On the night of December 7,1942 ten British commandos set off in five wood and canvas canoes from a British submarine in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of occupied France. Their intent was to paddle 75 miles up the Gironde estuary and attack and sink German ships with limpet mines in the harbor of Bordeaux. Only two of the ten commandos survived but they succeeded in sinking one ship and severely damaging four others, as well as disrupting port operations for months. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill believed the mission shortened the Second World War by six months.
Much has been written about the commandos who would become known as the “Cockleshell Heroes,” but apparently there are gaps inthe information about those who died in the raid. Quentin Rees has recently written Cockleshell Heroes – The Final Witness to answer the remaining questions about their fate. The book is available from Amazon UK. It has not yet been released in the US but can be pre-ordered from Amazon in the US. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.
Hi
It should be released by now.. if not and really are desperate then contact me for a signed copy. P&P extra
Hello. It sounds like a fascinating book. It is definitely available in the UK. Amazon US lists it as available in the US in April.
Quentin, dont forget to send those photos you promised to those royal marines on southsea.
cheers T
Dear Readers,
We are looking for plans/drawings of Cockle Mk 2 in order to construct a full size canoe as the centrepiece of a memorial to the Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment, which will be sited in the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum.
More details are available about our Operation Catfish/Frankton on our website.
Any help would be most useful.
Regards,
Mike Colton
Secretary
Allied Special Forces Association
P.O. Box 32, Hereford HR1 9DF