Operation Dingson (5–18 June 1944) was an operation in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, conducted by 178

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

paratroops of the 4th Special Air Service (SAS), commanded by Colonel Pierre-Louis Bourgoin, who jumped into German occupied France near

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

, Southern

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, in Plumelec, on the night of 5 June 1944 (11 h 30) with Captain Pierre Marienne and 17 men, then advanced to Saint-Marcel (8–18 June). At this time there were approximately 100,000 German troops, and artillery, preparing to move to the Normandy landing areas. Immediately upon landing in Brittany, on the night of 5 June 1944 (11 h 30), the Free French SAS who jumped in near Plumelec went into action fighting against German troops (actually, Georgians and Ukrainians). One hour later (0 h 40), the first victim of the liberation of his country, Corporal Émile Bouétard (born 1915 in Brittany) was killed near Plumelec. The Free French SAS established a base (Saint-Marcel) and began to arm and equip members of local

resistance fighters Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation to propaganda, hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns. In many countries, r ...

, operating with up to 3,000 Maquis fighters and 200 paratroopers. However, their base was heavily attacked by a German paratroop division on 18 June and was forced to disperse. A few weeks later, Captain Pierre Marienne and 17 of his companions (6 paratroopers, 8 resistance fighters and 3 farmers) were summarily executed after being captured in Kerihuel, Plumelec (12 July at dawn). The Dingson team was joined by the men who had just completed Operation Cooney. Dingson was conducted alongside Operation Samwest and Operation Lost.

Operation Dingson 35A

On 5 August 1944, 10

Waco CG-4 Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

gliders towed by aircraft of 298 Squadron and 644 Squadron transported the French SAS men and armed jeeps to

near

(

Locoal-Mendon Locoal-Mendon (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Toponymy Known as Locus Sancti Guitali in 1037 and Sanctus Gudualus in 1387. From the Breton ''lok'' which means hermitage (cf.: Locminé), and ''G ...

), each glider carrying 3 SAS troopers and a jeep which carried two

Vickers K machine gun The Vickers K machine gun, known as the Vickers Gas Operated (Vickers G.O.) or Gun, Machine, Vickers G.O. .303-inch in British service, was a rapid-firing machine gun developed and manufactured for use in aircraft by Vickers-Armstrongs. The hi ...

s plus explosives, sten guns and a PIAT antitank gun. The gliders were escorted by 32 Spitfires for part of the trip. One glider was lost with the death of the British pilot.Lucien Neuwirth (1994). ''Mais, après tout...(ma guerre à 16 ans)'' Actes Sud, France. The SAS teams remained behind enemy lines in occupied territory until the Allies arrived. The glider pilots were looked after by the local Resistance and then met up with the advancing American army at Auray.

Notes

* Henry Corta (1921–1998), a Free French SAS lieutenant veteran, les bérets rouges (red berets), Paris, 1952, amicale des anciens parachutistes SAS, * Henry Corta, Qui ose gagne (Who dares wins), Vincennes, 1997, service historique de l'armée de terre. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dingson, Operation Glider Pilot Regiment operations World War II British Commando raids Operation Overlord Special Air Service fr:Opérations SAS en Bretagne#Opération Dingson