Description
Object description
British NCO served with Royal Air Force working on radar in GB, 1936-1944 and attached to A Coy, South Saskatchewan Regt, 6th Canadian Infantry Bde, 2nd Canadian Infantry Div during Operation Jubilee, the raid on Dieppe, France, 19/8/1942
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as NCO with Royal Air Force working on radar in GB 1936-1942: early interest in radio and employment with Electrical and Musical Industries Ltd in London, 1935-1936; recruitment into Royal Air Force to work on setting up Radio Direction Finding (RDF) station at RAF Bawdsey; lax security at RAF Bawdsey; personnel and atmosphere at RAF Bawdsey; memories of Robert Watson-Watt; nature of part-time work at RAF Bawdsey; maintaining civilian television work; full enlistment into RAF on outbreak of war 9/1939; plan to set up Radio Direction Finding (RDF) stations along east coast of Scotland; Radio Direction Finding (RDF) repair and maintenance duties 1940; role of Chain Home and Chain Home Low radar stations; German lack of counter measures against British radar during Battle of Britain, 1940; system of plotting German aircraft using Radio Direction Finding (RDF); his method of giving unofficial advance warning of German raids to pilots in Scotland and his consequent arrest as spy; his construction of Ground Control Interception (GCI), Radio Direction Finding (RDF) station at RAF Bolt Head, 1941; success of night fighter work; how Radio Direction Finding (RDF) interception worked.
REEL 2 Continues: role of ground controllers; operation of Ground Control Interception (GCI) for night time flying 1941; German raid on Coventry 14/11/1940-15/11/1940; improvement in precision of German radar by 1942 and their consequent success; speculations about German Freya Radar. Recollections of operations as NCO with Royal Air Force attached to A Coy, South Saskatchewan Regt, 6th Canadian Infantry Bde, 2nd Canadian Infantry Div during Operation Jubilee, the raid on Dieppe, France, 19/8/1942: his proposal for raid on German radar station at Cap de la Hague, France; formulation of plan for raid and liaising with Canadians; secrecy of raid and security precautions.
REEL 3 Continues: conditions on which agreement secured for his inclusion in Operation Jubilee; escape kit; preparations for Operation Jubilee, 7/1942; setting up Radio Direction Finding (RDF) on HMS Princess Beatrix; visit of Lord Louis Mountbatten to ship and narrow escape at being pulled out of raid; postponment of raid, 7/1942; mutinous state of troops of South Saskatchewan Regt aboard HMS Invicta at delays in launching raid; sailing from Southampton, 18/8/1942; reaching French coast, long journey ashore and early encounter with Germans, 19/8/1942; keeness of Canadians to get into action; landing on Green Beach at Pourville-sur-Mer close to German billets; heavy casualties; well camouflaged German defences; reaching German radar station and sight of German precision radar in action following Allied aircraft in sky; heavy unit losses; description of cutting radar station masts.
REEL 4 Continues: getting reinforcements to break into radar station; loss of reinforcement troops; sight of aerial battle over Dieppe; accuracy of Canadian fire; scene at Pourville-sur-Mer; casualties amongst Canadians and decision to attack again; use of Boys Anti-Tank Rifle to counter-German gun post preventing troops escaping from beach; gunfire support from destroyer HMS Albrighton; escape from beach under German fire; swimming out to sea, reaching landing craft and reception aboard; rescue of friend Roy Hawkins from sea; cannon attack by Messerschmitt Bf 109s on landing craft; embarkation on HMS Albrighton; anti-aircraft fight with German aircraft.
REEL 5 Continues: aerial combat over and attack on HMS Albrighton escaping from Dieppe, 19/8/1942; rescue of shot down Supermarine Spitfire pilot from English Channel; reception by Corps of Military Police on arrival in GB, suspicion that he was a spy and his harsh interrogation; security problems travelling to London and his dishevelled appearance; reporting to Air Ministry in London; consequences of information gleaned from Operation Jubilee and production of Mandrill counter-jammers. Aspects of period as NCO with Royal Air Force working on radar in GB, 1942-1944: use of Mandrill radar jammer on D-Day, 6/6/1944; American failure to use Mandrill jammers and consequent disaster at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France during D-Day, 6/6/1945; assessment of value of Bruneval Raid, 27/2/1942; opinion that Operation Jubilee was the turning point of the war.
