Prisoner Uprise at Levitha

Unit Force

• Half Patrol A Squadron (Captain Jack Sutherland)
• Half Patrol B Squadron (Captain John Olivey)
• Fairmile Motor Launches, ML 836, and ML 579

Opposing Forces

• 1. Gebirgs Division
• X Flieger Korps
• 15. Kompanie, 4. Regiment Brandenburg, Brandenburg Division
• 11. Kompanie, III. Batallion, Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 21

Operation

Prelude

Once the Long Range Desert Group arrives on Leros, they are tasked with what they have done so effectively in the desert: sending out reconnaissance patrols to spy on the enemy. One of these missions is conducted by the New Zealand T1 Patrol, led by Captain Charles Saxton.

October 6th, 1943

During the afternoon Sergeant J.L.D. (Jack) Davis of T1 Patrol of the Long Range Desert Group, stationed at the advanced post, observes a convoy passing between the Kythnos and Siros islands. He promptly reports its size, speed, air cover, and probable route via wireless. He reports six Kriegsmarine ferry landing barges (Marinefährprähme), numbered F308, F327, F336, F494, F496 and F532, all of which are transporting troops and equipment, one tanker, one minesweeper, the trawler submarine-chaser UJ-2111, serving as an armed escort, and the merchant steamship Olympos (5216 GRT), which is carrying troops from the 9. Infantrie Batallion, 999. Division (IX/999), as well as munitions and supplies.

In the same transmission to headquarters, he also relays intelligence received from Greek sources, indicating that the Germans are aware of a British presence on the island, though they have not yet pinpointed the exact location. Below is an extract from the T1 Patrol Operational Report No. 100 for that day.

October 7th, 1943

The Royal Navy cruisers H.M.S. Sirius and H.M.S. Penelope, accompanied by the destroyers H.M.S. Faulknor and H.M.S. Fury, engage a convoy bound for Kos. This action is based on intelligence reports, which are further confirmed by an enemy sighting from Submarine H.M.S. Unruly. Off the coast of the island of Astypalaia, the Royal Navy forces succeed in sinking five out of six Kriegsmarine ferry landing barges They also destroy the UJ-2111 and the merchant steamship Olympos. The operation deals a severe blow to the enemy, resulting in substantial losses of war matériel. However, the loss of life is less catastrophic than it might have been.

This convoy is crucial for reinforcing the German garrison on Kos with additional troops and equipment. However, the significant destruction of landing craft and vital supplies compels the Germans to postpone their planned invasion of Leros until they can rebuild their strength. The Royal Navy’s successful intervention significantly disrupts German operations in the Aegean, affording the Allies critical time to prepare.

October 9th, 1943

1,027 survivors from the Olympos convoy are rescued. Many of these survivors are found dispersed, wounded, or stranded on nearby islands until they are eventually recovered, leaving approximately 150 still unaccounted for.

Most of the uncounted Germans, swim to the island of Stampalia and are captured by the occupying Italians. Also on the island is Long Range Desert Group M2 Patrol under Captain K.H. (Ken) Lazarus, whose mission is to support the Italians and establish an enemy shipping and aircraft watch.

October 14th, 1943

The H.M.L.S. Hedgehog, a 60-ton steam trawler of the Levant Schooner Flotilla, is sent to resupply the Long Range Desert Group at Astypalaia. Sub Lieutenant D.N. Harding commands the Hedgehog, which is also ordered to transport wounded German Prisoners of War to Leros, along with ten unwounded officers and Non-Commissioned Officers for interrogation. However, the vessel ends up with over fifty prisoners crowded on board far more than originally intended.

October 16th, 1943

After departing the H.M.L.S. Hedgehog soon experiences engine trouble. It is briefly towed by the British submarine H.M.S. Surf before resuming its journey under its own power. Unfortunately, the vessel is spotted by a Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft, an Arado Ar 196 seaplane, so the H.M.S. Surf decides to dive and leave the H.M.L.S. Hedgehog to its own.

October 17th, 1943

By the night, the German prisoners aboard the H.M.L.S. Hedgehog overpower their captors and make radio contact with their forces, requesting immediate rescue and medical assistance. By that time, the ship is on the island of Levitha. In response, Fallschirmjäger from the 15. Kompanie of the 4. Regiment Brandenburg of the Brandenburg Division, under Oberleutnant Oschatz, are dispatched from Athens-Phaleron. They are airlifted to Levitha in two Junkers Ju 52 floatplanes and a Dornier Do 24 flying boat, escorted by six Arado Ar 196 seaplanes.

The German troops land unopposed on Levitha and quickly secure the island. The Italian wireless/weather station on the island is strafed and bombed by the Arados before being captured. Two Italians at the station are fatally wounded, while others flee. The Germans capture the crew of the H.M.L.S. Hedgehog and eleven Italians. That afternoon, a Junkers Ju 52 floatplane evacuates the British sailors. During the operation, a German soldier, Obergefreiter Bruhn, drowns when his rubber dinghy capsises, weighed down with ammunition boxes and equipment. Another two soldiers are injured by splinters from one of their own hand grenades. Despite the small losses, the Germans secure the Island of Levitha, and the Brandenburg Fallschirmjäger unit is replaced by a detachment from the 11. Kompanie of the III. Battalion of the Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 21 under Leutnant Dietzsch.

October 18th, 1943 – October 22nd, 1943

Unaware of what is going on the Island of Levitha, the British assume that the Prisoners of War have overwhelmed the crew of the H.M.L.S. Hedgehog. At the same time, Levitha, located about 32 kilometres southwest of Leros, is a strategic target for the Royal Navy. They are eager to seize the island to secure the surrounding waters and use it as a valuable observation post. The exact number of German forces on the island is uncertain, estimated to be between twenty and thirty men, though the actual number is closer to fifty. Major General F.G.R. (Ben) Brittorous, commander of the 234^th Infantry Brigade on Leros, orders the Long Range Desert Group to capture the island of Levitha. The mission is to destroy the newly established German radio station at Castello, overwhelm the garrison, hold the island for a day, and be picked up by motor launch (ML) the following day.

Senior Long Range Desert Group officers, including the commanders of A (NZ) Squadron, Major A.I. (Alistair) Guild, and Captain R.A. (Ron) Tinker, urge for reconnaissance before launching the assault. However, their request is denied due to the perceived urgency of the situation. The Long Range Desert Group officers consider the assault to be foolhardy, defying fundamental military principles by launching an amphibious attack on an island without proper knowledge of its defenses. Despite their protests, Brittorous insists on the mission, believing that the German garrison’s observations could hamper Royal Navy operations if not neutralised quickly.

The mission, codenamed “Olforce,” involves forty-nine men divided into two sections. Section 1, led by Captain J.R. (John) Olivey, includes twenty-four men from the British Y2 Patrol and part of the Rhodesian S1 Patrol. Section 2, under Lieutenant J.M. (Jack) Sutherland, comprises another twenty-four men from R1, R2, and T2 Patrols, including New Zealanders withdrawn from manning the coastal battery on Mount Scumbarda in southern Leros. The operation is planned, with Olforce practices rowing and paddling the Goatley boats ashore, each boat capable of holding eight men and their equipment. They then draw rations for three days, an additional Bren gun, a 2-inch mortar, and a powerful wireless transmitter.

They recieve detailed instructions regarding arms, signaling, medical supplies, and even the dress and equipment each man is to carry. The men are to be transported to the island of Levitha by two Fairmile motor launches, ML 836, commanded by Lieutenant A.E. Clark, and ML 579, under Lieutenant J. Bain.

October 23rd, 1943

At noon, Captain Olivey receives his final instructions: the fifty-strong raiding force will travel to Levitha in two motor launches and land on opposite ends of the island, one section of twenty-five men landing on the southwest under Olivey and the other under Lieutenant Sutherland on the northeast coast. Olivey is informed that there are fifty Germans on the island, all survivors of the convoy attack a fortnight earlier, and he envisions little difficulty in the two patrols sweeping inland and rendezvousing on the high ground in Levitha’s center.

At 19:30 that evening, Lieutenant Colonel John Easonsmith and Major David Lloyd Owen see them off. Their hearts are heavy, as they dislike the whole foolish enterprise, viewing it as a misplaced attempt at a spectacular success to regain the confidence that Cairo has lost in the direction of the Aegean campaign.

Section 1, led by Captain Olivey, lands without resistance at Baia del Fico on the western side of the island. After collapsing and concealing their assault boats, the men ascend Monte Vardia and establish a headquarters at an abandoned Italian meteorological station. Olivey’s section then prepares defences, including old Italian trenches, and sets up their Collins radio in an outbuilding.

Depsite the lack of opposition, for section 1, their compatriots on the northeast end of the island clearly have, for they suddenly hear a prolonged exchange of gunfire. Captain Olivey is unconcerned, confident that Captain Sutherland and his twenty-five-strong New Zealand Patrol will swiftly conquer the fifty or so lightly armed German soldiers and sailors.

Section 2, however, faces immediate challenges. The Aegean is rough that night, and most of the men are seasick before they even reach the island of Levitha. Launching the assault boats from the rolling motor launch proves difficult, especially with the men heavily laden with weapons and equipment. Sergeant E.J. (Edwin) Dobson nearly capsizes his boat after slipping on the scramble net, illustrating the difficulty of the landing. The Long Range Desert Group, unlike the Special Boat Service (SBS), has little experience in handling small boats, making this amphibious landing particularly challenging. Despite the weather, they somehow stagger ashore through the surf and heavy swell, drag the folboats into hiding among the rocks, scale the cliffs, and begin their invasion.

After a difficult landing near Cape Tromba on the south coast, Section 2 comes under immediate machine-gun fire from enemy dugouts. Despite being pinned down in open ground and strafed by a German aircraft, the New Zealanders manage to advance, overwhelming the enemy dugouts and taking six prisoners. Unfortunately, Trooper H.L. (Hector) Mallet is severely wounded by a grenade during the attack and later dies despite the efforts of the medical orderly, Private B. (Bruce) Steedman.

October 24th, 1943

The two motor launches that take Captain Olivey and his men return to Leros at 03:00 in the morning. They report safe, unopposed, and successful landings. One party under Lieutenant Kay lands on the southwest extremity of the island, and a party of New Zealanders under Lieutenant Sutherland lands on the northwest end.

As dawn breaks, the situation for the Long Range Desert Group deteriorates rapidly. Section 2, holding the ridge overlooking the southern port, finds itself isolated and under heavy enemy fire from machine guns and mortars positioned at Mount Tromba and Mount Calasuria. German aircraft, including Ju 87 Stukas and Arado Ar 196 seaplanes, repeatedly strafe their positions. The Long Range Desert Group’s radios fail, preventing communication between the two sections. Despite their initial success in capturing enemy positions and taking prisoners, the Long Range Desert Group is gradually overwhelmed by the superior numbers and firepower of the Germans.

Section 1, which has encountered no resistance during the landing, advances toward the German headquarters at Castello. After an hour’s rest among the ruins of the fort, Captain Olivey sends Corporal Thomas Bradfield to lead a patrol up the hill to the north, where there is a meteorological station. The patrol soon comes under fire, with Corporal Bradfield wounded in the arm. They withdraw to the fort, where Captain Olivey and his men settle down to exchange rifle and machine gun fire. However, as they approach the Pagliomandra ridgeline, they come under heavy fire from the Germans, who have established strong defensive positions. During the skirmish, Corporal Tommy Bradfield is seriously wounded and has to be evacuated to the Segnale Headquarters for medical assistance. The Long Range Desert Group forces are also plagued by communication failures and the loss of a critical Bren gun, weakening their ability to hold their ground.

As morning approaches, Captain Olivey hears renewed fighting in the northeast. Then come closer sounds: incoming mortar fire. Jim Patch remembers the Germans’ mortars ranging on his slit trench, thinking that the next one is going to hit him. Which it does, landing right on the parapet of the trench but not exploding. It showers him with stones, prompting him to get out quickly.

In between ducking mortar fire, Captain Olivey thinks he sees enemy troops moving down the hill towards their left. He orders two patrols to move forward and check any attempt at encirclement. As the first patrol crosses the open ground, some German planes zoom over their heads, clearly ready to stop any activity they might want to engage in. The patrol takes cover and begin exchanging fire with the Germans further up the hill.

From Leros Lieutenant Colonel John Easonsmith and Major David Lloyd Owen watch the heavy and continuous air attacks by Stukas and Junker 88’s, all afternoon.

The second patrol has more luck, returning with three German prisoners captured close to where they had come ashore the previous night. The Germans are brought into the fort and questioned, but the prisoners, junior in rank and scared by their predicament, provide little useful information. Their nerves are frayed further when their aircraft launch an attack, machine-gunning the walls and dropping bombs in the area.

By the afternoon, the situation becomes untenable for the Long Range Desert Group. Section 2, holding the ridge, is running out of ammunition, food, and water. Despite capturing a German Machinegewehr 42 machine gun and a light mortar, the New Zealanders are overwhelmed by the advancing enemy forces, supported by low-flying planes.

One of the patrols, unaware of this development, decides to pull back to the fort when the Germans increase their firepower. As they try to return, they realize that Jerry has overrun the place. Confronted by a German machine gun as they cross open ground, they see no option but to surrender to avoid a suicidal confrontation.

Shortly after 16:00 hours, Captain Olivey hears a shout from Lieutenant Kay. Clambering out of the slit trench, Captain Olivey goes forward and finds Kay standing between two Germans with steel helmets on. Olivey quickly pulls his revolver, having left his rifle in the trench, and at the same moment Kay notices him and shouts that he is in the bag, so are they, and the whole show is over.

Captain Olivey shouts in defiance, fires twice at the Germans, and dashes back to the trench, ducking as bullets crack over his head. In the trench, a Rhodesian soldier, Karrikie Rupping, joins Captain Olivey, and they withdraw down the hill, scrambling down a 4.5-meter drop as the Germans storm the fort. The pair dives into thick maquis shrub and listen as the enemy bombs and machine-guns the slit trench.

Captain Olivey and Rupping remain hidden for an hour and a half until sundown and then slither out of the shrub for a dusk reconnaissance. They see their own troops filing down the path without a guard over them, while Germans continue searching the hills, sometimes throwing grenades or firing into the bushes. Captain Olivey still hears gunfire in the northeast, which eventually slackens and stops at dark.

Captain Sutherland’s, Section 2, spends the day repelling enemy attacks and capturing as many as thirty-five Germans. Running out of ammunition, they use weapons recovered from dead Germans. With casualties rising, They realise their only hope is to hold out until dark and then try to make their way back to the folboats. At 17:00 hours, Captain Sutherland arranges a ceasefire with the Germans to evacuate the wounded. The condition of the wounded, including Private R.G. (Robin) Haddow and Trooper A.J. (Archibald) Penhall, deteriorates rapidly. In an act of compassion, Private Bruce Steedman arranges with the Germans to surrender the wounded under a white flag, hoping to save their lives. The New Zealanders carry two of their wounded to the inlet, where they are handed over to a German medic. The German Medic tells them that about twelve of Captain Olivey’s force have been captured and more Stukas are on their way from Rhodes.

As the men return to Captain Sutherland, they see enemy troops advancing along the eastern edge of Levitha. By the time they reach the Long Range Desert Group’s position, it is dusk. Mortaring has stopped, but the Germans are close enough to subject the area to rifle grenade fire. Realising their situation is hopeless, they also note that two men sent earlier to reconnoiter the beach ahead of a night-time withdrawal have not returned. A little after 18:00 hours, Captain Sutherland sends out a German prisoner with a white flag. During this, the New Zealanders throw as many arms as he can, including a captured machine gun and mortar, over the cliffs into the sea. Turning away from the cliff edge, the men find themselves looking down the barrel of a German machine gun. The German soldiers bundle the New Zealanders together and the men are searched by their captors.

The German prisoners taken earlier in the day then take over, and the Long Range Desert Group members are taken to the German Headquarters, where they meet most of Captain Olivey’s party. However, Captain Olivey himself remains unaccounted for.

As the day wears on, the Germans move in behind the stranded Long Range Desert Group patrols. Lieutenant Kay and his men are captured, and the officer is marched by two Germans down the hill towards the fort.

That evening, Jake Easonsmith leaves fromthe island of Leros in Motor Launch 579 to go to the prearranged rendezvous on Levita to collect the force, assuming by then they would have completed their task. He encounters significant difficulty but eventually contacts John Olivey, Dick Lawson, one wounded man, and five other ranks.

Meanwhile, Captain Olivey and Rupping evade the German sweep of the island and, at nightfall, begin creeping down the hill towards the beach where they have hidden the folboats. They arrive at 20:00 hours, launch one of the boats with difficulty, and row out into the bay, putting into the west side where it is dark and hauling their boat onto the rocks to wait for the expected motor launch.

As they wait in the dark, both cold, hungry, and tired, Captain Olivey falls asleep and wakes with a start at what he thinks is an engine sound, but it is only Rupping snoring. Then at 23:00 hours, Captain Olivey definitely hears the motor launch. They quickly launch their boat and paddle as fast as they can towards the motor launch, fearing it might leave without them.

As they row, they see a fire burning on the shore and hear a voice calling them from the opposite shore. It is Captain Dick Lawson, who has escaped from Captain Sutherland’s position with his medical orderly and a wounded New Zealander. Two other soldiers who have dodged the Germans also make it to the Rendez Vous Area.

In the end, only seven survivors make it to the Rendez Vous area. Captain Olivey, Private Rupping, Captain Lawson, Lawson’s medical orderly Private Murphy, the wounded Corporal Bradfield, and two signallers. The two signallers might have been from the Special Boat Squadron or the regular army, rather than the Long Range Desert Group, though their identities remain unknown. There is absolutely no sign of the rest of the party, despite every attempt to contact them.

October 25th, 1943

Motor Launch 579 takes Captain Olivey and Major Guild back for another search for the missing men. Despite an hour-and-a-half search near where Section 2 originally landed, they find no one. Olivey discovers a hidden Goatley assault boat and some untouched stores, which are left in place in case any escapees can use them later.

A further rescue attempt is planned for the next night, but it never materialises. The motor launch destined for the mission is sunk at its moorings during a Luftwaffe raid on Leros. By October 26^th, 1943, several large floatplanes are seen at Levitha, likely evacuating prisoners.

Prisoners of War

In the aftermath of the Levitha disaster, Ron Hill, describes the chilling moment when he finds himself staring down the barrel of a German machine gun. Frozen in terror, Hill notes how the clichés of fear, come to life as he focuses on the finger poised over the trigger. To Hill’s relief, the soldier pointing the weapon at him is not an SS officer but an Austrian from the Gebirgsjäger, identifiable by the edelweiss on his cap badge. The Austrian motions Hill away from the cliff edge to join the others, who are already lined up with their hands above their heads, being searched by their captors.

Elsewhere on Levitha, Lance Corporal Jim Gill, along with Gunner D.O. (Doug) McDonald, Private T.R. (Tom) McLelland, and another soldier, manage to evade the enemy for four days. They hide among the island’s scrub and rocks, trying to avoid detection. Despite their efforts, Gill and his group are unable to signal a rescue motor launch that circles the island. Desperate, McLelland volunteers to swim to the next island in search of help. The men coat McLelland’s body with the little gun grease they have, hoping it will protect him during the long swim. Unfortunately, McLelland becomes exhausted and is forced to return to the shore from which he departed. By October 29^th, 1943, weakened by fatigue, severe thirst, and hunger, the group has no choice but to surrender.

Ian Gold, a veteran who served with Sergeant Edwin Dobson’s party, recounts the decision to surrender as the situation becomes untenable. Gold notes that the Germans from Kos, who have landed about fifty troops on Levitha, treat the captured Long Range Desert Group members well, a surprise considering the earlier confrontation. The men are flown to Athens by a small seaplane, the Arado Ar 196, two at a time. Here, the wounded receive medical care at the Luftwaffe hospital in Athens. Robin Haddow and Ian Gold eventually recover from their injuries while being held as prisoners of war. After about a week in the hospital, Gold loses contact with the rest of his patrol as he is transported to Germany in a cattle truck, alongside some of the wounded from the Battle of the Island of Kos. Unfortunately, on October 28th, 1943, Archibald Penhall succumbs to his wounds. The Germans honour him with a full military burial.

Despite the grim outcome, some members of the Long Range Desert Group do manage to escape captivity. Among them are Ron Hill and Jim Patch, who, after being held for thirteen days, manage to escape from a cattle truck transporting them to Germany. Hill and Patch escape, after spending days loosening the barbed wire on the train’s ventilation spaces with their escape tools. Taking advantage of a dark, rainy night, they wriggle through a small aperture and drop onto the tracks as the train passes through a tunnel near Veles

Being well-equipped for such an endeavor. With a small hacksaw hidden in the flies of Patch’s uniform trousers, a compass sewn into Patch’s jacket collar, and a silk map in Patch’s beret, Patch methodically cuts through the barbed wire. Once free, they set off, hoping to cross southern Yugoslavia and Albania to reach Italy and rejoin the Long Range Desert Group. After several days, they meet up with a company of Chetniks, continuing their fight in the complex and chaotic landscape of the Balkans.

Aftermath

Of the forty-nine men who embark on the mission, only seven manage to escape, including Captain Olivey, Captain Lawson, his medical orderly Private Murphy, and the wounded Corporal Bradfield. Two men from A (NZ) Squadron, are killed or died of wounds, and two others missing, presumed dead. B Squadron loses one man killed. Aside from the seven who escape, the rest of Olforce are captured and become prisoners of war. This disaster raises the question of whether a forward reconnaissance could have prevented such a catastrophic outcome. Forty-two specialist troops, including all the New Zealanders of A Squadron, are lost in this infantry action—a significant blow to the Long Range Desert Group. The operation’s failure also leads to the withdrawal of the New Zealand members from the Long Range Desert Group, a significant loss for the unit, which has relied heavily on their expertise and leadership since its inception.

In the immediate aftermath, Major General Brittorous, who has insisted on the operation despite the risks and the objections of his officers, is replaced by Brigadier R.A.G. Tilney. The Long Range Desert Group is subsequently withdrawn from the Aegean theater, focusing on reorganisation and training to replenish their ranks. Future raiding operations in the Aegean are handed over to the Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Greek Sacred Squadron, both of which are better suited to the type of amphibious and covert operations required in the region.

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