Monday, November 30, 2015

Short Story re North Africa, "88th Flotilla"

By Canadian L/S Jim Gibb, later to become Lt. Cdr.
(as written to L. Williams)

"Americans land near Algiers. Canadians man some landing craft"

The 88th Flotilla under Commanding Officer LT Judd Whittal, DSC, Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR, the Wavy Navy), boarded SS Clan MacTaggart, a 7,600 ton cargo vessel on September 24, 1942. Clan MacTaggart was under the command of CPT Derek Storm and Chief Engineering Officer James Swann, at Lockport in the Gareloch on the Clyde River. From whence we sailed to North Africa, landing on November 8, as you describe in your account. Beached and shelled from Fort La Citadel in the hills manned by the French Foreign Legion.

Photo by Lloyd Williams, in St. Nazaire to Singapore, page 122

The Royal Naval destroyer which shelled La Citadel was HMS Bulldog under Commanding Officer CDR Anthony Heber-Percy, DSO, RN. He also, along with HMS Penelope (nicknamed "Old Pepperpot" as she was shot full of holes), stopped an attack on the ships off the beach on Tuesday, November 10 by three Vichy French destroyers which approached the area undetected by radar. They (the French) were using the cover of Ile d'Or to within eight miles of the beach. Bulldog advanced to meet them and also gave bearing to Penelope which responded by firing a salvo of six projectiles striking the lead French destroyer. It was at "Action Stations" with ammo lockers open. The French destroyer was completely destroyed. The other two Vichy destroyers fled west and by reports of later days, were detained by other British vessels some 60 miles from our site.

Photo credit - HMS Penelope (at Wikipedia)

Three of out LCMs were dispatched to the scene of the sunken destroyer to look for survivors. My LCM 288 - or should I say your's - managed to get four survivors from the water - one with an arm blown off at the shoulder, one with a lower abdominal perforation which a piece of metal made passing through the left renal area, one with two broken legs (tibias) and one seemingly uninjured but dazed. We treated all we could with codeine and immobilization, for shock and bleeding. We returned with all speed to the Monarch of Bermuda, the hospital facility. Unfortunately, as we were approaching the ship, the "uninjured" party jumped up and ran pell mell into the ramp at the bow and fell over - dead.

Lloyd, I've shown the airport in the diagram, because on Wednesday a "friendly" aircraft (the first we had seen) buzzed the beach at low level - a Spitfire exited west toward the beach and then returned and opened fire, strafing the length of the beach. After some moments of disbelief everyone opened fire and the aircraft was hit and went down somewhere on Cape Falcon.

A flight of Spitfires had been dispatched from Gibraltar to the airport in Oran. This distance was a critical one, as the fuel capacity of the Spit would first allow this distance, and then secondly, they would have to land. A British Commando unit had been detailed to take the airport which was still in German hands. Unfortunately the Commandos were not able to accomplish the task before everyone was aware an invasion was occurring and also the aircraft had arrived after the landing. All the RAF pilots were apprehended by the French and taken away. This is where the "friendly" aircraft came from.

The above story is taken from St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War, Vol. 1, pages 116 - 117.

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