Operation Postage Able
Encyclopedia
Operation Postage Able was an X class submarine
based Royal Navy
operation in preparation for Overlord
, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
coast. British experience of Galipolli in World War I
, with the loss of 100,000 dead or wounded troops, meant that detail was necessary to ensure the invading army did not get stuck on the beach.
Aerial photographs helped identify likely locations but, to obtain more detailed views, the Government asked the BBC
to appeal for holiday photographs and picture postcards of unspecified coastal areas of France.
However, as it was known that the beaches were in parts underpinned by ancient forests which had now turned into peat bogs, much more detailed information on the target beaches and their approaches was required. Local conditions such as the composition of the beaches, hidden underwater banks, German defensive obstacles, depth of water, tidal conditions etc. would all be taken into account in the planning of the project.
1943/4, under the leadership of Major Logan Scott-Bowden
of the Royal Engineers
, a unit set out in motor torpedo boat
s to survey Luc-sur-Mer
. Transferring to a hydrographical survey craft, they moved closer to shore where Major Logan Scott-Bowden
and Sgt Bruce Ogden-Smith swam to the beaches. Collecting samples at designated points, they were careful not to leave behind evidence of their visit, and returned to England the next morning.
During the daytime, periscope
-level reconnaissance
of the shoreline and echo-soundings were performed. Each night, X20 would approach the beach, and the divers would swim ashore to take soil samples, collected this time in condoms.
The divers went ashore on two nights to survey the beaches at Vierville-sur-Mer
, Moulins St Laurent
and Colleville-sur-Mer
in what became the American Omaha Beach
. On the third night, they were due to go ashore off the Orne
Estuary (Sword Beach
), but by this stage fatigue (the crew and divers had been living on little more than benzedrine
tablets) and the worsening weather caused Hudspeth to shorten the operation, returning to HMS Dolphin
on January 21, 1944.
As a result of the operation, Hudspeth received a bar to his Distinguished Service Cross
.
At Cairnryan
, just north of Stranraer
, south west Scotland
, a "life size" reproduction of the beaches was constructed. This allowed the planners to assess the effectiveness of the current landing techniques and the movement of men and machinery over the terrain.
X class submarine
The 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...
based 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...
operation in preparation for Overlord
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
Intelligence gathering
The success of Overlord was in part dependent on detailed topographical map information about the beaches and coastal towns along the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
coast. British experience of Galipolli in 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...
, with the loss of 100,000 dead or wounded troops, meant that detail was necessary to ensure the invading army did not get stuck on the beach.
Aerial photographs helped identify likely locations but, to obtain more detailed views, the Government asked the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to appeal for holiday photographs and picture postcards of unspecified coastal areas of France.
However, as it was known that the beaches were in parts underpinned by ancient forests which had now turned into peat bogs, much more detailed information on the target beaches and their approaches was required. Local conditions such as the composition of the beaches, hidden underwater banks, German defensive obstacles, depth of water, tidal conditions etc. would all be taken into account in the planning of the project.
Pilot operation
On New Year's EveNew Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
1943/4, under the leadership of Major Logan Scott-Bowden
Logan Scott-Bowden
Major General Leonard Scott-Bowden CBE DSO MC and bar was a British army officer.-Early life:Scott-Bowden was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria on 21 February 1920. He was the son of Lt.Col. Jonathan Scott-Bowden, OBE, TD, and Mary Scott-Bowden ....
of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, a unit set out in motor torpedo boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor 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"...
s to survey Luc-sur-Mer
Luc-sur-Mer
Luc-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-Sights:* The "Maison de la Baleine". On January 15, 1885 a 40 ton and 19 meters long whale beached in Luc sur Mer...
. Transferring to a hydrographical survey craft, they moved closer to shore where Major Logan Scott-Bowden
Logan Scott-Bowden
Major General Leonard Scott-Bowden CBE DSO MC and bar was a British army officer.-Early life:Scott-Bowden was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria on 21 February 1920. He was the son of Lt.Col. Jonathan Scott-Bowden, OBE, TD, and Mary Scott-Bowden ....
and Sgt Bruce Ogden-Smith swam to the beaches. Collecting samples at designated points, they were careful not to leave behind evidence of their visit, and returned to England the next morning.
Operation Postage Able
On January 16, 1944, HMS X20 planned to spend four days off the French coast. Commanded by Lt KR Hudspeth DSC* RANVR and Sub.Lt. B. Enzer RNVR, with the COPP (Combined Ops Pilotage Party) comprising Lt.Cdr. Nigel Willmott DSO DSC RN, and two divers, Major Logan and Sergeant Ogden-Smith.During the daytime, periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
-level reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
of the shoreline and echo-soundings were performed. Each night, X20 would approach the beach, and the divers would swim ashore to take soil samples, collected this time in condoms.
The divers went ashore on two nights to survey the beaches at Vierville-sur-Mer
Vierville-sur-Mer
-External links:* *...
, Moulins St Laurent
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Colleville-sur-Mer
Colleville-sur-Mer
Colleville-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.The beach next to the coastal village was one of the principal beachheads during the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, designated Omaha beach....
in what became the American Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...
. On the third night, they were due to go ashore off the Orne
Orne
Orne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
Estuary (Sword Beach
Sword Beach
Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord; the Allied invasion of German-occupied France that commenced on 6 June 1944...
), but by this stage fatigue (the crew and divers had been living on little more than benzedrine
Benzedrine
Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine . It was marketed under this brandname in the USA by Smith, Kline & French in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928...
tablets) and the worsening weather caused Hudspeth to shorten the operation, returning to HMS Dolphin
HMS Dolphin
Numerous Royal Navy vessels have been named HMS Dolphin after the dolphin.* The first seven Dolphins were small ketches and fireships., launched in 1731, was a 20-gun post ship, renamed Firebrand in 1755 and Penguin in 1757., launched in 1751, was a 24-gun post ship...
on January 21, 1944.
As a result of the operation, Hudspeth received a bar to his Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
.
Outcomes
The allies built two scale models of the landing beaches, one held by the War Department in room 474 of the Metropole Hotel, London, and a duplicate in the Prime Minister's room in the Cabinet War Rooms.At Cairnryan
Cairnryan
Cairnryan is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan. The village has been of vital importance in maritime history.-Ferry Port:...
, just north of Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
, south west Scotland
Scotland
Scotland 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...
, a "life size" reproduction of the beaches was constructed. This allowed the planners to assess the effectiveness of the current landing techniques and the movement of men and machinery over the terrain.