The History of WWII Podcast XX
[0] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[1] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[2] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[3] What do they know?
[4] What are their skills?
[5] And what would you do in their position?
[6] Vengeance felt good seeing these.
[7] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.
[8] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[9] This episode is brought to you by Audible.
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[11] Simply go to worldwar2podcast .net and click on the link.
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[14] but keep the audiobook.
[15] This time, I would like to recommend Lost in Shangri -La, a true story of survival, adventure, and the most incredible rescue mission of World War II by Mitchell Zukoff.
[16] It's a true story that takes place on May 13, 1945, when 24 airmen and some women in the Army are taken on a pleasure trip to see Shangri -La.
[17] There's a newly discovered island.
[18] And, of course, the plane wrecks because there were like over 600 planes that went down in this area during the war.
[19] And there are three survivors out of all those people, two men and a lady.
[20] And they're all badly injured.
[21] And somehow they have to make it back to safety.
[22] were still technically at war with the Japanese, and the Japanese were on that island, not to mention some man -eating headhunters.
[23] So they climbed down the mountain trying to get to safety, and they stumbled upon this very primitive tribe of superstitious people who have never seen a white man or a woman before.
[24] So it's an amazing story.
[25] I think you would like it, and it came out, I think, two months ago, and Audible just picked it up, so I certainly recommend it to you.
[26] Hello, and thank you for listening to a History of World War II podcast, episode 29, The Mast Ships.
[27] The Dynamo operation was coming to a close.
[28] The British were able to evacuate many, many more men than originally hoped.
[29] but that only made them raise their hopes and expectations further.
[30] However, the perimeter was always shrinking, so Dunkirk was coming to an end, one way or another.
[31] June 1st Unfortunately for the Allies, the sun got an early start on June 1st, and burning away, the morning mist.
[32] By 5 .30 a .m., it was clear to everyone at the beaches and the mole that there was just enough light to fly by.
[33] To prove this, several ME -109s came in low and from the east.
[34] Forming up, some headed for the beaches, some for the mole, and the rest for the ships nearby.
[35] Normally, the Stukas and Heinkel stayed up, beyond the British Bren guns, while still being punishingly effective.
[36] But today, things were different.
[37] The Luftwaffe and Gehring knew their time for eliminating the BEF was burning away.
[38] just like the morning mist.
[39] So they came in low, and no target was too small or insignificant.
[40] The destroyer Windsor, neither small or insignificant, was unable to move away from the mole, as it was taking on troops.
[41] The men on the beaches wanted to get in line, but there were so few ships at this time in the morning.
[42] Besides, standing in line would invite strafing from above.
[43] The destroyer Ivanhoe was trying to get in close, but it got stuck on a sandbank.
[44] It was then its crew noticed the fighters.
[45] Fortunately, she got free as the first wave of fighters and bombers went by.
[46] She managed to dodge the first pass, but not the second.
[47] At 7 .41 a .m., a bomb hit the forward funnels.
[48] Some of the crew, thinking it was the end of their ship, jumped overboard.
[49] But most did not, and although the ones that remained were as scared as anyone else, their training and experience made the difference.
[50] Soon the fires were contained.
[51] The Ivanhoe was damaged.
[52] but still in this fight.
[53] This sight of a damaged ship, needing help to save its passengers, was an all -too -familiar one.
[54] Very soon the destroyer Havant and the minesweeper Spedwell came alongside and took off most of the crew.
[55] Only a skeleton crew remained aboard the Ivanhoe.
[56] The captain knew he and his would only be a hindrance to the mission, so he made for home, but only at seven knots, and that was with help.
[57] Of course, a damaged, slow -moving destroyer, the backbone of the British Navy, was too inviting of a target for the Luftwaffe.
[58] Before she had gone very far, she was bombed twice, but each time the bomb exploded nearby.
[59] The crew left off smoke to simulate a hit.
[60] It worked.
[61] After two attempts, she was left alone, and the pilots thinking she would sink on the way home.
[62] Eventually, she made it safely to the British southern coast.
[63] The Luftwaffe had already moved on to more worthy prizes.
[64] They had waited out the bad weather, and this was their chance, and they were determined to make the best of it.
[65] The nearby Havant was next to get the attackers' attention.
[66] The troops that had just come aboard from the Ivanhoe had gotten settled when their new host got hit and the lights went out.
[67] Exhausted, the new passengers had to change ships again.
[68] They split themselves between the minesweeper Saltash and the small pleasure steamer Narcissa.
[69] The crew of the Havant tried their own clever tricks, but it was not meant to be.
[70] They were too damaged.
[71] At 10 .15 a .m., the Havant submerged under the waves.
[72] Off of Bray Dunes, Wake Walker was on the destroyer Keith and saw the planes coming in to the east of him.
[73] But he also knew it wouldn't be long before he came under fire.
[74] The Keith was grouped with another destroyer, two minesweepers, two tugs, and a scoot, and this collection of British naval property would excite every Luftwaffe pilot who saw them.
[75] But Wake Walker didn't have to wait as long as he thought.
[76] They came his way quickly after first appearing in the Dunkirk sky.
[77] At 8 a .m., three Stukas made for the Keith.
[78] The first bomb was a near miss, but it jammed her steering, usually the beginning of the end for a ship.
[79] But the captain switched to manual steering to give the destroyer a chance.
[80] But then, three more planes came at his small fleet.
[81] And only by sheer luck.
[82] Although the pilot would tell everyone who listened he aimed for it, a bomb went straight down the second funnel.
[83] The bomb traveled down and exploded in the number two boiler room.
[84] The power immediately went out and the Keefe listed dangerously to port.
[85] As practiced many times in the last few days, the torpedo boat MTB -102 came over to help.
[86] Wake Walker transferred his flag to his new command ship.
[87] It was his eighth flagship in 24 hours.
[88] Just try to envision that.
[89] The rest of the crew and passengers were less lucky and had to go over the side, including some of Gort's staff.
[90] But the Stukas were not finished.
[91] They, like the generals on the ground, wanted to finish this and focus on the drive towards Paris.
[92] The war with France was not over.
[93] Dunkirk and the British were still in the way.
[94] A group of planes came around for a third attack at 8 .20 a .m. They hit the Keith again, as well as the minesweeper Skipjack.
[95] She quickly leaned heavily to port, and the men knew it was time to disembark.
[96] Unfortunately, they could not move fast enough.
[97] Two minutes after being hit, she rolled over and trapped the 250 to 300 men aboard.
[98] She floated upside down for 24 hours, but then sank.
[99] The Keith wasn't giving up the ghost yet, but the Luftwaffe wasn't giving up on sinking the Keith either.
[100] A fourth attack came at 8 .40 a .m. This time the Tugs came alongside and took off the rest of the crew.
[101] Captain Bertham of the Keith asked her fellow ships to sink her, but they were too busy using their arsenal against the bombers.
[102] Soon the Basilisk was hit as well and had to be abandoned.
[103] The destroyer Whitehall picked up her crew.
[104] The Keith suffered her fifth and last attack at 9 .15 a .m. that morning.
[105] Finally, with enough damage done, she sank, and the men not yet picked up by another ship had to somehow swim through and not swallow the oil from the numerous sunken ships around.
[106] The tug St. Abs came over and picked up the men until she was beyond full.
[107] Soon there were 130 men packed on her deck.
[108] After the fifth attack on the Keith, the bombers probably ran out of bombs or fuel.
[109] Either way, they started heading inland.
[110] But then at 9 .30 a .m., a last bomber flew over the St. Abs and dropped a stick of four delayed action bombs in the ship's path.
[111] The St. Abs could not turn fast enough and ran over the bomb.
[112] It went off while under the ship, and the explosion ripped her bottom out.
[113] The St. Abs sank in 30 seconds.
[114] There were few survivors.
[115] But what few unhurt survivors there were saw and swam for a wrecked steamer.
[116] It turned out to be the Clan McAllister, abandoned on May 29th.
[117] She lay grounded two miles off of La Pond, and her use was still not yet over.
[118] So once again, the men on the beaches, in the oil -covered water, and this time on the ships heading home, asked themselves, where in the hell was the RAF?
[119] The short answer was, they were either there in strength, or not at all.
[120] Norway and the other battles had shown that land -based aircraft could dominate the battleships, despite their dominance during the First World War.
[121] The even shorter answer to everyone's question was, the RAF was in between patrols.
[122] Air Marshal Downing allowed a set number of hurricanes and spitfires to cover the embarkation.
[123] The rest were being saved for home defense, and on that score, he would not be moved.
[124] It wasn't a question of planes, but of trained pilots.
[125] He knew, just like everyone else, what was coming, no matter the outcome of Dunkirk or the Battle of France.
[126] More planes can be built.
[127] It was the pilots that were priceless.
[128] And both sides lost 30 planes on June 1st.
[129] But knowing how important it was to retrieve as many of their fighting men as possible, Doubting at first tried to have constant coverage during the day.
[130] But with the limitation on the maximum number of planes, the patrols throughout the day were too few in number.
[131] This allowed the Luftwaffe, by sheer numbers alone, to brush aside the superior or equal fighting planes of the RAF and inflict damage on the ships.
[132] And the few RAF planes, trying to do their duty, suffered accordingly.
[133] Downing then took another tact after the losses of May 27th.
[134] He had fewer but larger groups of planes, normally about 48, protecting the Allied territory and the English Channel.
[135] This meant they would patrol in shifts that did not cover all the hours of daylight.
[136] Downing made sure the mornings and evenings were covered, but this system only allowed a few more patrols during the day as well.
[137] One has to think the Germans quickly figured this out to some degree and planned accordingly.
[138] So the beaches were covered in shifts, the first one starting around 5 a .m. or when there was sufficient sunlight, and ended normally about 7 a .m. when the pilot's fuel would be running low.
[139] Once the chasing and invading started, the RAF would have enough fuel for just under an hour.
[140] This meant there was virtually no air protection from about 7 .30 a .m. to 8 .50 a .m. Of course, this was the time range when the destroyer Keith was attacked.
[141] By 9 a .m., there would be another RAF patrol, and in general, the German fighters and bombers backed off.
[142] There would end up being four other periods with no RAF around, and the Germans learned the system and used it effectively.
[143] That day, 17 ships were sunk.
[144] Others were badly damaged but made at home.
[145] But most importantly, they would not be repaired in time to assist in Operation Dynamo anymore.
[146] Like the ships, the men were starting to break down under the strain.
[147] The bombing and strafing brought nightmares and broke nerves.
[148] For a vast majority of the volunteers, there had been no special training.
[149] only patriotism that spurned them on to help their countrymen.
[150] Only training, believing in those who give the orders, and thinking of war as a science works in the long run.
[151] But that was for the men in the military.
[152] These civilians gave their entirety when asked, but now were remembering they were mortal after all, just like their lost friends and colleagues.
[153] For some of the men, the strain was physical more than anything else.
[154] Some had been at this since May 27th, and their bodies were beyond being able to keep up with what was being asked of them.
[155] Fortunately, new men and ships were still volunteering, so rest of a sort was possible.
[156] But at least three large ships refused to go out again the night of June 1st through 2nd.
[157] The Navy found itself having to put their men aboard, but it would take time to get these men into position, and time, which defined this entire operation, was something they did not have.
[158] One of the newer volunteers was Charles Herbert Lightolly, who had been the second officer on the Titanic.
[159] Now 66 years old, raising chickens, he still enjoyed the sea, had his own boat, so got the call.
[160] At 3 .40 p .m., several minesweepers were sent out to the Western Mall, where only French troops were waiting.
[161] And this had the desired effect.
[162] That day, 35 ,013 French to the 29 ,416 British soldiers were recovered.
[163] Now Churchill could face Renault and his generals.
[164] It's been argued that Churchill was too focused on satisfying the French.
[165] The future certainly did not look good for their continued resistance, but Churchill, looking at the larger picture, was willing to do almost anything to keep anyone besides themselves, and here was the French, resisting German aggression.
[166] It could be easily argued if, looking at the last few weeks, Vegard was doing the same to the British.
[167] But...
[168] It was obvious to anyone watching that June 1st was a sign of things to come.
[169] If the weather stayed good, the Germans would be able to use their material and manpower superiority to destroy the remains of the BEF and the French forces in northern France.
[170] At one point, the British had 40 destroyers north of the continent, but between the Battle of Norway and the war in the west, they were down to 11.
[171] For the Allies, its true men were being picked up, but the British had already lost so much equipment on the continent as well.
[172] Now men and ships, and most importantly, their remaining destroyers, were being lost at an incredible rate.
[173] The time had come.
[174] The breaking point had been reached.
[175] The NOR command at Chatham suggested, or rather begged, that the destroyers stop being used during daylight.
[176] The Admiralty agreed.
[177] So did Ramsey.
[178] The man who had saw over the entire operation fought every bottleneck that came up, as well as Admiral Pound, to get the newer destroyers back on station.
[179] So at 1 .45 p .m. June 1st, the message, All destroyers are to return to harbor forthwith, went out.
[180] The destroyer Malcolm, which had one of the highest morales during this time, received the message to come home just as it was heading into open waters.
[181] The men had done incredible service the last few days, but among the crew, they couldn't help but feel that for some reason, today, their number was up.
[182] They gladly turned around and headed home.
[183] The destroyer Worcester was just entering the Dunkirk Harbor when it received the message to return home.
[184] Glad to have the news, it still made sense to Commander Allison to load up with as many waiting men as possible before heading home.
[185] By 5 p .m., she was loaded and ready to head north, but she barely left the harbor when she came under attack.
[186] Being one of the few ships in the area, she got the full treatment by the Luftwaffe.
[187] At least three squadrons of nine planes each flew over and dropped their bombs.
[188] Combined, just over 100 bombs fell at the destroyer.
[189] Somehow, she made it home, using every trick the skipper could think of, but by the time the German planes left off, there were 46 men dead and 180 wounded from the near misses.
[190] Welcome to True Spies.
[191] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[192] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[193] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[194] What do they know?
[195] What are their skills?
[196] And what would you do in their position?
[197] Vengeance felt good.
[198] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[199] True Spies from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[200] Captain Tennant.
[201] who saw the first part of the ferocious attack on the Worcester from the Mall, knew a turning point in the evacuation had come.
[202] At 6 p .m., he radioed Ramsey.
[203] Things getting very hot for ships.
[204] Over 100 bombers on ships here since 0530.
[205] Many casualties.
[206] Have directed that no ships sail during daylight.
[207] Evacuation by transports therefore ceases at 0300.
[208] or 3 a .m., if perimeter holds.
[209] We'll complete evacuation tomorrow, Sunday night, including most French.
[210] Despite this message to Ramsey, Tennant was not ready to give up on the BEF or the French helping hold back the Germans.
[211] The only question that mattered was could the perimeter hold?
[212] And no one knew the answer to that.
[213] But Tennant was realistic enough to put the if in his message.
[214] He knew it was only a matter of time, either before the German infantry broke through or the men manning the perimeter collapsed from their constant vigilance.
[215] London didn't know what to think of the situation, but was honest enough to say so.
[216] To demonstrate the confusion, General Dill told Vega tonight was the last night for the evacuation.
[217] But Churchill told Renault that they might need one more night.
[218] General Alexander, who had replaced Gort, wanted more time after some misgivings.
[219] He wanted to save the BEF and the French involved, but that had to take into account the 39 ,000 BEF and 100 ,000 French still on the beach the morning of June 1st.
[220] But the equality rule meant getting a French soldier to safety for each of the 39 ,000 British troops.
[221] That was simply impossible.
[222] in a 24 -hour period, especially with the losses of the ships the Allies were suffering.
[223] So that morning, Alexander went to Bastion 32 and talked with Admiral Abriel about extending things through the night of June 2nd to 3rd.
[224] Abriel confidently agreed, but then again, the French had always been of the mind that the perimeter should be indefinitely held.
[225] Tenet at Dunkirk agreed later that day with Alexander.
[226] especially after he limited evacuations, to the nighttime.
[227] London was torn by the idea, but again showed intelligence in the face of this confusing situation.
[228] They contacted Alexander at 6 .41 p .m. There would be no fixed order for the evacuation.
[229] Do what you can, as long as you can, to get the maximum number of British and French troops to safety.
[230] Work closely with Abriel.
[231] So Alexander got what he wanted, an extension until the night of June 2nd and 3rd.
[232] and a chance to save the men, if the perimeter held.
[233] June 1st, the perimeter.
[234] At 11 a .m., General von Kuchler's army attacked.
[235] It took them an hour to get into place, but by noon, troops were crossing the canal, just east of Berghese.
[236] There, the first East Lancashires barely held the Germans back.
[237] To their left, or east, the fifth border deers were equally pressed.
[238] If they were pushed back, the second cold stream to their left would be exposed.
[239] If that happened, the Germans could roll up the defensive line.
[240] Of course, that was the plan.
[241] And the Bordidiers started falling back.
[242] A major ordered them to hold the line, but an officer of the Bordidiers said they would not.
[243] The major threatened to shoot any of their men who retreated to a certain point.
[244] The officer and a few men fell back to that point, and at least one of them was shot by the major.
[245] But this measure wasn't enough.
[246] The Bordadiers fell back, and the Coldstream unit was exposed.
[247] The Germans created a bridgehead on the Allied side of the canal, but the British held, more or less.
[248] As night came, the Germans strengthened their bridgehead, but actually pushing forward could wait until tomorrow.
[249] But as the full darkness came, the British pulled back, battalion by battalion.
[250] By 10 p .m., most positions were empty.
[251] However, tonight, the Coldstreamers...
[252] would not make it to the ships on time.
[253] But the danger was not only in front of them.
[254] As they were retreating, they came upon some French who were taking their place.
[255] The Frenchmen, focused on not being overrun by the Germans, fired on the British.
[256] Fortunately, no one was hurt.
[257] So as the British headed for the beaches, the French 68th Division took over patrolling the eastern perimeter, but obviously a much smaller one.
[258] So by midnight, the entire perimeter was controlled by the French.
[259] This, despite what Churchill had promised the French government.
[260] Later, there would be charges and counter charges.
[261] The French felt they were tricked by the British.
[262] The British were afraid to turn over the perimeter to the French.
[263] They were not convinced the French could handle it, and the British would find themselves with the Germans at their heels.
[264] But the British did as ordered.
[265] But fortunately for the Allies, most of the French, when they got into their new positions in the afternoon of June 1st, were able to stop the Germans with their artillery.
[266] By night, the frustrated German infantry had laid up, but not their artillery.
[267] The artillery would go on throughout the night, trying to soften up the defenses for tomorrow's push.
[268] The attack would go on, as long as the Allies resisted.
[269] Soon it was full dark, and the ships started showing up at 9 p .m., but hardly anyone was out there.
[270] The ships knew that they only had until 3 a .m. Finally, word got out, and by 11 p .m., hundreds of Frenchmen started making for the mole.
[271] But shells were constantly coming down on them, and if someone was hit, they were simply pushed off the mole, and the men kept going.
[272] At 3 a .m., there were two ships left, and the last man who could fit slid down the pole, jubilant.
[273] So the men of the 5th Green Howards and many Frenchmen heard someone call out, Clear the mole.
[274] No more boats tonight.
[275] The men headed back to the beach to find sleep and a place to hide.
[276] The boats would not be back for 18 hours.
[277] The men hid everywhere that looked reasonably safe.
[278] An old lighthouse, a wrecked French destroyer on the beach, or the cellar of buildings close by.
[279] Early that morning, someone found something rare at Dunkirk.
[280] An intact unit.
[281] The 5th Green Howards still had their officers and were used to working together.
[282] It was decided they would be used tonight.
[283] to control the flow of men boarding ships.
[284] After last night's chaos, it was decided that more men could be embarked if someone was there to control and direct the desperate men.
[285] Of course, this meant the 5th Green Howards would either be the last to leave or may not leave at all.
[286] June 2nd.
[287] The British wanted this to be the last night for the evacuation.
[288] Plans were being made at Dover, and Wake Walker was asked to attend.
[289] So early in the morning on June 2nd, After a few hours of sleep, Wake Walker entered the dynamo room.
[290] The problem was, no one knew how many men were left on the beaches, British or French.
[291] You can't plan if you don't know.
[292] But Wake Walker made an educated guess.
[293] He estimated that there were about 5 ,000 British, left along with about 30 ,000 to 40 ,000 French.
[294] He was pretty close on the British side, but way under for the French.
[295] So with a number to work with, Ramsey delivered the only good news besides that Operation Dynamo was coming to an end.
[296] Because the evacuation had been stopped during the day, Ramsey and his staff had time to more or less organize every possible ship for tonight's last big pickup of men.
[297] The plan was simply for every ship to make for Dunkirk and its mole.
[298] No more picking up men from the beaches.
[299] All the men and ships would head for one location.
[300] This was felt to maximize their chances.
[301] Like the night before, the evacuation would begin at 9 p .m. and end at 3 a .m. June 3rd.
[302] The details were worked out.
[303] The British would use the Eastern Mole, as they had been, and the French, the Western Mole.
[304] The British estimated that they had enough ships to handle 37 ,000 men, plus whatever the Smalls could bring home.
[305] The good news to those around the table, in the dynamo room, was that the French would be using their ships for their men.
[306] The British would be allowed to openly try to take care of their own.
[307] So the meeting was over at 10 .52 a .m. on June 2nd, and Ramsey sent out the message, the final evacuation is staged for tonight, and the nation looks to the Navy to see this through.
[308] I want every ship to report as soon as possible whether she is fit and ready to meet the call which has been made on our courage and endurance.
[309] Many brave -sounding replies came from the hundreds of ships, but quietly, behind their messages, the men were scared and had hoped to not have to make another run.
[310] But it was to be, so they readied themselves and their ships.
[311] The men were right to be afraid.
[312] Most had no way of protecting themselves, and that afternoon the Germans showed what they were capable of.
[313] Two hospital ships, clearly marked, made for Dunkirk, but each time they were attacked by bombers.
[314] There were no direct hits, but enough extensive damage caused both to turn around.
[315] So, this was it.
[316] The evacuation was about to be over, and Ramsey wanted the best in place to bring it off.
[317] Wake Walker was on his way back to his station, as was Commander Clauston.
[318] He had finally gotten some rest and was returning from the Dover meeting as well.
[319] He was given 30 men to help him with tonight's organization.
[320] He left over at 3 .30 p .m. Halfway back to the mole, his smaller ship, as well as Wade Walker's, came under attack.
[321] Clauston's boat was bombed and strafed by the Stukas for 10 minutes.
[322] When the planes were gone, it was found that Clauston and his staff had jumped ship.
[323] Wake Walker came over to make sure he was all right and to bring Clauston aboard.
[324] Clauston told him he would stay with his men, so Wake Walker headed on to Dunkirk.
[325] The men hung on to the wrecked remains of their ship.
[326] Someone said that they saw a lifeboat about a mile away, so one of the younger men volunteered to go get it.
[327] Klausen said he would come along.
[328] They started swimming.
[329] But only then did Klausen realize how tired he was.
[330] Getting some sleep early that morning did not make up for the days he had gone without.
[331] He turned around and made it back to his men.
[332] But the young man never returned with the lifeboat.
[333] The waiting men were out there for hours.
[334] under the sun.
[335] One by one, they let go of the ship's remains and disappeared under the water.
[336] Only one man stayed alive to be picked up later, and it was not Clouston.
[337] The night of June 2nd to 3rd, where the mast ships and the mast men would meet, would have to make do without Commander James Campbell Clouston.
[338] On June 1st, 17 ,348 men were evacuated from the beaches.
[339] 47 ,081 men were evacuated from the two moles at Dunkirk, for a total of 64 ,429.
[340] And one of the Britons brought home safely was General Bernard Law Montgomery.
[341] Welcome to True Spies.
[342] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[343] Suddenly out of the dark, it's appeared in love.
[344] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[345] What do they know?
[346] What are their skills?
[347] And what would you do in their position?
[348] Vengeance felt good.
[349] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[350] True Spies from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.