4 cdo Dieppe Triumphant

The previous page was: "3 Commando Dieppe"

No.3 Commando, No.4 Commando and 40 Commando were all to see action at Dieppe, France. Each story gives a different view of how each Commando's warfare panned out.

No.4 Commando unlike No.3 Commando, which was carried direct to the place of assault in Eureka landing craft, Lovat's men in No.4 commando were to be taken to within ten miles of the coast by an infantry assault ship, H.M.S. Prince Albert.

They were taken to go ashore in assault landing craft under the command of Lieutenant-Commander H.H.H. Mulleneux RN on board motor gun boat 312 the flotilla leader being Lieutenant P. R. MacKinnon R.N.V.R.

The passage across the Channel was uneventful, and in due course they observed from afar the tracers and star shells, fired during the naval action which proved so disastrous to their comrades of No.3 Commando.

3 Commando Dieppe

Drew nearer and nearer to France

By then both groups of No.4 Commando were in assault landing craft making towards the coast, the men on board observing with relief that three darkened vessels between them and the shore were moving rapidly in the direction of the firing away to their left.

As they drew nearer and nearer to France, the lighthouse on the Pointe de Ailly could be seen flashing its normal signal. The landing craft approached; its lights went out and star shells from a semaphore tower beside it shot up from the east.

Group 1, Mills-Roberts and his men, put ashore at exactly the right time and spot, disembarked on a dry shore in successive waves no reorganising on the beach necessary, for everyman had been placed in his proper position when leaving the infantry assault ship.

Leading 'C' Troop, made for the left hand cleft but found it choked with fallen lumps of chalk and it was very heavily wired.

The right of the gully seemed to be equally impassable, but the wires were blown up with two Bangalore torpedoes.

'C' Troop scrambled quickly up the cliff, and after searching a number of houses, moved through the woods to take up a position facing the battery.

They killed three crews

Here, while the fighting patrol from 'A' Troop cut the telephone cables leading to the lighthouse. 'C' Troop began to snipe the German gunners from a range of two-hundred and fifty metres.

They paid particular attention to one of the light anti-aircraft guns on the western flack tower. They killed three crews in quick succession who wished to serve it.

This fire soon threw the German garrison into confusion. They had literally been caught napping.

Among 'C' Troop there were three qualified snipers under the command of Lance-Corporal R. Mann, who with their exposed flesh covered in camouflage creams took cover in some bushes one-hundred and fifty metres away from the enemy; they fired repeatedly with immense effect.

These three snipers with the Bren gunner silenced three enemy machine-gun posts, while gunner T. McDonough fired no less than sixty rifle grenades from his anti-tank rifle, mostly at the flack towers.

A mighty roar of the explosion

By then the mortar section had reached the edge of the wood and there they set up their mortars. The first round fell short, but the second landed on cordite charges and ready ammunition lying beside one of the guns. They blew up with a blinding flash followed by a mighty roar of the explosion.

The battery never fired again.

Group 1, positioned themselves ready for the joint assault on the main batteries. When the assault started, the group under the fierce soldier Mills-Roberts was successfull in engaging the full attention of the main battery and its defenders.

Lovat at the head of group 2, was fulfilling his part of the plan. The group were punctually put ashore at the mouth of the Saane from five assault landing craft, with one support landing craft ready to give them covering fire.

'A' Troop encountered heavy barbed wire on the beach, which they crossed by throwing chicken wire netting over it, but lost four men in so doing.

Pushed on under Lieutenant A.S.S. Veasey, they scaled the cliff with the aid of tubuler ladders, and rushed the front defences. Grenades popped inside the pill boxes were most effective.

W. Finney won the Military Cross

Trooper W. Finney won the Military Cross for climbing a telegraph pole and cutting the wires whilst under intense fire. Whilst being so exposed, his comrades gave him covering fire as best they could

Bullets were flying past all parts of his body, there were chunks of large splinters of wood flying off of the pole by the near misses of the enemies' bullets.

Whithout being hit he shinned down the pole and joined in the fighting with his brothers in arms. The unique friendship they shared was bonded in blood for one another.

Direct hits from the mortar bombs

Eight casualties were caused by a direct hit from a mortar bomb. With fire and bombs raining down on them; they made it over the wire and passed through a mined field that had obligingly been marked out with French signs.

Lovat gathered his men together and set off along the left bank of the Saane. The going through the long grass made heavy going; for the river had overflowed its banks.

It was broad daylight; they could hear the crackling of action from small arms from No.1 group. A sheet of flame followed by the mighty roar of a large explosion encouraged them to keep moving.

German Strasstruppe assault troops

They reached the wire marking the perimeter of the big battery each large gun had its own sand-bagged embankment surround for ideal all-round defence of the gun.

Here they advanced more slowly, with the use of smoke from the mortar team they stalked and silenced the enemy machine-guns.

'F' Troop approaching from another direction encountered thirty-five German Strasstruppe assault troops. They were forming up with the apparent intention of counter attacking Mills-Roberts No.1 group.

'F' Troop wiped them out with Tommy gun fire.

All of the Germans were fighting

The Germans' were roused and making vigorous resistance and causing casualties. Company Sergeant-Major W.R. Stockdale had half of his foot blown away, he continued the engage the enemy with his rifle, while sitting on the ground.

The Commandos fixed bayonets

The deadline reached Lovat gave the signal to start the assault on the battery's guns, by firing a cluster of white Very lights.

Mills-Roberts group No.1 on another side stopped firing, his mortars deluged the battery in thick smoke. The Commandos with fixed bayonets moved forward and closed in on the guns crews and their defenders. The German troops were either bombed, shot or bayoneted to death.

During the melee some Germans were observed to kick in the face wounded Commandos lying on the ground. After this, no more prisoners were added to those already taken. After a short time the only living persons by the guns were the victorious men of No.4 Commando.

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Demolition squads got to work

While the demolition squads got to work, blowing the breach blocks of each gun to pieces, a number of remaining pill boxes were in turn assaulted. Snipers and smoke generators quickly neutralised the positions.

When the last gun was destroyed. The bodies of the commando soldiers who had fallen in action were lifted beneath the battery flag staff, and the Union Flag was then run up over the British dead.

Thus at a cost of two officers and ten other ranks killed, three officers and seventeen other ranks wounded or missing, No 4 Commando had fulfilled its mission. Out of the twenty wounded, several had continued in the fighting; and twelve were back on Commando duty within two months.

No.4s triumph-for triumph it really was- had been accomplished not by gallantry alone but by the skill of the Commandos. Lovat won admission into the Distinguished Service Order, to add to his Military Cross. He had every reason to be proud of his men.

The next Link below will be: "4 Commando Walcheren"

4 cdo Dieppe 4 Commando Walcheren

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