During C3 patrol of Operation Pistol- which was led by SQMS John Alcock, John (my Father told me) told me in his oral story that he accidently left the group's radio receiver on the drop field near Audviler. The post operational report makes no mention of this.
In 1983 I visited the drop field in Alsace with John (my father). We discovered that a fifteen year old boy had stolen the radio after C3 patrol group had moved off the drop field and headed off on its mission. In 1983 I actually got back from this boy(now a Man) part of my fathers parachute in which the radio had been wrapped. I now think my father's report was changed by SAS HQ.
I have a letter written by my father in 1948 which was addressed to Jean Koenig who was a key Frenchman who helped my fathers patrol. In the letter he thanks Jean Konieg for supplying him with information that allowed him to blow up the troop train. My father's report makes no mention of a troop train but it does mention an engine tender and carriage.
His oral story did describe to me how enemy troops streamed passed him as he tried to get away from the scene of the explosion scene. But his report leaves this out.
His oral story places the two Polish girls in the house with him when the shooting took place in the cottage where he was hiding, yet his report says he was 20 minutes away from the house when the shots of the girls probably execution were heard by john and his patrol. (see his report on Wikipedia as supplied by Tim Williams). I have now written a 159,00O word book on this story but it is not yet published. Recently whilst visit France I was told that two German officers had been killed when the train was blown off the lines. A local Frenchman was interrogated about the explosion by the SD and was released two days later when it was realised the SAS had blown the line. This delay had probably saved the SAS as any search of the area would have discovered the men who had not moved far from the landing site by day two.
Comments invited
In 1983 I visited the drop field in Alsace with John (my father). We discovered that a fifteen year old boy had stolen the radio after C3 patrol group had moved off the drop field and headed off on its mission. In 1983 I actually got back from this boy(now a Man) part of my fathers parachute in which the radio had been wrapped. I now think my father's report was changed by SAS HQ.
I have a letter written by my father in 1948 which was addressed to Jean Koenig who was a key Frenchman who helped my fathers patrol. In the letter he thanks Jean Konieg for supplying him with information that allowed him to blow up the troop train. My father's report makes no mention of a troop train but it does mention an engine tender and carriage.
His oral story did describe to me how enemy troops streamed passed him as he tried to get away from the scene of the explosion scene. But his report leaves this out.
His oral story places the two Polish girls in the house with him when the shooting took place in the cottage where he was hiding, yet his report says he was 20 minutes away from the house when the shots of the girls probably execution were heard by john and his patrol. (see his report on Wikipedia as supplied by Tim Williams). I have now written a 159,00O word book on this story but it is not yet published. Recently whilst visit France I was told that two German officers had been killed when the train was blown off the lines. A local Frenchman was interrogated about the explosion by the SD and was released two days later when it was realised the SAS had blown the line. This delay had probably saved the SAS as any search of the area would have discovered the men who had not moved far from the landing site by day two.
Comments invited
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