The Special Boat
Squadron Fights Back
Lapraik in a cheerful mood on Symi
In
the first article of this three part series we described the
origins of the Special Boat Squadron, that maverick raiding
force which was to so severely try the Axis occupation of the
Dodecanese. We then went on to describe the SBS’s wartime
activities on our neighbouring island of Halki which
necessitated much digression on the character and deeds of
Anders Lassen. In this article we concentrate on the SBS’s
initial activities on Symi, introducing a no less effective
officer in the form of Ian Lapraik. The third article will
cover the SBS’s subsequent raids on Symi, culminating in
Operation Tenement, one of the most successful commando
operations of the war. By popular request we will also bring to
a close the story of Major Anders Lassen, MC, VC.
Neilson (Ian or Jock) Lapraik qualified as a lawyer before the
war. On its outbreak he was commissioned into the Cameron
Highlanders and first distinguished himself in the Abyssinian
campaign where he won both the Military Cross and the Lion of
Judah which was presented to him by Haile Selassie himself. He
then went on to run a commando training establishment,
specialising in seaborne assault, on Gozo, one of the Maltese
islands. Early 1942 found him back in North Africa where he was
caught up in the great retreat back to El Alamein with Rommel at
his heels. A bit too close, in fact. Lapraik was captured and
was part of a group of British prisoners being guarded at the
side of the road when Rommel’s staff car drove by. Rommel
stopped for a chat, no doubt to gauge the morale of his
opponents, and noticed that Lapraik was lightly wounded. He
gave instructions for him to be taken to a dressing station. By
astounding coincidence the orderly who dressed his wound was a
pre-war German acquaintance. Said friend dressed his wound with
such enthusiasm that the bandages took on quite epic
proportions, as a result of which Lapraik was sent to a field
hospital. From this he escaped quite easily and made his way
back to the British lines. Spring 1943 found him being
recruited by Jellicoe (Major the Earl Jellicoe, commanding
officer of the SBS), along with several other of his colleagues
from the Maltese training centre, into the Special Boat Squadron
then in training in Atlit in Palestine. He replaced Captain
Fitzroy Maclean as head of M Detachment, one of the three
detachments of which the SBS was then composed.
Maclean was a Cameron Highlander as well, but also an MP with
extensive linguistic abilities and widely travelled in Eastern
and Central Europe. He was elevated to the rank of Brigadier
and became Churchill’s special representative to Tito, as is so
well described in his book, ‘Eastern Approaches’. Be that as it
may, on 12 September 1943 Captain Lapraik as he was then, was in
charge of the second group of SBS to leave Palestine, mostly his
M detachment. They sailed from Haifa to join other elements of
the SBS who had left on 8 September by Naval Motor Launch and
who were now established on Kos and Kalymnos as part of the
British scramble for the Dodecanese in the wake of the Italian
armistice, as described in the first article of this series.
Lapraik’s little flotilla of motley launches and caiques
containing about 55 fighting men, including the awesome Anders
Lassen, called in at Kastellorizon and then Kos which was in the
process of being occupied by a South African Spitfire Squadron
(7 Squadron SAAF), Durham Light Infantry and elements of RAF
Regiment flown in by Dakota. The airfield at Antimachia had
been secured by the original detachments of the SBS on the 13th
September, the airlift commencing the following day. By the
time Lapraik arrived it was felt that the situation was well in
hand and he was accordingly instructed to turn back and occupy
Symi.
A Spitfire on an improved strip on
Kos
He
arrived there after dark on the 17th September and
sent in Lassen on a folboat (a kind of kayak) to make contact
with the Italian authorities as they were likely to be somewhat
apprehensive at the approach of strange shipping after dark.
The Italians duly opened up with a 20mm gun until silenced by
Lassen with what was, by all accounts, a blast of quite
memorable profanity. Lapraik then landed and soon established
himself as the de facto governor of the island. His pre war
legal experience made him admirably suited to the convoluted
negotiations which took place between him and the Italian
officials. The senior officer was Naval Lieutenant Andrea
Occhipinti who had 140 soldiers and sailors under his command as
well as nine 8mm and two 20 mm machine guns.
Lapraik soon realised that relations between the local
inhabitants and the Italians were not good. He was forced in
fact to take various measures to maintain the Italian’s
position. In what Lodwick describes as his Hansardesque manner,
Lapraik wrote that when he received a deputation of Symiot
notables: ‘I let them know that wrongs would be righted in due
course, that there would be equity for all, but that, for the
moment, the efficient progress of the war rose above other
considerations.’ (Lodwick, p. 82) We will have a sample of
Lapraik’s less formal writing later.
There
were squabbles between Italians, Greeks and British over their
various national symbols. Things came to a head when Italian
troops assaulted a Symiot for not coming to attention when the
Italian flag was lowered at sunset. After stern words to the
Italian commandant Lapraik organised a joint retreat ceremony at
which the British flag was lowered at the same time. This was
attended by the locals but not without ‘some surreptitious
expectoration’ (Lodwick p. 83)at the sight of the Italian flag.
On the other hand Lapraik had no compunction in confining a
certain officer to his caique when he had the temerity to shoot
at a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel in a cafeneion.
Lapraik did not devote all his time to administration. Lassen
was sent to Halki as we have seen. The New Zealander ‘Stud’
Stellin was sent to reconnoitre Rhodes, gaining much valuable
information about enemy dispositions. A patrol was sent to
Karpathos to recover the crew of a shot down British bomber.
Things may have been peaceful on Symi but the same cannot be
said of Kos. Hitler had ordered the immediate recovery of the
Dodecanese and Samos, which by now had also been occupied by the
British, and the Wehrmacht, with consummate professionalism,
proceeded to oblige. Air attacks on Kos commenced on 17
September. The South Africans and RAF Regiment gunners resisted
as best they could and gave a good account of themselves but by
the 26th they were down to only 4 Spitfires (from a
total of 20!). It was decided to reinforce them with No 74
Squadron RAF and seven aircraft flew in on the 28th,
one being lost at sea off Kastellorizo due to engine trouble.
On 1 October a German convoy heading for Kos was observed in the
Cyclades and it was clear that an assault was imminent. A small
party of 74 Squadron ground staff flew in at midnight on 2
October and as dawn broke was given the dismal task of
destroying essential equipment. The German invasion had begun
at 0430, a combined seaborne and parachute assault. The battle
was hard fought, with heavy casualties on both sides but the
outcome was never in doubt. On 4 October Kos fell. Operation
Eisbär (polar bear!?), under Lt General Müller, was an
unqualified success.
A German soldier fires a flare,
marking the occupation of Kos
Lapraik on Symi was in the dark. He realised that there was
fighting on Kos and on the day the island fell he went over to
have a look. He managed to evacuate a few people and returned
to Symi in what (Pitt p. 109) described as ‘a thoughtful mood’.
He discovered however that while he was away he had been
unexpectedly reinforced by the rest of the ground crew of No 74
Squadron who had been on their way to Kos by schooner under the
command of their Medical Officer Flight Lieutenant R J L
Ferris. Lapraik immediately incorporated these 40 men into the
island’s defences as he was now given orders that he was ‘to
remain in the position as long as we are able to inflict
material damage and casualties on the enemy.’ (Tidy, p. 7) This
Lapraik was confident he could do.
In
the Squadron Diary of No 74 Squadron there reposes to this day a
hand written document on a dirty lined paper, headed ‘For the
benefit of the RAF’. In it Lapraik sketches the rather
precarious situation in which the defenders found themselves,
saying:‘We weren’t trained as island defenders any more than you
were but we have to carry out the task all the same. When you
realise that the next island to this, Kos, has been attacked,
and almost wound up by the Germans we can understand the gravity
of our position so for ——sake let’s get our fingers out and get
weaving and we’ll show these —— what we are capable of.’
He
concludes: ‘Lastly, when you hear yourselves referred to as
‘the ——RAF’ it is no more derogatory than No 1 Patrol being
referred to as ‘that —— patrol of Bimose’s (an SBS Lieutenant)
or No 4 Patrol being ‘those —— gunners.’ So far however you
have worked hard and well without moaning so keep it up, but
remember – be quick on the job and keep on your toes because if
you don’t you’ve —— had it, believe me.’ (Tidy, p.7) The
original most certainly did not say ‘——’.
As
Air Chief Marshall Sir Joubert de la Ferte was later to comment
(Tidy, p 7) ‘This remarkable adjuration, fully justified in the
circumstances, produced excellent results.’
At
dawn on 7 October the Germans attempted to take Symi. The
accounts of this event, though full of incident, are somewhat
contradictory as to the actual tactical course of the action.
There are references to bays on the eastern side of the island,
the ‘southern ridge of the island’ and lastly and most
confusingly, ‘school hill’. The version given here is based on
my knowledge of the topography of the island and consultation
with Hugo Tyler, for which I am grateful. Any errors are, of
course, my own.
Initially the Germans seemed to have landed about 100 German and
some Italian fascists in Pedi by caique. According to an
account read by Hugo the boat was observed by the RAF but they
did not open fire initially, only after it had landed troops.
It was destroyed by an RAF manned 20 mm gun which Lassen had had
serviced by an RAF armourer and installed in a ‘school building
overlooking the bay’ (Pitt p.110) This force managed to
advance up to a ridge overlooking the town and even penetrated
the outskirts from which they sniped at the British. It is
unclear whether this is referring to the Pireotissa side of town
or the windmill ridge on the promontory between Yialos and
Pedi. The next event was a second landing unopposed on a bay on
the ‘eastern side of the island’ (Pitt p.110). This may be Agia
Marina. They were opposed by Italians who began to fall back,
being admonished all the time by their fascist compatriots
serving with the Germans, who called on them to surrender by
megaphone. Lassen was sent to stiffen resistance. This he did
by cutting off and capturing a party of three incautiously
advancing Germans and killing three others. Encouraged by this
and Lassen’s backing, ‘I stood behind them and told them to stay
where they were. Otherwise I would shoot them.’ (Pitt p.111)
The Italians fought with renewed vigour.
This
combined party brought the attack to a standstill in the upper
part of the town, near the mills, logical if they came from Agia
Marina, and the situation was stabilised by 0800. Lapraik now
decided to set up a Bren gun position on the ‘southern ridge’, (Lodwick
p. 88) presumably the lower slopes of the Vigla, and launch a
flank attack with the Italian garrison of Panormitis which had,
so far, been uninvolved. At 1300 these men, with a leavening of
SBS began advancing against the German positions through the
town. There was a period of frantic house to house fighting
interspersed with a Stuka raid on British positions. By about
1500 it was clear that the enemy was retreating along the ridge
above the town, towards the bay where they landed. It was a
well executed retreat, covering fire being laid down at all
stages and was largely unhindered. At the bay, almost certainly
Agia Marina, assuming the retreat to have been along the
northern ridge of Pedi bay, a schooner and two smaller caiques
were waiting. Lapraik immediately sent an armed caique out of
Yialos to intercept them. Engaging the schooner at long range,
the caique forced it to alter course towards the Bren guns on
‘school hill’ which were able to rake the crowded decks, no
doubt inflicting a significant number of casualties.
Sixteen German soldiers were buried on Symi, six captured intact
and thirty wounded. Several Germans apparently escaped up the
mountain where they were in the bald words of Lodwick (p.88)
‘shot or decapitated by the Greeks’. The Italians lost ten
wounded, the British one killed and two wounded. The RAF had
come through unscathed. One of their number, Flight Sergeant
Schofield, an armourer, was to win a military medal for his
tenacious manning of an Italian 20 mm Breda with which he shot
down a Stuka despite the fact that the vibration of the gun had
broken his spectacles, the flash eliminator had burnt off the
weapon and the sights dropped off the overheated barrel.
General Klemann, annoyed by the defeat of his Stürmabteilung,
vengefully sent in the Stukas. The Stukas also dropped Italian
fascist leaflets, urging the Italian soldiers to join their
‘fascist brothers.’ These were dealt with publicly and
effectively by the Italian military commander Corradini who
had conducted himself with great courage during the attack the
day before, when he assembled his troops and ‘went publicly into
the closet with one of the pamphlets.’ (Lodwick p.88)
The results of the bomb on
Lapraik’s headquarters were rather more tragic. Two men,
Corporal Greaves and Private Bishop, were trapped in the
wreckage. The situation was such that both could only be safely
removed if Bishop agreed to have his trapped foot amputated so
as to minimise the
disturbance to dangerously unstable debris. Bishop agreed and,
at dawn on 9 October, Flight Lt Ferris, the RAF Medical Officer,
assisted by Pte Porter Jarrel, an American volunteer who had
joined the SBS from a Quaker ambulance unit, carried out the
operation. As Ferris’ MC citation states: ‘His medical
equipment had been destroyed and he was compelled to work with a
pair of scissors and a small wood saw with which he succeeded in
releasing one man after amputating his leg. Flt Lt Ferris
accomplished this while an air attack was in progress and worked
with very little light and while held upside down by his legs.’
(Tidy, p.8)
It is tragic to have to
recall that Bishop died of shock, hardly surprising, and that
Greaves succumbed to the weight of the rubble on his stomach.
Their tombstone is in the St John’s cemetery.
On 10 October Symi was again
heavily bombed. Lapraik received orders to retreat to the
Turkish mainland, a significant breach of neutrality, and set up
a base for future raids. The withdrawal took place on 12
October. The SBS would survive to fight another day and see a
lot more of Symi, as we will discover in our next and final
article.
Lapraik
remained active in the SBS after the war.
Post war training exercise
Sources: Hoe, Alan David Stirling, the Authorised
Biography of the Creator of the SAS. Warner, London 1992.
Diakoyiannis, Eleutherios I Anipotakti Tis Simis—Vretaniki
Katochi Sta Dodekanisa.. Proskenio, Athens 2005
Langley, Mike Anders Lassen VC MC of the SAS. New
English Library, London, 1986.
Lodwick, John Raiders from the Sea. Greenhill, London
1990.
(Reprint of ‘The Filibusters – the Story of the Special Boat
Service’, 1947)
Mastorakos, Manos Aigaio 1943 Doureios Ippos Athens,
2004.
Pitt,
Barrie Special Boat Squadron, the History of the SBS in the
Mediterranean. Century, London 1983.
Tidy,
D P, Squadron Leader Dodecanese Disaster and the Battle of
Simi – 1943. Military History Journal – Volume 1 No 2. The
South African Military History Society, 1967.
Dodecanese –Geographical Handbook for Official Use. Naval
Intelligence Division, Second Edition 1943
Nicholas Shum
Halki Visitor
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