Last year I was privileged to meet an old gentleman who was a Phantom. I know he fought in the Vosges mountains in France where, I believe, a whole village was wiped out by the Germans. I have a vague idea what happened but the gentleman concerned didn't want to tell me about it at the time. I will not divulge his name here but there is a garden at the National Memorial Arboretum which bears the name of his late wife (who was SOE). I have no idea what his late wife did in the SOE and I only have a vague idea what he did in the Vosges mountains. Any suggestions as to research or further reading would be appreciated.
Sounds to me like a member of a Jedburgh team, para-dropped to work with the Maquis, but to be more certain, it would be interesting to know if the village you mention was destroyed in retaliation for an ambush or in actual combat; even the date of the attack would provide clues. As for a search, try "Jedburgh" as a keyword; Google would do the trick to begin with.
Sounds to me like a member of a Jedburgh team, para-dropped to work with the Maquis, but to be more certain, it would be interesting to know if the village you mention was destroyed in retaliation for an ambush or in actual combat; even the date of the attack would provide clues. As for a search, try "Jedburgh" as a keyword; Google would do the trick to begin with. As far as I can work out from information I have from other people you are correct in that he was a member of a Jedburgh team. The village was apparently destroyed in retaliation.
Hi Sheila, At a guess it maybe Oradour-Sur-Glane without checking where the Vosges mountains are on google earth. The whole area around Oradour was heavily Marquis FF and there are a lot of random memorials in the hills at the road side showing where people where executed by the Germans. Here's a link to a trip I did: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-battlefields-today/15031-bike-trip-oradour-sur-glane.html Cheers Andy
Well, even though it would have been easier to investigate with that ace on one´s sleeve, the time frame to search into stays between June and December of ´44; Jed ops happened during that period. However, the mention of the Vosges sort of like points out to the months after August. I´ll see what I can find
Take a crack at this link: Jedburgh team operations in support of the 12th army group, August 1944 I´ll keep looking for a certain op I vaguely remember having read about, one in which the Jed organized Maquis held a mountain position (rather prematurely, as it sadly turned out) against a couple of Nazi divisions. After their defeat, the Hun turned against the civilians in the area and commited yet another massacre.
Harry Ree mentioned this the other day on another thread, could this be it? Maquis du Vercors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harry Ree mentioned this the other day on another thread, could this be it? Maquis du Vercors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Guess it is... :sorry:, my lapsus. No Jeds involved. Will keep looking for the right one.
It is not the Vercors which is the plateau country which is between Grenoble in the north and Die in the south. I would think that it is the village of Moussey which is about 5 kms north east of Senones which in turn is about 5 kms from the major road of the region,the RN 59. The group involved were a party of SAS who were captured around the village and were murdered.They lie in the village churchyard.It was about September 1944 and a sorrowing pity that this occurred shortly before the area was overrun by Allied forces.Already there had been substantial deportations from the village before the appearance of Allied troops but after this particular incident, the Germans imposed further deportations and executions.At this time, the retreating Germans were shooting anything that moved and as usual were taking their fury out of civilians. As far as I know,there was no Jedburgh units or SOE involvement in the activities at Moussey. I have some photographs of this area taken sometime ago when we spent some time there going into Alsace.I will try to post them when I can.
Hope this helps. Try 'The Secret Hunters' by Anthony Kemp. And this. BBC - WW2 People's War - Operation Loyton
The Vosges operation by the name of "Loyton" was carried out by No 2 Regiment SAS.This operation was planned to be supported by the Jedburgh team "Jacob" whose British member was Victor Gough and who was later captured and murdered in November 1944.The"Jacob" team had problems on parachuting into the Vosges and as I see it, never got involved with Operation "Loyton", having not being able to make contact with the 2nd Regiment SAS. As I posted before, there was the first group of SAS soldiers who were captured around Moussey,murdered and later buried in the local churchyard.There were also a second number, 8 in total,captured in the Foret du Donon at Grandfontaine and are remembered by a memorial.(on a forest track, passable by car).The memorial,erected by the local French,gives a date of death, "here", of 16 October 1944.After seeing this memorial a few years ago,I checked their burial site and found that to my surprise,it was Durnbach in Bavaria,a concentration military cemetery created post war,which suggested death had occurred in Germany.CWGC records gave a death of the individuals on two dates,15 October 1944 and 16 October 1944. There was a third group of 14 of the 2nd Regiment SAS who were captured in the Vosges and this party, after going through the usual brutal treatment were taken along with two French priests into Germany to a military camp in Gaggenau which is close to Karlsruhe.Here the group of 16 were murdered. I have yet to ascertain their final resting place.(It might be that the Grandfontaine group of 8 might have been in this group but it is not clear, although their final resting place of Durnbach suggests that Gaggenau could be the place of execution.) One of the SAS troopers on the Grandfontaine memorial is Private Edwin Thomas Weaver and while researching this memorial, I came across an article written by David Weaver who I think is the trooper's son.It is included in an article entitled "Resistance et Deportation dans la vallee du Rabodeau" which also includes an article by Victor Gough's nephew on his uncle's service and death in the Vosges. About 15 years ago,I remember a very interesting documentary relating the efforts by Major Barkwith and Sgt Major "Dusty" Rhodes,immediate post war, to track down the perpetrators of the war crime of executing SAS personel, captured in the Vosges. Incidentally,I believe it was Major Barkwith, who first was able to report the existance of Natzwiller concentration camp to the British authorities,the first concentration camp to be entered by the Allies.Its existance was kept confidential at the time and publicity was only given to its discovery when the authorities deemed it was appropriate to do so. Photographs to follow on broadband.
I've got some scans to upload about 'Loyton' but for some reason the site won't let me, so maybe later.
Thank you all for your replies and links to some fascinating reading. My old gentleman was indeed involved in Operation Loyton and he was a Jedburgh. The village in the Vosges mountains I was thinking of was Moussey. There is a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum to those who died in that operation, civilians included.
Thank you all for your replies and links to some fascinating reading. My old gentleman was indeed involved in Operation Loyton and he was a Jedburgh. The village in the Vosges mountains I was thinking of was Moussey. There is a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum to those who died in that operation, civilians included. Sheila, Does the old gentleman happen to be Mr "S"? If so, he has an interesting story to tell regarding the fate of team "Jacob".I may be incorrect with my assumption.
Moussey village memorial.Vosges October 2003. Memorial plaque to civilians deported and did not return home from Germany.Large numbers rounded up and deported on 19 August 1944.
