British commando frogmen
Encyclopedia
Britain's commando frogman force is now the Special Boat Service
(SBS), which is part of the Royal Marines
. They perform various operations on land as well as in the water.
Until the late 1990s, all members of the Special Air Service
(SAS) Boat Troops were trained as commando frogmen.
For other nations' commando frogmen, and information about frogmen in general, see frogman
.
. During World War I
, it was rejected by the War Office
as impracticable and unsafe.
Manned torpedoes were first used against Britain in 1941 and latter 1942 when Italian commando frogmen, some riding manned torpedoes, attacked British naval bases at Malta
, Gibraltar
and Alexandria
. Several of these frogmen and their equipment were captured, inspiring the Royal Navy
to create their own programme. This was fictionalised in the 1958 film The Silent Enemy
.
liberated Rome
in 1944. Two others, involved in a quite separate operation, see below escaped from guards in Libya. In the middle of Tripoli
they found a British Army unit and were returned to England.
By the end of the war, the British human torpedo operations had earned their participants 20 medals and 16 men had been killed.
Clearance Diving Teams were formed to clear unexploded ordnance and other military hazards left over from the war.
http://www.underwatertrust.org.uk/ For more information about British Frogmen and Charitoeers.
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
(SBS), which is part of the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. They perform various operations on land as well as in the water.
Until the late 1990s, all members of the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) Boat Troops were trained as commando frogmen.
For other nations' commando frogmen, and information about frogmen in general, see frogman
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
.
Before 1942
In 1909 the British designer Commander Godfrey Herbert received a patent for a manned torpedoHuman torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of rideable submarine used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic design is still in use today; they are a type of diver propulsion vehicle....
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, it was rejected by the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
as impracticable and unsafe.
Manned torpedoes were first used against Britain in 1941 and latter 1942 when Italian commando frogmen, some riding manned torpedoes, attacked British naval bases at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and Alexandria
Raid on Alexandria (1941)
The Raid on Alexandria was carried out on 19 December 1941 by Italian Navy forces attacking Royal Navy forces in the harbour of Alexandria.-Background:...
. Several of these frogmen and their equipment were captured, inspiring the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to create their own programme. This was fictionalised in the 1958 film The Silent Enemy
The Silent Enemy (film)
The Silent Enemy is a 1958 action film directed by William Fairchild. It stars Laurence Harvey as Lionel "Buster" Crabb and describes his exploits during World War II...
.
1942
- April: The British Navy formed the "Experimental Submarine Flotilla", initially based at PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. It was led by Commanders G.M. Sladen and W.R. "Tiny" Fell, who began to train frogmen in secret. The Navy called their manned torpedoes ChariotsChariot manned torpedoChariots were British "manned torpedoes" deployed in World War II on which two frogmen rode into action after launching from a submarine. They then attached an explosive charge beneath an enemy ship and returned to the submarine.-Design:...
. Many of their frogmen's breathing sets' oxygen cylinders were German pilots' oxygen cylinders recovered from shot-down German LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
planes. Those first breathing sets may have been modified Davis Submarine Escape SetDavis Submerged Escape ApparatusThe Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus , was an early type of oxygen rebreather invented in 1910 by Sir Robert Davis, head of Siebe Gorman and Co. Ltd., inspired by the earlier Fleuss system...
s; their full face diving maskFull face diving maskA full-face diving mask is a type of diving mask that seals the whole of the diver's face from the water and contains a mouthpiece or demand valve that provides the diver with breathing gas...
s were the type intended for the Siebe Gorman SalvusSiebe Gorman SalvusThe Siebe Gorman Salvus is a light oxygen rebreather for industrial use or in shallow diving. Its duration on a filling is 30 to 40 minutes. It was very common in Britain during World War II and for a long time afterwards...
. But in later operations different designs were used, leading to a full face diving mask with one big face window. One version had a flip-up single window for both eyes to let the user get binocularsBinocularsBinoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
to his eyes when on the surface. They used bulky thick diving suits called Sladen suitSladen SuitThe Sladen Suit was a heavy type of British divers' drysuit made by Siebe Gorman. It is entered by a wide rubber tube at the umbilicus: this tube is folded and tied off before the diver dives. It was used by British manned torpedo riders and for general underwater work.It was sometimes nicknamed...
s.- This link shows a British wartime chariot team on the surface.
- 1942 June: The Experimental Submarine Flotilla moved to "Port D" on Loch ErisortLoch ErisortLoch Erisort is an 8-mile-long narrow sea inlet on the east coast of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.Its name is a relic of the Viking period and came from Old Norse Eiríksfjorðr = "Eric's fjord"....
in Scotland. Their first powered manned torpedo was the Mark I ChariotChariot manned torpedoChariots were British "manned torpedoes" deployed in World War II on which two frogmen rode into action after launching from a submarine. They then attached an explosive charge beneath an enemy ship and returned to the submarine.-Design:...
. Its hull was 21 in (53.3 cm) in diameter. It could make 2.9 kn (5.7 km/h) and could dive safely to a depth of 20 ft (6.1 m). The nose was a warheadWarheadThe term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
with 600 pounds of high explosive. Training was hard. The men often suffered from oxygen poisoning because of the use of pure oxygen at depth, burst eardrumEardrumThe eardrum, or tympanic membrane, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear in humans and other tetrapods. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus bone bridges the gap between the eardrum and the other ossicles...
s and sinusParanasal sinusParanasal sinuses are a group of four paired air-filled spaces that surround the nasal cavity , above and between the eyes , and behind the ethmoids...
trouble. The strangeness of the Chariots added to their problems. They were trained to ride and steer for a long time under water, and to then cut through harbour defence nets. The hardest part was learning to work with the Chariots' warheads. - August: The British charioteers went back to Base HHZ on Loch CairnbawnLoch CairnbawnLoch Cairnbawn or Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin is a sea inlet off Eddrachillis Bay on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands north of Ullapool. It was the site of the World War Two midget submarine training base, Port HHZ....
in Scotland to train to attack bigger better-defended places. One died in training. - September: The Norwegian Navy officer Leif LarsenLeif LarsenLeif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar , popularly known as ShetlandsLarsen, was a Norwegian sailor and the most highly decorated allied naval officer of World War II...
told the British Navy that he wanted to attack the German battleship TirpitzGerman battleship TirpitzTirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
in Asenfjord, a branch of the Trondheimfjord in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. - Operation "Title":-
- 26 October: The fishing boat Arthur operated by three Norwegians left Britain with seven British frogmen and two chariots hidden aboard.
- 28 October: Arthur reached Norway's coast near EdøyEdøyEdøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the southern part of the present-day municipality of Smøla.-History:...
. - 30 October: Arthur unloaded the chariots and began to tow them to the target.
- 31 October: A storm broke the fastening bolts of the chariots, which were lost. The attack was called off.
- 1 November: The Arthur was scuttled at BreivikBreivikBreivik may refer to the following locations:* Breivik, Finnmark in Hasvik municipality, Finnmark, Norway* Breivik, Nordland in Bodø municipality, Nordland, Norway* Breivik, Telemark in Fyresdal municipality, Telemark, Norway...
. The ten members of the operation set off for Sweden in two groups. Nine reached Sweden; Germans captured one and later shot him as a spy.- This operation was later portrayed in the 1955 war film, Above Us the WavesAbove Us the Waves (film)Above Us the Waves is a 1955 war film directed by Ralph Thomas. It tells the story of human torpedo and midget submarine attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. It is based on true-life attacks on the Tirpitz, first using manned torpedoes , and then the Royal Navy's midget X-Craft submarines in...
, featuring John MillsJohn MillsSir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, which was based on Operation Title and the later Operation SourceOperation SourceOperation Source was a series of attacks to neutralise the heavy German warships – Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Lutzow – based in northern Norway, using X-class midget submarines....
X-CraftX class submarineThe X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44.Known individually as X-Craft, the vessels were designed to be towed to their intended area of operations by a full-size 'mother' submarine - - with a passage crew on board, the operational crew...
midget submarine attacks on the Tirpitz.
- This operation was later portrayed in the 1955 war film, Above Us the Waves
- Late November: Britain sent 26 Chariots to MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and they became part of the "Tenth Submarine Flotilla". Three submarines received containers on their decks to carry the Chariots. - Operation "Principle":-
- 28 November: The British submarine P-311HMS P311HMS P311 was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy, the only boat of her class never to be given a name. She was to have received the name Tutankhamen but was lost before this was formally done. P311 was a Group 3 T-class boat built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness and commissioned on 5...
carrying 3 Chariots and 10 Charioteers left Marsamxett on MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
to attack La MaddalenaLa MaddalenaLa Maddalena is a town and comune located on the island with the same name, in northern Sardinia, part of the province of Olbia-Tempio, Italy.-The town:...
on SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, but struck a naval mineNaval mineA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
near Sardinia and sank with all hands. - 30 November: The British submarines Thunderbolt, Trooper and Unruffled (P46), left Malta carrying Chariots.
- 28 November: The British submarine P-311
- After December 17: First known British frogman use of swimfinSwimfinSwimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.Scuba divers use...
s, rather than a Sladen suitSladen SuitThe Sladen Suit was a heavy type of British divers' drysuit made by Siebe Gorman. It is entered by a wide rubber tube at the umbilicus: this tube is folded and tied off before the diver dives. It was used by British manned torpedo riders and for general underwater work.It was sometimes nicknamed...
and weighted boots riding a Chariot, was by British Clearance Divers; this is described in Clearance diver#Britain.
1943
- Operation "Principal":-
- 3 January: The submarines HMS ThunderboltHMS Thetis (N25)HMS Thetis was a Group 1 T-class submarine of the Royal Navy which served under two names. Under her first identity, HMS Thetis, she commenced sea trials on 4 March 1939. She sank during trials on 1 June 1939 with the loss of 99 lives...
and HMS P311HMS P311HMS P311 was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy, the only boat of her class never to be given a name. She was to have received the name Tutankhamen but was lost before this was formally done. P311 was a Group 3 T-class boat built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness and commissioned on 5...
carrying two chariots each and HMS TrooperHMS Trooper (N91)HMS Trooper was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Scotts, Greenock and launched in March 1942.-Career:Trooper spent most of her short career serving in the Mediterranean. She sank the Italian tanker Rosario, the Italian merchant Forli, a sailing vessel and the Italian...
carrying three, with their respective crews, left to carry out this operation, the first by Britain involving the use of chariots. P311 was scheduled to attack targets at La Maddalena, while the other two submarines headed for the coast of SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
near PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
in a Force 5 windBeaufort scaleThe Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
. - One of the chariots which the Trooper carried, was ridden by Sub-Lieutenant Rodney Dove and Leading Seaman Jimmy Freel. As it was launched, a big wave washed it over the submarine, causing the loss of its limpet mines and the gear to attach the warhead to a ship.
- The chariots put mines on ships and patrol boats and sank some of them, but none of the mines exploded.
- One chariot put its warhead on the Italian cruiser Ulpio Traiano (under construction), and afterwards smaller explosives on four ships. Ulpio Traiano sank.
- Dove's chariot (Chariot XVI) put its warhead on the Italian troop ship Viminale (formerly a linerOcean linerAn ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
), by tying it to the sternpostSternpostA sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the stern of a ship or a boat, to which are attached the transoms and the rearmost left corner part of the stern...
with ropes, causing severe damage but not sinking it. While being towed from the harbour for repairs, it was torpedoed by a British submarine and damaged again. Later in the year, while en route for repairs for the second attack, it was sunk by American torpedo boats. - Because of bad weather two chariots did not reach the harbour.
- All the chariots were lost; either scuttled, through equipment malfunction or human error. One charioteer died in the attack. The British submarine Unruffled recovered two others. Five had to land and were taken prisoner. Two of these prisoners later escaped from guards in Rome and hid in the VaticanVatican CityVatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
until the Americans
- 3 January: The submarines HMS Thunderbolt
liberated Rome
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
in 1944. Two others, involved in a quite separate operation, see below escaped from guards in Libya. In the middle of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
they found a British Army unit and were returned to England.
-
- Dove ended up in a POW camp at Bremen in Germany, and got home in May 1945. He received the DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. He died on 30 October 2005 aged 84: obituary.
- Dove ended up in a POW camp at Bremen in Germany, and got home in May 1945. He received the DSO
- This left eight charioteers with two Chariots on Malta.
- 18 January-19: These two chariots were carried by submarines to attack ships that the Germans were going to be used to block TripoliTripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
harbour. The frogmen arrived too late and a blockshipBlockshipA blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used.It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of HMS Hood at Portland Harbour; or it may be brought by enemy raiders and used to...
was sunk in the harbour mouth. None of the men or chariots returned to Malta. - January: At Loch Corrie and Loch Cairnbawn in Scotland more charioteers were being trained.
- 16 April: Britain sent 14 new charioteers to Malta. In the days following they sent the new Chariot Mark II, also called the "Terry". Its riders sat back to back. It could manage 4.5 kn (8.8 km/h). The warhead was 1100 lb (499 kg) of TorpexTorpexTorpex is a secondary explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex is composed of 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942. The name is short for Torpedo Explosive', having been originally developed for use in torpedoes...
high explosive. - June: During this month, the British submarine carried three chariots from Malta to Sicily. The divers surveyedAmphibious reconnaissanceThe concept of amphibious reconnaissance, or commonly amphib recon, are used primarily in conjunction with ground and naval reconnaissance concerning the littoral area bordering coastal or maritime areas of interests...
100 mi (160.9 km) of coast, examining beaches to find dangers for armies who would be landing there later. - 11 June: The other British charioteers went to Loch Cairnbawn.
- Late June: Britain sent six more charioteers to Malta, for an operation to attack TarantoTarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
. - 25 June: Mussolini was replaced by Pietro BadoglioPietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
as the head of the Italian government. As a result, the attack on TarantoTarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
was called off, and the British frogmen were all sent to ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After this, there was only one British chariot attack in the Mediterranean. - July: At Loch Cairnbawn a charioteer died through an accident.
- 20 September: The British midget submarines known as X-craft set out to attack the German TirpitzGerman battleship TirpitzTirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
and the ScharnhorstGerman battleship ScharnhorstScharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
in KåfjordKåfjord, AltaKåfjord is a fjord in northern Norway, an arm of the Altafjord, in the county of Finnmark, and a village located on the fjord. The village is in the municipality of Alta, 18 km west of the town of Alta on the European route E6....
in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The Scharnhorst was absent but the Tirpitz was damaged in the attack. - 24 September: Britain sent 4 chariots and 12 charioteers from their Scottish base to Lunna Voe in the Shetlands to train in for operations among the Norwegian islands.
- 14 October: A British torpedo boatMotor Torpedo BoatMotor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
carrying two chariots and four charioteers sailed from Lunna Voe to Tevik Bay in Norway and put on land a man called Job to wait until a German ship came, but German aircraft found the torpedo boat and attacked. The torpedo boat had to flee to Britain badly damaged, and it landed at DunbarDunbarDunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
in Scotland. Four days later another torpedo boat brought Job back to Shetland. - October or November: A British torpedo boat carrying two chariots and four charioteers went from Lunna Voe to Nordfjord in Norway and set on land a man to wait until a German ship came. In two days no German ship came, the boat went back to Shetland.
- 11 November: A British torpedo boat carrying two chariots and four charioteers sailed from Lunna Voe to Tevik Bay in Norway and set on land a man to wait until a German ship came to AskvollAskvollis a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Askvoll....
harbour. In two days no German ship came. It snowed, and they thought that Askvoll harbour would be blocked with ice. As the torpedo boat returned to Shetland it ditched the chariots because of bad weather, and it brought the charioteers back. - 31 October: On this day or earlier British and American forces entered NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. - October or November: British frogmen went to BrindisiBrindisiBrindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
in Italy where they were combined with those Italian frogmenDecima Flottiglia MASThe Decima Flottiglia MAS was an Italian commando frogman unit of the Regia Marina created during the Fascist regime.The acronym MAS also refers to various light torpedo boats used by the Regia Marina during World...
who were in the Allied-controlled areas and those Italian frogmen who had been prisoners in Britain, as a single organization.
1944
- For more information about the X-craft operations, see X class submarineX class submarineThe X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Royal Navy during 1943–44.Known individually as X-Craft, the vessels were designed to be towed to their intended area of operations by a full-size 'mother' submarine - - with a passage crew on board, the operational crew...
.- 15 April: X-craft attacked the floating dock LaksevågLaksevågLaksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-Location:Laksevåg was separated from Askøy as a municipality of its own July 1, 1918. It was merged with Bergen January 1, 1972....
at Bergen in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, but sank a cargo ship by mistake instead. - May: 14 British charioteers were sent to TrincomaleeTrincomaleeTrincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
in Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. - In the run up to the Normandy Landings British Chariots were used to surveyAmphibious reconnaissanceThe concept of amphibious reconnaissance, or commonly amphib recon, are used primarily in conjunction with ground and naval reconnaissance concerning the littoral area bordering coastal or maritime areas of interests...
the seabed along Normandy's coast in preparation for the troop landings. - 2 June: After the Italians had left the AxisAxis PowersThe Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, the Italian destroyer GrecaleMaestrale class destroyerThe Maestrale class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy and served in World War II. They were an enlarged version of the Dardo class destroyers. They were 10 m longer and introduced new pattern 120 mm guns...
sailed from BastiaBastiaBastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
in CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
to La SpeziaLa SpeziaLa Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
carrying three speedboats, and Italian frogmenDecima Flottiglia MASThe Decima Flottiglia MAS was an Italian commando frogman unit of the Regia Marina created during the Fascist regime.The acronym MAS also refers to various light torpedo boats used by the Regia Marina during World...
including Luigi Durand de la PenneLuigi Durand De La PenneLuigi Durand de la Penne was an Italian naval diver in Decima MAS during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died.De la Penne graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934...
, and two British chariots, to attack the Italian cruisers Bolzano and Gorizia, which had been taken by the Germans after the Italian surrender. The Grecale launched the boats, which then carried the chariots and their charioteers and released them three miles from La Spezia harbour. One chariot began to leak from its float tank and had to be abandoned, but the others sank the Bolzano. This thwarted a German plan to sink the Bolzano and the Gorizia where they would block the harbour entrance. The charioteers did not manage to rendezvous with the motor boats but got ashore and met up with Italian partisansItalian resistance movementThe Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
. In August one successfully crossed the ArnoArnoThe Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...
to reach the Allies, but the other three were captured trying to do the same. - 6 June: Operation OverlordOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
("D-day"). British frogmen (not using Chariots) demolished many beach obstacles that Germans had set to stop an attacking army. One (Sub-lieutenant Hargreaves) drove an army tankTankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
onto land. - 11 September: X-craft repeated their attack on the floating dock Laksevåg at Bergen in Norway and sank it.
- 27 October-28: The British submarine TrenchantHMS TrenchantThree vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Trenchant:* Trenchant , a 1,085 ton modified 'R' class destroyer* Trenchant , a 'T' class diesel submarine...
carried two Mk 2 Chariots (nicknamed "Tiny" and "Slasher") to an attack on PhuketPhuket ProvincePhuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
harbour in ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. They were released 6 mi (9.7 km) out from the harbour. The targets were two Italian liners, the Sumatra and the Volpi, each of approximately 5,000 tons. Both ships were put out of action (their masts were visible in Phuket harbour above the water until the early 1970s when the wrecks were salved). Six hours later, for the only time, the British charioteers rode back to their mothership. On the return journey the Trenchant jettisoned the chariots so it could travel faster, after receiving a report of a JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese MTBMotor Torpedo BoatMotor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
in the area. The Trenchant carried the four charioteers back to TrincomaleeTrincomaleeTrincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. There were no further chariot operations in combat.
- 15 April: X-craft attacked the floating dock Laksevåg
1945 and after
- 1945 31 July: Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser and the diver James Joseph MagennisJames Joseph MagennisJames Joseph Magennis VC was a Belfast-born recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
in the XE-craftXE class submarineSix XE-class midget submarines were built for the Royal Navy during 1944. They were an improved version of the X Class midgets used in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz....
XE3 attacked the JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese warship TakaoJapanese cruiser Takaowas the first of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. The Myōkō had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the Takao design....
in the Johore Strait near SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and sank it. For this action, they received the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. - The British Chariots were used in the immediate post war period to clear mines and wrecks in harbours.
By the end of the war, the British human torpedo operations had earned their participants 20 medals and 16 men had been killed.
Clearance Diving Teams were formed to clear unexploded ordnance and other military hazards left over from the war.
See also
- Special Boat Service#History for a list of later SBS operations; but not all of those operations used frogmen.
http://www.underwatertrust.org.uk/ For more information about British Frogmen and Charitoeers.