“The only way for raiders to reach the Bruneval radar installation, they determined, was from the air using the newly formed British 1st Parachute Brigade.”
By Martin Roy Hill
BY THE END of 1941, RAF Bomber Command losses had reached record levels. Despite flying missions at night and flying evasive courses, German fighters and anti-aircraft batteries always seemed to know where to find the British bombers. Scientists in the U.K. suspected Germany had developed new radar capabilities; intelligence reports supported the idea. It appeared that the Germans had developed a low-band UHF radar system codenamed Würzburg. But it wasn’t until a photoreconnaissance plane brought back an image of a saucer-shaped structure on the French coast near Saint-Jouin-Bruneval that the reports were confirmed. British researchers were confident they could develop counter-measures to defeat the Nazi radar, but first they needed a sample of the technology.
Military planners led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, commander of the Royal Navy Combined Operations Department, soon set to work on a plan to capture a piece of that technology. They immediately determined an assault from the sea was impossible; high cliffs along the shoreline and German fortifications would make any amphibious attack suicidal. The only way for raiders to reach the Bruneval radar installation was by parachute; the assault would be carried out air using the newly formed British 1st Parachute Brigade.
“Paratroopers”
Airborne operations were still a new concept at the time. Although the Allies had considered forming parachute units in the final days of the First World War to attack behind the German trenches, the fighting ended before any airborne assault could be organized.
After the Great War, several countries experimented with dropping troops by parachute, but it wasn’t until the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940 that the first Fallschirmjäger, or “parachute hunters,” saw combat.
In 1941, jump-trained British commandos from the Special Air Service staged small-scale airborne raids in Italy and Libya. These early paratroopers became the nucleus of the new 1st Parachute Brigade. Referred to as “Paras,” members of the airborne brigade would become known as the Red Devils due to their distinctive red berets and their tenacious fighting ability.
Responsibility for the Red Devil’s first mission, codenamed Operation Biting, fell to C Company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, Major John “Johnny” Frost commanding. 2nd Para was teamed with the RAF’s well-seasoned 51 Squadron, flying twin-engine Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers.
Mission training began in January 1942 and continued until Feb. 23. Frost divided the 120 men of C Company into five sections, each named—ironically—after Royal Navy heroes. Sections Jellico, Hardy, and Drake would assault the main radar site and a nearby chateau used to quarter German troops. Nelson section would neutralize the coastal defenses to open a path for a seaborne evacuation. Rodney section would protect the Red Devils’ rear from counterattack. RAF radar technician, Flight Sergeant C.W.H. Cox, was brought in to dismantle components of the Würzburg and return the pieces to England for study. A small flotilla of landing craft and torpedo boats and troops from No. 12 Commando would make up the evacuation force.
Behind enemy lines
It is a military idiom that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy; Operation Biting was no different. It was scheduled to launch over the four nights that February’s moon was brightest, but foul weather delayed it for three days. Then on Feb. 27, the skies cleared enough for the Paras to board their Whitleys and make the flight across the English Channel.
Intense flak greeted the formation as it crossed the French coast, tossing the medium bombers about. Despite the ground fire, the bombers reached the objective area and the airborne sections hit the silk. Once on the ground, Frost realized part of Rodney force, the rear guard, missed the drop zone entirely. Commanded by the company’s youngest, most inexperienced officer, Lt. E.C.B. Charteris, the absent troops landed more than two miles from the target. In addition, the radios issued to the raiders didn’t work, forcing them to rely on runners for communications.
Undeterred, Frost organized his assault on the radar site and the chateau while section Nelson advanced on the beach defenses. Paras rushed the chateau and were shocked to find it nearly empty, its tenants having moved to another location. A lone German soldier was killed as he fired at the onrushing parachutists. Another group of Frost’s men easily captured the Würzburg site and, along with it, a German radar technician.
Although the prisoner was an unexpected bonus, Frost’s elation was cut short by the sound of intense firing coming from the beach where Nelson force was trying to neutralize the coastal defences. German resistance inland was also stiffening. Lieutenant John Timothy, in charge of the rear guard (Rodney) would later describe the action as “some pretty heavy skirmishes.”
Their backs to the sea
Meanwhile, Cox, the RAF technician, was having difficulty dismantling the Würzburg. Resorting to a crow bar and brute force, Cox finally removed key components of the radar and carted them off toward the evacuation beach. As Frost and his men approached the shore, they were met with heavy fire from a hidden machine gun nest. Counter-attacking German troops also had recaptured the chateau and were raining lead on the raiders’ rear.
The Paras once again assaulted the chateau, routing the Germans. With their rear secured, Frost and his men returned to the beach. There they found the enemy machine gun had been knocked out by the missing Lieutenant Charteris and his men, who had fought their way back to the drop zone. Frost would later commend Charteris as “the real hero” of the operation.
Frost’s worries were not over yet. The Paras could not raise the seaborne evacuation force on their wireless sets. Headlights on the coast road told Frost more German reinforcements were on the way. He quickly formed his men into an unenviable defensive position, with their backs to the sea. With no radio contact with their naval support, Frost ordered flares launched. A few minutes later, with German reinforcements closing in, a half dozen assault landing craft loomed out of the darkness. “Sir, the boats are coming in! God bless the ruddy Navy!” one Para shouted.
Evacuation
The landing craft came in with the men of No. 12 Commando blasting the sea cliffs with their Bren guns, providing cover fire as the Paras hurried aboard with the coveted radar parts, two German prisoners, several wounded, and the bodies of two of their dead comrades. Frost boarded last, waiting and hoping until the final minute that six of his missing parachutists would show up. They never did. (The six missing Paras were captured and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp.)
Safely at sea, the landing craft transferred the raiders to the motor torpedo boats for the journey home. The Würzburg parts, the German prisoners, and Frost’s wounded returned to England by fast boat while the rest of the Paras returned by slow convoy.
Success
In Britain, technicians determined the German radar was virtually immune to jamming by standard means of the day. However, they discovered the technology could be fooled by way of ingeniously simple countermeasure. Long thin strips of radar reflective material, known as chaff. Dropped from bombers on their way to targets, the tensile-like foil created thousands of false radar echoes rendering the German radar ineffective. It’s a technique still in use today.
Operation Biting proved the effectiveness of British airborne troops. The success at Bruneval paved the way for establishment of the British 1st Airborne Division.
Major Johnny Frost was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the operation. But it would be his leadership in the 2nd Parachute Battalion’s heroic stand at Arnhem Bridge during Operation Market Garden that earned Frost legendary status. Frost was captured at Arnhem and served out the war as a POW. After the Allied victory, he remained in the British Army, eventually retiring as a major general. He died in 1993.
(Originally Published on Aug 12, 2018)
Martin Roy Hill has been a sailor, soldier, journalist, and military analyst. He is also a national award-winning novelist. Among his books are DUTY, a collection of military-related short stories; The Killing Depths, a military mystery thriller; and Eden, a military sci-fi novella. His books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo. You can follow him on Twitter @MartinRoyHill
