SAS Operation Titanic

Operation 'TITANIC' opened on the night 5/6 June 1944, (D-1) when a small party of 1 SAS personnel dropped into FRANCE on a DZ SOUTH of CARENTAN.

This party consisted of the following personnel: -

Lieut FOWLES 'B' Sqn.
Tpr. HURST 'B' Sqn.
Tpr. MERRYWEATHER 'B' Sqn.

Lieut POOLE 'A' Sqn.
Tpr. DAWSON 'A' Sqn.
Tpr. SAUNDERS 'A' Sqn.

The party jumped at approximately 0040 hrs on 6th June and on landing found that they were about 2 Kms NW of the intended DZ. On collecting each other it is found that Lieut. FOWLES and Lieut. POOLE were missing. Parachutes were then buried without difficulty. The visibility was good and a search was started for the containers. This search covered a wide area, including the actual DZ but not one container could be traced. At approximately 0300 hrs., the party laid their Lewis Bombs (20 of them) in an area of 500 sq yds and ignited them. By this time it was getting light so refuge was taken in hedge about half a mile north of the area where they dropped. This they made their lying-up place for the following day. The only activity seen during the day was a bicycle patrol cycling up the main CARENTAN road, That evening at 2000 hours a resistance member (Monsieur Le DUC EDOUERD) contacted the party and informed them that he would get them away that night. He left them but returned again at about 2300 hours. This time he took the party with him and escorted them to the ruins of an Abbey, roughly two miles West of the DZ. The party laid us here and their escort again departed, returning at 0100 hours 7th June with food and cider. Again he left them and Tpr HURST states we were well hidden and everybody was happy'.

At 1000 hours that same day the Frenchman returned with Lieut. POOLE. Apparently Lieut. POOLE had 'rang the bell' on leaving the aircraft and had knocked himself out for three quarters of an hour. His lip was cut and his chin scraped. After recovering he wrote a message stating that he had rung the bell and lost contact with the remainder of the party. This message he despatched by pigeon.

Three days were spent at this place during which times regular patrols were done within a four mile radius but there was no activity to report. The Marquis supplied the food and at 1500 hour on 10 June the party were again made up to full strength when the Frenchman paid another visit, this time bringing Lieut. FOWLES with him.

Lieut. FOWLES had landed about a field away and had searched both for the party and the containers but all in vain. Tpr. HURST stated that Lieut. POOLE did not bring his MCR 1 with him and that he neither mentioned what he had done with this or his bombs. Apparently the majority of the time had been spent in lying up in a farm about three kms away but Lieut. FOWLES had sniped a few Germans but did not succeed in hitting any. He had also cut a few local telephone wires which led to German HQ. For some reason unknown to Tpr. HURST, Lieut. FOWLES left the party and returned again at 2300 hours.

It was decided to stay at this hiding place, but during the next three weeks there was no activity at all on the part of the enemy. It was not until 28 June that anything happened and it was on this day that a German Parachute Regiment took possession of the village - REMILLY-SUR-LOZON (Sheet 3a & 8 - 250,000 T/37). The Frenchman who had been a good friend to the party right from the start informed them that the enemy knew of them and it would therefore by necessary for them to move. The Frenchman led them three kms South back to the original DZ where the party laid up in a small wood for the night. On the following night the party moved again (about 2 kms South) to an old brushwood cabin where they remained for three nights and three days.

It was now the 2nd July and the food situation was none too good so it was decided to make for our own lines which were at this time approximately six kms to the NORTH. That night the party moved again and continued to do so for the next six or seven days. Progress was slow owing to the great number of enemy patrols in the area. These patrols moved on foot and consisted of six or seven men armed with LMGs and/or Schmeissers.

Round about 25th June the Frenchman took three American Parachutists to join our party. One was a Capt. BERRY (a medical officer), and the other were PFCs. All of them belonged to 508 Parachute Battalion US Army. One of the PFCs had been wounded. They had all apparently been taken POW on the 7th June at EDENSVILLE and that day were being driven them in convoy of four trucks along the GRANDE NATIONALE ROAD when American planes straffed the convoy. All the trucks were fully loaded and many were wounded and killed. They took this opportunity and succeeded in escaping and had hidden until joining our party. They remained with our party throughout the remainder of the actions described in this summary.

On the night 9th July, the party laid up only a quarter of a mile from positions against which our troops were directing mortar fire. HURST states that the party 'had many near misses', The following morning it was decided to recce their position which was close to the village of RAIDS (Sheet 3a and 8 250,000 T/37). It was agreed to make a break for it that night (9/10 July) but at 1200 two German Parachutists were seen advancing towards the party. They saw our men and immediately threw grenades before turning around and running off. Tpr HURST was seriously injured by the shrapnel on both lower legs, and Tpr MERRYWEATHER was wounded in the back. Neither of these men could walk. Lt FOWLES was also wounded in the back, and the two Americans received wounds. The unwounded personnel carried the wounded to a farm house about 150 yards away. Lt FOWLES, although wounded, left the party in search of the Germans, upon whom he had no doubt planned revenge.

Unfortunately for our men, their position was given away by the French, with the result that half an hour later the farm was surrounded by forty German Parachutists, all dressed in camouflaged suits. They were armed with four LMGs and the majority carried Schmeissers, the remainder being armed with rifles. They were all very young, white faced and appeared rather 'jumpy'. The Sergeant shouted 'Come out' and the party either walked or were carried out of the farm. Each man was lightly searched for weapons, which when discovered were laid on the floor. The Germans passed some remark about our men being out of the war. The party was marched and carried to an old sunken road where 20 Germans were dug in and then taken to an Orchard where an old French hut had been turned into an HQ. Each man was interviews by a Captain who asked only for Number rank name and ###### which he retained. Escape kits were still in possession of our men who carried them sewn in their battle dress. After about two hours the were all taken to an advanced dressing station where the wounded had their wounds dressed by a German Surgeon. They were given half a dozen German cigarettes ('bad' according to HURST) and sweets and candy. By this time HURST was feeling 'pretty groggy' but all were moved again to an old monastery where HURST and others (Not MERRYWEATHER) were operated on. The operating room was an old room full of straw and pretty filthy. About fifty enemy wounded were also there.

Whilst at the dressing station Lieut.FOWLES was carried in by a German. He was badly wounded in the back. Just before HURST was operated on he said cheerio to Lieut.POOLE, DAWSON, and SAUNDERS. He never saw them actually leave and in fact has not seen them since.

On 13 July HURST was taken to Hospital at RENNES. The 'ambulances' (20 in all) were ordinary 3 ton trucks packed with straw. On their canopies was a Red Cross. The 'Hospital' to which HURST was taken was a school which had been converted. It was staffed by one or two German Surgeons, six French civilian doctors, and eighty French nurses.

HURST spent a month in this hospital. Tpr. MERRYWEATHER arrived here the day after HURST. Tpr HURST reports that the medical treatment was good but the food was poor. Dinner usually consisted of black bread and beans, and for tea the menu was macaroni. There was never a breakfast - only luke warm coffee. HURST could not eat so he had fluid injections.

When HURST arrived at this hospital it had about 400 patients, including personnel from 6th Airborne Division. During his stay about 30 American and British wounded were admitted.

On the 2nd August news got around that the Americans were coming so the Germans picked up and left. The town was shelled by the British and Americans, and the hospital received three direct hits but there were no casualties. The following day and night street fighting could be heard and on the fourth day the Allies took the town. Cigarettes and beer were given to the patients and the following day - 6th August - the entire hospital was moved by ambulance to 35th Evacuation Hospital. The patients received penicillin for three days and good food was served thus everyone was happy.

On 12 August the patients were moved to an air strip and the evacuation began. Tpr MERRYWEATHER, by this time a walking patient, left on the 12th and Tpr HURST was evacuated the following day. At the time of writing MERRYWEATHERs location is not known but the following are Tpr HURSTS movement up to date.

13 Aug. Evacuated from RENNES to NEWBURY 98th General Hospital
16 Aug. Moved to 7th General Hospital US Army.
21 Aug. Moved to British Military Hospital, LINCOLN

---

Tpr HURST spent 35 days behind enemy lines, 27 days in hospital as POW and 9 days in the hands of the Americans before returning to UK.