Operation Bulbasket facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Bulbasket
Part of Western Front
Date 6 June – 24 July 1944 Location Poitiers, Vienne department France Result Partial British success
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Captain John Tonkin	Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding
Strength
1st Special Air Service 'B' Squadron (40 men) A small team from the Special Operations Executive 9 French Resistance fighters	Elements of the: 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen
Casualties and losses
34 Special Air Service men captured and executed 1 US Army Air Forces pilot captured and executed 7 French Resistance fighters captured and executed	Unknown

Operation Bulbasket was a secret mission carried out by a special British Army unit called the Special Air Service (SAS) during World War II. This operation took place in France, which was occupied by Germany at the time, between June and August 1944.

The main goal of Operation Bulbasket was to stop German troops and supplies from reaching the Normandy beaches. The SAS team worked behind enemy lines near Poitiers, France. They aimed to block the railway line that connected Paris to Bordeaux. They especially wanted to delay a powerful German tank division, the 2nd SS Panzer Division – Das Reich.

During their mission, the SAS soldiers found a train full of petrol. This fuel was meant for the 2nd SS Panzer Division. The Royal Air Force (RAF) then sent bombers to destroy the train that very night.

Sadly, the SAS team's hidden camp was discovered by the Germans. In a surprise attack, 33 SAS men were captured. They, along with a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilot who had joined them, were later killed. Seven captured French Resistance fighters were also killed after the attack. Three other SAS men, who were hurt and taken to a hospital, were also killed while they were in their hospital beds.

What was the Special Air Service?

The soldiers involved in Operation Bulbasket were part of the Special Air Service. This was a special unit of the British Army. It was created in 1941 by David Stirling. The SAS was designed to be a commando-style force. Its job was to operate secretly behind enemy lines.

In 1944, the Special Air Service Brigade was formed. It included British, French, and Belgian SAS units. Their missions involved parachuting behind German lines in France. From there, they would support the Allied forces as they advanced through Europe.

Map of France, with the Vienne department highlighted in red

In May 1944, the Allied headquarters, called Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), ordered the SAS to carry out two main operations in France. One was Houndsworth near Dijon, and the other was Bulbasket near Poitiers.

Both operations aimed to stop German troops from moving from southern France to the Normandy beaches. The SAS teams were to destroy supply depots, block railway lines, and attack fuel trains. A key target was the 2nd SS Panzer Division - Das Reich. This division was based near Toulouse in southern France. Allied planners thought it would take this tank division about three days to reach Normandy.

Captain John Tonkin was in charge of 'B' Squadron for Operation Bulbasket. He and his second-in-command, Second Lieutenant Richard Crisp, received their orders in London on June 1, 1944. They also met with agents from the Special Operations Executive (SOE). These agents, led by Amédée Maingard, worked with French Resistance groups in the area.

The Mission Begins

A Special Air Service Jeep armed with Vickers K machine guns of the type used during Operation Bulbasket

The first group for Operation Bulbasket, including Captain Tonkin, flew to France on June 6, 1944. They landed by parachute at 1:37 AM, just a few hours before the D-Day invasion began in Normandy.

The next morning, Tonkin and his team met with their SOE contact, 'Samuel' (Amédée Maingard), and Paul Mirguet, a leader of the French Resistance. They agreed that Operation Bulbasket would focus on the area near Poitiers in the west. Other Allied teams and French Resistance groups would work in the east. Their main goal was to delay German reinforcements. The 2nd SS Panzer Division, with 15,000 men and 1,400 vehicles, started its 800-kilometer (500-mile) journey to Normandy on June 8.

Two more groups of SAS soldiers parachuted into France on June 7 and June 11. They also dropped Jeeps armed with machine guns. Once on the ground, the SAS squadron began their work. They attacked railways, laid mines, patrolled in their Jeeps, and trained members of the French Resistance.

On June 10, a French railway worker told Tonkin about a train with at least eleven petrol tankers. These were parked at the rail sidings in Châtellerault. This fuel was for the advancing 2nd SS Panzer Division. To check this, Tonkin sent Lieutenant Tomos Stephens on a bicycle to scout the area. Stephens rode 74 miles (119 km) round trip and confirmed the train's location on June 11. He also reported that it was too heavily guarded for the SAS to attack alone. Tonkin contacted England and asked for an air attack. That night, 12 Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquito bombers attacked the train. The mission was a success, destroying the fuel.

To avoid being found by German radio equipment or spies, Tonkin regularly moved the SAS camp. New camps needed to be near water and a drop zone for supplies. The camp near Verrières was close to their drop zone and had enough water. The SAS stayed there from June 25 to July 1. However, local people became aware of the camp. Maingard warned Tonkin that if locals knew, German spies would soon find out.

Tonkin ordered the squadron to move to a new camp. But the water supply at the new camp failed. So, Tonkin decided to return to Verrières until a better spot could be found.

German Attack on the Camp

The German SS Security Police learned that the SAS camp was in a forest near Verrières. On July 1, they sent agents to find the camp. They also gathered a large attack force. This force was from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, based nearby. The SAS squadron returned to their old camp. Tonkin left on July 2 to find a new camp. He returned early on July 3, just before the Germans attacked. The Germans had surrounded the camp during the night. Inside the camp were 40 SAS men, a USAAF pilot named Second Lieutenant Lincoln Bundy, and nine French Resistance fighters.

The Germans attacked at dawn. The fight was over by 2 PM. As the Germans searched the forest, the SAS men tried to escape. A group of 34 men were moving along a forest path when they were ambushed and captured. Their leader, Lieutenant Tomos Stephens, was beaten to death. Seven captured French Resistance fighters were also killed in the woods.

On July 7, the remaining prisoners, 30 SAS men and Second Lieutenant Bundy, were taken into the woods near St Sauvant. They were forced to dig their own graves. Then, a German firing squad killed them at dawn. Their bodies were buried in three separate graves. Three SAS men who were wounded and taken to a hospital were killed by lethal injections.

RAF Retaliation Attack

An Allied team called Jedburgh Hugh, working in the area, asked for a revenge attack. They wanted to hit the headquarters of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division in Bonneuil-Matours. The request went to the RAF. On July 14, 1944, RAF Air Vice-Marshal Basil Embry personally briefed 14 bomber crews for this mission.

The plan was for four de Havilland Mosquito bombers to drop high explosive bombs first. Then, six aircraft would drop Napalm incendiary bombs. After that, more high explosive bombs would be dropped. Finally, the planes would fly low and shoot at the target before returning to base.

The Mosquitos left at about 9 PM. They met up with 12 Mustang fighter planes for protection. They reached the target at about 9 PM local time, when the German soldiers were eating dinner. The attack went as planned. All seven barracks buildings were destroyed. Local people estimated that 80 to 200 German soldiers were killed. All the aircraft returned safely.

Mission Ends

Captain Tonkin and the remaining SAS soldiers (eight survivors and three others who were on a separate mission) escaped. They regrouped and continued their mission until they received orders to stop on July 24, 1944. Between June 10 and July 23, the SAS squadron attacked railway targets 15 times. They also mined major roads. They successfully attacked other targets when they had the chance. For example, on June 12/13, Lieutenant Crisp led a patrol that laid mines on a road just before the 2nd SS Panzer Division arrived.

The 2nd SS Panzer Division, while moving to Normandy, was responsible for terrible events. These included the Tulle murders on June 9, 1944, and the massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10. This division also captured the SOE agent Violette Szabo on June 10, 1944. She was later killed.

After the Operation

In December 1944, after the German army had left the area, workers in the forest near St Sauvant found disturbed ground. They investigated and found human remains. The local police were called. On December 18, they began digging. They found bodies still wearing Allied uniforms. Most identity tags were gone, but two remained, identifying them as members of Operation Bulbasket. Another body was identified by a name inside the uniform. A body in civilian clothes was identified as Second Lieutenant Bundy.

The 31 bodies of the killed men were taken to Rom. They were reburied with full military honors in the village cemetery. The body of Lieutenant Stephens, who was beaten to death, is in the cemetery in Verrières. The three men killed in the hospital were never found, but a memorial plaque was placed beside the SAS graves in Rom cemetery to remember them.

What Operation Bulbasket Achieved

Operation Bulbasket had several important successes:

• It led to four or possibly five air attacks. These attacks killed over 150 German soldiers.
• It was responsible for destroying important petrol supplies. This delayed the 2nd Panzer Division from reaching the Normandy landing area.
• It delayed other German divisions from reaching the front lines.
• The SAS carried out 23 successful sabotage operations on roads and railways.

Here is a quick timeline of Operation Bulbasket:

• June 1, 1944: Captain John Tonkin and Second Lieutenant Richard Crisp were briefed in London.
• June 6: The first SAS team parachuted into France.
• June 7: Another SAS group parachuted in.
• June 9/10: The team moved to 'Sazas' farm.
• June 11: A final SAS group parachuted in.
• June 11: The petrol train was found. RAF bombers attacked it that night, destroying the fuel for the 2nd SS Panzer Division.
• June 12/13: Lieutenant Crisp's patrol laid mines on a road before the 2nd SS Panzer Division arrived.
• June 13: The team moved to Nerignac.
• June 19: The team moved to Pouillac.
• June 21: The team moved to Persac.
• June 25: The SAS Squadron moved to Verrières.
• July 1: The team moved to a new camp in Bois des Cartes.
• July 2: The team returned to Verrières. The camp had 40 SAS men, the P-51 pilot, and nine French Resistance fighters.
• July 3/4: The Germans attacked the Verrières camp.
• July 5: Survivors moved to Foret de Plessac.
• July 6/7: The captured men were killed at St Sauvant.
• July 9: The team moved to Charroux.
• July 14: The team moved to Asnieres sur Blour or Forêt de Défant.
• July 24: The SAS received orders to stop operations.
• July 28: The team moved north of Montmorillon.
• August 6/7: The remaining survivors were taken out of France.