Ghost Patrol: A History of the Long Range Desert Group, 1940–1945

by Sadler, John

  As a traffic census, Olivey’s report was impressive as a very significant amount of enemy vehicle traffic was noted: motorcycles, light cars, trucks, artillery, armoured cars and tanks. At this point LRDG watchers were not really trained in recognising specific Axis vehicles, though they did note that trucks were often under tow, not it seems as a result of mechanical failure but in an attempt to conserve fuel – clearly then this was in short supply.47 Jake Easonsmith with R Patrol from Siwa was providing additional taxi services, ferrying agents west of Mekili.

  In October, Captain Holliman with S patrol was back near Marble Arch. This time to refine the information gleaned, GHQ had drawn up a regular questionnaire which posed a whole series of specific questions about the types of heavier armour and the nature and likely calibres of guns. To finesse details of troop types the watchers were tasked to identify formations from headdress. This time the watch was kept up for a week 9th–16th of the month, using Olivey’s previous harbour.

  As unglamorous as it was, road watch was yielding significant results, including pinpoint information on Axis strength and movement. Future patrols would be far better prepped. They received improved training in identifying different types of enemy vehicles, and were given tours of captured or wrecked Axis transport. They were furnished with notes and photos, boosted by the formidable intellectual gifts of Captain Enoch Powell.48 He had enlisted in the Royal Warwicks in 1939 but was soon moved to Military Intelligence where his impressive powers gained considerable respect. Patrols were given a handbook with technical descriptions and silhouettes to aid recognition, plus plenty of clear pages for note taking. Traffic census was now fully industrialised.49

  By 9th October, John Olivey was out again, leading S Patrol, scouting around Jalo and looking to net a talkative prisoner. The garrison was thought to be comprised of a hundred and fifty soldiers, trucks and a couple of planes; personnel billeted throughout principal buildings in the settlement. The old fort boasted a pair of 75-mm guns. The Italians at Jalo were more active than others with regular patrols, and it proved impossible to get close undetected.

  S patrol was probably given away after being spotted by natives. This attracted unwelcome attention from the clear desert sky but, undeterred, Olivey managed to infiltrate the oasis on the night of the 15th/16th.50 He couldn’t manage to nab any prisoners but he did learn that provisions were short and water had to be brought in. From Siwa, Jake Easonsmith was still providing a taxi service for Allied agents. Leaving on 30th September he saw no enemy but did locate a crashed Wellington. No trace of the crew could be found, however.

  On 20th October, a suitably refreshed and refurbished ‘B’ Squadron, with both G & Y patrols, reached Kufra. Teddy Mitford was replaced by Eric Wilson. The southerly oasis was about to be abandoned with the LRDG concentrating on Siwa. A fresh Allied offensive was in the offing. Siwa51 is one of the most remote oases, around fifty miles long and a quarter of that in width. It has been inhabited for millennia and offers a rich archaeological heritage. Most LRDG were more attracted to the chance to bathe in cool waters, as Jim Patch recalls:

  Those of us who were privileged to visit the Siwa Oasis… used to gaze on the ruins of the temple of Jupiter-Ammon with only mild interest. My recollection is of some tumbledown walls with paintings on them which still retained a few vestiges of colour … but nearby was Cleopatra’s pool, which was of much greater interest to us than the ruins of the temple. Returning from patrol, it was a joy to dive from the perimeter wall naked into its refreshing depths and enjoy the luxury of wallowing in all that water after weeks on the move without even enough water for washing.52

  So much ferrying of agents had gone on that ‘A’ Squadron had been dubbed ‘Libyan Taxis Limited’. Jake Easonsmith, patrolling from Siwa on the 14th of the month, had been tasked to recce the eastern flank of the Wadi Mra and the Mekili vicinity, investigating how conventional forces might be able to move, and also picking up Jock Haselden.

  The latter was one of the legendary figures of the desert war, born in Egypt and fluent in several languages. At the outset he had been with the Libyan Arab Force before being transferred to Intelligence. Bill Kennedy Shaw describes him as the outstanding personality of the dozen odd men who worked with the tribes in Cyrenaica behind the Axis lines. Untiring, strong, courageous, never without some new scheme for outwitting the enemy, yet with a slow and easy-going way of setting about a job which was far more successful with the Arabs than the usual European insistence on precision and punctuality which they neither like nor understand. He and LRDG would see much of each other.

  Locating Haselden on this mission proved tricky and he wasn’t found till 19th October, though another three British escapees were also rescued. Jock Haselden and some of the LRDG, forming ‘B’ party, made straight for Siwa whilst Easonsmith with the remainder, ‘A’ detachment, took a look at an Axis laager at Ain-bu-Sfia. There, Easonsmith was moved to have some sport with enemy traffic.

  On the 23rd he parked three trucks in dead ground near the track running from the Axis camp towards Mekili. After a swift recce on foot, he deployed two of these to some higher ground about three to four miles back, then took the remaining truck onto the track, intending to feign mechanical breakdown. Booby-trapped boxes of Italian rounds were placed back along the road. Obligingly, if rather more swiftly than had been intended, enemy traffic appeared, their approach screened by more dead ground.

  The ambush party scrambled into position. Easonsmith boldly halted the first truck, but as he covered the astonished crew with his Thompson, one of them leapt from the cab and tackled him. The driver managed to grab Jake’s SMG, but rather than turn it on its rightful owner ran off with it. He didn’t get far; a lucky throw and a grenade stopped him. Meanwhile his officer passenger emptied his pistol at Easonsmith and, despite point blank range, missed every time. He also ran till a burst from one of the patrol’s automatic weapons permanently curtailed his flight.

  All Hell now broke loose. Great bursts of fire ripped through the desert air. The other two LRDG trucks appeared to pour rounds into the enemy whilst Easonsmith, like an industrial grim reaper, blasted enemy trucks with grenades. After a furious few moments, with the whole enemy camp alerted, it was time to clear out. Two prisoners had been netted, (one of whom was wounded and later died), and an undetermined number of others were dead or wounded. With only a single bullet hole in his radiator, Easonsmith’s raiders sped off: as ‘beat-ups’ go, this was a lot more fun than road watch. The patrol returned to Siwa unscathed, although their topographical survey work had to be curtailed due to water shortage.53

  Captain Ballantyne with T Patrol forayed from Siwa towards the final days of October. Their brief was more taxiing, then surveying the terrain around Jedabia and the escarpment between Benina and Antelat. The enemy made no attempts at interference and one of their salvage parties was captured. ‘A’ Squadron carried out one further patrol early in November with elements of R & T Patrols. Their hunting ground was south of Bir Hacheim and Bir-el-Gubi, which are relatively close to Tobruk, and the patrol was to ascertain levels of enemy activity and vehicle traffic. The detachment was to have split into two smaller patrols to cover each sector but mechanical troubles intervened so they continued together. They had some luck when they bumped a surprised enemy motorcycle patrol; all were captured.54

  So far so good, but ‘Crusader’ was brewing, Auchinleck’s long anticipated offensive, and another swing of the desert pendulum.

  Notes

  1 Kennedy Shaw, p. 42.

  2 Laycock was a relation of Niven’s wife.

  3 IWM, p. 37.

  4 Ibid.

  5 Waugh used his experiences in Crete when writing his Sword of Honour trilogy.

  6 The Lovat Scouts were the British Army’s first sharpshooter or sniper unit, active in both world wars, finally stood down in Athens in 1947.

  7 Bierman, J. and C. Smith, Alamein, War without Hate (London, 2002), p. 95.

  8 John Edward ‘J
ock’ Haselden MC, (1903–1942) Lieutenant-Colonel (acting) in Intelligence Corps, killed during Operation Agreement.

  9 Bierman & Smith, p. 92.

  10 Keyes won a posthumous VC for his role in Operation Flipper.

  11 Bierman & Smith p. 97.

  12 Robert Blair Mayne, after the war he returned to legal practice but did not settle in civilian life, he became an isolated figure, drinking and brawling, he died in a car crash, see ‘Dramatis Personae’.

  13 The Sacred Squadron or Sacred Band was a force comprised of émigré Greek officers and cadets under Colonel Tsigantes. Modern Greek Special Forces continue their tradition.

  14 IWM, p. 196.

  15 Sometimes referred to as the Special Identification or Intelligence Group (“SIG”).

  16 Lloyd Owen, p. 23.

  17 Ibid., p. 54.

  18 Moreman & Ruggeri, p. 24.

  19 Ibid.

  20 Ibid., p. 35.

  21 Ibid., p. 34.

  22 Morgan, pp. 98–99.

  23 Kennedy Shaw, p. 90.

  24 Wynter, p. 44.

  25 Ibid., p. 45.

  26 Kennedy Shaw, pp. 78–79.

  27 Wynter, pp. 46–47.

  28 Ibid.

  29 Kennedy Shaw p. 81.

  30 Wynter, p. 48.

  31 Kennedy Shaw, p. 82.

  32 Wynter, pp. 53–54.

  33 Ibid., pp. 57–59.

  34 Ibid., p. 59.

  35 Moreman & Ruggeri, pp. 46–48.

  36 Wynter, p. 61.

  37 Ibid., p. 63.

  38 Ibid.

  39 Ibid., p. 64.

  40 Ibid., p. 65.

  41 Lloyd Owen, p. 52.

  42 The Indian Long Range Squadron, formed part of LRDG during the critical stages of the desert war from October 1942–April 1943 (see Chapter 4).

  43 Kennedy Shaw, p. 56.

  44 Wynter, p. 69.

  45 Ibid., p. 70.

  46 Ibid., p. 75.

  47 Ibid., p. 78.

  48 Enoch Powell (1912–1998), a senior post-war Conservative politician, not immune from controversy.

  49 Moreman & Ruggeri, p. 46.

  50 Wynter, p. 50.

  51 It actually features briefly as the LRDG base in Ice Cold in Alex and is famous for its traditional acceptance of same sex marriage.

  52 Morgan, p. 86.

  53 Wynter, pp. 83–84.

  54 Ibid.

  CHAPTER 4

  ‘The Libyan Taxi Company Limited’, 1941–1942

  If you can soldier here without a worry

  And eat your bread and cheese and M & V

  If when the Stukas come, you never hurry

  And bombs and shells and fleas don’t worry thee

  If you can laugh and sing when guns do rumble

  Nor murmur when your tobacco don’t last out

  If you can eat your stew and never grumble

  Yet keep a cheery smile when sergeants shout

  If you can hear reveille call each morning

  And rise and face the new day with a grin

  If you can sleep with fleas about you crawling

  And always tell your pal we’re going to win.

  If you can wait and never get tired of waiting

  For mail that never seems to come

  If you can face the desert heat each morning

  And never let your thoughts stray back to home

  If you can play your fiddle as good as Nero

  And never swear or curse when things go wrong

  Then, all I can say is you’re a blinkin’ hero

  And, what is more, you’ll be the only one!

  —J. Campbell: If1

  High Hopes

  Operation ‘Crusader’ burst across the frontier on 18th November 1941 and sped forwards in a facsimile of dummy war. Opposition was minimal and no immediate counterpunch developed. Rommel was still fixated on the impudent garrison of Tobruk and dismissed the offensive as a probing raid. He himself had earlier instigated just such a reconnaissance in force, ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, to glean what he might of Auchinleck’s intentions. By evening 7th Armoured Brigade had reached Gabr Saleh, thrusting virtually unopposed. The Fox had been humbugged but, ironically, his very inertia had robbed General Cunningham of the decisive clash of armour his plan demanded.

  Disconcerted, Cunningham proposed, on the second day, to split his armoured forces and seek out the foe. By now the Fox was alert and began to concentrate his own armour for a riposte. General ‘Strafer’ Gott,2 at this point commanding 7th Armoured Division, expressed the view that the moment was now ripe for a break-out from Tobruk. This was contrary to the previous planned assertion that the Panzers must first be humbled. Nonetheless, Cunningham agreed and the move was planned for morning on 21st November. Meanwhile, armoured units were colliding piecemeal in the tanker’s equivalent of a ‘soldier’s battle’. Not the precise, staff-college business of ordered formations but a swirling, dust-shrouded, grinding melee.

  Despite the ferocity of these initial exchanges, the main armoured forces of both sides had yet to engage. Cunningham, nonetheless, appears to have considered that a major engagement had indeed occurred and was disposed to believe over-optimistic assessments of enemy losses. Not only were these wildly exaggerated, but DAK was still far more accomplished than its opponents at retrieving damaged machines from the field and restoring them to battle-worthy. Reassured, Cunningham gave the order for the Tobruk break-out, codenamed ‘Pop’. This threw into sharp relief the need to hold the tactically significant ridge at Sidi Rezegh which lay between Gabr Saleh and the town. This otherwise unremarkable feature would now become a boiling cauldron.

  Rommel was aware of the significance of Sidi Rezegh, a mere dozen miles from the beleaguered citadel. More and more Axis armour was fed in as the battle for the ridge intensified, drawing in much of Eighth Army’s own tanks. The fighting was close and frightful; 7th Hussars were decimated whilst the dashing Brigadier ‘Jock’ Campbell performed prodigies of valour which earned him his well-merited VC. As tanks surged around the disputed higher ground, the ring of Axis forces besieging the port remained unbroken. Despite the fact that by evening on the 21st the break-out had been contained, Cunningham remained buoyant and Auchinleck was sending confident cables to London.

  Though Rommel had been obliged to divide his available forces, he was far from defeated. Even as Churchill was drafting a victory address the Fox struck back on the 22nd, sending his Panzers in a flanking arc to strike at Sidi Rezegh from the west. This manoeuvre netted tactical gains, and various support units were overrun. Throughout the next day fighting raged unabated, a rough and savage collision of armoured leviathans, wheeling and blazing. Tanks were shot to pieces, others simply broke down; both sides suffered loss, and wrecks littered the scarred waste like primeval skeletons. The New Zealanders suffered grievous loss, though less than the South Africans. Overall Allies losses were significant; there was no victory in sight.

  With that daring and tactical insight which would guarantee the endurance of his legend, Rommel planned a counterstroke of breathtaking audacity, one which sent shudders through his more cautious subordinates. He had resolved to draw off some of his forces from the furnace of Sidi Rezegh and strike towards Egypt. This was at the very moment Cunningham was suffering something of a personal crisis. On the 23rd, alarmed by his heavy losses, particularly in armour, he had broached the possibility of breaking off the action and retreating. This was not something the ‘Auk’ was prepared to countenance. By next day the C-in-C had decided to remove his Eighth Army commander and appoint Ritchie in his stead.

  Now Rommel was leading his spearhead eastwards, leading very much from the front, the epitome of daring and gallantry, if not perhaps of prudence. Under his personal command he led the remnants of 15th Panzer and Ariete. The blow threatened to sever 30 Corps’ line of retreat as it swept through rear echelons like the grim reaper. Axis General Cruewell, his reservations dismissed, was ordered to send 21st Panzer to driv
e 13 Corps back onto the web of frontier minefields. For both sides this was to be the crisis.

  Auchinleck, despite the seriousness of the situation, did not lose his nerve, and Rommel’s sweeping gambit soon ran into difficulties. Ariete Armoured Division could not get past the South Africans, whilst 21st Panzer could make no headway against 4th Indian Division. Freyberg and the New Zealanders were meantime fighting hard for Tobruk. During the Crusader fighting one factor which told significantly in favour of the British was air superiority. The Desert Air Force was flying effective sorties against Axis ground forces, denying Rommel the comfort of ‘flying artillery’ which had shielded and aided previous operations.

  On the 27th, union with the 70th Division was effected, the heroic garrison finally relieved. British armoured forces at Sidi Rezegh, despite their fearful pounding, were reorganising and still very much in the fight. Rommel’s units by contrast were equally battered but now dispersed and vulnerable. At DAK Headquarters Colonel Westphal had already assumed responsibility for the recall of 21st Panzer, Rommel now being out of touch. On flying back that evening though, he tacitly approved and began drawing back 15th Panzer as well.

  His priority now was to try and re-establish the ring around Tobruk. From the 28th November, there was more savage combat around El Duda, Belhammed and Sidi Rezegh. Ground was taken, lost and retaken; both sides sustained further, heavy losses. As November drew to a close, German armour was battering the remnant of the New Zealanders, unsupported by Allied tanks. Freyberg was pushed back, his division’s casualties dreadful, Tobruk was again encircled. The battle was by now one of attrition, a fight in which the Allies were better placed, but Rommel was not yet ready to withdraw. On 2nd December he threw his battered formations back into the fight for a further five days of murderous intensity.

  By 7th December the pace of attrition had forced Rommel to recognise the need for a withdrawal. Both sides continued to incur casualties but the Allies could replenish at a far faster rate. They had greater reserves, and this steady grinding down was not a fight DAK could win. Consequently, Rommel proposed to retire upon a fixed, defensive line running south from Gazala. The British, scenting victory, swooped after, hard upon the heels of the retreating Axis. By the 16th a further retirement became expedient and by 22nd December, as 1941 drew to a close, the Axis forces had fallen back as far as Beda Fomm and Antelat. Further withdrawals, first to Agedabia and finally El Agheila, followed, and though constantly harassed, the rearguard provided an effective screen. By now both sides were equally exhausted.