Combined Operations • The Significant Adventure of Vaagso

On the 27th October, 1941, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes was succeeded as Director of Combined Operations by Captain the Lord Louis Mountbatten, G. C. V. O., D. S. O., A. D. C., who was promoted Commodore First Class, and on the 18th March, 1942, Acting Vice-Admiral, when his title was changed to Chief of Combined Operations. At the same time he was granted honorary commissions in the Army as a Lieutenant-General and in the Royal Air Force as an Air Marshal. He at once set about planning a raid on a part of the occupied coast of Europe where, it was hoped, the enemy would least expect to be attacked. The country chosen was Norway, the place Vaagso, some hundreds of miles south of the Lofoten Islands so successfully visited in the previous March.

The object of the raid was, while harassing the German defences on the coast of South-West Norway, to attack and destroy a number of military and economic targets in the town of South Vaagso and on the nearby island of Maaloy, and to capture or sink any shipping found in Ulvesund.⁠a Ulvesund is the name borne by the strip of water on which the port of Vaagso lies and which divides the island of that name from the mainland. It forms part of the Indreled, that narrow passage which stretches along so much of the coast of Norway, and is in the nature of a more or less continuous channel bounded by a chain of islands on the one hand and the mainland of Norway on the other. Through the Indreled passes most of the coastwise traffic, for, by so doing, ships can use the protection afforded by the chain of islands. At certain points the Indreled is broken, and one of these is situated at the north end of Ulvesund at a point where it joins a wide bay. Ships sailing northward must cross this bay and double the peninsula of Stadtlandet, to the south of which lies the island of Vaagso. They tend, therefore, to congregate in Ulvesund, where they remain awaiting a suitable moment to pass into the open sea round the end of Stadtlandet, which is noted for its storms, and then northwards once more under the cover of the p51 numerous islands. Running roughly at right angles to Ulvesund is Vaags Fjord; where the two stretches of water meet, there is a small island named Maaloy, opposite which is the town of South Vaagso.

The Germans had not forgotten to fortify the southern end of Ulvesund, and they had established coastal defences on the island of Maaloy itself, as well as in and near the town of South Vaagso opposite. On Maaloy, a battery of field guns had been mounted, and there were also anti‑aircraft batteries and machine guns, while •four miles to the southward was a battery of fairly heavy guns, possibly of French origin, situated on the island of Rugsundo; they were laid so as to fire westward down Vaags Fjord. Both Maaloy Island and South Vaagso were garrisoned by German troops, and it so happened that those in the town had been reinforced a few days before the attack by a detachment sent there to spend Christmas.

It was decided to approach the town and island up Vaags Fjord, the entrance of which is marked by two lighthouses at Hovdenoes and Bergsholmene. On reaching the small bay behind Halnoesvik Point, south of the little village of Hollevik, a short distance from South Vaagso, the landing craft from the assault ships were to be lowered and landings made first under cover of a naval bombardment and then of smoke laid by aircraft. Once ashore, the island of Maaloy and the town of South Vaagso were to be captured and anything of value to the enemy, such as fish‑oil factories, destroyed.

Strange Behaviour of a Table

After carrying out a number of rehearsals the force sailed on Christmas Eve, arriving at an anchorage on Christmas Day. Very heavy weather was met with. During the passage the secretary to the captain of one of the infantry landing ships invited his commanding officer to the cabin and showed him a table moving rhythmically up and down the wall, a distance of some •six inches. It was eventually discovered that this levitation was due to the heavy seas, which were literally squeezing the sides of the ship. The infantry landing ships suffered some damage. This was repaired; but since the weather did not immediately abate, it was decided to postpone the operation for 24 hours. The men were, therefore, able to eat their Christmas dinner in comfort.

The weather having improved, the force sailed at four P.M. on Boxing Day with the promise of still further improvement. Nor was the promise belied; the storm died down, and by the time the Norwegian coast was p52 reached, weather conditions were perfect. The ships moving across the North Sea out of the sunset into the darkness of the long winter night were a fine sight. On either side of the main formation destroyers kept guard, altering speed and course constantly. In the van was H. M. S. "Kenya," a six‑inch cruiser, flying the flag of Rear‑Admiral H. M. Burroughs, C. B., and in line astern behind him came the infantry landing ships. While it was still dark, landfall was made exactly at the estimated position and time. "We approached from the west into the promise of dawn," says one who was on the bridge of the "Kenya." "It was a very eerie sensation entering the fjord in absolute silence and very slowly. I wondered what was going to happen for it seemed that the ship had lost her proper element, that she was no longer a free ship at sea. Occasionally I saw a little hut with a light burning in it and I wondered whether that light would be suddenly switched off, which would mean that the enemy had spotted us, or whether it would continue to burn as some Norwegian fisherman got out of bed, stretched himself and went off to his nets."

Another standing beside him had much the same experience. "We lay down to sleep at the end of a rough evening with the ship moving uncomfortably and the wind noisy. When we woke up it was very still, and we went on deck with the usual holiday expectations of finding that overnight the scene had changed, that we had come to a new land to enjoy a promised excitement. The wind had gone; the sea was quiet — everything was completely quiet — there was a fine moon in a clear sky and, ahead, the first suggestion of morning twilight. The other ships were neatly in line astern, and the whole force appeared to be shut in by high, steep, snow-covered mountains. A long way above us, a window shone out brilliantly, the lovely sight of a lit window hung in the darkness; this was peace again.

"It was most disturbing that there was so little left to do because everything had been done beforehand. We noted the time, exactly one minute late, that the landing craft were lowered and could just be seen through glasses, black beetles crawling in the shadow of the mountains up the black waters of the fjord. We heard our aircraft overhead and saw their welcome of heavy, familiar tracer fire rising quite slowly from the surrounding slopes. Our ship was moving very quietly towards the headland where we should come into sight of the battery, which ought by now to be expecting our arrival. As we nosed round the point, everyone was waiting for the order to 'open the line of fire,' and get p53 in first with a salvo. It should have been a thrilling moment; but all the same, it was difficult to look at anything except that nostalgic window, now high astern of us, still lit and still shining brightly in the dark morning."

Fifty Shells a Minute

The naval bombardment opened at 8.48 A.M., the "Kenya" firing a salvo of star shell which lit up the island of Maaloy, showing not only the target to the naval gunners, but also the place where they were to drop their smoke bombs to the crews of the Hampdens. This salvo was followed by further salvos of six‑inch shells. Two minutes later the destroyers joined in the bombardment which lasted nine and a quarter minutes. During that brief period between four and five hundred six‑inch shells fell upon a space not more than 250 yards square.

The Germans on the island had been caught unprepared. They were following their usual routine: the gunners were being roused by a loud-voiced N. C. O., the officer commanding was shaving, his batman, whose turn it was that morning to man the telephone connecting headquarters with the look‑out post, was cleaning his officer's boots on the table beside the instrument. So busily engaged was he upon this task that he allowed the telephone bell to ring, and did not trouble to pick up the receiver. The German gunners thus received no warning. Outside the barracks on the island of Maaloy, there was a naval signalling station established on its highest point. The signaller on duty received a message flashed by lamp telling of the advent of our forces. He ran down to the small bay on the north side of the island, leapt into a boat and rowed as fast as he could to the headquarters of the German Naval Commandant on the main island of Vaagso. Here he delivered the warning, but when asked whether he had warned the army gunners on Maaloy he replied, "Oh, no, Sir; it is a military battery, and this is a naval signal." The Germans are a methodical people.

The landing craft carried troops belonging to No. 2 and No. 3 Commandos, a detachment of Royal Engineers from No. 6 Commando, and some men of the Royal Army Medical Corps from No. 4 Commando. With these British troops was a detachment of the Royal Norwegian Army. To this body of men, made up of 51 officers and 525 other ranks, five general tasks had been entrusted. For their fulfilment they were divided into five groups. Group 1 was to land near the village of Hollevik, on the southern shore of the island of Vaagso and a short distance p54 from the town of South Vaagso. They were to clear the area and then move along the coast road and remain as a reserve to Group 2. Group 2 was to attack the town of South Vaagso itself and destroy a number of military and economic objectives, including the canning factory, the power station, the Firda fish‑oil factory, and the herring‑oil factory. Group 3 was to capture Maaloy Island. Group 4 remained in its landing craft as a floating reserve to be used by Brigadier (now Major-General) J. C. Haydon, D. S. O., O. B. E., Irish Guards, the Military Force Commander, when he thought fit. Group 5 was to be carried on board the destroyer "Oribi" up Ulvesund and landed between the towns of South and North Vaagso to cut communications between them.

Group 1 soon accomplished its task. It cleared the area round Hollevik, captured the village of Halnoesvik, and was ordered to act as reserve to Colonel Durnford-Slater who, with No. 3 Commando, was attacking South Vaagso. On leaving the infantry landing ship, it moved forward in its landing craft with Group 3, which was to attack Maaloy Island, to starboard. It was now half light, and the shore was becoming visible. The roar of the bombardment was loud and continuous; buildings were soon in flames, and it looked to the oncoming Commandos as though the island had been reduced to a shambles. Only a hundred yards from the shore, the agreed signal, a show of red Very lights, was sent up; the bombardment ceased immediately, and then the Hampdens, which had been circling above, swooped down to •50 feet and dropped their smoke bombs along the edge of the island, rapidly shrouding it in a pall of white smoke, which covered troops on the last few hundred yards of their journey. To onlookers in the ships, the Hampdens appeared "to float along the air just above the water." They were, in fact, flying at more than 200 miles an hour. All went well save that one Hampden was hit, probably at the moment when her bomb-aimer was about to drop a smoke bomb. The pilot could have turned away and might have been able to alight safely on the sea near the ships. He chose to carry on and fulfil his mission if he could; but the aircraft went out of control, and the bomb fell on an assault landing craft, wounding 20 men. The Hampden fell into the water, and only one of its crew was rescued.

The Commandos Are Hotly Engaged

Group 2 landed very close to the town and quickly silenced two light machine‑gun posts. They then advanced into the town itself, where p55 they met considerable opposition. The Germans were by this time fully on the alert, and defended themselves with great resolution in the various buildings in which they were established. Their snipers were particularly effective; they had taken up a position on the hillside west of the town, where they lay protected by excellent natural cover, and caused a number of casualties. While part of Group 2 was thus hotly engaged, another detachment moved a short distance up Ulvesund, landed near the Herring Factory at Mortenes and destroyed it without opposition. In the meantime, No. 5 Group had been taken to their destination up Ulvesund in the destroyer "Oribi." They landed, and subsequently blew craters in the road between North and South Vaagso, and destroyed the telephone exchange at Rodberg.

By ten o'clock the southern part of the town of South Vaagso was in our hands, but the position in its northern part was more difficult. Our advanced troops were held up and had lost their two Troop commanders, Captain Giles and Captain Forester, killed, and three other officers wounded. It was time for reinforcements. They were called for.

While Group 2 was thus involved in heavy fighting, Group 3 had been more fortunate. To the sound of their Commanding Officer, Major Churchill's, bagpipes playing the "March of the Cameron Men," they had landed dry‑shod on Maaloy Island. On the way thither, their craft looked to watchers from the air "like tadpoles with white tails moving in perfect formation for the beach." There they found a low rocky cliff, on the top of which they formed up and advanced. The island was thick with the smoke of the shells and smoke bombs. The men advanced to the German barracks, where they killed four Germans and took 25 prisoners, one of whom was the German officer in command, a fat man, the owner of the boots. Of the German guns, all but one had been knocked out. The one gun still serviceable was turned on a German flak ship. During this action, the Norwegian Army Captain Martin Linge, at the head of his unit, made a very vigorous and brave assault on the German Headquarters, and died riddled with machine‑gun bullets. He was soon avenged by his men, who threw hand grenades into the building and set it on fire. The island of Maaloy was entirely in our hands by 9.20. About an hour was spent searching it and removing the office files from the German barracks. Soon after 10.30 part of Group 3 were ordered to re‑enter their craft and go to the help of their hard-pressed comrades of Group 2 in South Vaagso.

By then the situation there was that small parties, many of them under p56 the command of junior non‑commissioned officers, were making very slow progress against stiff German house-to‑house opposition. Nor was time on their side; they had to accomplish their task by a fixed hour in order that the time-table for the withdrawal of the Force might not be upset. The reinforcements, however, which they needed had now arrived and the situation was about to change. Half an hour previously, Brigadier Haydon had thrown in the floating reserve, Group 4. They were moving on the north side of the town to the left flank. A few minutes after their arrival, Group 1, which had captured Hollevik without opposition, also arrived and began to drive through the centre of the town and along the waterfront. Not long afterwards part of Group 3 came in from Maaloy Island.

Thus by 11 o'clock four out of the five groups composing the attacking force were concentrated in South Vaagso, bent on the task of overcoming the enemy. Lieutenant-Colonel Durnford-Slater, having ditched his reinforcements about their allotted task, came forward himself with No. 6 Troop of No. 3 Commando, which had just arrived from Maaloy, and took control of the situation. "His two orderlies," runs the official report, "were both wounded, but with great coolness and complete disregard for personal safety, he reorganised his forces and directed a northward drive through the town until, when he judged the situation to be well in hand, he left Captain Young (in command of No. 6 Troop) in charge and returned to report progress to the flagship." He received the D. S. O.

Shooting It Out in the Streets

Some idea of the nature of this house-to‑house fighting can be gained from the account of No. 6 Troop's attack on two warehouses. The second of the two, called the Red Warehouse, was held by a small party of determined Germans, but the first was found to be unoccupied; Captain Young posted two men at a window on the third floor with orders to give covering fire to the rest of the troop when they rushed the Red Warehouse. Between the two warehouses was a small building with a pile of wood beside it; it provided a useful jumping‑off place from which to launch the final attack on the Red Warehouse some 60 yards away. No. 6 Troop rushed this building, losing a sergeant killed and one man wounded. A burst of tommy‑gun fire through the door produced two Germans, who ran out to surrender. One of them was an opera singer. These were followed by a German sailor and a civilian. The rest of p57 the attack can be told in the words of Captain Young, who was awarded the M. C.

"I decided to advance immediately to our front and seize the Red Warehouse on the steamship wharf. It was about 60 yards away and, I thought, unoccupied. When, however, I was some ten yards from the door I saw a German soldier standing there, wearing a steel helmet and a long overcoat. I fired at him from the hip, swerved to my left and got down behind a crate standing against the warehouse wall. My men were coming up at the double in the most determined manner; Lance-Sergeant Herbert came first. The Germans threw three stick bombs at us without doing any damage, though one fell within ten yards but did not explode. Our retaliation was to put twelve Mills bombs into the building, mostly through the door. I then ran into the building shouting 'Hände hoch!' thinking that they had been done for; I was immediately shot at from an inner door, returned the fire and came out of the warehouse.

"Lieutenant O'Flaherty and I posted men to cover every window and the door of the warehouse while we reconnoitred it in order to find a way in. The Colonel, however, then came up and told us that we must push on. I decided to burn the place down. We removed three draught horses from the stables where they had been slightly wounded when Lance-Sergeant Connelly flung a grenade into the place on hearing movement in it. We were unable to enter the warehouse from the stables.

"It was while I was organising the job of burning down the warehouse, as opposed to rushing it, that I suddenly saw Lieutenant O'Flaherty and Trooper Sherington dash into the building by the front door. They were both armed with tommy guns. . . . I felt I had to go, too. I was at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor, when I heard two shots and both O'Flaherty and Sherington fell. I then fired at the inner door and again withdrew. It was difficult to see how we could rescue them, as they were both lying in the middle of the room covered by the enemy, who could not be seen, for they were standing in the darkness of the inner room not five yards away. Sherington gasped out that he had been shot from the next room.

"It seemed to us that the best thing to do would be to go up the stairs and try to shoot the enemy through the ceiling, though this was obviously going to be difficult. At that moment, however, O'Flaherty and Sherington walked out of the room. Sherington had been hit in the leg p58 and O'Flaherty looked as if he had had a plate of strawberry jam flung in his face. Trooper Hannan caught O'Flaherty as he fell and Lance-Corporal Darts got hold of Sherington. I sent them back to the rear, and dispatched Corporal Chapman of No. 2 Troop to get fire bombs while Trooper Hughes fetched a bucket of petrol. Lance-Sergeant Herbert flung this into the room."

Similar stories to this were being played throughout the town, as determined men in ones and twos ran stumbling and slithering through snow-covered backyards to burst open the doors of cold, featureless buildings where small bodies of the enemy, with a determination and tenacity almost equal to that of the Commandos, stood at bay.

p49 7. The Significant Adventure of Vaagso

Strange Behaviour of a Table

Fifty Shells a Minute

The Commandos Are Hotly Engaged

Shooting It Out in the Streets

Thayer's Note: