St. Scholastica (480–542 A.D.) was born in Nursia, Italy, to a noble Roman family, along with her twin brother, the famous St. Benedict of Nursia. Their mother died in childbirth. Scholastica was dedicated to God as a child, and from a young age both siblings sensed a special divine calling. They both entered religious life and established communities within five miles of each other; St. Scholastica led a convent near Monte Cassino where Benedict established his world-renowned monastery.
Because of the isolated nature of their vocations, the siblings only met once a year at a local farmhouse to discuss spiritual matters. During what was to be their final meeting, St. Scholastica had a premonition that her death was imminent. She asked Benedict to spend the night at the farmhouse so they could continue their visit, but he refused as it was forbidden in his monastic rule. Scholastica turned her request to God and prayed that her brother would stay with her. Suddenly a great thunderstorm erupted that made travel impossible, and Benedict was forced to stay. Scholastica died a few days later, and in a vision St. Benedict saw her soul leave her body in the form of a dove.
St. Scholastica is the patron of nuns and against lightening, rain, and storms. Her feast day is February 10. (From Catholic Company's e-newsletter and possibly from The Lives of the Saints)
submitted by Hey all, it’s been a while. Before we begin I just want to say that I love the support this series has been getting, and while I will absolutely be continuing it going forward, there's just no way that I can keep it to a regular schedule. With the holiday season coming in fast, several experienced people at my job leaving for greener pastures, and, of course, the Pacific (and Modern Warfare...) dropping right now, there's just no way that I can continue dropping good, high-quality, Tommy Tuesdays that I can be proud of at the rate that I used to. On the bright side however, today's Tommy Tuesday is arguably the most well-researched one yet, as I actually had to go out and buy a book just to find good reliable, information about today's unit. So, without further adieu, let's get right into it!
In war-time a naval blockade can be a powerful tool to cut-off your enemies from the outside world. Denied food for their people, resources for their war machine, and communication with potential allies, an enemy under a blockade is at a severe disadvantage. To get around this, small, fast, and stealthy ships will be employed to blitz through the blockade. These ships are called Blockade Runners, and their use in warfare goes back almost as far as the concept of a blockade itself. While the British blockade of Germany was perhaps the largest and most impactful naval blockade of the war, the Wehrmacht introduced a new, novel, take on the concept. For nearly the entire first half of the war, the Luftwaffe reigned supreme over the entire Mediterranean. Any British ship attempting to sail through its waters would come under relentless air attack, forcing the British to sail reinforcements for their embattled North African forces all the way around Africa, a process that took months. In a sense, the Axis Powers’ air supremacy became its own form of blockade, and one which the traditional blockade runner was ill-equipped to tackle. Today we’ll be exploring the unit that was born to run the Luftwaffe’s air blockade, and how it came to operate in one of the most forgotten theaters of the war.
But first, a quick examination of the Blockade Runner set as it appears in-game. For those who aren’t already aware, this set was dropped piece-by-piece through “Weekly Airlifts," unlike the others. Exactly like every other deluxe edition set though, this set is just a reskin of other common cosmetics with unique headgear. Curiously though, the set that DICE reskinned for the top of this one, The Patriot, was already reskinned for the Desert Medic. Meanwhile, the legs of this set are taken from The Writer (which we have not covered yet) and are composed of US M42 Paratrooper Pants worn with US Army M43 Double-Buckle Boots. A bandage has also been wrapped around the right leg for extra tacticool appeal or...
something ;). The unique headgear for this set is a knit stocking cap resembling those sometimes worn by British soldiers or US troops along with a pair of US M1944 Dust Goggles. The pattern applied to the individual pieces seems to be loosely inspired by the pattern sometimes applied to US Airborne Pathfinder uniforms, although it is different for the top and bottom. The hat also sports some manner of camouflage patterning. Overall, I am totally unsure of what this set has to do with blockade running in its current state. At least the hat gives off some commando vibes, but if you’re dead-set on making a stocking-cap commando the “Death in the Afternoon” headgear may be a better choice.
https://preview.redd.it/xnjr1hde1nv31.png?width=231&format=png&auto=webp&s=875372cae7fc667d7b9ce1bf30f7e4938e37b660 It was a brisk morning in the Scottish Isles when one man set out on a mission to change the face of warfare forever. Armed with little more than his folding kayak and a lifetime of experience, he was determined to prove the worth of his dream to create a special group of kayaking commandos. His target on that day was the HMS
Glengyle (later serving with Layforce) and, despite his own craft’s lack of size and speed, he was confident that he would be able to board the larger ship and show the officers who had laughed in his face just how wrong they were. Exhausted from nearly a full day of sailing the waters off the Scottish coast, he clambered aboard the large ship and, without drawing attention, wrote his initials on the door of the captain’s quarters, stole a pair of his trousers, and swiped the cover of a deck gun. Now back aboard his boat, he set course back to Invereray to finally get the recognition his ideas deserved. Exhausted and soaking wet he burst into the hotel in which the officers were staying, the drenched gun cover in his hand, and once more made his case. This time, his concept proven, the officers relented and promoted him to the rank of Captain. He was given the command of a unit of 12 men dubbed the “Folbot Troop,” and told to begin training immediately. This man was Roger Courtney, but this is not his story. Rather, today we will be following the exploits of the unit that the Folbot Troop would become, the Special Boat Squadron.
Below, Courtney can be seen with his dog. This picture was taken in the aftermath of his departure from the Folbot Troop, having fallen terribly ill while training them in North Africa. While the ensuing leadership struggle would mark their decline, David Stirling, commander of the SAS, scooped up the unit shortly before his capture. While his time with them would not be long, his visionary leadership would set the SBS back on the course to greatness. While much of Courtney’s uniform isn’t visible, it can be inferred that it is likely a basic Battledress Officer’s Uniform.
https://preview.redd.it/ank6ann0zlv31.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4abb0d21895110b25d058fd2cd410e06758767e While it is said that the official founding of the Special Boat Squadron occurred on April 1st, 1943, the truth isn’t quite so exciting. While there is an ironic sort of sense to a unit with so impish and mischievous a reputation being founded on April Fool’s day, in reality the SBS had actually been formed on March 19th, nearly a fortnight earlier. Based on the remnants of D-Patrol, Special Air Service under the command of George Jellicoe, the 2nd Earl Jellicoe, itself based on what remained of the Folbot Troop after the disastrous operation Anglo, the SBS burst onto the scene in early 1943 ready for action. Jellicoe organized his new unit into three squadrons, dubbed "L," "M," and "S," after their leaders' initials. Though the track record of their predecessors had been rocky up until that point, it was under the leadership of Jellicoe that things would come to improve, eventually.
Operation Husky would see Allied forces taking the first major step back into retaking continental Europe, and marked the full realization of the Allied Powers’ strength. Before it could begin though, something had to be done about the German bombers stationed on Sardinia. With each one capable of sending an entire transport ship carrying 2,000 men to the bottom of the sea with a single bomb, the risk posed by the sheer possibility of even one slipping through the Allied fighter screen made many hesitant to give Operation Husky the green light. While the RAF had proven themselves capable of attacking airfields on their own, it was decided that boots on the ground were necessary to ensure the Axis’ birds stayed in their nests. This, it was decided, was where the SBS’ L Squadron would have to intervene. Using the SAS’ raids as a model, a three week long excursion was launched on the 30 of June, 1943. Codenamed “Operation Hawthorn,” it would end in disaster. Compared to the SAS’ successful raids, there were several notable distinctions to be made. For one, while the SAS’ raids usually happened over the course of a week at most, with only one night seeing real combat, the SBS were expected to stay on the island for nearly a month, launching multiple consecutive raids and evading capture throughout. Secondly, whereas the SAS could always pull out early if things got too bullety, the SBS were trapped on an island swarming with enemy forces. Thirdly, the SAS were never sent into combat while suffering from Malaria. While L Squadron’s medic had the medicine to treat this, he was unable to inform his patients what the medicine he was giving them was actually for since it had been decided that such information would damage morale. As a result, few took the prescription seriously and many men fell quite ill before the raid even began, including the medic himself. As if matters were not already bad enough, the SBS’ guide, a suspicious Italian expat by the name of Louis Tempanyro, was assigned as the squadron’s guide. The commandos found him difficult to work with and doubted his loyalty, as he had been conscripted against both his and their will into the mission. It’s no surprise that he disappeared only hours after the first group of commandos came ashore.
Over the course of nearly a week the Italians slowly rounded up the commandos who didn’t pass away from disease in the wilderness and loaded them into a truck bound for the Sassari jailhouse. Only one group had actually managed to do any damage, with the others who had even made it to their targets reporting that the Italian guards seemed all too prepared for an attack, with extra barbed wire, well-organized patrols, and large searchlights being deployed. All evidence pointed to someone sounding the alarm, and as if there were any question as to who had snitched Tempanyro eventually joined his imprisoned fellows following a lengthy stay at the Italian barracks. Jellicoe, who had suffered a car crash at around the time of the Operation, didn’t find out about what exactly had happened until one man was returned to his unit over three months later. Having been left around the sick and drinking contaminated water from a stream, Sergeant Pat Scully managed to simultaneously contract malaria and dysentery during his stay in the Sardinian prison. Deemed unfit to be moved to a German prison alongside the other men, he spent the next two months hospitalized, only being moved via plane to Naples days before the Italian surrender. With the country collapsing around him, he managed to slip away unnoticed, eventually getting picked up by an American patrol and sent back to Jellicoe nearly a month later. While the few surviving members of L Squadron (those who had gotten too sick before the operation and were left behind in Algeria) were moved to S Squadron, the SBS was still down nearly a third of their number following just one operation. Losses like this simply weren’t sustainable and, had it not been for another simultaneous raid on Crete, the SBS may well have been entirely disbanded.
If Sardinia was the bastion of the Luftwaffe in the west, Crete was their impenetrable fortress in the East. The men of S Squadron sent to the island of heroes would concoct a plan eerily similar to that of Operation Hawthorn, but under the veteran leadership of Captain Sutherland and without concern for an inconveniently timed outbreak of malaria, things were actually looking up for the men of S Squadron. Coming ashore on the night of June 23, 1943, B and C patrols made contact with the Cretan Resistance who would guide them to the Heraklion and Kastelli airfields, respectively. Four days later, D patrol climbed onto the rocky shore and began making their way to the Tymbaki airfield, which would turn out to be empty. While the going was rough, the SBS nevertheless made it to their targets in time to conduct a thorough reconnaissance. B Patrol’s guide, a resourceful Cretan teenager named Janni, volunteered to scout their airfield. When he returned, it was with the news that Heraklion had been abandoned, but that they had found a much more exciting target. A depot containing thousands of gallons of aircraft fuel was only a few miles west of their hideout. The night of the attack B patrol found the gas guarded by only a pair of Germans with dogs. Hoping to give the animals little cause for alarm, only one man entered the dump that night while the rest pulled overwatch. Following a close call when the two guards stopped to gossip only a few meters from him, the commando managed to successfully slip away unnoticed after planting his bombs. The fireworks that night were immense, as the flaming fuel from the dump ignited an undiscovered ammo cache hidden nearby, sending overcooked munitions off into the night sky. Meanwhile, C Patrol found the Kastelli airfield not only bustling with German activity, but far better defended than any airfield the commandos had ever seen. Not about to let their enemies win so easily though, Lassen, a frightful Danish man who many, himself included, saw as a modern example of the viking warrior spirit, ordered his patrol to commence with the attack. While he and another man went after a handful of Ju-88s on one side of the airfield, two more circled around to deal with a dozen heavily guarded stukas on the other. Upon setting their bombs, Lassen and his man heard a commotion coming from the other side of the airfield. Suspecting that their colleagues had been spotted, they moved in to check it out, and continued their sabotaging while the sentries were distracted. Unbeknownst to them however, another guard had stayed behind and attempted to stop the two strange men. Lassen, who was fluent in German, attempted to tell him off. The guard responded in Italian, and probably thinking something along the lines of “
Well, shit,” Lassen whipped out his Smith & Wesson and fired. The shot rang out through the night, pulling the guards’ attention away from the other two men and back to the planes, where a pair of unknown strangers now stood over the body of their dead comrade. In the ensuing chaos, Lassen began throwing Mills bombs left and right to throw their pursuers off their tail. In no time, the Italians began to fire upon themselves and, in the mayhem, the commandos managed to slip away.
The next day, as the SBS units moved to regroup, Elements of C and D Patrols were stopped by 25 islanders who wanted off the island. In retaliation for the attacks the preceding night, the Germans occupying the island had massacred an entire village and were threatening to kill more if those responsible were not turned in. S Squadron now found themselves in a precarious situation. They couldn’t just send these men back to their deaths, but 25 extra bodies would strain their supply lines and put them at far greater risk of discovery. Eventually, Sutherland decided that he would have to radio Cairo for an early pick up just as their long-range radio died. Now scrambling in broad daylight to find a suitable replacement, it is nothing short of a miracle that no Axis patrols spotted them by the time they were able to hook up a pair of smaller batteries and send out the SOS. After a short wait, they got a reply back from Cairo. The ships were on their way, and would be arriving at midnight. Now scrambling for the beaches, Sutherland, his men, and the refugees made camp on a ridge overlooking the sea. Though an uneasy sense of dread hung in the air, the men of the SBS kept themselves in high spirits throughout the rest of the day, nearly missing the sound of Germans shouting somewhere very nearby. One cannot imagine the surprise the two patrolmen must have felt when suddenly, out of nowhere, a dozen heavily armed commandos burst from the rocks and ordered them to lay down their weapons. With the only other alternative being death, the Germans obliged. Since they had found only two, the Allies concluded that more must be out there. While the British were assembling a group to go out and track them down, the Cretans, who soon burst from their camp with great furor, beat them to the punch. Within the hour the sound of a firefight could be heard nearby. While the situation was undesirable, the SBS decided to hang back and hope that the wind would continue to conceal the commotion. As the sun went behind the horizon and the world fell to darkness however, the air became suddenly very still. Deciding that their current position was now inadvantageous, Sutherland moved his men, the remaining Greeks, and their prisoners down to the beaches. Setting their packs into two rows in the sand for a quick getaway, a small squadron of commandos were assembled and dispatched to go and retrieve their trigger-happy companions, and to keep the Germans pinned until they could evacuate. When the ships finally arrived however, the commander of the small relief force, an accomplished, if over-eager, soldier named Ken Lamonby, failed to return with the others. The men of S-Squadron were able to convince the boat to go back around and search for him, but Lamonby’s fate would be sealed on that island. Unknown to the brothers who left him behind, Lamonby had been fatally wounded trying to take the Germans on up close. He passed away in a hospital near Heraklion some time later.
Below Lassen (left) and Lamonby (right) can bee seen, possibly on Crete some time during their escape from the Germans. Their uniforms are fairly simple, consisting of Aertex desert shirts, knit wool “commando” caps, and (based on evidence from other photographs I’ve seen but which I am unable to share) Pattern 1941 KD Shorts. They also have a handful of personal bits, either reminders of who they are or specialized bits of equipment to help them in their commandoing. Lassen wears a necklace of some manner and a set of P37 Webbing that he had customized to be little more than a belt of pistol ammo pouches (I know from aforementioned other photographs). Lamonby, meanwhile, sports his signature pipe and a scarf. He too appears to be wearing some manner of P37 webbing, and although I cannot infer how he’s wearing it based on other photographs, it is clearly not in the basic style.
https://preview.redd.it/ttx0xv378mv31.jpg?width=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44ee73cfe10c407333eaf797b90a3272746b4c58 Upon their return to friendly lines, it became apparent that S Squadron would not be allowed to rest for long. The developing situation in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean would call them back to arms, alongside M Squadron, in early September. While the Italian armistice had been signed on September 3, 1943, it was not made publicly known until the 8th, five days later. It was also on the 8th that a very surprised Jellicoe and a number of other British officers stationed in the Middle East were hastily summoned to Cairo to discuss how they would handle this sudden change of course. For many, this meant that they were being redeployed to more active fronts, but for Jellicoe this meant that his squadrons would once more be setting sail for the Greek Islands. The Italian occupied Dodecanese had long been of strategic interest for British High command, namely the main island of Rhodes, on which many commandos had already lost their lives. Nevertheless, a day after having been briefed Jellicoe and two other men parachuted onto Rhodes. They planned to make contact with the commander of Italian forces on the island and convince him to turn his 35,000 strong garrison against the much smaller 7,000 strong German garrison, effectively capturing the island overnight. To their dismay, the Italians surrendered to the Germans on Rhodes, turning what could’ve been a quick and easy operation into a nearly three month long campaign. While the rest of the islands were quickly captured with minimal bloodshed by the SBS, the British were struggling to muster the manpower and equipment to capture Rhodes. Instead, the SBS, now reinforced by the LRDG, Greek Sacred Circle, and Levantine Schooner Flotilla, would have to pick up the slack and do everything they could to starve the German garrison into surrender.
Disaster struck in early October when orders came down from Hitler himself that not only would Rhodes never surrender, but that the Wehrmacht would launch a full-scale invasion of the Dodecanese to rip them right back out of Allied control. Beginning with the invasion of Kos, Allied forces were caught totally off-guard. Sutherland watched the chaos enfold from his observation point on the neighboring Kalymnos and decided that he should send in a small unit of his own men to assess the situation. What they saw was grim. British forces on the island were confused and disorganized, and the Germans were now working to mop up what little resistance remained. Deciding to beat them to it, the group sent to Kos set about evacuating survivors. Working over the course of a week without boots and little more than the few clothes they were able to scrounge up to warm themselves in the cold, autumn, nights (they had attempted to escape the island themselves aboard makeshift rafts, but had been forced to swim back when they proved non-seaworthy, stripping unnecessary clothing as they went), they managed to save nearly a hundred lost, confused, and starving men.
Below a pair of men who participated in the rescue operation on Kos can be seen. On the left is Dick “Jeff” Holmes, who led the operation. His outfit consists of a British Army Sweater, pair of Pattern 1941 KD Shorts, and what I believe to be a beret (the SBS wore beige berets with SAS badges throughout WW2), although it could just as easily be some sort of wool cap. Around his waist is a P37 webbing belt supporting a pistol holster for his prized Smith & Wesson revolver, a P37 Pistol ammo pouch, and some manner of other large pouch, possibly a P37 Utility Pouch that he might be using to carry extra ammunition for his Tommy Gun. The man on the right is Duggie Pomford, a former boxer turned commando (there seem to have been a lot of those…). Like Holmes, he wears an Army Sweater, however in place of the KD shorts more commonly worn in Greece he has instead acquired a nice, warm, pair of Battledress trousers. Around his neck he has a pair of binoculars and tucked beneath his arm is some sort of blanket. While he too has a P37 webbing belt, his appears much more sparsely adorned, as he is likely taking advantage of his trouser’s large leg pocket for carrying ammunition. The elephant in the room however, is their boots. Referred to by the commandos as “Canadian Boots,” they seem to be some manner of duck boot, and were likely a private purchase of the two men. As this style of boot proved itself popular with the SBS thanks to its durable, waterproof, rubber bottom and flexible, easily worn, calf-length leather upper portion, there are many pictures of SBS commandos sporting them from the latter half of the war. With so little information available though, it is impossible for me to say for sure what these “Canadian Boots” actually were. Also, notice the bandage wrapped around Holmes' leg...
hmm.... https://preview.redd.it/tyvpfln9cmv31.jpg?width=306&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=744d8ca66a931a6b62ef894d96eb0005520e3c40 Meanwhile on the island of Simi, 26 commandos, mostly from M Squadron, alongside roughly 140 Italians garrisoning the island and 40 RAF ground crewmen whom the SBS had “coaxed” into helping them were preparing to fight a bitter defense for the island. When the Germans did come ashore the 20mm Breda Autocannon that they had placed overlooking the bay began tearing into them, and while several of the attackers managed to penetrate further inland, reaching Simi Town, they were met by a bloodthirsty Lassen who began to viciously push them back to their boats. With the enemy routing, another group of the SBS set off in a boat of their own and chased down the unarmed German ships, pushing them right into view of a Bren Gun battery that they had set up the day previous. The machine guns riddled the wooden deck with bullets, killing and wounding many more men. The Allies’ victory was well-fought but would be just as equally short-lived. When the German officers in charge of the Dodecanese campaign found out about this humiliating defeat they came down hard with the Luftwaffe. Over the next several days stukas rained hell on the island, killing Allied soldiers and Greek civilians indiscriminately, ultimately forcing the Allies off of the island.
A similar situation faced the men attempting to hold Leros, including most of S Squadron. Throughout the month of October, the island was indiscriminately bombed both day and night by the Luftwaffe. Following a brief moment of rest in the first week of November, the Germans once more resumed their attacks. With their efforts primarily focused on the coastal defences, it became evident that the German attack would be coming at any moment and, realizing the tenuous situation, Jellicoe (who had just arrived on the island alongside what remained of M Squadron to take charge of the situation) sent a handful of reliable men under the command of Lassen north to Samos. Their instructions were to begin preparations to pull Allied forces stationed there out in the event that Leros fell, as their position in the Dodecanese would no longer be salvageable at that point. Additionally, Sutherland was sent to contact the Royal Navy to arrange for an evacuation of Leros in the event that their defense failed. Finally, on the morning of November 12th the first German invaders began making their way onto the beaches under withering fire from the Allied guns. By that afternoon, the Allies’ lines held strong as dozens of Ju-52s filled the sky overhead. The commandos had proven their efficacy against the Wehrmacht’s regular infantry time and time again, but they had never faced a foe like the one that began embarking from those planes. These were no grunts, nor even elite fallschirmjägers. Instead, Hitler had sent none other than his finest soldiers to do battle with the British commandos. Nearly 500 Brandenburgers descended onto the island that day and, if they were anything like what was claimed, the battle was already lost to the Allies. Over the next few days, the Germans and Allies clashed in a vicious tug-of-war over the rocky slopes of the island. While the initial surprise of the airborne attack had allowed the Germans to secure the central region, cutting the Allied force in two, subsequent attempts to land troops by parachute proved disastrous. Not only were Allied forced ready and picked them apart with an onslaught of machine-gun fire, but a strong wind blew many off course and into the sides of cliffs, houses, or into the water where they drowned. By the 15th it looked like the Allies might be able to actually push back the Germans, but the following day everything changed. Unbeknownst to nearly all Allied forces on the island, a squad of Brandenburgers had managed to slip through their lines and set a course straight for Robert Tilney, the commander of all Allied Forces on Leros. To ensure that this bold play went undiscovered, the Luftwaffe was called in once more and, on the morning of November 16th, they forced the Allies back on the defensive. The Germans began to slowly but surely take ground, and when the Brandenburgers informed Tilney of this situation, at gunpoint, he was persuaded to capitulate. When Jellicoe found out about this betrayal, he was furious and rounded up whatever British forces he could to make a mad dash for a Royal Navy motor transport that he had arranged to evacuate them. The fall of Leros and the subsequent abandonment of Samos marked the official end of the short-lived Dodecanese campaign, but not for the SBS.
As the winter of 1943 gave way to the spring of 1944, The Germans found themselves being boxed in on all sides. In the East, the Red Army was battering a crumbling Wehrmacht out of their land and into the old killing grounds of Poland and the Baltics. Looking south, the combined might of the Western Allies had finally broken the stalemate at Monte Cassino and forced the Italians to surrender. In the skies over Western Europe, Allied bombers struck at the very heart of Germany, killing thousands. Most importantly of all, a force was assembling and training to undertake the greatest amphibious invasion the world had ever seen just across the English channel, with D-Day only six months away. The only front on which Germany seemed to have made any gains was in the Aegean, but the SBS wasn’t about to let them take that win so easily. Under orders to undertake a clandestine naval campaign, the purpose of which was to force the Germans into wasting resources that could be used on more important fronts, the SBS began a long series of raids and attacks that many within their ranks bluntly described as “Piracy” and “Terrorism.” From Stampalia to Piscopi the SBS made the Germans pay dearly for their occupation of the Greek islands. For nearly 4 months their reign of terror went practically unopposed until, in late March, they attempted to launch a raid against the islands of Chalki and Alimia, just north of Rhodes. A German spy in Turkey had gotten word of the SBS’ plans to attack the islands and forwarded this information to the commander of the German forces on Rhodes. As soon as the commandos had set foot on Alimia they were rounded up, arrested, and sent to be interrogated before ultimately being handed over to the SS for “liquidation.” The SBS’ luck hadn’t totally run out though, as even though many of their secrets were spilled, the Germans foolishly broadcast what they had learned over public propaganda channels, giving their enemies a chance to adapt before they could even use the information that they had gained. While this ultimately saved many lives, all commandos understood that to be captured meant death, and the execution of good men and friends could not go unpunished. When the SBS struck next, it would be for blood.
In late April, 1944, S Squadron was given to go ahead to expand their area of operations to include the Cyclades, an archipelago before-now untouched by British forces. To announce this new theatre and ensure that the Germans got the message, Sutherland devised a plan to launch 3 simultaneous attacks on Santorini, Ios, and Mykonos. In addition to their standard orders to destroy German shipping and communication infrastructure, a third objective was also given: To eliminate any enemy targets as opportunity provides. On Santorini, Lassen and his men led a direct assault on the barracks, slaughtering the Germans as they slept while a small handful of his men destroyed the wireless station further inland. On Mykonos, the SBS discovered that the garrison comprised only nine men, all of whom were either killed or captured in a single night. Finally, the group sent to Ios eliminated the garrison there and destroyed German communications equipment and an ammo dump before moving on to Amorgos. There they killed the lieutenant in charge of the island who had sent his entire garrison to Santorini to hunt for an already long-gone Lassen. Realizing the golden opportunity they had, the raiders on Amorgos set up an ambush for the returning Germans, killing all but two of the ten that arrived. Throughout the month of May, lightning raids with the goal of spreading terror through the German ranks such as these continued, ultimately eliminating 15 enemy ships, 17 communications centers, untold dozens of enemy soldiers, and capturing 25 tons of food from the Germans, most of which was redistributed to the starving civilian populace of the islands. As the SBS had taken to growing out their beards and wearing strange clothes such as German Field Caps and
Special Hooded Smocks, an American reporter given the chance to visit their headquarters at this time could not help but make the comparison between them and Robin Hood. For the Germans however, the bloodthirsty bearded devils that came in the night had transformed the Aegean from a nice, peaceful, even beautiful post where embattled units recovering from the horrors of the Eastern Front could be sent for much needed R&R to a whole new flavor of hell. Although S Squadron would eventually be pulled back to Palestine, ending their month of chaos, M-Squadron would pick up where they left off.
Below a handful of men from S Squadron can be seen aboard one of their “Pirate Ships.” Andy Lassen again makes an appearance (top right), but also of note is Stefan Casulli (bottom left) who was one of only two Allied soldiers that died during the Cyclades raids. The men of the SBS wore a wide variety of clothing by this point, with the photo below serving as an excellent example of this. The commandos wore anything from the typical Aertex shirts and P1941 shorts to early pattern British Army sweaters and sometimes even just their underwear (Aegean summers are
hot). The aforementioned “Canadian Boots” were still a popular choice in this theatre, however some men (like Lassen below) also grew fond of South African pattern boots, which were lighter and more comfortable in the Mediterranean heat. Finally, additional equipment such as commando caps, berets, binoculars, and P37 belts for carrying sidearms were all common.
https://preview.redd.it/1n7p9wpmnmv31.jpg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a24e198b3a0b44ee2b75d7e0aaed2aedc957e8f Knowing that the Germans had reinforced their garrisons in the southern Archipelagos, M Squadron instead attempted to shift their focus north to the Sporades. Discovering these islands to be a poor hunting ground though, the SBS once more set a course for the Dodecanese. Here, they would conduct the largest special operations raid the world had yet seen. Working alongside men from the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment in early July, the SBS used their signature kayaks to silently come up alongside a pair of German destroyers, plant limpet mines, and stealthily make their escape. With the resulting explosions forcing them back to Italy for repairs, the way was now clear. 10 caiques and a pair of schooners collectively carrying 220 SBS, LRDG, Sacred Circle, SAS, and LSF raiders set sail for the island of Symi. Coming ashore in the early hours of July 14, the Allies set up mortar and machine-gun positions overlooking the German defenses that had been reconnoitered by a small force of SBS commandos a few days prior. When the sun first began to rise in the sky, the SBS opened fire on the unsuspecting Germans. Within the first hour of fighting the commandos swept through Symi town, capturing a large number of Germans. Meanwhile, two other forces had moved to capture the island’s two major landmarks, which the Germans were using to house their men. While the monastery force were able to drive their quarries to the edge of a cliff and force a surrender, those sent to the castle faced a far more determined foe. Locked in a stalemate for several hours, the commander of the fort was eventually compelled to parley, and ultimately surrender. Having taken prisoner 151 Germans and killed another 21, the British spent the remainder of the day demolishing anything and everything that the next garrison might use before disappearing back over the waves, prisoners in tow. The next day a German invasion force was sent in to re-take the island, only to find it totally abandoned save 21 dead men. The Symi raid, sometimes called Operation Tenement, was a resounding success for the Allied forces, but it was also the SBS’ last operation in the Aegean, as well as where we will have to end today’s installment of Tommy Tuesday. While I would love to go into further detail about the SBS' exploits in the Balkans and beyond, I'm afraid that to do so would require me to double the length of this already incredibly long installment. Fret not though, as I am sure that we will revisit this unit again some day, even if only to tell those stories.
Now, it is time for us to imagine what, in an ideal world in which DICE actually tried to give the British Faction British cosmetics, the Blockade Runner might actually look like. As with all pre-order bonus sets, I will be leaning a bit more into the tacticool side of things, though with this set I will be going for more light-weight, stealthy, and fast sort of aesthetic. Starting with the head, while it is tempting to go with something like a German Tropical Field Cap since the SBS took a liking to these, a more balanced option that I think would be just as well, and also help to point to their theater of operations, would be a
Greek fisherman's hat with an (admittedly slightly anachronistic)
SBS Patch. Moving on to the torso, a
British Army V-Neck sweater, worn without the typically accompanying undershirt forms a nice base layer onto which a
P37 Webbing belt covered in
Pistol Ammunition Pouches and a
holster for a Smith & Wesson style revolver should be worn. For further detailing, the sleeves should be rolled and a
British Officer's Watch should be worn around one wrist. Finally, a scrim-scarf, nicely tied and tucked under the sweater, completes the look. Finally, for the legs, as a nice nod to the legend of Roger Courtney's raid on the HMS Glengyle, a pair of
Royal Navy Officer's trousers should be worn with a pair of "
Canadian Boots." Both as a nod to the actual set as well as to protect the hem of the nice Officer's pants from damage, a sort of improvised puttee, looking suspiciously like a bandage wrapped around the top of each boot into which the trousers are tucked, should be worn.
And with that, I end this Tommy Tuesday. Next time, we'll be looking at Sandman, Desert Rat, and Dust Raider. I don't think it takes a genius to see what I'm planning with these, but regardless, I look forward to seeing you all next time, whenever that may be.
If you just read all of this and aren’t sure what’s going on but want to learn more, this is part of a weekly series in which I breakdown various British uniforms used throughout WW2 in the hopes that it will raise awareness of just how varied authentic British cosmetics could actually be and to (optimistically) get DICE to actually give the British faction real British Uniforms. This is because, despite the voices, flag, and vehicles of the current allied faction all being British, the actual cosmetic options available to this “British” faction are anything but. The British as they currently appear in game are just Americans with Brodie Helmets and London accents, and until DICE adds actual British cosmetics, that is all they can ever be. For people like me who were excited to see a modern battlefield take on WW2 and to be immersed in this setting in a way that only the Battlefield series allows, BFV has been a massive disappointment. This is only one small part of that problem, but it’s the one that I feel most qualified to talk about, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this series and maybe even learn something from it as time goes on. If you would like to know more, a list of previous Tommy Tuesdays can be found in the comments below.
This is a little long so bare with me. Not 100% about solo travel bout would appreciate the help from a solo travelers perspective. My trip begins 6 May 2018 Flying out of Boston at 9pm arriving in London with an 8 hour layover the next morning at 7 am and then to Rome. After leaving on 15 may Italy im stopping into the Netherlands to eat a restaurant ive been craving before heading to Dublin for 48 hours on my way back home.
I will be arriving in Rome at around 7pm local time on Monday May 7th and I am flying out of Naples at 9:30 AM for my next stop. This gives me a full 7 days between Rome and Naples. Im looking on input on how much time I should plan for certain Activities.
My first full day in Rome I am planning on waking up early trying to get the tourist tings out of the way (Trevi fountain, Colosseum, forum, ect) Is this to ambitious to try to do these things in one day? I have heard Collosseum, Forum and Palatine hill can be done in around 4 hours with timed tickets. I am planning a day trip from rome at some point to Bacciano to visit the Italian aviation museum and castle. I want to do this on my last day in Rome.
I am renting a car to travel between Rome and Naples and I am currently planning on a full day of travel between the cities (2h 50m) and visit the Battle field of Monte Cassino and San Pietro.
In Naples I want to visit Herculaneum, Pompeii and Vesuvius Which im assuming I could do in a day, So I was thinking of maybe doing a day trip to Paestum to visit the greek ruins and spend time on the Amafi coast.
So at this point I have 4/5 days planned out. Do any of these days sound too rushed and should I spread out? Anything I should add or take out? How would you lay out this trip? I am also looking for suggestions on Hostels to stay at while im there. For the hostels im not too into partying.
One last thing is in the Netherlands I want to either go to Utrecht or Rotterdam. Which one of these cities would you go to for the day?
I appreciate the help!
submitted by Leaving the US out of Boston on May 10th and flying into Amsterdam to get some food I’ve been craving from FEBO and will be traveling to Rotterdam for a day.
The part I need help with is going to be the 6 days I have in Italy. My currently plan is leaving the Netherlands on Sunday the 13th and flying into Rome and arriving at around noon. This trip is going to focusing a lot of Ancient Rome and WW II. So I’m currently planning on doing all the major Ancient sites in Rome then renting a car on the 15th or 16th and slowly making my way down to Naples, visiting Monte Cassino and the village of San Pietro on the way. In Naples I plan of visiting Pompeii and Hercules and hiking Mount Vesuvius. I would then fly Home out of Naples on the 18th.
I’m just wanting some input on what’s worth seeing and doing in Italy in regards to these things based of personal experience, I’m aware Rome can get quite busy which is why I’m planning for mid May hoping to cut down on tourists. Any ideas would be appreciated!
submitted by Leaving the US out of Boston on May 10th and flying into Amsterdam to get some food I’ve been craving from FEBO and will be traveling to Rotterdam for a day.
The part I need help with is going to be the 6 days I have in Italy. My currently plan is leaving the Netherlands on Sunday the 13th and flying into Rome and arriving at around noon. This trip is going to focusing a lot of Ancient Rome and WW II. So I’m currently planning on doing all the major Ancient sites in Rome then renting a car on the 15th or 16th and slowly making my way down to Naples, visiting Monte Cassino and the village of San Pietro on the way. In Naples I plan of visiting Pompeii and Hercules and hiking Mount Vesuvius. I would then fly Home out of Naples on the 18th.
I’m just wanting some input on what’s worth seeing and doing in Italy in regards to these things based of personal experience, I’m aware Rome can get quite busy which is why I’m planning for mid May hoping to cut down on tourists. Any ideas would be appreciated!
submitted by Cassino, Italy. More. About Monte Cassino Battlefield Tours . Battlefield tours in Cassino, Anzio and Rome organized by fully licensed tour guide specialized in historical tours available both for groups & individuals. You will have a WW2 guide at your disposal for a full day not only a driver. Whether you require a day trip to Montecassino or Anzio, private guided tours in Rome at the Vatican ... Take a tour of the Monte Cassino Polish War Cemetery, Italy to visit historic site in Cassino. Get the Reviews, Ratings, location, contact details & timings Visit Monte Cassino in Italy and tour many such Museums at Inspirock. Get the Ratings & Reviews, maps of nearby attractions & contact details Monte Cassino Monastery is located on the top of one of the hills (519 m above sea level) of the Central Apennine. This abbey was founded in the fourth century by Saint Benedict is one of the largest in Italy. The Monte Cassino Monastery during the Second World War was at the center of war events. Visiting Monte Cassino, Italy Monte Cassino (sometimes called Montecassino) is a rocky hill, around 81 km southeast of Rome in the Latin Valley. Atop this hill, at 520m altitude is the most glorious and imposing abbey, home to the Benedictine Order, started here by Saint Benedict himself. Perched atop a rocky mountain above the town of Cassino, Montecassino is a beautiful monastery, famous as being the World War II battle site of Monte Cassino. The abbey has been badly damaged and restored several times throughout its history, including most recently in a major battle in 1944. Dr Danila Bracaglia, historian and licensed guide, monte cassino war tours, monte cassino battlefield tours, following the footsteps of the 36th texas divsion, t-patchers and red bull tours, fssf monte la defensa, monte sammucro, mount trocchio, monte cassino tours, battlefiled tours cassino, ww2 tours italy, ww2 tours salerno, ww2 tours anzio, operation shingle, operation avalanche, tours ww2 ...
The beautiful Montecassino Abbey, in the south part of Latium, 1 h 40 min drive from Rome. The Abbey is on top of a mount and has been completely rebuilt after it's been bombed to almost complete ... [ ENG ] Slow Tour riding a horse, along the path of St Benedict that leads to the great Abbey of Montecassino, rising up above the Liri valley. Beneath the w... On the 15th of February, 1944, Allied troops, believing the Germany military has taken up residence at the 5th Century monastery of Monte Cassino launch an a... DJI Mavic Pro Drone flight over Montecassino Abbey & The Polish Cemetary in Cassino Italy.
