Transcript - Operation Pistol - A2 - by Sgt E Williams 777958

tim4848

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OPERATION PISTOL A 2.

REPORT BY SJT. WILLIAMS.

Party Sjt. Williams, Cpl. Bovio, Pct. Frost.

We baled out at approx 23.30 hrs on the night 15/16th Sep 44, from a height of about 700 ft.
I was No 7 and saw only the fellow in front of me when falling, but no one following. Whilst dropping I only just avoided a Tiger Tank which was going along the road, and fell at point Q 284485. As I was pulling my leg kit bag into the ditch on the side of the road, I heard several men approaching, and being unable to get over the 5ft high barbed wire fence unobserved I began cutting my kit bag open. Taking my machine gun and ruck sack I took what cover I could a few yards along the ditch. One of the approaching three figures came to within five yards and challenged me several times, without reply. Whereupon they opened fire on my parachute, believing me to be there. I killed the nearest German and wounded the other two who were on the road. Then picking up my discarded equipment I succeeded in getting over the fence into a nearby wood, where I had hoped to contact my party. On approaching the wood I was challenged with the word "Fish", Lieut. Darwall's password for the whole party and I replied "Chips", the appropriate answer. The challenging party proved to be Lieut. Darwall and four of his men. None of my own party had arrived, but having heard considerable sporadic fire on the D.Z., I imagined that they were being chased. I left Lieut. Darwall to go along the edge of the wood and see if I could contact any of my party, but as none appeared I rejoined Lieut. Darwall. Lieut. Darwall, I and the remainder of the party proceeded to Q 332495, in a wood where he had arranged to wait two nights for his men if they lost contact when dropping.

17th Sep.
Lieut. Darwall gave me Cpl. Bovio and Pct. Frost from his party and accompanied by them I headed South at about 23.00 hrs. At the same time Lieut. Darwall took his depleted party away in a northerly direction.
Pct. Forst who dropped No 3 from the plane, saw the tank passing beneath him, but fell about 300 yards away from it in a tree near the side of the road. He managed to get down safely, and gathering up all his kit joined Lieut. Darwall who, after picking up the rest of his party with the exception of Cpl. Fedosseff, made their way to the woods. Lieut. Darwall had hurt his knee when he landed on a road junction, so Pct. Frost returned with him to collect the officer's kit and to search again for Cpl. Fedosseff. Being unsuccessful they concluded perhaps Cpl. Fedosseff had met Sgt. Williams men, who were also missing. On the way back they heard firing over their heads. After I joined his party Pct. Frost heard Germans challenging someone else. (This was probably Pct. Mace : see report A 3.)

Sep 18th.
I with my two men came across a disused French pill box at Q 332471, near the edge of the wood, and rested for the remainder of the day in the pill box; as it was very suitable for shelter from the rain and cold. That same night we headed South to the main road at Hellimer. map ref Q 325444, but observed very little traffic during a wait of two hours. Before proceeding to a nearby wood, Q 320435, to lie up for the night we attached time pencils (24 hr delay) to two telegraph poles which we heard go off only an hour later.

Sep 19th.
We turned North during the night as we heard enemy small arms fire, which we thought might be S.A.S. in need of help and eventually returned to a small clearing between the woods to which we had first set out after dropping, Q 322495; here we lay up for the remainder of the night. I had hoped to meet more of my party there.

Sep 20/21st.
The night of the 20/21st we blew up a concrete pylon, carrying H.T. cables and continued marching South via the village of Francaltroff, Q 314407, to the wood the other side of the railway at Q 323392. From here we observed the line for three days. After learning that it was used quite a lot at night(4 trains up and 4 trains down) we decided to operate.

Sep 23rd.
We decided that the place at which we could cause the most damage was in a cutting at Q 325398, where we had observed two trains pass each other every night at 19.45 hrs. Unfortunately we were disturbed whilst attempting to place our charges at this particular point, and had to retire. Meanwhile the trains had passed so all we could do was lay the charges for the next train. We later heard an explosion, but were unable to observe the results for we were aware that SS troops were strong in the neighbourhood, and likely to search for us with dogs. We subsequently learned that it was a cattle train which had been blown up; cattle which had been driven to Bernestroff were being entrained for Germany. Two days later the line was clear and had double sentries patrolling every fifty yards.

Sep 24th.
During the morning we marched South again and came across a deserted building at Q 316361, where we managed to dry our clothes and get a few meals of mushrooms, which we fund in the surrounding fields.

Sep 26th.
On the morning of the 26th we made our way again towards the main railway line near the village of Nebing, but after several hours observation, discovered that it was not being used. A closer inspection of the track showed that it was in a very dilapidated condition.

Sep 27th.
We set off in a Westerly direction during the morning and crossed the main road to Dieuze. We later found a single track line which ran to that town, but it was also rusty. We lay up that night in a nearby wood, Q 268325.

Sep 28th.
We moved towards the South in an attempt to destroy something more valuable, and reached a farm at Q 289286. The people here were kind enough to sell us food and give us shelter for a few days. It was at this place that we heard of the result of our railway line charges on the 23rd. This family had their three sons living with them who were deserters from the German Army (2 from the Russian front only a few months previously, and the other from the Metz front). The mother and father spoke only German, but the remainder spoke French and German. The fourth son, lived in the village of Vergaville, and periodically visited his family while we were there. It was from this man that we discovered that a German Pz Div was on that front, and about 1,000 poor quality troops with a General were in the village of Vergaville. Before we had arrived a party of enemy troops had been moved down from Metz to be billeted here but were put into the front line immediately.

Sep 30th.
My party marched West through the woods to a point, Q 176255, and lay up there observing the artillery exchange from the front. We also heard Germans shooting into the bushes and all other likely places for us, as we had unsuccessfully attempted to blow up a few motor vehicles with tyre bursters which had been set off by tanks instead.

Oct 2nd.
Whilst setting off in the evening in a Southerly direction we came upon S.A.S. boot tracks in a lane leading to a farm, at Q 173239. We followed these tracks in the hope of meeting some of our party. When approaching the farmhouse we saw a couple of Germans having a meal, so we retired and hid until they had gone. We then entered the farm and learned from the inhabitants that S.Q.M.S. Alcock and his party had been there 2 days previously. We had a meal at this farm and later went through the German lines, where we were fired on, at Q 155182, and approached the American lines, who also opened fire on hearing us. We found a hut about halfway between both lines and lay up that night.

Oct 3rd.
I, with Pct. Frost and Cpl. Bovio contacted the Americans at Q 130180, at 08.00 hrs.
 
Tim if you read the American descriptions of the Arracourt tank battle for september you will understand there was a lot of fog around at that time of year. It is strange none of the SAS reports mention this as it would have aided their cause-concealment. Graham
 
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