600 men parachuted in but, due to poor weather, many were dropped way off target; some landing in the sea, others in flooded fields, others shot in the air as the fell to ground. Only 150 found their rendezvous point. Their Commanding Officer, Lt-Col T Otway decided the attack could not wait as the landing depended on the guns being silenced. He urged his men on. Despite heavy casualties, they took the guns. 100 Germans were killed and 26 were taken prisoner.
At the entrance to the battery is a refurbished Dakota; one of only a few left in existence. These planes were the work horses of the War and many went on to civil aviation companies afterwards. This one was found decaying in Egypt.
The battery still contains the 4 huge gun casements and other buildings like the canteen, ammunition stores and blockhouses. Some of them have exhibitions inside and one has a sound and light show of what it would have been like on the night of the attack - not for the faint-hearted.
No comments:
Post a Comment