Articles: Operation TORCH, N. Africa, 1942 (Pt. 11)

"Nazi Officials Captured in North Africa En Route to U.S."

News is Wrapping Up Related to Operation Torch

News Clippings November 28 - December 2, 1942

CNA646. Heading - ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

AND NORTH AFRICA, 1939-1943. Caption - German Type VIIB submarine, U-83,

under attack in the Mediterranean, 80 miles North-east of Oran, Algeria, from a Lock-

heed Hudson of No. 500 Squadron RAF based at Blida. Three 100-lb AS bombs are

seen exploding short of the target after the first attack run. The Hudson then dropped

three 150-lb depth charges on the U-83 from 75 feet and the submarine sank.

Photo Credit - No. 500 Squadron RAF, Imperial War Museum (IWM)

Introduction:

Good articles that mention the names of individual members of RCNVR and Combined Operations fulfilling their duties during Operation Torch are as rare as hens' teeth, so, the overall rarity and importance of the last entry (Part 10) cannot be understated as this series of posts is 'wrapped up' - only as far as December 7, 1942.

Yet information about war conditions at that time, that provide some context for the days when Canadians in Combined Ops were called upon to work day-long shifts - for several days at a time - is important for a variety of reasons to many people, including me.

I continually want to know what times were like when my father was maturing as part of a landing craft crew. He had trained for Dieppe, experienced the loss of a few Navy comrades during the raid, and carried on. He underwent further training at HMS Quebec (Inveraray, Scotland) and was later sent aboard transport ships into the Mediterranean Sea to assist U.S. troops in the Center Task Force during the invasion of North Africa. I have his stories but the additional information and context "fill things out", so to speak.

Not that my father was scanning or reading all the news as closely as I have been. As far as I know, after 11 or 12 days of transporting troops and war supplies to shores at Arzeu, east of Oran, he returned to HMS Foliot (southern England), read his mail, and made arrangements to travel to Blackpool to meet a girlfriend (Gracie Purvis of Croydon), and then on to Christmas celebrations with two sets of relatives in London. I would say he had it pretty good during bad times, though much hard work was ahead in the new year. e.g., Operation Husky (Sicily) and Operation Baytown (Italy), no picnics.

Doug Harrison recalled the following (in memoirs written in 1975) about returning to England after his work aboard landing crafts was finished:

Just outside Gibraltar, Ettrick was torpedoed in her side and sank, and one rating from Ingersoll, Ontario was among those killed. She took four hours to sink and many were saved. We arrived in England without trouble. Our ship was fast, could do about 22 knots per hour, a knot being one mile and a fifth per hour. (I am going to leave my memories about hilarious occasions during leaves I enjoyed until last.)

The job of the seaman on an ALC or LCM is to let the bow door down and wind it up by means of a winch situated in the stern of the barge. This winch is divided so you can drop a kedge (anchor) possibly about 100 or so feet from shore depending on the tide. If it is going out you can unload and then put motors full astern, wind in the kedge and pull yourself off of breach.

The tide is very important and constantly watched. If it is going out (on the ebb) and you are slow, you can be left high and dry, and if so, you stay with the barge. If the tide is on the make (flowing in) you use the kedge to keep you from swinging sideways on breach. In this case your kedge would be out only a short ways. After much practice, however, the kedge can be forgotten and everything done by engines and helm. Each barge has two engines.

A convoy is only as fast as the slowest ship and fast ships that make over 20 knots usually travel alone on a zig zag course so a sub cannot get lined up on them. That wouldn’t work today as subs are much faster. (Page 26, "Dad, Well Done")

* * * * *

Many WW2 videos advertised by the Winnipeg Tribune and other newspapers still exist. Check the link to "videos re Combined Ops" under the "click on HEADINGS" section, right margin:

Please link to Articles: Operation TORCH, N. Africa, 1942 (Pt. 10)

Unattributed Photos GH

Articles: Operation TORCH, N. Africa, 1942 (Pt. 10)

Several Canadians in Combined Ops are Highlighted Here!

News Clippings, and One Good Mention from Nov. 25 - 27

A13688. Heading - SCENES IN ORAN HARBOUR AND MERS-EL-KEBIR, 22

AND 23 NOVEMBER 1942. Caption - Ships scuttled by the French before the

landing parties arrived, lying on the bottom of Oran Harbour.

Photo Credit - Lt. C.H. Parnall, Imperial War Museum IWM

Introduction:

Scanning old newspapers for stories about Canadians in Combined Ops is a bit like fishing for rainbow trout. A fisherman will get a lot of nibbles and other fish on the line before a nice rainbow trout comes along. So, patience is needed, and a bit of luck. And recently my patience was rewarded, so I can claim 'good fishing'.

While searching the pages of The Winnipeg Tribune (digitized), issues from November 1943 that were published when Canadians in RCNVR and the C.O. organization were finished their tasks in North Africa and were sailing toward the U.K. (or already there), I found a very good story that listed their responsibilities, names and some of their own eye-witness accounts. In my experience, the fishing doesn't get much better than that.

News articles follow, along with more photographs found at the Imperial War Museum that relate to the times and that were taken by the same photographer as the very top picture.

* * * * *

And now, let's shine a light on Canadian Navy officers and ratings who were part of the greatest armada of all time (up to that date) and then very much involved in landing troops and all their materials of war on various small crafts (e.g., assault landing craft or ALCs, and landing craft, mechanized or LCMs) at Oran and Arzeu.

Before we continue reading Page 12 and the names of Canadians listed, allow me to spotlight two items from the opening section of the story.

First, in the third paragraph we read:

The number 300 is significant. Canada was going to allow more than 300 naval personnel to voluntarily take on duties with the Combined Operations organization (under Cdr. Lord Louis Mountbatten during Nov. 1942).

Example, Lt. Cdr. J.E. Koyl (D.S.C., RCNVR; photos of Koyl will follow) states in memoirs:

"In the latter part of 1941, the Canadian Navy committed itself to send on loan to the Royal Navy, 50 officers and 500 Ratings, to form Canadian Flotillas."

Though Canada would eventually offer 950 - 1,000 ratings and more than the mentioned 50 officers to the Combined Ops organization, I mention the above to inform readers that the Canadian Navy contingent in North Africa was small compared to UK and US forces, but still significant, and it would grow as the next operations approached, i.e., the invasions of Sicily and Italy. As well, I was under the impression from earlier reading (perhaps my father's memoirs) that about 200 Canadians were involved in Operation Torch, so 300 is a new number for me. Perhaps officers were included in the 300. I will try to check it out and clarify if needed.

Secondly, my eye was drawn to this paragraph as well:

My father Doug Harrison landed American troops and their abundant supplies at Arzew and returned to the UK aboard the Reina del Pacifico, as mentioned in earlier posts. He and his flotilla were reportedly involved at Arzew for 11 - 12 days, so his return to the UK would have started on or near the 20th of November, as far as I can tell. I have learned that the date of actual events and the time of newspaper reports about the events can vary greatly because - using available telephones, cable lines, etc., the news did not travel as fast as it does today. So, I found it rewarding to keep scanning old newspapers well beyond the date of the wrap up of Operation Torch.

We now turn to Page 12 and a short list of some Canadian officers and ratings (some familiar to me thanks to a few significant sources) involved in handling landing crafts during the invasion of North Africa:

Canadian officers, "each in charge of two landing craft", are listed as Sub. Lts. Walter E. Charron, Robert Crothers and Ian A. Barclay.

Other material has been found relating to each of them, some provided below:

Robert Crothers, Kingston is standing, far right.

Photo - Lloyd Evans (RCNVR, Comb. Ops.)

Full caption for above photograph, as found in

St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 1, page 146

Photo of some RCNVR officers. Bob Crothers may be standing, on left.

Ian Barclay may be in this photo as well. Credit - Combined Operations,

by Londoner Clayton Marks, page 8

Sub. LT. Robert Crothers is back row, second left. Credit - R. Crothers

Full caption for above photograph by R. Crothers, as found in

St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 1, page 176

Robert Crothers also contributed a one-and-a-half page report below to St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 2. Two paragraphs from that rare text follow:

[Editor: I have been unable to locate an audio file re Mr. Crothers]

A few items related to Ian Barclay are also found in St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 2:

[Editor: Another line of enquiry presents itself to those interested, re 1944 Grey Cup Champs.]

Jerry Mulvey is one of the 'Winnipeg Tars' mentioned in The Winnipeg Tribune article and his photo below accompanied the piece. My father's notes indicate that members of his own LCM crew worked four days straight during the invasion of North Africa (at Arzew) before getting much of a break. The note under Mr. Mulvey's picture indicates a lengthy shift as well:

The first leading Seaman mentioned in the aforementioned news clip (i.e., 4. Winnipeg Tars) is Lysle Sweeting from Saskatchewan. An informative interview took place with the author of the news article and is provided below. As well, I have supplied readers with a photo and link to an audio file found at The Memory Project:

Lysle Sweeting appears in the photo below, as found in St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 1:

Please link to a very informative audio file with accompanying photographs, offered by Mr. Sweeting, at The Memory Project.

Stoker E. J. Corbett is also mentioned in the Tribune article and a few items related to Mr. Corbett are offered below, the first being a well-decorated navy hammock (initially belonging to Stoker Katanna until given to Sub. Lt. D. Rodgers during a trip around Africa in 1943, as some Canadians in Combined Ops - including my father Doug Harrison - made their way to the invasion of Sicily). The Navy hammock is stored at the Navy Museum in Esquimalt, B.C., and smells to this day of diesel fuel:

Photos from Navy Museum, Esquimalt

Photos from St. Nazaire to Singapore Volume 1

L - R: E. J. Corbett, George Allin, Clayton Marks, NA, Officer Jake Koyl

Photos from Combined Operations by Clayton Marks

* * * * *

Some of the old newsreels can be found online

Below are several related photographs as found at the Imperial War Museum, UK. Though captions tell us the photos are of British sailors, several Canadians are sprinkled amongst the crews. Happy hunting:

A13689. Heading - BRITISH SAILORS AND FRENCH DOCKERS WORK TOGETHER

NEAR ORAN. 22 AND 23 NOVEMBER 1942, ORAN AND MERS EL KEBIR. Caption -

British naval ratings and French dockyard workers work together after the cease fire at

Mers-el-Kebir, north west of Oran. Photo - Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM.

A13690. Heading - SIGN LANGUAGE HELPS BRITISH SAILORS AND FRENCH

DOCKERS TO GET TOGETHER IN NORTH AFRICA. 22 AND 23 NOVEMBER,

ORAN AND MERS-EL-KEBIR. In Mers-el-Kebir, north west of Oran, a seaman ekes

out his French with sign language. After landing at Mers-el-kebir, naval ratings helped

French dock workers in the landing of supplies etc. Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM.

A13691. Heading and caption as above. Photo Credit - Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM.

A13692. Heading and caption as above. RN Navy Photographer Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM.

A13693. Heading - THE "V C" SHIP. 22 AND 23 NOVEMBER 1942, ORAN AND MERS-EL-KEBIR. HMS WALNEY, EX-AMERICAN COAST GUARD CUTTER LYING ON ITS SIDE BY THE INNER BREAKWATER OF ORAN HARBOUR. AFTER THE SHIP HAD REACHED ITS OBJECTIVE; TO BREAK THE BOOM IN ORAN FOR THE NORTH AFRICAN LANDINGS, HER COMMANDING OFFICER CAPTAIN PETERS RECEIVED A POSTHUMOUS V C FOR HIS PART IN THE ACTION. THE LOSS OF LIFE WAS HEAVY BUT THE OBJECTIVE WAS ACHIEVED.  Photo - Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM

A13694. Photo - Lt. C.H. Parnall, IWM

* * * * *

FYI - The first officer mentioned above to receive the DSC, i.e., Lt. Cmdr. Guy Stanley Windeyer, later became commanding officer of the Combined Operations Training Camp at Comox, Vancouver Island, 1944 - 1945. Many Canadians in Combined Ops, including my father, served on the island under his command during that time period.

I tip my hat to the following writer, N. B. Zimmerman, who draws attention to 'Canadian tars who sweated non-stop for days in ferrying troops, guns and ammunition ashore' during Operation Torch.

I say, "Well done, Canada!"

More to follow from The Winnipeg Tribune for more context related to the adventures of the Canadians in Combined Operations.

Please link toArticles: Operation TORCH, N. Africa, 1942 (Pt. 9)

Unattributed Photos GH