A. Operation Pistol B2

OPERATION PISTOL. B2

CONSOLIDATED REPORT BY :- 14296495 PCT. CLOWES

AND 2766481 PCT. NICOLS

By Pct. Clowes.

We left England on the night 15/16th Sep 44 at 20.40 hrs and

arrived over the D.Z. at 23.40 hrs, but the R.A.F. personnel were unable to

read their maps accurately owing to ground mist. However, Lieut. Birnie

decided to jump as he thought they were not far away from the intended D.Z.

We jumped from a height of 800 feet.

Six of the party of eight dropped and landed alright although falling

on trees. Pct. Nicols and Cpl. Voisin who were the last two to jump,

were missing when we regrouped.

That night we lay up in the woods until dawn.

By Pct. Nicols.

15 September.

Emplaned 20.40 hrs. Dropped from 800 ft at 23.40 hrs at Q 735338.

16 September.

Searched wood but found no-one. Attempted to find my position from

hill Q 723334, without success. At 18.00 hrs while looking for a kilo

stone or signpost, I discovered footprints of the others which I followed

until I encountered them at Q 741340.

By Pct. Clowes.

16 September.

Lieut. Birnie and Pct. Wertheim made a recce and contacted two

woodcutters from whom they discovered that we had fortunately landed in our

operating area. Lieut. Birnie brought these two men back with him and left

me behind to watch over our kit whilst the remainder of the party, with the

help of the two woodcutters, disposed of our parachutes and found our food pannier.

Later the woodcutters went off to the village of Wimmenau, Q 767345, and

returned with three companions and some beer for us. They told us that 300

Germans were stationed at Tieffenbach, Q 643340, and only one Frenchman was

stationed at the entrance to the tunnel at Q 701357 (which was one of our

objectives) on the Wimmenau - Wingen line. The Frenchmen left us with the

intention of returning later. The woodcutters had promised to bring food,

but as they had not arrived, Lieut. Birnie was suspicious and we moved deeper

into the wood and slept with a sentry on watch until 05.00 hrs.

17th September.

We marched North to Q 733344 where we had breakfast while Wertheim

and Lieut. Birnie went down to the Wingen vicinity to watch trains.

Immediately after his return, children and civilians who followed their

footprints arrived. Lieut. Birnie sent Wertheim to keep them away while

we packed up, but there was a German policeman with them who spotted us

and was suspicious. He ran away, but appeared later further up the hill

and seemed to be trying to find out our numbers. Lieut. Birnie, Wertheim

and I gave chase, but he escaped to the village. We moved quickly, hiding

our heavy kit in a thicket and took only the U.S. haversack containing food

and explosives and Gas Cape each. On reaching the summit of the ridge

Lieut. Birnie decided to hide in the neighbourhood until the patrol which

we now expected had passed. I led the way to excellent cover, and having

taken good care to leave no tracks, we settled down to discuss the situation;

Pct. Clowes being posted to watch the road below. Lieut. Birnie's intentions

were to derail a train in the tunnel and afterwards to make North and turn

for the Allied lines. Lieut. Birnie decided to put a charge on the line.

He, Wertheim and L/Cpl. Davidson were to do the job and meet the remainder

of the party later. I asked for an R.V. and was told to R.V. on Thursday

the 21st, no specified time, at the Grosse Vorberg, Q 742328. No map

reference was given, and when I asked the exact position of the R.V. I was

simply told the top of the hill. Cpl. Birkenshaw appeared satisfied with

the R.V. so I let it go. I went with Lieut. Birnie to the top of the hill

and we drew a re-section of the position, Q 723334.

We returned to the encampment, and Goodfellow took over as sentry.

The charge was made up, consisting of two single 1 lb cutting charges and

one 2 lb lifting charge with two methods of detonation, a fog signal, and

a pressure switch. The greater part of my explosives were used for this

charge, as the two N.C.Os had no explosives. At 14.00 hrs the sentry

reported troops arriving by trucks in the village. Lieut. Birnie and party

set off immediately for the tunnel job, which he expected to do that night.

Cpl. Birkenshaw suddenly decided to leave but told us that we could stay

there and rejoin him at the R.V. on the 21st. It was arranged that he

would take Goodfellow with him and Clowes would stay with me. Soon after

they had left, we heard a challenge followed by a shot.

The German patrol, estimated strength 300 had arrived and deployed.

They made a great deal of noise, cocking rifles, blowing whistles, and

shouting, but made no attempt to search the wood thoroughly. We heard

two shots a good distance away which might have been Cpl. Birkenshaw, but

I doubt if it was any action between our party and the Germans, who moved

off back to Tiffenbach, Q 640340, at 20.30 hrs (estimated, as out only

watch had stopped). It rained a great deal, and we slept uncomfortably

until morning under our gas capes.

18 September.

We recovered our rucksacks in the morning, and lay up all day, drawing

water at dusk. There was no traffic on the railway lines.

19 September.

I went alone to the R.V. hoping to find Cpl. Birkenshaw in the vicinity,

but found no one.

20 September.

We prepared a four pound total charge for a railway line, we then

took four days rations, allowing one meal per day, and proceeded to the R.V.

21 September.

We searched the R.V. and the surrounding area. We drew re-sections

until we were absolutely certain that we were at the correct place. As we

had heard no trains on the line which Lieut. Birnie was intending to blow

up, we assumed he had been successful, but having told us that "if he found

it a bit hot" he would move to the North of the line we felt sure that

something had happened to Cpl. Birkenshaw and Pct. Goodfellow, for they had

not picked up their rucksacks etc from the thicket where we hid all of them.

At dusk we decided that there was no point in staying, and I planned to

cut the Bouxwiller - Zarbern line at Q 793255. We left the R.V. and

proceeded to Q 755309, where we slept a little.

22 September.

We continued in the early morning, moving by day through the wood

until we reached Q 753265, at 16.00 hrs, from where we observed single

engines moving South West. At dusk we decided that the Niederwald wood

was sticky, so we moved across country to the line, which we struck at

Q 770250. We marched along the line and laid the charge with a pressure

switch and fog signal at Q 783255. We continued along the line at the

edge of the wood with the intention of returning to our O.P. of the

previous afternoon, Q 753265, but we nearly walked into a German post at

Q 766264. We avoided it, but aroused suspicion and the sentry called out

something. We slipped away in the darkness and decided to move back to

Zittersheim, Q 723334 right away. We did not hear an explosion but we heard

no trains the next day.

23 September.

We moved on throughout the day in pouring rain until we reached

Q 744319, where we met a gamekeeper. After we had ascertained that he was

harmless and asked him questions about troops in the district, and about

the railway line, we let him go home and went on to Zittersheim to our

camp. Lieut. Birnie had told us that we were not to ambush and road traffic

until the Americans, who were at that time about 40 miles away, advanced

nearer, when the roads would be more busy with retreating Germans.