Operation Anglo
Encyclopedia
Operation Anglo was a British Commando raid on the occupied island of Rhodes
during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by eight men of the Special Boat Section
(SBS) assisted by four Greeks.
In September 1942 their mission was to attack two airfields on the island of Rhodes. The German and Italian bombers based there were being used to attack Royal Navy
convoys. After their attack, the raiding force were to return to their landing beach to be picked up by submarine. Only two surviving SBS men made it to the beach after hiding in the countryside for four days.
After the Rhodes raid the depleted SBS was absorbed into the Special Air Service
, due to the casualties they had suffered. In 1954 the events of the raid were portrayed in the movie They Who Dare
.
was founded in July 1940 by a Commando
officer, Roger Courtney
. Courtney became a commando recruit in mid-1940, and was sent to the Combined Training Centre in Scotland. He was unsuccessful in his initial attempts to convince Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Roger Keyes and later Admiral Theodore Hallett, commander of the Combined Training Centre, that his idea of a folding kayak
brigade
would be effective. He decided to infiltrate the , a Landing Ship, Infantry
anchored in the River Clyde
. Courtney paddled to the ship, climbed aboard undetected, wrote his initials on the door to the captain's cabin, and stole a deck gun
cover. He presented the soaking cover to a group of high ranking Royal Navy
officers meeting at a nearby Inveraray
hotel. He was promoted to captain
, and given command of twelve men, the first Special Boat Service/Special Boat Section.
It was initially named the Folboat Troop, after the type of folding canoe employed in raiding operations, and then renamed No1 Special Boat Section in early 1941. Attached to Layforce
they moved to the Middle East, they later worked with the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria
and carried out beach reconnaissance of Rhodes
, evacuated troops left behind on Crete
and a number of small-scale raids and other operations. In December 1941 Courtney returned to the United Kingdom where he formed No2 SBS, and No1 SBS became attached to the Special Air Service
(SAS) as the Folboat Section. In June 1942 they took part in the Crete airfield raids
. In September 1942 they carried out Operation Anglo, a raid on two airfields on the island of Rhodes
.
Rhodes is the largest of the Greek islands in the Dodecanese
, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) from Turkey. It consisted of 137 miles (220.5 km) of coastline, with a mountainous interior. The largest mountain Mount Ataviros rising to 3986 feet (1,214.9 m). The island was controlled by the Ottoman Empire
until after the First World War, when it came under Italian control as part of the treaty of Lausanne
.
, two Greek guides and two interpreters. The commander of the raid was Captain
James Allott with Lieutenant
David Sutherland as the second in command
. The rest of the raiding group were Sergeant
Moss, Corporal
McKenzie, Private
Blake, Marines Barrow, Harris and Duggan. The Greeks were Sub Lieutenant Calambokidis and three unknown men.
The eight men with two Greek interpreters and two guides, left Beirut
in two submarine
s and the Greek submarine .
Their objective were two airfields on the island of Rhodes at Calatos and Maritsa
. They reached Rhodes on 31 August 1942. The raiders were landed by using a folding boat and three inflatable floats to reach the shore on the east coast of Rhodes near Cape Feralco. After hiding their boats in some nearby caves they rested for the first day before splitting into two groups. One group, under command of Lieutenant Sutherland, would head for Calatos which was a distance of 8 miles (12.9 km) from the beach. The second group, under command of Captain Allott, would make for Maritsa which was 15 miles (24.1 km) from the beach. Having no radio to contact the Navy or their headquarters they had agreed to return to the beach on the night of 17/18 September to be picked up.
The group under Captain Allott penetrated their airfield and managed to plant their explosives. The following day they estimated from the damage they could see on the airfield, that at least 20 aircraft had been destroyed.
Sutherland's group reached their airfield at Calatos over the night of 11/12 September 1942. Selecting a point which overlooked the airfield, they settled in to identify targets and observe the airfield for the next day. The following day, Sutherland's group divided into two smaller groups and started their attack. Sutherland and Marine John Duggan were in one group and Sub Lieutenant Calambokidis with two Royal Marines comprised the other group. Each group would take a different side of the airfield and place explosive charges on all the aircraft they could find. Moving onto the airfield in torrential rain, Sutherland and Duggan placed their charges on at least 13 aircraft and around a fuel dump and at one point were seen by a sentry. All five men managed to get away from the airfield but only Sutherland and Duggan reached the agreed rendezvous point. The other group under command of Calambokidis had been discovered on route, Sutherland and Duggan even heard some gun shots coming from their direction.
The following day, September 17 1942, Sutherland and Duggan made for the rendezvous near the beach where they had landed, where they expected to meet the group under Captain Allott and the missing men from their own group. No one else made it to the rendezvous but an Italian patrol ship did land a party of soldiers who found their hidden boats.
Leaving a message at the rendezvous for anyone who arrived later about what had happened to their boats, the two men headed for the beach. Using a torch to signal to the waiting submarine, The signal "swimming-come in" was seen by Commander
Michael St John of the HMS Traveller. He was surprised to see the recognition signal coming from the shore and replied by using his periscope to signal back then started inshore to pick up the raiders. Captain St John manoeuvred his boat towards the shore expecting the men to return in their boats, hearing the men shouting in the darkness they retrieved the two swimmers. The submarine was then forced to crash dive to avoid a patrol boat that was speeding in their direction. The submarine escaped the following depth charge
attack and made it to safety.
and Military Medal
respectively for their parts in the raid.
After the Rhodes raid what remained of the SBS was absorbed into the SAS due to the casualties they had suffered. The submarine HMS Traveller was lost with all hands two months after the operation, Captain St John was not on board at the time and survived the war.
In 1954 the events of the raid were portrayed in the movie They Who Dare
, starring Dirk Bogarde
and Harold Siddons
.
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by eight men of the Special Boat Section
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
(SBS) assisted by four Greeks.
In September 1942 their mission was to attack two airfields on the island of Rhodes. The German and Italian bombers based there were being used to attack Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
convoys. After their attack, the raiding force were to return to their landing beach to be picked up by submarine. Only two surviving SBS men made it to the beach after hiding in the countryside for four days.
After the Rhodes raid the depleted SBS was absorbed into the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, due to the casualties they had suffered. In 1954 the events of the raid were portrayed in the movie They Who Dare
They Who Dare
They Who Dare is a 1954 World War II war film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Dirk Bogarde, Harold Siddons, Akim Tamiroff and Eric Pohlmann. The story is based on events that took place during World War II in the Dodecanese islands where special forces attempted to disrupt the Luftwaffe...
.
Background
The Special Boat SectionSpecial Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
was founded in July 1940 by a Commando
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
officer, Roger Courtney
Roger Courtney
Roger James Allen Courtney MC, known as Jumbo, was influential in the establishment of the Special Boat Section's which saw action in World War II. They would eventually lead to the formation of the UK Special Boat Service....
. Courtney became a commando recruit in mid-1940, and was sent to the Combined Training Centre in Scotland. He was unsuccessful in his initial attempts to convince Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir Roger Keyes and later Admiral Theodore Hallett, commander of the Combined Training Centre, that his idea of a folding kayak
Folding kayak
A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin made of a tough fabric with a waterproof coating...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
would be effective. He decided to infiltrate the , a Landing Ship, Infantry
Landing Ship, Infantry
Landing Ship, Infantry was a British term for a type of ship used to transport infantry in amphibious warfare during the Second World War...
anchored in the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. Courtney paddled to the ship, climbed aboard undetected, wrote his initials on the door to the captain's cabin, and stole a deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
cover. He presented the soaking cover to a group of high ranking Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officers meeting at a nearby Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
hotel. He was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
, and given command of twelve men, the first Special Boat Service/Special Boat Section.
It was initially named the Folboat Troop, after the type of folding canoe employed in raiding operations, and then renamed No1 Special Boat Section in early 1941. Attached to Layforce
Layforce
Layforce was an ad hoc military formation of the British Army consisting of a number of commando units during the Second World War.Formed in February 1941 under the command of Colonel Robert Laycock, after whom the force was named, it consisted of approximately 2,000 men and served in the Middle...
they moved to the Middle East, they later worked with the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
and carried out beach reconnaissance of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, evacuated troops left behind on Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and a number of small-scale raids and other operations. In December 1941 Courtney returned to the United Kingdom where he formed No2 SBS, and No1 SBS became attached to the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) as the Folboat Section. In June 1942 they took part in the Crete airfield raids
June 1942 Crete airfield raids
Operation Albumen was the name given to British Commando raids in June 1942, on German airfields in the Axis-occupied Greek island of Crete, to prevent them from being used for supporting the Afrika Korps in the Western Desert Campaign in World War II...
. In September 1942 they carried out Operation Anglo, a raid on two airfields on the island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
.
Rhodes is the largest of the Greek islands in the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) from Turkey. It consisted of 137 miles (220.5 km) of coastline, with a mountainous interior. The largest mountain Mount Ataviros rising to 3986 feet (1,214.9 m). The island was controlled by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
until after the First World War, when it came under Italian control as part of the treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
.
Mission
The No. 1 Special Boat Section raiding force consisted of eight British CommandosBritish Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
, two Greek guides and two interpreters. The commander of the raid was Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
James Allott with Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
David Sutherland as the second in command
Second in Command
Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot...
. The rest of the raiding group were Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Moss, Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
McKenzie, Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
Blake, Marines Barrow, Harris and Duggan. The Greeks were Sub Lieutenant Calambokidis and three unknown men.
The eight men with two Greek interpreters and two guides, left Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in two submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s and the Greek submarine .
Their objective were two airfields on the island of Rhodes at Calatos and Maritsa
Maritsa
The Maritsa or Evros , ) is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
. They reached Rhodes on 31 August 1942. The raiders were landed by using a folding boat and three inflatable floats to reach the shore on the east coast of Rhodes near Cape Feralco. After hiding their boats in some nearby caves they rested for the first day before splitting into two groups. One group, under command of Lieutenant Sutherland, would head for Calatos which was a distance of 8 miles (12.9 km) from the beach. The second group, under command of Captain Allott, would make for Maritsa which was 15 miles (24.1 km) from the beach. Having no radio to contact the Navy or their headquarters they had agreed to return to the beach on the night of 17/18 September to be picked up.
The group under Captain Allott penetrated their airfield and managed to plant their explosives. The following day they estimated from the damage they could see on the airfield, that at least 20 aircraft had been destroyed.
Sutherland's group reached their airfield at Calatos over the night of 11/12 September 1942. Selecting a point which overlooked the airfield, they settled in to identify targets and observe the airfield for the next day. The following day, Sutherland's group divided into two smaller groups and started their attack. Sutherland and Marine John Duggan were in one group and Sub Lieutenant Calambokidis with two Royal Marines comprised the other group. Each group would take a different side of the airfield and place explosive charges on all the aircraft they could find. Moving onto the airfield in torrential rain, Sutherland and Duggan placed their charges on at least 13 aircraft and around a fuel dump and at one point were seen by a sentry. All five men managed to get away from the airfield but only Sutherland and Duggan reached the agreed rendezvous point. The other group under command of Calambokidis had been discovered on route, Sutherland and Duggan even heard some gun shots coming from their direction.
The following day, September 17 1942, Sutherland and Duggan made for the rendezvous near the beach where they had landed, where they expected to meet the group under Captain Allott and the missing men from their own group. No one else made it to the rendezvous but an Italian patrol ship did land a party of soldiers who found their hidden boats.
Leaving a message at the rendezvous for anyone who arrived later about what had happened to their boats, the two men headed for the beach. Using a torch to signal to the waiting submarine, The signal "swimming-come in" was seen by Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Michael St John of the HMS Traveller. He was surprised to see the recognition signal coming from the shore and replied by using his periscope to signal back then started inshore to pick up the raiders. Captain St John manoeuvred his boat towards the shore expecting the men to return in their boats, hearing the men shouting in the darkness they retrieved the two swimmers. The submarine was then forced to crash dive to avoid a patrol boat that was speeding in their direction. The submarine escaped the following depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
attack and made it to safety.
Aftermath
All other members of the SBS had been captured and became prisoners of war. The two Greek guides, who had already escaped from Rhodes earlier in the war, were put on trial accused of treason. Both were found guilty and one was executed and the other was imprisoned. The two survivors of Operation Anglo, Lieutenant David Sutherland and Marine John Duggan, were awarded the Military CrossMilitary Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
respectively for their parts in the raid.
After the Rhodes raid what remained of the SBS was absorbed into the SAS due to the casualties they had suffered. The submarine HMS Traveller was lost with all hands two months after the operation, Captain St John was not on board at the time and survived the war.
In 1954 the events of the raid were portrayed in the movie They Who Dare
They Who Dare
They Who Dare is a 1954 World War II war film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Dirk Bogarde, Harold Siddons, Akim Tamiroff and Eric Pohlmann. The story is based on events that took place during World War II in the Dodecanese islands where special forces attempted to disrupt the Luftwaffe...
, starring Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
and Harold Siddons
Harold Siddons
Harold Siddons was a British film and television actor, appearing in Genevieve, The Dam Busters, Appointment in London, They Who Dare, The Purple Plain, Quatermass and the Pit, A Night To Remember and The Wrong Arm of the Law...
.