Operations, Long Range Desert Group

September 15th, 1940 – September 28th, 1940

Reconnaissance mission, conducted into the Great Sand Sea, Egypt

Long Range Desert Group

W Patrol and T Patrol. Their mission is a Reconnaissance mission, conducted into the Great Sand Sea and deep into the Italian rear area in Egypt. W Patrol, led by Captain Mitford, is sent to conduct a reconnaissance of Kufra and Uweinat during the Italian invasion of Egypt. Upon finding no signs of the Italians, they turn south and attack fuel dumps, aircraft, and an Italian convoy transporting supplies to Kufra. T Patrol led by Captain Clayton, carries out a reconnaissance of the main route between Kufra and Uweinat, before joining up with W Patrol and returning to base with two captured Italian trucks and official Italian mail. As a result of these raids, the Italian military increased the number of troops guarding the area from 2,900 in September to 5,500 in November, while reducing their front-line forces.

December 26th, 1940 – February 10th, 1941

Murzuk Raid

Long Range Desert Group

On December 26th, 1940, Boxing Day, G and T Patrols embark on the Murzuk Raid, joined by French allies, totalling seventy-six men and twenty-three vehicles. Their destination, Murzuk, is an Italian fort located 1609 kilometres from Cairo, necessitating a gruelling 2414-kilometre journey lasting 18 days. Long Range Desert Group carries out the Murzuk Raid on January 11th, 1941. During the raid two men are killed, three are shot below the knee, and Guardsman Sergeant Wilson incurs a severe leg wound. He is transported by truck to Zouar, via further missions at Treghen, Gatrun and Abd El Galil, arriving on the January 20th, 1941. He is then flown to Fort Lany with Bagnold, then Khartoum, having travelled three thousand miles in 16 days to reach the General Hospital in Cairo. It is reported he ‘has survived the shocking journey from Murzuk with admirable fortitude’ and ‘made a good recovery’. It transpires afterwards that a Frenchman has also been shot in the calf but has just cauterised it with his cigarette and carries on fighting, afterwards he ‘has not bothered’ to see the Doctor.

January-February 1941

Operation against the Italians in the Fezzan region of southern Libya.

Long Range Desert Group

Twenty-four vehicles carrying seventy-six men of T1 Patrol and the G Patrol under command of Captain P.A. Clayton. Their mission was an operation against the Italians in the Fezzan region of southern Libya. At Gebel Sherif on January 31st, 1941, Clayton with T Patrol is attacked by five Italian cars and three aircraft. Clayton is wounded and captured. Four men presumed killed when their truck explodes have survived and are unknowingly left behind. One is wounded in the foot, another in the throat, and with only fourteen pints of water between them. They decide to walk back to base, some giving up on the way, but later find although one died. After 10 days, the last one, Moore, is found still walking, having covered 338 kilometres, and is somewhat annoyed as he had wanted to finish the last 129 kilometres on his own. Six-week expedition against the Italians in the Fezzan in Libya and Chad. The group drives 7, 200 kilometres through some of the worst terrain in the world.

September 1st, 1942 – October 1942

Operation Caravan

Long Range Desert Group

Forty-seven men in 12 Chevrolet 1533X2 trucks and five Jeeps of T1 Patrol and G1 Patrol of the Long Range Desert Group. Their mission is to attack the airfield, the barracks at nearby Campo Maddalena, disrupt communications and the railway station in the Barce area in Libya. The Allies lose twenty men in Operation Caravan (eight wounded, ten captured and two Senussi disappeared), while the Italians report four killed, fifteen wounded and one prisoner, sixteen aircraft destroyed and another seven damaged. Furthermore, considerable quantities of other matériel and buildings are destroyed.

Mediterranean

October 23rd, 1943 – October 25th, 1943

Prisoner Uprise at Levitha, Aegean Sea, Greece

Long Range Desert Group, 1. Gebirgs Division

Half Patrol A Squadron (Captain Jack Sutherland), Half Patrol B Squadron (Captain John Olivey). 50 men in total are to subdue a German Prisoner of War uprise on the Greek Island of Levitha. Once the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) arrives on Leros, they are tasked with reconnaissance patrols to monitor enemy activities. On October 6th, 1943, the New Zealand T1 Patrol, led by Captain Charles Saxton, reports a German convoy, which the Royal Air Force destroys the next day near Stampalia, west of Rhodes. Fewer than one hundred of the 1,000 soldiers and seamen survive the attack and are captured by the Long Range Desert Group. HMS Hedgehog is sent to collect some survivors but develops engine trouble and puts in at Levitha. When radio contact is lost, the British assume an uprising and dispatch the LRDG, led by Captain John Olivey, to quell it. On October 23rd, 1943, Olforce, comprising 50 men, practices rowing and prepares for the mission. They land in two groups on Levitha, with Olivey’s men on the southwest and Lieutenant Sutherland’s on the northeast. The mission begins ominously, but Olivey’s group reaches an ancient fort without incident. However, unknown to Olivey, German reinforcements, elements of the 1. Gebirgs Division, have been called in. On October 24th, 1943, Captain Olivey’s patrol comes under fire, and the situation worsens as German forces, including mountain troops, intensify their attacks. Corporal Thomas Bradfield is wounded, and Olivey orders a countermove to prevent encirclement. Despite capturing three German prisoners, the Long Range Desert Group’s position is precarious, and they face continuous attacks. As the day progresses, the Germans capture Lieutenant Kay and his men. Captain Olivey narrowly escapes capture and, with Rhodesian soldier Karrikie Rupping, hides until sundown. Meanwhile, Captain Sutherland’s patrol repels attacks and captures Germans but is forced to negotiate a ceasefire due to rising casualties and dwindling ammunition. By dusk, the situation for the Long Range Desert Group is dire. Captain Sutherland arranges a ceasefire to evacuate the wounded. The Germans soon capture Sutherland’s men. Olivey and Rupping evade capture, make their way to the beach, and wait for the motor launch. On October 25th, 1943, Olivey and a few others are rescued by the motor launch. The Unit has lost forty-three men in this operation. German losses are unknown.

September 15th, 1943 – November 16th, 1943

Unternehmen Leopold, Battle for Leros

Long Range Desert Group, Special Boat Squadron, Fallschirmjäger, Brandenburg Division

The British bringin B Squadron, Long Range Desert Group and S Detachment, Special Boat Squadron. The Germans I. Fallschirmjäger Regiment 2, 1. Küstenjägerabteilung Brandenburg Division, 3. Battalion,1. Brandenburg Regiment (Reserve) and the 15. Fallschirmjäger Abteilung, 4. Brandenburg Regiment (Reserve). The Battle of Leros, known as Unternehmen Leopard, occurs during World War II in the context of the Dodecanese Campaign. Leros, located in the Aegean Sea, holds significant strategic value due to its natural harbours and Italian coastal fortifications. Control over Leros offers a crucial naval and air advantage in the region. The Italians have heavily fortified Leros, transforming it into a naval base. By the time of the armistice, its strategic importance has waned, leaving its defences undermanned and resources limited. The defending forces on Leros consist of British, Italian, and Greek troops, including the Long Range Desert Group and the Special Boat Squadron. The total strength of the defenders is around 8,000 men, primarily naval and administrative personnel. Led by Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, the German plan, Unternehmen Leopard, aims to capture Leros using a combination of air raids and coordinated amphibious and airborne assaults, including units as the Brandenburgers and the Fallschirmjäger. Blitzkrieg tactics are employed to overwhelm the Allied defences. The battle begins on November 12th, 1943, with heavy Luftwaffe bombing raids targeting key installations and defensive positions. This is followed by amphibious landings at Pandeli Bay and Grifo Bay. Despite fierce resistance, the Germans establish beachheads and capture strategic points. Significant engagements occur around Apetiki hill and the Rachi ridge. The Germans’ superior air power and reinforcements, including airborne troops, gradually turn the tide in their favour. Fallschirmjäger play a crucial role despite heavy casualties. The Allied forces struggle with inadequate air support, poor communication, and logistical issues, hindering their ability to mount a coordinated defence and respond effectively to the German assault. After five days of intense fighting, German forces capture Leros on November 17th, 1943. The fall of the island results in substantial casualties for the defenders, with many troops taken as prisoners. The German victory solidifies their control over the Aegean Sea. The British suffer 4,800 casualties, many taken as prisoners, and lose 26 vessels and 113 aircraft during the Aegean operations. The Germans capture 1,388 British and 3,145 Italian prisoners. On October 4th, 1943, German troops execute the captured Italian commander of the island, Colonel Felice Leggio, and 101 of his officers, in accordance with Hitler’s September 11th, 1943, order to execute captured Italian officers. The Germans suffer 1,109 casualties, losing 21 vessels (mostly small) and 92 aircraft.