Hi, Would anyone have any paperwork, or know any TNA references, for Operation SNAPDRAGON (the May 1943 raid on Pantellaria), Operation BUTTERCUP (the June 1943 abortive recce of Lampedusa), Operation MARIGOLD (the June 1943 abortive raid on Sardinia), or Operation SASSOON (the December 1943 op to recover escaped POWs from behind the lines in Italy). Any help very much appreciated as the TNA search engine drives me mad! All the best Skip
For Starters.... MFQ 1/428/11 Italy: Pantelleria. Track chart of HM Submarine Unshaken, Operation Snapdragon 24-30 May 1943. Originally enclosed in a patrol report dated 30 May 1943 from J Whitton, Lieut in Command. MFQ 1/586/5-6 Atlantic Ocean. 2 track charts of Convoy HG 76 showing (5) attacks by U-Boats 14-23 December 1941 and (6) the sinking of U-574 by HMS Stork 19 December 1941. Reference note on Operation Buttercup. Scales: (5) scale not constant; (6) 1 inch to 500 yards. Compass indicators. Dimensions of sheets: (5) 43 cm x 37 cm; (6) 44 cm x 35 cm. DEFE 2/357 Op "Marigold" 1943
Drew - thanks very much for those. I looked at Unshaken's chart the last time I was at Kew which did help me to confirm the date of the Snapdragon landing and will do the same for the navy's Buttercup reference. The Marigold DEFE file holds only two recommendations for awards rather than anything solid about the operation. I'm sure there must be op reports for these somewhere, especially as one man was lost on Snapdragon and two on Buttercup ... but I'll be damned if I can find them! I'm pretty sure there was a smaller raid on an island in the Western Med called Op SPIDER but cannot find anything on this either Appreciate your reply as always
Cheers Drew - if you, or anyone else, can nail them down I will happily pay for copies as just do not get to Kew enough nowadays.
I have written an account of Operation Snapdragon, with illustrations and photographs from a visit to Pantelleria. Anyone wishing to see a copy can do so by contacting me through my website: www.hmsunshaken.co.uk.
I recently came across a story written by a 16 year old Italian (Ettore Damini) which tells of his time as an interpreter/guide for a small group of 2SAS on Operation Sassoon headed by Capt James Edmund Cameron. Until then, I'd not been able to find my Grandfather (Edward Williams who would have been a Cpl then) mentioned in reports but I knew he was in Italy at this time rounding up PoWs. Here's a link to Ettore's story.... Damini, Ettore | Monte San Martino Trust Archives (msmtrust.org.uk) I have also managed to download Capt Cameron's story written for the Blackwood's Magazine (I'll see if I can share that somehow). I've been fortunate enough to be able to contact Ettore's son and Grandson, relatives of Sgt Fitzpatrick, Cpl Brake and 2 of the 3 families who had given refuge to the Group during the Operation in December 1943. Why your interest in Op Sassoon?
