Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

Kommando operation on Isle of Wight

Discussion in 'Western Europe 1939 - 1942' started by Ross Hackett, Nov 29, 2003.

  1. Ross Hackett

    Ross Hackett Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2003
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    0
    According to the Isle of Wight Archive Magazine for May-June2003 there was a German raid on the Isle of Wight to collect RADAR equipment the author claims other raids happened on the south coast and says he is going to print a book on the subject he says all this started with a conversation with a German veteran who took part!!! I have e-mailed him but got no reply so I cannot confirm his story
     
  2. redcoat

    redcoat Ace

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2002
    Messages:
    1,523
    Likes Received:
    142
    There has been over the years, a number of claims of small scale German attacks on the southern coast of England during 1940-2. However there is no evidence at all of any taking place. Both British and German documents of the period make no mention of any raids, and no historian of any repute believes they took place.

    It's just one of the many myth's that surround WW2.

    One of the most famous myths is about a failed invasion of the area around Shingle Street in Suffork.
    Here's a web-site which tries to answer why this myth came about
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2243082.stm
    Thanks to Kai-petri for the link.

    [ 29. November 2003, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: redcoat ]
     
  3. sapper

    sapper British Normandy Veteran, Royal Engineers

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Messages:
    732
    Likes Received:
    204
    As one that lives across the water from the Island, and was around then, I have never heard of that? Sounds odd to me, I think that if it had happened? then I would have known about it.
    Surely?

    The main radar station was not far from me. If there had been an enemy excursion into the island? I have no doubt that I would have heard about it?

    It seems to me that any one taking the chance to cross the channel to get to the Island would have his work cut out, Navy, Army, and continuous patrols by the Home Guard.
    Any idea when this was reputed to have happened?
    Any clues.

    Cheers Brian
     
  4. sapper

    sapper British Normandy Veteran, Royal Engineers

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Messages:
    732
    Likes Received:
    204
    Oh! and one other thing....They would have had to climb some very steep cliffs. I have heard many stories claiming "touch and go invasions". I do not beleive any of them, for I was "very much" around at that time.

    There are many war time sites near where I live, including "Fort Henry" Where Churchill. Monty and C in C of D Day operations,Ike, and all the big war time leaders watched war exercises. I am, also aware of the cliff top watch that took place not only for enemy movement, but also to register the splash of any mines dropped.

    Any other help with this?
    Brian
     
  5. Major Destruction

    Major Destruction Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2001
    Messages:
    197
    Likes Received:
    0
    In the book "As Eagles Screamed", Donald Burgett tells of an account where he watched as two German E-Boats drove into an English port, destroyed some assets then retired unscathed. The American paratroopers cheered the gallantry of the Germans since they recognized that this was the exact type of work they would have to do later.

    No doubt, there were various and many attacks, locally, on English ports and coastlines during those 4 long years between Dunkirk and D-Day and few if any were ever admitted in any official history because of wartime censorship.

    Amphibious exercises were carried out by Allied forces against English and Scottish coastal locations. To an untrained or uninitiated eye, these may have been identified as enemy attacks.

    Considering the Allied efforts to destroy the German ability to invade by bombing the landing craft assemblies on the coast of France. I think it would be unwise at best of the Germans to consider some kind of 'Dieppe' operation against Britain when there was no ability to supply the necessary landing craft, air assets or naval support for a later invasion.

    The German commander in chief may have been insane but he wasn't stupid. The Americans had a tough enough time trying to place the landing craft into either army or navy. Why would Hitler bother?
    Goering had the answer. That was enough.
     
  6. sapper

    sapper British Normandy Veteran, Royal Engineers

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Messages:
    732
    Likes Received:
    204
    There were no commando raids on British Soil, these are just legends that grow with the retelling., until they become established fact.

    Its rather like the legends that have grown about D Day and the battles for Normandy, there have been so many films that somehow or other certain legends have grown, and are now looked upon as historical fact, in fact much of it is just that "Legends" The trouble being that the films, oft repeated, create legends that are then established in peoples minds.

    Never believe films as fact! they are always (without exception) twisted in the direction of the creators wishes, feelings, and his idea of what it was like....Certainly not based on truth. There are those of us that marvel at some of the stories that are accepted as historical fact.
    Cheers Brian
     
  7. BratwurstDimSum

    BratwurstDimSum Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    1
    All this is very interesting, and I've got to say, although I trust Brian, I would not trust everything that Allied history has to tell us.

    For example, the raid on St. Nazaire, bloody famous stuff wot, British commandos ramming a shipful of explosives into a lock gate to jam up a vital repair site for German shipping (namely the Tirpitz)

    How many people in Berlin do you think got wind of this...I say none, nada. German propaganda would have hushed it up probably to the extremities that the UK did to hush up any supposed attack by Falshirminger on the Isle of Wight or to assasinate Churchill (at the very extreme end [​IMG] ). Had Germany also won the war, do you think this raid would've got any press? Possibly, according to some vets tales, but it would have been dismissed in the German equivalent of this forum eh?

    And you all seem to forget something:

    Lets wait to see what this "vet" had to say! We may have some evidence to chase up, who knows what we'll find?
     
  8. redcoat

    redcoat Ace

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2002
    Messages:
    1,523
    Likes Received:
    142
    No, that's not the way propaganda works, denying these things have happened is very difficult, far too many eyewitness's. The easy and best way is to explain how St Nazaire was a great German victory, show the sunken British ships and captured commando's and don't mention the British success on destroying the lock gates. Which is what the Germans did
    Lets wait to see what this "vet" had to say! We may have some evidence to chase up, who knows what we'll find? [/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]I've a feeling it will be a very long wait :rolleyes:

    [ 04. December 2003, 05:19 AM: Message edited by: redcoat ]
     
  9. sapper

    sapper British Normandy Veteran, Royal Engineers

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Messages:
    732
    Likes Received:
    204
    As an old Veteran that lived on the South Coast I would be very interested in talking to the German that claims he took part on a landing on the Isle of Wight? Or any one else that claimed to have landed here.

    To my knowledge there were no landings anywhere in the South of England. How? for heavens sake, would you keep that quiet? It did not happen"
    Brian
     
  10. Jet

    Jet Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2003
    Messages:
    385
    Likes Received:
    0
    Its funny this should be mentioned because I had a Great Grandfather who served in a Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment where he was stationed somewhere along the South Coast guarding the big guns that were positioned down there before he was invalided out in 1942. He told my Grandfather that one evening he was in the area of a German landing and he was sent down to the beach to repulse the landing, but when he got there the enemy ad left. Unfortunately he's dead and I don't know whether any of the guns had been destroyed and the like, but I hear that there is one person currently trying to piece a book together of German Landings surpressed by the British authorities. I'm not sure where I heard this but I'll try and find some more out.
     

Share This Page