Monument 'Operation Frankton' Saint-Georges-de-Didonne

Text on the memorial:
"Operation Frankton - Royal Marines Raid on Bordeaux. In 1942, the British Admiralty mounted a commando operation against the "raiders"—German blockade runners who, from Bordeaux, attacked Allied shipping on all the world's seas.

Operation Frankton was born and remains one of the defining events of the Second World War.
On December 6, 1942, on a moonless night off the coast of Cordouan, five armed kayaks were launched from the submarine Tuna.

Paddling in four stages, ten commandos attempted to ascend the 100 kilometers of the Estuary to deposit explosive charges.

This mission was a success despite heavy losses.

Only two Royal Marines escaped death; they reached Great Britain with the help of the Resistance."

The Cockleshell Heroes carried out Operation Frankton in December 1942, targeting German ships in Bordeaux. Trained at Lumps Fort, Portsmouth, they paddled 60 miles in folding kayaks to plant limpet mines.

Of the 10 commandos, two drowned, six were captured and executed, and only Major Hasler and Marine Sparks escaped. Despite heavy losses, the raid sank two ships and damaged four, disrupting enemy supply lines. Winston Churchill later credited it with shortening World War II by six months.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Philippe Vanderdonckt