1st Light Scout car Field Park at Ballantrae.

Ist Light Scout car Field Park at Ballantrae.
Hi
I am trying to discover my dads war history and I have a record that shows he was in the Royal Artillery 9th battalion but in Jan 1943 was Permanently Attached to the 1 light Scout field park at Ballantrae. From there he was posted to India and was in India and Burma until 1946.
Can anyone assist in a history or description of the Scout car Park and its purpose in India. Or assist in where I can look.


Many thanks
Tim

 

I have also found his unit in located Ballantrae was a cover name for the sonic deception unit.

 

Did you dad ever say what type of scout car were used?

It sounds like a specialist unit so good luch with your search.

there as quite an archive at the public records office

Sonic Warfare Records, WWII - Your Archives

 

Hello Singeager,
That is the strange thing. In his war photos and his tales it was all about large trucks (Bedfords I think) The scout car reference seems to be a bit of a red herring.

 

Hi there,

I too have been looking into my granddads war history. He was enlisted into the RAOC as a storeman in 1944. From this point he moved about a fair bit posted to Earlstoke which I found to be an American Hospital.

From what he told my dad it appears he had some involvement in this sonic deception unit as well.

He was also attached to the 1st light scout field park at Ballantrae (this is stamped onto his papers as a restricted posting) then on to India. All of these postings were with the 60 special squadron. (Again as stamped on his papers).

So far I haven't been able to find out any information about 60 special squadron.
I know that your posts were from a few years ago have you found out any more information about there postings to India?

Do you have any squad pictures as they may have served together at some point?

many thanks

Christopher Blackman

 

I have tried to find out more about my father's work at Ballantrae. His army records show that he was commissioned as second lieutenant and posted to the Coastal Artillery Training Unit in Plymouth in mid - January 1944. At the end of January 1944 he was posted to 3 Light Scout Field Park, Ballantrae. I know that place was a "secret". In fact, it was so secret that when I inquired on trip to Ballantrae a few years ago nobody had any knowledge of that secret work nor where it was carried out.

My father told me that he was involved in making the sounds of tanks. Apparently the British Army had full sized model "tanks". These fake tanks were deployed over a large area. The enemy knew that the British Army had fake tanks but did not know which ones were fake and therefore had to spend their defences over that large area. The sonic unit that my father was attached to was involved in making the sounds of tanks to further add to the confusion between fake and real tanks.

 

Yes my dad also drove the Bedford trucks in India. Driving around with large speakers and a large recording device that he used to play battle sounds on. In an attempt to confuse the Japanese.

 

Sounds like they were possibly involved in psychological warfare in Burma. We had a great thread on this a while back. Might be relevant to your research:

History of SOE Political Warfare Section, Force 136

 

Tim, I have the following notes that might help you. Other folks on here may be able to expand further:

In September 1942, the 303rd Indian Armoured Brigade was "formed" in Baghdad to command three Indian cavalry regiments: 65th, 66th and 67th. This was set up by Advance H.Q "X" Force (a three-man team sent from "A" Force in Cairo) to create deception measures for Persia and Iraq into fooling the Germans that there were larger forces in theatre than there actually was. The "regiments" were deception units with only skeleton staff and the whole "Brigade" numbered less than 200 men. The "Brigade" built dummy armoured vehicles. However, by early 1943 the need for a "dummy tank brigade" in the theatre had diminished and in April 1943 it was decided the send the "brigade" to India to conduct deception measures against the Japanese. The "brigade" sailed with elements of 5th Indian Division to India, arriving in early June 1943.
After two months, it was decided to re-designate the "Brigade" as 303rd Indian Infantry Brigade and the units reorganised into a H.Q. Unit and six "Observation Squadrons", numbered 51st to 56th. These were manned by the Intelligence Corps (India) and were to deal in tactical deception against the Japanese. Each "squadron" consisted of a thirty-man field section.
In December 1943 this force was augmented by the 4th & 5th Light Scout Car Companies, trained and equipped in the U.K. for sonic deception warfare with Bedford lorries, Scout White Cars and jeeps, and 1st Light Scout Field Park that produced soundtracks for their Poplin equipment
51st Squadron served at Imphal, 53rd & 56th Squadrons served with the second Chindit expedition, whilst 52nd, 54th & 55th Squadrons served on the Arakan front. By mid-1944 all of the squadrons were withdrawn as they only had limited success and collected at Barasat, near Calcutta. In September 1944 the Light Scout Car Companies were converted into two more Observation Squadrons, now totalling eight, and these were in turn re-designated Companies and assigned a specific ethnic group:
51st Company - Punjabi Mussulmen
52nd Company - Pathans
53rd Company - Jats
54th Company - British
55th Company - Sikh
56th Company - British
57th Company - Punjabi Mussulmen
58th Company - British

On 18th October 1944 the "Brigade" was re-designated "D" (Deception) Force and all companies, except the 56th, were in action in Burma by January 1945. "D" Force returned to India in May 1945 and the three British companies were amalgamated and re-designated the 59th & 60th Special Squadrons

That's all I have, hope it helps a little
Regards
RobG64

 

Hi everyone,

Having been a while since the last post on this thread has anyone found out any more information about the light scout cars and involvement out in India.

My own research has led me to discover the ship that transported my grandfather from the UK to Bombay "SS Strahnaver" and I have found that when he arrived he was sent to a transit camp in Kaylan which there was an active RAF airfield (until 1947) 6km south of the town.

Also does anyone now where to find out what the basic training upon call up consisted of or where to find this as my searches throw up training from the present day.

Many Thanks
Regards
Chris.

 

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has managed to uncover any more information in there research.

Regards Chris.

 

Hi, I feel I have struck gold. I have been looking into my fathers army service during WW2. I have his army records, he was originally with 58th (Sussex) Field Regt RA. However, his trace goes a bit odd after the regt returned to UK from North Africa in 42/43. (He was awarded the BNAF medal) His service record has him on an X-List at Ballantrae and Colmonell, Ayrshire Scotland, assigned to 2 Light Scout Car Coy and 3 Light Scout Car Field Park (or could be Party). and then, from late 42 through part of 43 he is shown as embarking/disembarking overseas. He has Italy Star and I have a photo of him somewhere in Italy in early 44. I have tried in vane to fine any references to these Light Scout Car units, until, that is I read this post. Not only that, my dad, who would not talk about his service, did on one occasion talk to me and my son about being involved in deception by making battle sounds and broadcasting these over loud speakers, and, I think he inferred this was done at at least one of the Italian landings. So, Thanks to those who have posted, and I would appreciate any help or additional information on this topic, and the post have helped me regain my efforts after a period of dead ends. Thanks John H

 

I can help here. Just trying to figure out how best to transpose the content that I have.

 

Do mine ears deceive me? Things that go bump in the night…

Wizard (of Oz) Warfare

The Second World War was the first conflict where audio recording, storage and rebroadcast technology could be practically applied in support of the Military Deceiver. The Official History of the Second World War commissioned by the UK War Office and published in 1953 describes how this was achieved:

“Sonic warfare consisted of putting over by night to the Enemy listening posts, recordings of sounds of various types of military operations as part of a diversionary plan to draw his attention away from the place or direction of a real thrust. Sonic operations were also on occasion mounted further to the rear to mislead Enemy agents or a civilian population thought to be hostile.”

The kit used to perform sonic deception was what we would now call leading edge and came from the film, radio and telecommunications industries. Personalities from the UK and US entertainment industries would play leading roles in using sound for military purposes.



It will come as no surprise that in 1942 Colonel Dudley Clarke and ‘A’ Force carried out some initial experiments in Sonic Deception in the Western Desert, hiring an Egyptian film company to record various military sound effects that were played back against the Italians and Germans during the battle of Halfaya. However, it was Major Cecil Disney Barlow from the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry who really got UK sonic deception up and running, supported among others by Leslie Norman – Barry Norman’s father – a renowned film editor who later went on to produce ‘the Cruel Sea’ (1953) and direct the film ‘Dunkirk’ (1958).

Barlow’s proposal was that small armoured scout cars manned by hand-picked signallers and RAC drivers would penetrate to within 1,000 yards or so of the enemy and reproduce sounds of tanks, vehicles or automatic weapons. In late 1941 Barlow ran a demonstration of the potential use of sound effects to a party of British senior officers:

“…And then the makeshift lights were turned out and the assembled brass hats were left in total darkness and, for a while, silence. Some of them were beginning to complain that all this was a frightful waste of time, bearing in mind that cigars and brandy were awaiting them at the plush hotel they had just left, when, in the distance, they heard the cough of an engine, then a vehicle backfiring. From the left flank came the roar of an even more powerful engine, soon to be joined by the noise of others and the clatter of tank tracks. It was impossible to tell how powerful the advancing force was but the onlookers turned towards the sounds, straining to catch sight of the attackers, whereupon another, larger, force of heavy tanks advanced towards them from the right, slewing on hard ground, splashing through water, their engines protesting as they crested steep hills.

The assembled officers could see nothing but those who had duly taken note of the terrain could tell roughly where the vehicles were – just there, over to the left – no, over to the right – no, no, directly in front of them.



Suddenly the sounds stopped. Again the night was silent, And then the lights were turned on and the officers discovered that the only military vehicle to be seen was a single Churchill tank that had crept up, unnoticed in the general uproar, behind them.”

And Why Not?, Barry Norman 2003

Based on the success of the demonstration, Major Barlow was authorised to create Camouflage Development and Training Centre (B) in May 1942. He set up shop in Laggan House in a remote part of Ayrshire, which was renamed the Light Scout Car Training Centre a few months later.



American Poplin

The “powers-that-be” decided to source kit for sonic deception from the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) rather than wait for UK equipment to be designed and manufactured. The medium was to be commercial 35mm sound film and the RCA apparatus was known as POPLIN in British use. This comprised the sound head, exciter lamp supply unit, pre-amplifier, three power amplifiers, two cube speakers and an Onan generator.

The LSCTC fitted POPLIN kits into US White scout cars, which were small, highly mobile and self-supporting. Great care was taken to try and retain the profile of the original vehicles – now known as sonic cars – as the intent was to make them blend in with conventional units. The cube speakers were mounted on a hydraulic frame, so they could be lowered and covered for travel but extended and rotated when needed. Lightweight kit was also later developed for the airborne forces (essentially a jeep and trailer combination), for canoeists and for man pack use in the jungle.



Once up and running, the LSCTC trained and equipped LSC Field Companies and LSC Field Parks for their specialist roles. The Field Companies delivered the tactical sonic effects – simulating the movement and harbouring of infantry and armour; movement of SSVs; movement of landing craft; bridging, bulldozing and other engineer activities - whilst the Field Parks stored the effects library, prepared the necessary sound tracks and provided 1st line support for the sonic cars. Each Field Company had the following ORBAT:

• Coy HQ -- x 2 Offrs, x 16 ORs -- x 2 White Command Cars, x 3 3-tonners, x 1 m/c
• Ops Tp -- x 1 Offr, x 10 ORs -- x 1 White Command Car, x 4 White Operational (Sonic) Cars, x 1 m/c
• Ops Tp -- x 1 Offr, x 10 ORs -- x 1 White Command Car, x 4 White Operational (Sonic) Cars, x 1 m/c

After the volunteers and kit were brought together, No.1 LSC FP and x2 LSC Fd Coys were allotted to South-East Asia, No. 2 LSC FP and x2 LSC Fd Coys to the Mediterranean and No.3 LSC FP and x3 LSC Fd Coys to North West Europe. The Royal Navy also got in on the act by stealing the eighth formed LSC Fd Coy to establish its own Combined Arms Scout Units (COSUs), who performed sonic warfare operations from landing craft and MGBs/MTBs.

Hollywood gets in on the Act

Around the same time as Laggan House was being requisitioned, the Americans were also starting to take an interest in Deception. They established Joint Security Control (JSC), the supervisory board of senior officers that equated to the UK’s London Controlling Section and planned and organised US deception activities. One of those brought in for the technical work was Harold Burris-Meyer, who had developed the cinema stereo system for Walt Disney’s cartoon film ‘Fantasia’. instead of 35mm film, though, the US sonic researchers opted for wire recording using stainless steel wire. A two mile spool of wire could last for 30 minutes of recordings and two spools were fitted in each playback unit.

A number of battle experiments were run at Sandy Hook using requisitioned yachts and fishing boats fitted with USN loudspeakers and the sonic concept was soon deemed to be ‘a runner’. This is where a Hollywood actor by the name of Douglas Fairbanks Junior came into the frame.



Fairbanks Junior was perhaps the George Clooney of his day. The son of a star of the silent movies, Douglas Junior commissioned as a Reserve officer in the United States Navy before Pearl Harbor and in early 1942 got himself drafted and assigned to Lord Mountbatten's Combined Operations HQ in the UK. Lieutenant Fairbanks participated in several British cross-Channel operations and witnessed the creation of the LSCTC and the COSUs at close hand.

When Fairbanks transferred back to the USA to prepare naval forces for the invasion of North Africa, he managed to convince the Chief of Naval Operations to recruit a special naval deception unit. This became the Beach Jumper program – named for its ability to ‘scare the Be-Jesus out of the enemy’. The BJ program was married up with the new Bell Labs wire recording technology, as well as new EW kit such as chaff-firing rockets and radar jammers. Beach Jumper Units 1, 3 and 5 eventually took part in the invasions of Sicily, mainland Italy and Southern France whilst BJU 4 conducted small boat operations in the Adriatic. BJUs also served in the Pacific theatre.

The Ghost Army Assembles

Under the direction of the JSC, the US Army was also now looking into the practical application of sonic effects. By February 1944 an Army Experimental Station was up and running at Pine Camp (now Fort Drum). The officer in charge was Colonel Hilton Railey, who had served in the AEF in WW1 and was a respected PR man with extensive contacts in business. Railey immediately grasped the potential of aural effects and threw himself into raising the 3132nd Signal Service Company.

The 3132nd comprised a HQ platoon, three sonic platoons and a chemical platoon. The broadcast equipment was fitted into M3A1 half tracks, converted to fit the speaker unit and playback equipment. When folded down and tarped, the half-tracks were indistinguishable from the many others in use across the US Army. Each M3A1 was also rigged with explosive charges to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy.



The chemical platoon was originally put in the Coy ORBAT to provide the company with a smoke screening capability but an enthusiastic platoon commander decided to train it to provide a recce and perimeter security force for the ‘heaters’, as they were known.

Once ready for deployment, the 3132nd was sent to England to come under 23rd Special Troops - now more famous as the Ghost Army. The role of the Ghost Army in North West Europe has been covered by a number of books and TV programmes over the years, so I won’t revisit old ground here. There are also a couple of official (and a little creaky) WW2 films about US sonic deception available on Youtube, including this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjathDWC1UA

Suffice to say that sonic effects became a critical part of the overall 23rd Special Troops package.

Sonic (GB) Goes To War

Italy

The sonic cars of No.2 LSC Fd Coy went out to North Africa on Christmas Day 1943 and on from there to Italy, where they were joined by No.2 LSC FP and No.6 LSC Fd Coy. However, the deployment was cursed with bad luck. A complete set of Field Park vehicles and equipment was sunk outside Salerno Harbour and then in February 1944 the OC No.2 LSC Fd Coy was killed and the OC No.6 LSC Fd Coy severely injured during a reconnaissance along the Eighth Army front. Further demonstrations to senior commanders and operational recces were conducted but the sonic units were all sent home in July 1944. A US sonic deception unit did provide support to the British 5th Army before the last spring offensive in 1945.

North West Europe

No.3 LSC Fd Coy was merged with No.1 LSC Fd Coy ahead of OP OVERLORD. Sonic cars operated in Normandy from shortly after D-Day as part of R Force under 21st Army Group, often – but not always – working with visual deception specialists. They also occasionally supported Psychological Warfare units. C Tp of No.3 LSC Fd Coy landed in Normandy on 10th June whilst D Tp went ashore six days later. Coy HQ and the remaining two Tps arrived on 14th July.

Elements of No.3 LSC Fd Coy seems to have been kept busy during the Normandy breakout and beyond:

• OP RAINDROP, Le Havre - 11-16 June 1944
• OP EPSOM, Caen - 24-26 June 1944
• OP HOSTAGE II, (NFDK) Normandy - 16-18 July 1944
• OP TROUSERS, (NFDK) Normandy - 11-12 August 1944
• Assault across the LEOPOLD CANAL, northern Belgium - 05-06 October 1944
• Assault on BLERICK, near Venlo - 01-03 December 1944
• OP PLUNDER, Rhine Crossing - 24 March 1945
• OP QUICKANGER, Arnhem – 11-13 April 1945

​

General Ritchie – 12 Corps commander for the BLERICK action – said that:

“There is no doubt at all that the deception measures had a very real effect on the Enemy and undoubtedly led him to believe that the main attack was coming from a direction different from the one it did. This was, I feel quite sure, largely due to the work of the sonic deception unit, and I would be grateful if you could please pass my appreciation on to them.”

South East Asia

No.4 and No.5 LSC Field Companies and No.1 LSC FP were sent out to India in November 1943.

The climate, topography and vegetation in India and Burma all made for a unique set of challenges for sonic deception so Leslie Norman was sent out from the LSCTC to carry out additional experimental work. At one stage he found himself left overnight alone in the jungle on Ramree Island, just off Burma, his Indian Army escorts having misunderstood their orders and buggered off on another task:

“Dad was left with his recording equipment, his field rations, his slit trench - and what the hell do I want a slit trench for, he wondered, uneasily - alone in the middle of the Burmese jungle. To him, every noise - and there was plenty of noise - was either a marauding beast of prey or, even worse, a marauding Japanese soldier.”

And Why Not?, Barry Norman 2003

The experience clearly stayed with Norman, because it became the background story (the "MacGuffin") for his 1961 film "The Long and the Short and the Tall", which starred Richard Todd, Richard Harris, Laurence Harvey, David McCallum and Ronald Fraser.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z0bDV69g34

By October 1944 the British LSC sonic capability had been merged with an Indian Army brigade to form D Force, which then contributed to operations in Arakan in spring 1945. Most of the sonic effects were delivered by jeep-mule kits fitted to small motor launches.

Conclusions

Having read into this subject for a while now, it becomes clear that UK and US deception capabilities - and in particular sonic deception - were given the very highest levels of security classification. This meant that operational and tactical commanders were often not aware that the tactical deception capabilities existed, let alone how best to employ them. Mistakes were also made, where deception units were used draw enemy attention, only for a genuine Friendly unit to then move up and occupy the same sector of the front and suffer casualties as a result.

Post 1945 the role of sonic deception became established in the ORBATs of both UK and US forces. The Beachjumpers continue to exist in modified form today within the US Navy, whilst 77X has inherited an extensive sonic effects library built up by 15 POG over many years. In the meantime, broadcast technology has also come on leaps and bounds though an adversary can also see in and through the dark much better than ever before.

Even though night vision capability has become considerably more sophisticated I think there is still a place for sonic deception in the 21st century. As I said in a previous article, the human ear is the easiest sense to deceive with things that go bump in the night.

AJP

 

Footnote

Colonel Barlow posted out of the LSCTC in 1944. He briefly became commander of the 114th Infantry Brigade before promotion to CO 1st/4th Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He was killed in Normandy on 26th July and is buried in Ranville Cemetery.

Barlow was awarded an OBE in King's Birthday Honours List of June 1944. The citation reads:

"Col. Barlow is personally responsible for the initiation and development of an entirely new form of warfare which may well play an important part in future campaigns. His technical ability and drive have been taxed to the full to enable his invention to reach the stage it has, and the interest taken in it by the most senior officers of other Services and Nations has required of him much tact coupled with well considered judgement of people and of tactics. His own immediate military advancement may well have been prejudiced by the time he has devoted to this special subject, but he has never permitted personal considerations to stand in the way of bringing his organisation to fruition."

 

SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TYPES OF WARFARE: VISUAL AND SONIC WARFARE Official History Of The Second World War Army - Naval & Military Press

 

A Posthumous VC for Deception

Force X, 303 Bde and the Observation Squadrons

Inevitably, the origins of Deception in the Far East go back to Dudley Clarke and A Force in Cairo. A new camouflage unit was raised under the British 10th Army [1] in Iraq in 1941 to manipulate and operate dummy tanks in support of strategic deception. Force X was deployed to Iran and took on the guise of the notional 303 Indian Armoured Brigade (65, 66 and 67 Cavalry regiments). In 1943 the ‘brigade’ was transferred to India Command.

General Wavell – now C-in-C, India Command – saw the need to develop a local Deception capability but had no call for large scale visual deception as practised in the Western theatres. The flow of the conflict, the nature of the jungle terrain and the limited capabilities of Japanese aerial reconnaissance meant that there was little or no need to deploy decoy tanks and such-like. Also, the inability of either side to move large formations quickly from one portion of a front to another meant that deception plans were always far more local in scope than in the Middle East and Europe. Finally, the Japanese had poor radio intercept capabilities, making wireless deception largely redundant.

Instead, the British considered their Japanese foe to be susceptible to what he saw and heard in close jungle country. Hence, 303 Bde’s role changed from deploying decoys to conducting reconnaissance tasks (including beach recces for landings), demonstrations and feints. To achieve this the Bde was organised into six Observation Squadrons - 51 Obs Sqn which served at Imphal; 52, 54 and 55 Obs Sqns which served on the Arakan front; and 53 and 56 Obs Sqns which served in North Burma alongside the Chindits.

Rumbles in the Jungle

By November 1943 India Command now had also acquired two Light Scout Car companies for Tactical Deception – but with no sonic cars. The LSC Training Centre (LSCTC) in Ayrshire had always earmarked two companies and a field park for service in the Far East but recognised that White scout cars would struggle in the extreme climatic conditions. Instead, the LSCTC specially developed a portable combination of tropicalised speakers and playback equipment, which could be carried by jeeps or mules but were often fitted to Allied landing craft [2]. Peter Fleming tried to procure MGBs for specific assignment to D Force but none were forthcoming - the priority for production went to the North West Europe theatre.

The main customer for sonic deception was Combined Operations South East Asia Command (SEAC). They asked GSI(d) for sounds of:

“paddling, splashing of paddles in water, scraping of boat bottoms on the shore, footsteps on coral or shingle, cracking of twigs and dried seaweed etc., whispers, [and] orders given in low voice”.

Another request was for:

“ships engines in reverse, anchor cable running through hawse pipes, winches, landing craft engines revving up, kedge anchor dropped with splash into water, loud creak of bow ramps being lowered, orders given in a whisper or loud voice e.g. ‘Stop engines’, much crunching of sand and shingle, occasional clink of weapons, sharp challenge, a struggle, small arms fire (first from Enemy side, then from both sides), fire from support craft (LMG and mortar fire), demolition charges going off”.

The Name’s Fleming – Peter Fleming

The driving force for Deception in India Command was Lt Col Robert Peter Fleming OBE DL. He was a British adventurer, journalist, soldier and travel writer – a kind of cross between Jeremy Clarkson and Levison Wood. He was also the elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Fleming was sent to Delhi in March 1942 to form part of Wavell’s small deception team – GSI(d), later known as D Division, immediately throwing himself into the task.

Over time, India Command built up a small team of Deception planners in GSI(d) who conducted long-term order of battle deception, wireless deception and the running of double agents, all coordinated with the London Controlling Section and an alphabet soup of regional government agencies. All this effort took place in spite of two significant challenges – a. the constantly changing nature of Allied command structures and campaign plans in the Far East and b. the difficulty in getting Japanese Intelligence staff to take any notice of Allied deception measures let alone getting Japanese Operations staff to pay them any heed.

D Force Assembles

In October 1944 D Division took over 303 Brigade and the Light Scout Car companies in Barrackpore (near modern day Kolkata) to create D Force. There were also supposed to be Combined Arms Scout Units sent out to join D Force from the UK but Mountbatten, as Supreme Commander South East Asia Command, repurposed them for his own Small Operations Group.

The British and Indian observation squadrons were amalgamated with the LSC companies under D Force and reconstituted as companies:

• 51 Obs Coy (Punjabi Muslim)
• 52 Obs Coy (Pathan)
• 53 Obs Coy (Jat)
• 54 Obs Coy (British), including a LSC (Sonic) Tp
• 55 Obs Coy (Sikh)
• 56 Obs Coy (British), including a LSC (Sonic) Tp
• Depot Company, including a LSC (Sonic) Tp

Companies from D Force were attached to virtually all the divisions in Fourteenth Army and XV Independent Corps at one time and another. They served with distinction in the Arakan and Minapor areas in 1944 and during the successful advance through Burma in 1945.

Lieutenant Claud Raymond VC

Lieutenant Claud Raymond Royal Engineers (58 Observation Squadron, 303 Indian Brigade att'd 'D' Force ( India ) earned his posthumous VC on 21st March 1945 at Talaku, Burma, during a typical D Force operation. The citation for the award in the London Gazette gives the following details:

In Burma, on the afternoon of 21st March, 1945, Lieutenant Raymond was second in charge of a small patrol, which was acting in conjunction with a larger detachment of a special force, whose adjective was to obtain information and create a diversion in the area of TAUNGUP, by attacking and destroying isolated enemy posts some 40 miles in advance of an Indian Infantry Brigade, pushing down the road from LETPAN to TAUNGUP.

The patrol was landed on the south bank of the THINGANET Chaung, an area known to be held by numerous enemy strong points and gun positions, and marched about five miles inland. As they were nearing the village of TALAKU and moving across an open stretch of ground, they were heavily fired on from the slopes of a jungle covered hill by a strongly entrenched enemy detachment. Lieutenant Raymond immediately charged in the direction of the fire.

As he began to climb the hill he was wounded in the right shoulder, but he ignored this wound and continued up the slope firing his rifle from the hip. He had advanced only a few yards further, when a Japanese threw a grenade which burst in his face and most severely wounded him. He fell, but almost immediately picked himself up again, and, in spite of loss of blood from his wounds, which later were to prove fatal, he still continued on, leading his section under intense fire. He was hit yet a third time, his wrist being shattered by what appeared to have been an explosive, bullet. In spite of this third wound, he never wavered but carried on into the enemy position itself and, in the sharp action which followed, was largely responsible for the killing of two Japanese and the wounding of a third. The remaining Japanese then fled in panic into the jungle, thus leaving the position in our hands, together with much equipment.

The position itself was strongly fortified by foxholes and small bunkers and would have proved extremely formidable had not the attack been pressed home with great determination under the courageous leadership of Lieutenant Raymond. Several other men were wounded during the action and Lieutenant Raymond refused all treatment until they had been attended to, insisting despite the gravity of his injuries, on walking back towards the landing craft in case the delay in treating his wounds and carrying him should endanger the withdrawal of the patrol. It was not until he had walked nearly a mile that he collapsed and had to allow himself to be carried on an improvised stretcher. Even then he was continually encouraging the other wounded by giving the thumbs up sign and thus undoubtedly helping them to keep cheerful and minimise the extent of their injuries until the landing craft was reached. Soon after he died of his wounds.

The outstanding gallantry, remarkable endurance and fortitude of Lieutenant Raymond, which refused to allow him to collapse, although mortally wounded, was an inspiration to everyone and a major factor in the capture of the strong point. His self sacrifice in refusing attention to his wounds undoubtedly saved the patrol, by allowing it to withdraw in time before the Japanese could bring up fresh forces from neighbouring positions for a counter attack.

Claud Raymond was 21 years old at the time of this engagement and a Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers. He is buried in Taukkyan War Cemetery in Burma (now Myanmar).



D Force returned to India in mid-1945 and was disbanded in 1946.

Peter Fleming received an OBE in the 1945 Queen’s Birthday Honours and in 1948 he was awarded the Order of the Cloud and Banner with Special Rosette by the Republic of China.

[1] 10th Army’s main task was the maintenance of the lines of communication to the Soviet Union from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian and the protection of the South Persian and Iraqi oilfields.

[2] In the same manner as the USN Beach Jumpers.

 

Hi Frog Prince
Sorry this is a late reply/comment on your post of Aug 2022, which I have just seen since you replied to my post of Sept 2021, but that's research for you. In late 2021 I obtained my fathers army records, and copies of the War Diaries of 2 Light Scout Car Company, both of which have allowed me to put together quite a comprehensive details of my fathers journey through WW2, from BEF, Dunkirk, Home Front, 2LSC and Italy. In your paragraph "American Poplin" you give the ORBAT for a Field Coy. I enclose a photo of just such a company, which I believe was taken at Lagan/Ballantrae/Colmonell late 1943.

The following text reference the photo is my own conjecture of its origin - "One other photograph in my father’s possession is not dated. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that it is of the members of 2 Light Scout Car Company, possibly at Ballantrae. As previously stated, my father was on the X(i)-List at that point, and on close examination of the photograph it is clear that there are various cap badges, berets, insignia and uniform being worn by those present. It was common that new or small specialist units were comprised of personnel from various branches and regiments of the Army, all of whom would usually retain their regular unit dress and uniform insignia, and all of whom would most probably be placed in the X(i) List. In addition, I believe the soldier sitting third from the right on the first row, and the soldier first from the right on the second row, are the same two seen with my father and one other in the photograph on page 51 which was taken in Italy in April 1944. And, the final point is the number of personnel in the photo. There are 46 persons present; 5 officers, identified by pips on their shoulder and wearing a tie, leaving 41 others, that can be identified as a mixture of Senior Non-Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks, a total of 46 personnel.

The War Diary for 2 Light Scout Car Company states that on the 31 December 1943 while in Algiers the company strength, was, 5 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer, 37 Other Ranks, 2 Other Ranks in transit with MT Ship, 1 left in UK; giving a total of 46 personnel.

This evidence therefore strongly suggests that the photo is of 2 Light Scout Car Company, and that it was most probably taken at Ballantrae sometime in November or December 1943 just prior to the unit embarking for Italy. My father is 2nd from the right, 3rd row back."


Later, in your paragraph "Italy" You quite correctly sum up 2LSCs time in Italy, "frustrating" is a word my father used. The War Diaries give details of the death and injuries to the two OCs, and illustrate the attempts to move on from this incident. Incidentally, they also contain letters whereby HQs were trying to disband, or at least make use of 2LSC personnel for "other duties" such as maintenance and guard duties. I would be interested in the source/reference to your information on the loss of equipment at Salerno, there may be a hint to this in the war diaries, but no detail.
Anyway, thanks for your very interesting article,
John H

 

There are several threads here id'd by searching with sonic; they are within just under a hundred threads on sonic booms and more. I knew about deception, but not the mechanics involved as the ear can be deceived easily.