9. Operation Pistol A3

OPERATION PISTOL A 3

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Consolidated report by Pcts. Williams W.T., Haeberle, Sheville A.,

Keeble J.W., and Mace D.F.

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We dropped on the night 15/16th Sep 44 from the same plane and

at the same time as Pistol A 1, at map ref Q 299471. Our planned D.Z. was

at Q 288485, so the error in drop was 1 mile.

Sjt. Williams was No.7 on the stick and Haeberle No.8. The

latter saw Sjt. Williams' parachute open in the air but could not find him

on the ground. It was a very dark night and Mace, who landed about 20

yards from a sentry and was challenged by him, was able to undo his belt

and escape behind a barn. Mace found Keeble and contacted Williams,

Sheville and then Haeberle. We marched on a bearing of 135° towards a

nearby wood, map ref Q 3047. The bearing had been given by Sjt. Williams

just before we dropped. Just as we were 10 yards from the wood a machine-

gun fired over our heads, and a few minutes later we heard some single

shots and shouting and then all was quiet again. Haeberle was not able

to make out whether the shouting was in German or in English. One man in

the stick had fallen on his leg bag and could not march far. Accordingly

we were forced to stay in the wood at Q 315472.

Shortly after 1 o'clock in the afternoon of the 16th we heard

dogs barking and the sound of men moving around the wood. A fox ran past.

The noise came nearer and we heard a lot of gutteral voices. We left our

packs where they were, well hidden, and crept to the edge of the wood as

it was too small for us to hide in. We found a ditch half full of water

and walked along it. There was an officer and three men at the edge of

the wood. If they had turned they would have seen us. However, they

entered the wood and we went further along the ditch to where it was

covered in bracken, sat down in the water and awaited what might happen.

Some S S men in black uniforms went past and discussed between themselves

where we might be. Haeberle heard two of them talking and heard one say

"Lets look in the ditch". The other answered "Zum teufel mit dem scheiss-

graben - lets go in the wood". We stayed in the ditch for 6 hours.

During this time the Germans crossed the ditch on several occasions, about

10 feet away from us. About 18.00 hrs we saw them walking past and Haeberle

heard them say they thought we had escaped to the North. However, we

had to stay in the ditch as there were children watching cattle in the

field and one of the cows threatened to expose us by eating away the cover

over the ditch. During the afternoon a dog stood a short distance from

us but did not give the Germans any indication of our whereabouts, so we

think it must have been a farm dog. At dusk we left our damp hiding

place and set off in a South-Easterly direction. We had planned to go

back for our rucksacks, but Haeberle had heard the Germans arrange to lie

in wait for us near them so we had to leave them, and our food.

Haeberle took over command of the party as Sjt. Williams had

not been found after the drop.

By daylight on the 17th we had reached a small wood south

of Hinsing, Q 435450. There it started to rain and rained all day.

We began to eat the contents of our R.A.F. packs as we had no other food

with us. The day passed quietly and we felt safer as there was neither

transport nor soldiers about. At twilight we set off towards the south

to reach the large woods near Finstigen. After some time we crossed a

railway track which did not appear to be guarded, and after an uneventful

night's march reached the corner of a wood at Q 464373. Here we spent

the day of the 18th and made recces in the neighbourhood. We had hoped

to find Sjt. Williams here because we knew that the party would move in

this direction, but the whole countryside seemed dead and there was not

a soul to be seen and no traffic. At dark on the 18/19th we moved off

towards the west, but did not go so far this night because we were tired

through being wet and hungry. We lay up at Q 365340. The next day,

the 19th, was the same, and we saw nothing except a shepherd who was

guarding some sheep about a kilo away.

The railway was not far off and three of us saw a train going

past. All our explosives had been left with the packs. On the night of

the 19/20th we moved off at twilight. After an hour's march we crossed

another single track railway and half an hour later we saw lights. We

thought it was a farm and Haeberle went on with one other in order to get

something to eat as we were extremely hungry. The farm was at Kutzeling,

Q 255310.

Haeberle knocked at the door and a man opened the shutters

and asked in German who was there. Haeberle told him that it was two

soldiers who had got lost and wanted to be directed on to their right

road. After a little time the door opened and a woman of about 60 years

of age asked them to come in. She asked Haeberle to what unit he

belonged and he said we were White Russians in the German army. He also

told her that he spoke good German because he had lived in Germany a long

time. After a long conversation Haeberle noticed that she was anti-

German in sentiment and so he told her that we were British parachutists.

She was overjoyed and wanted to call her son who was upstairs sleeping.

The son came down and would not believe we were English because, he said,

the Germans came in exactly the same uniform as that which we were wearing,

and took their cattle away. The son pointed to the pockets of the battle

dress and the jumping jacket and said it was the same uniform. At last,

however, he believed Haeberle and gave him some food and cigarettes, as

well as some for the rest of us who were waiting outside. The old woman

asked Haeberle for some French money, and said that German money was

beginning to be worthless. He gave her some. We left the farm and went

back to the edge of the wood to the South-West. We marched on until

first light and reached the point where the main road from Dieuze to Morhange

passed through the wood at Q 224265. We hoped to find the Americans on

this road because the woman at the farm told us that Dieuze was occupied

by them. After some time we saw a lorry, but it was one belonging to

the Luftwaffe. It was followed after some little time by a motor-cycle

and a commandeered private car. We went back towards one of the corners

of the wood by daylight and came on the track at Q 224273; we followed it

to the West in the afternoon. A little further on we found a track

which had been mined, so we turned off and sat down where we could over-

look the valley and farm below us at Q 163233. At about 2 o'clock in

the afternoon a heavy artillery bombardment began. We noticed that the

shells were passing over us. At about 5 o'clock it quietened again and

we saw the farmer coming out of the house, which was about a kilo away.

The farmer began to mend his fence. Haeberle went down to ask for food

and to find out where the Americans were. The farmer only spoke French and

and said that he really did not know because on some days American tanks

would pass through the village and a few minutes later a German tank would

follow. He said also that a short time before five German soldiers had

been there for food, so Haeberle asked him for food for five as well.

The farmer said he would prepare it and we could come down to the farmhouse

for it at daylight. Haeberle kept a good watch on the farm in the mean-

time to see that the police were not fetched. At a pre-arranged signal

the rest of us came down and we had a very good meal. The woman in the

house told us that she had heard that a wounded staff sergeant from 2nd

S.A.S. had been handed over by the Germans to the hospital at Dieuze.

She also told him that a German officer had said that they were going to

shoot all night parachutists, or Nachtfallschirmjaeger as they called them.

After the meal, one of the farm labourers guided us into the village of

Haraucourt, Q 179229. The farmer had told him that there were neither

Americans nor Germans there. We went up the main street towards the

village without seeing anyone or any transport. We found an empty house

which had been a German officer's mess, and went to bed in it. During

the night we heard a little artillery fire. In the morning we went out

and followed the main road to the West. After about 1 kilo we heard a

truck coming and hid in the ditch. It was, however, American. We

stopped it and were driven back to the Command Post of the 25th Cavalry

Squadron of the 4th American Armoured Division.