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The Most Courageous Raid Of WWII
''The Most Courageous Raid of WWII'' is a 2011 British television docudrama produced and directed by Francis Whately. The film was narrated by former British politician and diplomat Paddy Ashdown, and also features commentary from military historian M.R.D. Foot. It premiered on 1 November 2011, on BBC Two, on the British television series Timewatch. Synopsis Paddy Ashdown walks viewers through a dangerous mission carried out by ten Royal Marines who led one of the most daring raids of WWII. The sailors canoed almost seventy miles behind enemy lines to blow up enemy ships. Ashdown reconstructs the events through interviews, commentary and archival footage from Movietone News, British Movietone News, the Imperial War Museum, The National Archives (United Kingdom), National Archives and Records Administration, The National Archives (Washington D.C.), the Royal Marines Museum, the Royal Navy, Royal Navy Archives and the Deutsches U-Boot Museum. Out of the ten sailors, only two surv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Whately
Francis Whately is a British television producer, director and series director who started his career in 1998 and worked for BBC for over 20 years. The documentary films he directed were mainly about music. He produced ''David Bowie: Finding Fame'' (2019), ''David Bowie: The Last Five Years'' (2017), ''Rock ‘n’ Roll Guns for Hire: The Story of the Sidemen'' (2017), ''Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage'' (2016), ''Kim Philby – His Most Intimate Betrayal'' (2014), ''David Bowie: Five Years'' (2013). Filmography Accolades FOCAL Archive Award for ''David Bowie Five Years'' (2014.06) British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA for ''David Bowie Five Years'' (2014.04) BAFTA for the series ''Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr's 'History of Modern Britain''' (the third director) (2007.05) Major works David Bowie: Five Years This documentary focuses on five key years in David Bowie's career: 1971–1972, 1974–1975, 1976–1977, 1979–1980, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbert Hasler
Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, (27 February 1914 – 5 May 1987) was a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines. Soon after joining the Marines, he grew a blonde moustache, from which he acquired his nickname ‘Blondie'. In December 1942, during the Second World War, Hasler led a small commando raid against Axis shipping in Bordeaux. He was responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the formation of the Special Boat Service. After the war he became a notable yachtsman, contributing especially to developments in single-handed sailing. Early life Hasler was born in Dublin on 27 February 1914, the youngest son of Lieutenant Arthur Thomas Hasler (a Royal Army Medical Corps quartermaster), and his wife, Annie Georgina (née Andrews). His father died after the troopship ''Transylvania'' was torpedoed on 4 May 1917. Hasler was sent to Wellington College, where he was a keen sportsman. He was commissioned into the Royal Marines on 1 September 1932. Second World ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folding Kayak
A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin made of a tough fabric with a waterproof coating. Many have integral air chambers inside the hull, making them virtually unsinkable. History First models The first workable folding kayak was built by in 1905, a German architectural student. Heurich paddled his creation on the Isar River near Munich and took out a patent on the design, called the ''Delphin'' (German: dolphin), the following year. The Delphin had a bamboo frame with a sailcloth hull stretched over it. It could be folded up and carried in three bags, each weighing less than . The folding kayak was made commercially successful by , whose factory was at Rosenheim, Germany. kayaks were very popular for their compact size and ease of transport. Klepper's ''Faltboot'' was intr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Raikes
Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy), Lieutenant Commander Richard Prendergast Raikes (21 January 1912 – 24 May 2005) was an officer in the Royal Navy notable for being the commanding officer of the submarine HMS Tuna (N94), HMS ''Tuna'' that launched the canoes during Operation Frankton in 1942. His part in the operation was portrayed in the 1955 war film ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' where he was fictionalised as "Alan Greaves", played by Christopher Lee. Early childhood Raikes was born in London, one of five children of Major Lawrence Taunton Raikes, an Indian Army officer. Until his parents returned from India when he was ten, he was brought up in Wales by his grandparents and three aunts. His aunts had seven brothers who had been awarded eight Distinguished Service Order, DSOs and four Military Cross, MCs in World War I, First World War; two had died, one had become a general and another had become an admiral. Early naval career Raikes entered Dartmouth Naval College, Dartm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Combined Operations Headquarters
Combined Operations Headquarters was a department of the British War Office set up during Second World War to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces. History The command used air and naval units to deliver the Commandos to various targets, and then recover them. Thus, it was a combined arms coordination and command structure. Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes was the first director, from 17 July 1940 to 27 October 1941. He was replaced first by Lord Louis Mountbatten, who led the command for a year. He in turn was succeeded by Major General Robert Laycock (October 1943 – 1947). It comprised background staff whose job was to plan operations and to develop ideas and equipment to harass the enemy in any way possible. It also covered all those who worked with landing craft up to and including the landing ships that were used in the various amphibious operations. The badge of Combined Operations wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called "''Bordelais'' (masculine) or "''Bordelaises'' (feminine). The term "Bordelais" may also refer to the city and its surrounding region. The city of Bordeaux proper had a population of 259,809 in 2020 within its small municipal territory of , but together with its suburbs and exurbs the Bordeaux Functional area (France), metropolitan area had a population of 1,376,375 that same year (Jan. 2020 census), the sixth-most populated in France after Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, and Toulouse. Bordeaux and 27 suburban municipalities form the Bordeaux Métropole, Bordeaux Metropolis, an Indirect election, indirectly elected Métropole, metropolitan authority now in charge of wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Occupation Of France During World War II
The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 1940, and renamed ' ("north zone") in November 1942, when the previously unoccupied zone in the south known as ' ("free zone") was also occupied and renamed ' ("south zone"). Its role in France was partly governed by the conditions set by the Armistice of 22 June 1940 after the success of the leading to the Fall of France; at the time both French and Germans thought the occupation would be temporary and last only until Britain came to terms, which was believed to be imminent. For instance, France agreed that its soldiers would remain prisoners of war until the cessation of all hostilities. The "French State" (') replaced the French Third Republic that had dissolved in defeat. Though nominally extending its sovereignty over the whole co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total population of over 84 million in an area of , making it the most populous member state of the European Union. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The Capital of Germany, nation's capital and List of cities in Germany by population, most populous city is Berlin and its main financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr. Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the Lower Paleolithic, with various tribes inhabiting it from the Neolithic onward, chiefly the Celts. Various Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raid (military)
Raiding, also known as depredation, is a military tactics, military tactic or operational warfare "smash and grab" mission which has a specific purpose. Raiders do not capture and hold a location, but quickly retreat to a previous defended position before enemy forces can respond in a coordinated manner or formulate a counter-attack. Raiders must travel swiftly and are generally too lightly equipped and supported to be able to hold ground. A raiding group may consist of combatants specially trained in this tactic, such as commandos, or as a special mission assigned to any Regular army, regular troops. Raids are often a standard tactic in irregular warfare, employed by warriors, guerrilla warfare, guerrilla fighters or other irregular military forces. Some raids are large, for example the Sullivan Expedition. The purposes of a raid may include: * to demoralization (warfare), demoralize, confuse, or exhaust the enemy; * to destroy specific goods or installations of military or econo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Commandos
The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn from within the British Army from soldiers who volunteered for the Special Service Brigade, the Commandos' ranks were eventually filled by members of all branches of the British Armed Forces and a number of foreign volunteers from German-occupied countries. By the end of the war 25,000 men had passed through the Commando course at Commando Basic Training Centre (United Kingdom), Achnacarry. This total includes not only the British volunteers, but volunteers from Sacred Band (World War II), Greece, 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, France, 5th Special Air Service, Belgium, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, Netherlands, Canada, Norway and Poland. The United States Army Rangers and Marine Raiders, US Marine Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
