Operation Frankton - 3ème CDSG - CLG S Vauban, Blaye (033)

3ème CDSG - Sequence 2bis

Operation Frankton

M. Charpentier

index

1. Context

2. Occupied Bordeaux

3. Operation Frankton

4. Impact

5. The Cockleshell Heroes

6. Nowadays challenge

7. The ceremony

The Context

Year : 1942, during WW2

England and France are losing

Bordeaux is an important strategic place

Harbour / Port : easy to get raw material

Problem 1 : German sea blockade of France and England

Problem 2 : Fire power of Germans' U-boats (submarines)

picture taken from : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-boat

Occupied Bordeaux

In 1942, Bordeaux was occupied and it was considered one of the most important harbour (port) in France at that time. Many merchant boats came from Japan to bring raw material like rubber to the Germans

picture from http://toutartfaire.com/?tag=occupation

Operation Frankton

- Goal : take several men to the port of Bordeaux and destroy German and Axis boats

- Permission for the raid was granted on 13 October 1942 by Admiral Louis Mountbatten Chief of Combined operations

- How ? in Mark II, two-man folding kayaks, which were given the codename of ''Cockle''

- Approach : 5 Canoes with 10 Marines set off U-boat ''HMS Tuna'' around Montalivet -Soulac (33)

- Handicap : only possible to travel by night and along with a favourable tide

The (hi)story

December, 7th 1942

5 Canoes with 10 Marines set off U-boat HMS tuna around Montalivet -Soulac (33)

December, 8th 1942

Arriving on the Gironde estuary, canoe ''conger'' sinks ; ''cuttlefish'' goes missing ; ''coalfish'' is captured around la pointe de Grave

December, 9th 1942

''catfish'' and ''crayfish" approach but have to hide in the tall grass because of unfavourable tide

December, 11th 1942

9 pm, "crayfish" places mines on 2 German boats at Bassens while "catfish" places mines on 3 boats at rive gauche

December, 12th 1942

The boats are destroyed. The 4 remaining marines have to walk 160km to a rendez-vous at Ruffec in occupied France.

IMPACT

Enormous impact on psychological side of war Meant that allied forces could hit the German forces on their ground

picture from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Frankton

The Cockleshell Heroes

8 marines

Drowned, disappeared or were captured, tortured and shot

George Sheard Corporal CONGER

Eric Fischer Marine CONGER

W.N. Mills Marine CRAYFISH

John MacKinnon Lieutenant CUTTLEFISH

James Conway Marine CUTTLEFISH

2 marines

Survived

Samuel Wallace Sergeant COALFISH

William E. Sparks Marine CATFISH

H.G. Hasler Major CATFISH

Robert Ewart Marine COALFISH

Albert F. Laver Corporal CRAYFISH

REST IN PEACE

picture from https://bordeauxexpats.com/2017/05/cockleshell-heroes-revisited.htmln

NOWADAYS CHALLENGE -> 0'43 / 3'16

The Ceremony

Date : Thursday, 11th December 2025

Place : Quai des Chartrons, Hangar 14, Bordeaux

Duration : 9.45am - 10.30am

Rendez-vous : 8.00am at collège

The Ceremony

Your mission :

- 2 volunteers to be wreath holder (hold a spray of flower)

- 5 readers for the tribute text

- 3 readers for the names of the deceased marines