Operation Tombola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Tombola
Part of Western Front
Albinean Hills
Date March - April 1945 Location Regions of Albinea & Reggio Emilia Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom Italian partisans	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
Roy Farran	Friedrich-Wilhelm Hauck
Strength
50 men 2nd Special Air Service ~50 Italian & Russian partisans	LI Gebirgs Corps (elements)
Casualties and losses
3 killed & 7 Wounded	50-60 killed

Operation Tombola was a secret mission during World War II. It was a daring raid led by brave soldiers from the 2nd Special Air Service (SAS). Major Roy Farran and Captain Michael Lees were the main commanders. This mission happened a bit earlier than planned, against orders from the main Allied army group.

Planning the Secret Mission

In March 1945, about 50 SAS soldiers parachuted into the Monte Cusna area in Italy. They were led by Major Roy Farran. Their goal was to meet up with another secret mission called "Envelope," led by Captain Michael Lees.

Captain Michael Lees

These forces joined with Italian Partisans. The Partisans were local fighters who resisted the German army. Their group also included about 70 escaped Soviet prisoners of war.

On March 19, two German soldiers left their side and gave important information. They told the "Envelope" mission where a German army headquarters was located. It was in two large houses in Botteghe d'Albinea, in the hills near Reggio Emilia. Captain Lees quickly sent a message to his commanders. He told them that he and Major Farran planned to attack this German HQ.

The main Allied army group approved the attack. But they had two important rules. First, Lees and Farran had to scout the area and send a detailed plan. Second, the attack should not happen right away. It needed to be timed with a bigger Allied attack called Operation Grapeshot. This larger attack was meant to end the war in Italy.

However, Lees and Farran decided not to follow these orders. They scouted the German HQ and sent their plan. They set March 28 as the attack date. This worried the Allied army group. They sent a message saying, "you only have to wait one week...Your scheme will then be correctly time for maximum effort."

But this message did not change their minds. Lees and Farran confirmed they got the orders but still ignored them. On March 23, they sent a final message: "Confirm we attack 26 March...Plans irrevocable now...."

The Attack Begins

Captain Roy Farran holding a German sub-machine gun in Italy

Major Farran and Captain Lees started their attack on the night of March 27. The first sound the Germans heard was a bagpipe. A Scottish piper named David Kirkpatrick had volunteered to join the mission. He played his bagpipes to make the Germans think a large British army was attacking. This was done so the Germans would not punish the local Italian people later.

The attack was a success. The German forces suffered many losses, with 50 to 60 soldiers killed or wounded. Three SAS soldiers died during the fight at Villa Rossi. About seven SAS and Partisan fighters were wounded. This included Captain Michael Lees, who was then sent to France and England for treatment.

Even though the attack was successful, it did not cause as much trouble for the Germans as it could have. This was because it happened a week too early. The bigger Allied attack, Operation Grapeshot, had not yet started.

After the Raid

The Partisans, the SOE, and the SAS continued their missions until April 23. They carried out more raids against German roads and bases. They killed about 300 German soldiers and captured 200 more.

It was also important that many German defenders had to move to protect the area. This meant fewer German soldiers were fighting elsewhere. Several Allied airmen, who were hiding with Italian civilians, were also safely returned to their own lines.

After the war, Major Farran suggested that Captain Lees receive a special award, the Military Cross, for his bravery. However, this award was not given. The reason was that Lees and Farran had launched the attack too early and recklessly. They had ignored direct orders from the main Allied army group. But because of their bravery and Captain Lees being wounded, they were not punished.

Stories About Operation Tombola

The commander of the operation, Roy Farran, wrote a book about it called Operation Tombola. The BBC series Secret War also featured this mission in an episode called "SAS Italian Job." There was also a TV mini-series called "Great SAS missions" that talked about it.

Italian authors Matteo Incerti and Valentina Ruozi wrote a book called Il bracciale di sterline. This book used British, Italian, and German documents to tell the story. Matteo Incerti wrote two more books, Il paradiso dei folli and "Il suonatore matto." The last book focused on David 'mad piper' Kirkpatrick. Incerti found proof that the sound of Kirkpatrick's bagpipes and the sacrifice of the three SAS soldiers made the Germans think it was a big army attack. Because of this, the Nazis did not punish the people of Albinea.

During the second part of Operation Tombola, on April 21, 1945, another SAS paratrooper was killed. His name was Justo Balerdi-Robert Bruce. He was a Basque anti-fascist and had fought with the French Foreign Legion. He was the only Basque soldier to fight with the British SAS in World War II. His story is told in the books "Il bracciale di sterline" and "Il suonatore matto."

See Also

• More details about Operation Tombola can be found in the article on Major Roy Farran.