Operations Wallace and Hardy

The Special Air Service (SAS) was a unit of the British Army, formed in July 1941 by David Stirling and originally called "L" Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade—"L" being an attempt at deception implying the existence of numerous such units. In 1944 the Special Air Service Brigade was formed and consisted of the British 1st and 2nd Special Air Service, the French 3rd and 4th Special Air Service and the Belgian 5th Special Air Service.[5] They used specially converted American made Jeeps armed with a number of Vickers K guns, and proved so successful they kept them on.[6]

In May 1944 the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) had issued an order for the Special Air Service Brigade to carry out operations in France. They were to undertake parachute operations behind German lines in France, and then carry out operations supporting the Allied advance through Belgium the Netherlands, and eventually into Germany. The focus of these would be the disruption of German reinforcements from the south of France to the Normandy beachheads.[7] The SAS also hoped to be assisted by the French resistance and reinforcements would arrive by air as too would supplies which included the specially equipped Jeeps.[8]

With the allied breakout in Normandy in August a number of operations were initiated. The Burgundy region was the hotbed for SAS activity partly because it was the centre point at which Germans armies would funnel their way out of France into Germany. Operation Houndsworth would set up a patrol base in the mountainous wooded countryside south west of Dijon in the Monts du Morvan.[9] Operation Hardy would do the same in the Forêt de Châtillon area forty miles east of Auxerre to the northwest of Dijon.[10]

Roy Farran (seated right) in a Jeep during Operation Wallace-Hardy August - September 1944

On 27 July Operation Hardy commenced - 55 men and seven Jeeps of 2nd Special Air Service under the command of Captain Grant Hibbert were parachuted near Châtillon-sur-Seine. They set up their base in the nearby forest and linked up with local elements of the French resistance. The previous month however 2,000 Germans swept the region and killed 37 Maquisards many of whom had been tortured.[11] Nevertheless, Hibbert all too aware of the situation undertook reconnaissance of the German strength and dispositions in the area.

Despite being under orders not to engage the Germans, many of his men undertook aggressive patrols against rail and road communications over which reinforcements could be moved. Crucially they blew up a stretch of railway between Dijon and Langres and decimated a German convoy which was heading towards the Normandy front.[4]

With the Allied breakout in Normandy, it was realized that more and more Germans would be retreating through the area of SAS operations. In addition the German reinforcements for Operation Dragoon'in the South of France, would also be diverted through the region as well as its retreat. As a result, the area was to be reinforced by more SAS troopers along with members of SOE. Reinforcement parties and supplies were dropped in the same area on 8, 17, 20 and 23 August, and late in the same month the Hardy party would be joined a bigger operation - codenamed Wallace.[7]

The Côte-d'Or area where Operation Wallace–Hardy took place

On 19 August Operation Wallace commenced, under the command of Major Roy Farran, sixty men landed with 20 Jeeps at Rennes airfield near the Breton capital, which was by then under Allied control.[1] Two days later Farran divided his party into three groups, and ordered them to maintain a distance of thirty minutes to increase the chances of not being discovered, as well as avoiding all German resistance. The journey to Hibbert's position took Farran and his men four days and some 200 miles (320 km) behind German lines and headed to the northern bank of the Loire river. The first fifty miles were uneventful, as local French resistance fighters were able to help the SAS troopers avoid German positions.[12] Soon after a number ran into Germans in the villages and towns, and most had to fight their way out.[13] A number of jeeps were lost as well as eight men; some escaped and even had to get their way back to Paris and join Farran by parachute at a later date.[14]

Now left with only seven of his original Jeeps, Farran pressed on, and as they approached the forest the column halted near a railway line. A train carrying Germans came into view; Farran ordered the engine to be targeted and it was shredded by a ferocious rate of fire from the column's Vickers K guns. The damaged engine came to a halt as the SAS men engaged the German troops in the rear of the train while the French civilians including the engine crew bailed out.[15] As they approached their final destination they assaulted a German radar station and forced the German garrison to flee. Prisoners taken informed the SAS troopers that they believed the Jeeps to be the advance guard of General George S. Patton's United States Third Army.[4]

Eventually the party linked with Hibbert's men at the Hardy base. Farran took command of the combined group, which consisted of a composite squadron of 60 troopers, 10 jeeps and a civilian truck, and ordered it to move to another base deeper in the forest to avoid further German scrutiny.[14]

Battle of Châtillon

Town of Châtillon-sur-Seine

With the combined force an attack was decided to be made on the German headquarters in the town of Châtillon-sur-Seine. This town was strongly held by the Germans. An earlier meeting with Farran and the commander of the local resistance forces over a wine-fuelled dinner apparently secured an agreement that the resistance forces would aid the men of the SAS.[16]

On September 2, in the early hours of the morning just before the attack however, there was no sign of any resistance support. Farran decided to go ahead with the attack in case of a betrayal by the French and whilst surprise was still on his side. Under the cover of darkness, Farran placed his Squadron in position, covering all the entry and exit points of the town with jeeps, machine guns or mortar positions.[2]

At 0630 hours the attack was opened with 3-inch mortar fire on the châteaux which was the German headquarters. 48 mortar bombs were dropped on the designated targets and the SAS encountered strong resistance from the German troops in the town as a huge firefight broke out.[15] German vehicles were set ablaze and many were cut down. Outside the town a reinforcement column of 30 vehicles full of troops was dispersed, and prevented from giving help to the garrison.[10]

After seven and a half hours of hard fighting, Farran ordered a withdrawal to their base. The ambush was a major success for the SAS; around 100 Germans were killed and a considerable number wounded. In addition nine trucks, four cars and one motorcycle were destroyed. SAS casualties were trifling - one killed and two wounded. After the fighting, the Germans took fifty hostages thinking that this attack came from the Resistance. However the discovery of the body of one killed SAS trooper named William Holland, deliberately left by Farran, prevented their execution.[17]

Farran soon became popular with the French locals who offered his men wine, flowers, eggs and butter.[18]

During the month they had been active, the SAS men had caused more than 500 German casualties along with 23 staff cars destroyed, 6 motor-cycles and 36 miscellaneous vehicles including trucks, half-tracks and troop carriers.[2] In addition 100,000 tons of petrol was destroyed and a goods train burnt out. Seventeen SAS troopers had been lost including one in a parachuting accident, two had been captured but both escaped. Jeep losses were the heaviest, 16 were lost in all, some down to mechanical failure and fatal damage by parachute drops.[10] Throughout their entire time behind German lines they were supplied by the Royal Air Force in 36 sorties, which supplied the SAS with twelve new Jeeps and 36 supply panniers.[14]

The Germans mistook Farran's Squadron for the advance elements of the 3rd U.S. Army and thereby withdrew from Châtillon sooner than necessary, and that his small force played a considerable part in disorganising the German forces in front of that army. In a December report SHAEF noted that the raid was one of the most successful actions in which a small scale harassing force behind German lines inflicted huge damage out of proportion to their numbers, with minimal losses.[8] Farran himself claimed the raid as a perfect vindication of Stirling's original principles of the SAS - that small units behind enemy lines harassed the Germans that bought with it a strategic gain.[18][19]

After linking up with American forces, Farran sent the squadron back to Paris and granted it a week's leave in the capital.[14] Farran was awarded a Distinguished Service Order as result of Operation Wallace.[3]

Farran and his men retrained and then re embarked to join the Italian Campaign where they prepared for Operation Tombola the following year in March which was also a resounding success.[17]

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