Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry
A specialist in high explosives, Mr. Winter’s job was to “blow” the anchor chain of the German ship so that it could be pulled away by the tug, like the other ship, while the crews were being entertained at a party ashore. He took part in a series of raids on the French Coast and Channel Island, in which prisoners were sometimes taken. Then came Dryad, in which there was little time to complete a hazardous operation in heavy seas because the Germans made routine contact with the Lighthouse every 90 minutes from Cherbourg. A month after Dryad, the force ran out of luck when three were killed and the others, including Mr. Winter, were captured during a raid on the French coast. Mr. Winter survived S.S. interrogators before ending up in a prisoner of War Camp in Poland. But even there his undercover activities did not end. By sending coded letters to his wife, Lily, he supplied the War office with information, gleaned while on working parties about factories in the area producing war materials. Punished after it was discovered he had taught explosive techniques to members of the Polish underground, he eventually escaped, together with an S.A.S. officer, from German hands in 1945 and joined the liberating forces.’
Much has been written about the three key Small Scale Raiding Force (S.S.R.F.) raids that Winter took part in; Operations Postmaster, Dryad and the disastrous Operation Aquatint. The raids themselves averaged 11-15 raiders and included in their number many well known and highly decorated early members of the British Special forces, including Majors Gus March-Phillips D.S.O., M.B.E., the founder of the S.S.R.F.; Captain Geoffrey Appleyard D.S.O., M.C., later 2 S.A.S.; Captain Graham Hayes M.C., who was executed by Germans in 1943; Quartermaster Desgranges, Free French, ex-Special Operations Executive; and the famed Anders Lassen V.C., M.C. and 2 Bars, later S.B.S. and Major S.A.S. To add to this, behind the scenes and very much involved in the planning of theses operations was Ian Fleming. Indeed, many aspects of these raids are thought to be inspiration for various scenes in the James Bond series.
Operation Postmaster, 14 January 1942
Operation Postmaster was a joint raid by 11 men of the Small Scale Raiding Force (S.S.R.F.) and 4 from the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.). This small force was later christened the ‘Maid Honor Force’ The raid, under the command of Major March-Phillips, was to be carried out on 14 January 1942. The objective was to sail the Maid of Honor Q ship to Freetown, Sierra Leone, and once there to cut out three enemy ships from the harbour of Santa Isabel on the Island of Fernando Po. Once captured, these ships were then to be sailed to Lagos. The fact that the harbour was in neutral Spanish territory was of great concern to both the Foreign Office and the Admiralty, both of whom voiced their concerns and initially distanced themselves from the operation, due to possible repercussions, for if successful, the Spanish could rightly claim the operation as state sponsored piracy. Indeed Winter himself in an interview in later years called the Maid of Honor ‘the pirate ship’.
The force arrived in Freetown in late August 1941 and from there scouting and plans for the operation were finalised and the Foreign Office finally gave the go ahead on 6 January 1942. On 11 January, the raiders boarded two tugs, Vulcan and Nuneaton, manned by 17 local volunteers and headed for their objective. At 23.30 hours on 14 January, the three enemy ships were approached by the tugs and although challenged by crews, suitable answers were given and the raiders’ canoes from both were despatched. Of the three enemy ships, Burundi and Likomba were moored together and were approached by the raiders from Nuneaton, which included Winter. He, along with Captain Graham Hayes would be assigned as first to board, to take care of any resistance, and to set the explosives. Burundi and Likomba were boarded and the crew on watch jumped overboard without resistance. After planting explosive charges on the anchor chain, the raiders guided Nuneaton alongside both to take them in tow once the charges were blown.
The following is extracted from the book, Geoffrey: Being The Story of John Geoffrey Appleyard, DSO, MC & Bar, of the Commandos and Special Air Service Regiment, published in his memory in 1947:
‘By reason of strict censorship prevailing at that time Geoffrey was not able to refer in his letters to what took place on this operation, and so it is better that it should be described by Prout, assisted by Tom Winter, both of whom took part therein. Proutie writes:-
“The targets for the proposed raid were a large enemy liner carrying valuable cargo, and two smaller enemy craft that would be of great use to the Navy. These were anchored in a distant port and. it was proposed to capture them in some way and bring them to British waters. The prospect thrilled the crew of the Maid, for it presented them with an opportunity to emulate their hero Drake in a cutting- out expedition. During preliminary planning, it was soon realised that the crew were far too few for the task. Military or naval assistance was impracticable. Gus (March-Phillips) therefore decided to invite selected Britishers to 'come to a party.” No one who received the message knew what was involved, but all knew it meant high adventure and everyone responded. It is to the great credit of those gallant fellows that they did not know what was in store for them until they were at sea, but were prepared to risk their lives for their country' on an unknown project.
Great credit must also be given to those nameless few who 'prepared the ground.' Without their efforts the operation could never have succeeded, and at considerable hazard they were responsible for enabling plans to be made that reduced risk to a minimum. A powerful tug was chartered, together with a smaller one, and both sailed, timed to arrive alongside the enemy at the darkest hour of the darkest night of the moon. Gus commanded the whole expedition, with Apple second in command. Graham (Hayes) cormmanded the smaller tug. The crew of the Maid were distributed as follows : with Gus were Apple, Andy (Anders Lassen), Denis Tottenham, Ernest Evison, the cook, Andre Desgrange, ‘Haggis ' (the nickname of Gus's batman) and myself; and with Graham were Tom Winter and Buzz Perkins. The volunteers were divided between these parties. The tugs were manned by their own crews, who had volunteered with alacrity for the job.
A heavy swell was encountered crossing the Bar, and the heavily laden tugs wallowed like pigs. This was most unfortunate for the volunteers, most of whom were not accustomed to small craft, and some of the poor fellows took fully two days to recover from their agony. As for the crew, if any of them had felt bad, they would not dare have shown it, for the wrath of Gus would have descended on them like an avalanche!
Two days out disaster was narrowly averted. The diesel engine of the small tug developed piston trouble, and Graham signalled for assistance. She was then taken in tow whilst Tom Winter and the engineer worked on the engine. The small tug did not take kindly to being towed through the swell, and began to sheer alarmingly, in spite of the efforts of Graham and the very able Skipper to get her to answer her helm. Gus promptly rang to ' slow,' but Graham's vessel had developed such a sheer that her keel was showing out of the water, and her crew threw most of her provisions overboard before clambering on to her side in an effort to right her. At this stage Andy, with great presence of mind, rushed aft on the large tug and cut the hawser with an axe. Undoubtedly Andy's prompt action saved Graham's tug from total loss. Graham and Tom swam about retrieving their precious provisions and cases of beer, heedless of sharks or barracuda. Eventually, re-provisioned from the large tug, and with her engine- again in action, Graham's vessel got under way, and the voyage was resumed.
A report stated that the enemy liner was secured by two heavy cables attached to her bow anchors, and by four lighter cables attached to her stern, whilst the smaller enemy vessels were anchored in the normal way, bow and stern. The plan had the simplicity of brilliance.
1. Both tugs were to act independently but simultaneously.
2. At a given signal they were both to enter the harbour and go alongside their targets, board them and make fast the towing cables, whilst selected parties overcame resistance, and placed cutting charges on the anchor and stern cables.
3. Once the cables had been made fast the tugs were to steam slowly ahead to enable the strain on the cables to cause the barnacled ships to 'spring' from their moorings after the cables had been cut.
4. Completion of these tasks was to be reported to Gus on the bridge, and a single blast on his whistle was to be the signal-for the blowing of the cables, and for the tugs to steam 'Full Ahead' and tow their prizes out of the harbour.
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