow missed the dark shadow of the boat reflected in the moonlight.

Worse was to follow. A lookout had spotted a dark shape on the sea. Eyes strained anxiously as the E-Boat churned its way in their direction. Thankfully the German sailors must have had their attention focused on the lights ashore and once again the Commando's motor boat, who would have had no chance in a gunfight with the heavily armoured German, escaped detection.

Their luck however could not hold out for ever. A little later the lookout reported movement on the beach. A German cycle patrol had somehow evaded the British Pickets and was making its way in their direction. Grabbing a Tommy-Gun (there were only forty of these weopons in England at this time and most of these were held in store) Clarke fired at the patrol, who immediately dropped their cycles and returned fire. Clarke felt a pain in his hip and jaw, and it was later discovered that his ear had been nearly severed, but was still able to continue with the fight, and after a while the German patrol turned and fled. Luckily the E-Boat which was still in the area did not spot the fire-fight that was raging.

With the sky lightening, the Commando raiders finally re-appeared, and with great relief the heroic little group cautiously set sail for home.

This first raid had really caught the Germans unprepared, and of the 120 Commandos who took part not one was lost. The only real casualty was Colonel Clarke himself who had to spend some time in hospital on his return having his ear reattatched. The raid had clearly shown the Germans that the British were not a defeated nation. Much manpower and resources would be needed to construct and defend the Atlantic Wall against future raids, whilst the Commandos would go on to lead bigger and more ambitious raids such as those against Vaagso, St Nazairre and Dieppe.