1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Article: Landing Crafts in 'The Med' Sink a German Convoy

You Didn't Know? Landing Crafts were out Hunting, with Ammo

You Didn't Hear? Well, a Guy Named Cyril Stole the News, Eh!

Lest We Forget. Author N. Beckett kept the news rolling during WWII.

Now we benefit, even if we are not from Staffordshire in the U.K.

Introduction:

For a couple of years I produced a number of Little Free Libraries for people in my neighbourhood (at first) and then in surrounding areas (after word spread). One particular neighbour who lives less than two blocks away knows I read and write about WWII and drops off relevant books once in awhile into my mailbox.

I was more than happy to read through a book full of stories from a newspaper and its editor Norman Beckett, a life-long resident of North Staffordshire, England. (More information about the Sentinel and author appears at the bottom of this entry). And happier still to come across one story, very rare in my opinion, about a trio of landing crafts that rode out into the Mediterranean Sea in 1944 'loaded for bear'!

Operation Gun? What the heck!

Regular readers of this blog, i.e., "1,000 Men, 1,000 Stories" will likely be well aware by now of the operations that many of my 1,000 men were involved in during WWII, in particular Operation Jubilee (Dieppe Raid - August 18, 1942), Operation Torch (invasion of North Africa - beginning November 8, 1942), Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily beginning July 10, 1943), Operation Baytown (invasion of Italy at the toe of the boot beginning September 3, 1943), and Operation Neptune (the Navy's role in Operation Overlord, the invasion of France beginning on D-Day Normandy, i.e., June 6, 1944).

But Operation Gun? I had never heard of it. Now, Exercise Pirate, another rare item, yes I've heard about that one. Even have a link to a WWII video about it. But Operation Gun. Not a thing... 'til now.

Norman Beckett, News Editor of the Sentinel continues:

The Royal Navy force, led by Commander Bobby Allen, comprised three L.C.G.s - tank landing craft* which had been checked over and fitted with two 4.7 inch guns.

An example of an L.C.G.(L)**. More details can be found at the

important Combined Ops website created by Geoff Slee, Scotland

* tank landing crafts were generally called L.C.T.s (Landing Craft, Tanks)

** along that same line, L.C.G.(L) would signify Landing Craft, Guns (Large)

Norman Beckett, News Editor of the Sentinel continues:

Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) in the Mediterranean February 1945

Photo Credit to Wikipedia

An up-armoured (F-Boat) F-Lighter, somewhere in the Mediterranean. You

can see the twin-barrelled 20mm cannons amidships, with the shadow of

a larger calibre gun towards the stern. Photo Credit - Warlord Games

Gulf of Genoa, in NW Italy. Photo credit - Google Maps

Bennett's article continues:

"The F-boats just didn't know what hit them. They fired up at the star shells and obviously thought they were being attacked by aircraft," said Mr. Holland.

A short description of Operation Gun in 'Gunboat 658' by L. C. Reynolds, pays remarkable tribute to the shooting of the Marines.

"The leading L.C.G. had fired star shells and then it had almost been a question of target practice."

Available for under $8.00 U.S. at AbeBooks! : )

Bennett's article concludes below:

Some say that "All's well that ends well," so maybe Mr. Holland shouldn't have knicked that typewritten sheet from his ship's notice board. I mean, if it eventually led to the loss of three months' pay, in today's dollars that might be worth a mortgage payment, or two!

Not to be outdone by marksmen of the Royal Navy aboard the three aforementioned landing craft, Norm Mitchinson, RCNVR and Combined Operations, brought down planes as well.

In his navy memoirs my father writes:

Norm Mitchinson of Niagara Falls was credited with two planes shot down during the course of the war; one at Dieppe and one at Sicily. Both were low flying bombers. His weapon was a strip Lewis 303. "Dad, Well Done" page 20.

Norm Mitchinson (front row, 2nd left) with several members of Effingham

Division outside Wellington Barracks, HMS Stadacona, Nov. 1941. Had these

men volunteered for Combined Operations by then? I am not certain, but this unit,

incl. my father, was the first draft of Canadian volunteers to do so

Photo from the collection of Joe Spencer, back row, 1st left.

A short note about four Canadian Landing Craft flotillas with a connection to their service in Sicily, 1943, can be found at the following link - Royal Canadian Navy and the Sicily Campaign: 9 July-5 Aug 1943

Note the additional text I've added to the following book cover: