The Cockleshell Raid

The Cockleshell Raid PDF

Author: Ken Ford

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-12-20

Total Pages: 65

ISBN-13: 184908260X

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On the night of December 7, 1942, five canoes were launched off the mouth of the Gironde river, each containing a pair of British commandoes tasked with slipping into the port of Bordeaux and destroying as many of the merchant ships as possible. Only two of the canoes made it to the target, but it was enough. Five enemy ships were badly damaged in the attack. It then became a game of cat and mouse for the surviving commandoes in their attempt to get back to Britain. Some of the men made it to Gibraltar; others were caught and executed. Author Ken Ford gives a blow-by-blow account of one of the most daring raids of World War II, which badly upset the flow of material into Germany, and which gave the British public a much needed victory.

The Cockleshell Raid

The Cockleshell Raid PDF

Author: Ken Ford

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2011-12-20

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 178096269X

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On the night of December 7, 1942, five canoes were launched off the mouth of the Gironde river, each containing a pair of British commandoes tasked with slipping into the port of Bordeaux and destroying as many of the merchant ships as possible. Only two of the canoes made it to the target, but it was enough. Five enemy ships were badly damaged in the attack. It then became a game of cat and mouse for the surviving commandoes in their attempt to get back to Britain. Some of the men made it to Gibraltar; others were caught and executed. Author Ken Ford gives a blow-by-blow account of one of the most daring raids of World War II, which badly upset the flow of material into Germany, and which gave the British public a much needed victory.

A Brilliant Little Operation

A Brilliant Little Operation PDF

Author: Paddy Ashdown

Publisher: Aurum

Published: 2013-05-02

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1781310831

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The complete story of the remarkable canoe raid on German ships in Bordeaux Harbour – by the man who himself served in the Special Boat Squadron. In 1942, before El Alamein turned the tide of war, the German merchant fleet was re-supplying its war machine with impunity. So Operation Frankton, a daring and secret raid, was launched by Mountbatten’s Combined Operations and led by the enigmatic ‘Blondie’ Hasler – to paddle ‘Cockleshell’ canoes right into Bordeaux harbour and sink the ships at anchor. It was a desperately hazardous mission from the start – dropped by submarine to canoe some hundred miles up the Gironde into the heart of Vichy France, surviving terrifying tidal races, only to face the biggest challenge of all: escaping across the Pyrenees. Fewer than half the men made it to Bordeaux; only four laid their mines; just two got back alive. But the most damage was done to the Germans’ sense of impregnability. Paddy Ashdown, himself a member of the Royal Marines’ elite Special Boat Squadron formed as a consequence of Frankton, has always been fascinated by this classic story of bravery and ingenuity - as a young man even meeting his hero Hasler once. Now, after researching previously unseen archives and tracing surviving witnesses, he has written the definitive account of the raid. The real truth, he discovers – a deplorable tale of Whitehall rivalry and breakdowns in communication – serves only to make the achievements of the ‘Cockleshell’ heroes all the more heroic.

Operation Suicide

Operation Suicide PDF

Author: Robert Lyman

Publisher: Quercus

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1623652626

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During the Second World War, it is hard to imagine a situation where the British High Command could think that one of the only ways they could attack Hitler was to send ten canoeists with limpet mines to paddle one hundred miles up the Gironde estuary, in the middle of winter, in an attempt to sink German blockade ships in Bordeaux harbor. Yet this is precisely what happened in 1942. The man who gave the go-ahead for the audacious commando raid--Lord Louis Mountbatten, head of Combined Operations--fully anticipated that all ten men would die in the attempt. Mountbatten wasn't far wrong--two ripped their collapsible canoes as they were manhandling them out of the submarine; two drowned when their canoes capsized entering the Gironde estuary; and a further six were captured by the Germans and later executed. By complete chance, the two canoeists who managed to escape--Major "Blondie" Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks--stumbled into the arms of the French resistance. Once in their care, Hasler and Sparks made their way across France and into Spain, crossing the Pyrenees in the company (though they did not know it) of a Gestapo agent intent on bringing down the resistance network. Operation Suicide is the first account of this enthralling raid for over fifty years. In utilizing primary source material, including detailed German records captured by the British in 1944 (which remained censored until 1976), Robert Lyman brings to life one of the most courageous and dramatic events to take place in the darkest days of the Second World War.

Cockleshell Raid

Cockleshell Raid PDF

Author: Paul Oldfield

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2013-01-19

Total Pages: 509

ISBN-13: 1783036125

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Operation Frankton is a story of how a handful of determined and resourceful men, using flimsy canoes, achieved what thousands could not by conventional means. The volunteers had enlisted for Hostilities Only and, except for their leader, none had been in a canoe before. However, with a few months training they carried out what one German officer described as, the outstanding commando raid of the war. They became known as the Cockleshell Heroes, having been immortalized in a film and a book of that name in the 1950s. This book covers the whole of the Frankton story including the development of the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment, the planning and preparation for the raid, its aftermath and an account of the horrific war crimes inflicted on those who were captured. It also includes the epic escape by Haslar and Corporal Bill Sparks across occupied France into Spain.

Cockleshell Heroes

Cockleshell Heroes PDF

Author: Cecil Ernest Lucas Phillips

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9780330480697

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In December 1942, 10 Royal Marines lauched a daring canoe attack on German ships lying in Bordeaux harbour - a harzardous and successful offensive, in which only two survived. This book tells the story of those cockleshell heroes.

The Cockleshell Canoes

The Cockleshell Canoes PDF

Author: Quentin Rees

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2008-12-15

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1445610442

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The gripping story of the development of the Cockleshell Canoes.

Cockleshell Heroes

Cockleshell Heroes PDF

Author: Quentin Rees

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2010-12-15

Total Pages: 676

ISBN-13: 1445610310

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The definitive book on the Cockleshell Heroes, and one of the most famous Marine raids of World War Two.

Cockleshell Heroes: The Most Courageous and Imaginative Commando Raid of World War Two

Cockleshell Heroes: The Most Courageous and Imaginative Commando Raid of World War Two PDF

Author: C. E. Lucas Phillips

Publisher: Sapere Books

Published: 2021-07-20

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9781800552531

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An astounding account of one of the most audacious commando raids of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of books by Paddy Ashdown, James Holland and Ben Mcintyre. In December 1942, five two-man canoes were launched from a submarine off the coast of German-occupied France. The aim of these ten commandos was to paddle over ninety miles from the Bay of Biscay up the Gironde estuary to Bordeaux in order to plant limpet mines on merchant ships supplying the Nazi forces. Although this operation, which had taken months to prepare for, was a strategic success it came at a huge cost: only two commandos survived the raid, six were executed after they were captured and two died from hypothermia. C. E. Lucas Phillips' book, which was written in close collaboration with one of the surviving Cockleshell heroes, Herbert 'Blondie' Hasler, provides fascinating insight into this daring assault, from planning right through to the thrilling escape of Hasler and his number two, Bill Sparks, with the help of the French Resistance. 'A legendary wartime exploit... the outstanding commando raid of the war. You can't stop reading' Observer 'As a story of human courage, the story of the Cockleshell Heroes will live for generations' Manchester Evening News 'The account of this operation brings out the spirit of adventure always present in peace and war among Royal Marines. It emphasizes the tremendous importance of morale - pride in oneself and one's unit - and what a big part physical fitness plays in creating this morale. It also stresses the need for careful detailed planning of operations.' Lord Mountbatten

Operation Suicide

Operation Suicide PDF

Author: Robert Lyman

Publisher: Quercus

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1623652626

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During the Second World War, it is hard to imagine a situation where the British High Command could think that one of the only ways they could attack Hitler was to send ten canoeists with limpet mines to paddle one hundred miles up the Gironde estuary, in the middle of winter, in an attempt to sink German blockade ships in Bordeaux harbor. Yet this is precisely what happened in 1942. The man who gave the go-ahead for the audacious commando raid--Lord Louis Mountbatten, head of Combined Operations--fully anticipated that all ten men would die in the attempt. Mountbatten wasn't far wrong--two ripped their collapsible canoes as they were manhandling them out of the submarine; two drowned when their canoes capsized entering the Gironde estuary; and a further six were captured by the Germans and later executed. By complete chance, the two canoeists who managed to escape--Major "Blondie" Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks--stumbled into the arms of the French resistance. Once in their care, Hasler and Sparks made their way across France and into Spain, crossing the Pyrenees in the company (though they did not know it) of a Gestapo agent intent on bringing down the resistance network. Operation Suicide is the first account of this enthralling raid for over fifty years. In utilizing primary source material, including detailed German records captured by the British in 1944 (which remained censored until 1976), Robert Lyman brings to life one of the most courageous and dramatic events to take place in the darkest days of the Second World War.

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