AM 062 SOE Operation FEATHER

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Code : NA Signal bakke: BLIND Signal fly: BLIND
EUREKA: NA
GEE: NA


CON PAK M HD CRS SPD LAND MERKNAD
5 5 7 600 260 130 03:00 Kinloss

Squad: RAF138
1. F/O BOWN, Ernest Joseph Halifax II LW276 NF-E

Despatcher: Captain Tice, Sgt Mather.

Out: 17:00 DROP 21:45-22:20 C

Agents dropped:

1 Peter Deinboll, Orkanger Leader
2 Odd Nilssen, Levanger 2 IC
3 Arne Hægstad, Drammen
4 Torfinn Bjørnaas, Løkken Verk
5 Leif Brønn, Høylandet
6 Aasmund Wisløff, Trondheim
7 Paal Skjærpe, Trondheim

1. Captains report: PP found by DR run from Lake GANGAS. Pinpoint was definitely located, and load dropped from 600 ' abg, course 260°, and airspeed 130mph. Conditions good over target area. Agents jumped when told, and parcels despatched effectively except for the last parcel, which became obstructed, and was despatched a few seconds after the rest of the load. 10/10 clouds ut på about 62°. clear in target area. Blind drop.

Desp.report. Party jumped well and quickly. Packages were close except for last which stuck and was no more than 3 seconds later. All chutes seems to open, and the men werer very close together.

ORB: AIR-27-956-1_2

CARGO:

2 containers "H" type
3 containers "C" type

1. H Special (Explosives charges and stores from Stat 12(Less 2 bolt croppers)
2. C Special (Modified C.1, 1 BREN and comp, 8 filled mags, 192 rds, .303 trazer in tins, 2 bolt croppers, 14 mills grenades w/2 tins dets, all suppl herewith. Please insert also 96 rds .303 ctn)
3. C. Special (Modified B.9 5 Thompson MC each with 5 filled mags plus 100 rpg in etns. )
4. C. Special (Modified B.9) Together with nr 3.
5. H Special (Misc items and food) Fill up available space with coffe, pemmican alabs, margarine and bully beefg. 7 small torches and 14 batteries and 2 rolls adhesive tape.

Package I : 2 rucksacks - marked FEATHER 1027
Package II : 2 rucksacks - marked FEATHER 1028
Package III : 2 rucksacks - marked FEATHER 1029
Package IV : 2 rucksacks - marked FEATHER 1030
Package V : 2 rucksachs - marked FEATHER 1031

All chutes/packs colored "JACOB"

The following information has been received from the field regarding the FEATHER operation:
The parachute of the first package did not open and the package was found two days later half buried in a bog. The last two agents to be dropped got their helmets cut off by the static line. Their opinion is that static lines made of steel wire are very dangerous.
The night was dear and mild with hardly any wind and no snow. The ground was even with birch treea. The dropping was made 2.5 kms. too far east and from too great a height. It was so early in the evening that people had not gone to bed. The parachutes were therefore as it appeared later, observed by nearly every farm in the district. The stuff was sorted out and the paraohutes and oontainers were buried. They stayed in hiding for the rest of the day. A hunter with his dog was in the vicinity during the afternoon and passed quite close to them, without seeing anyone. They learnt later that it was this man who had seen the dropping on the previous evening and had one to investigate out of curiosity. He found some characteristic tracks (boot marks) otherwise nothing. They continued to look for the oontainers in the moonlight but without result. The eearoh was given up at 01:30 hours and all the equipment was moved.
The next morning one of the party was sent back dressed in civilian olothes to search in daylight. He found the first package half buried in the bog, further up the valley than estimated. The two last packages were found
approximately 1 km from the landing plaoe of the last man. The package was camouflaged on the spot and the contents were fetched after dark. This party did a very good Job and the majority of them are now In neutral countries.

HS2-132 p 45 -71

I boken har nok forfatteren tatt seg endel friheter, sannsynligvis i mangel på informasjon. i 1974, informasjonen på side 9 stemmer ikke med ORB og MR fra RAF 138. Det var tilsammen 6 fly som tok av fra Tempsford denne kvelden, alle til Norge, 5 fra Raf 138 og 1 fra Raf 161. Det har vært lite informasjon rundt mange 138/161 sorties tidligere, men etterhvert som dokumenter er blitt tilgjengelige på TNA, er det blitt bedre.

Disse var:
16:33 Halifax B-DZ921 F/Lt Perrins, GREBE I
16:52 Halifax W-BB281 F/O Bailey, CAPRICORN
16:55 Halifax D-BB378 F/Sgt Hodgess, APOLLO
16:57 Halifax K-BB280 F/Sgt Cole, GREBE
17:00 Halifax E-BB276 F/O Bown., FEATHER
17:21 Halifax Y-EB239 Lt Hysing-Dahl, LAPWING

**Det var heller ikke Lancaster fly - det var Halifax - og 138/161 passerte normalt ut ved Cromer og inn norskekysten ved Rægefjord (og hadde Kristiansand på styrbord), men operasjonsordren tilsa 7000' høyde inn over Norge, og det ble fulgt, dit nådde ingen skyts fra bakken, ei heller søkelys.

Videre gikk ferden over Mjøsa, Elverum - Tolga- Meldal - Børsa - deretter 257° til DZ, totalt 766 km fra Rekefjord, det stemmer med slippkursen rapportert med 260 °. Alt ble sluppet på en runde, 1 pakke hang seg opp og havnet en kilometer unna.

Flyhastigheten lå rundt 160/165 mph - selv om toppfart er rundt 250/260 mph.

Det var stor travelhet pa militærplassen ved Cambridge i ettermiddagstimene søndag den 10. oktober 1943. Utstyr og våpen ble lastet inn i fire store Lancaster** bombefly som sto i hangarene. Ingen visste hvor flyene skulle, men det ble gjettet på Norge uten at noen med sikkerhet turde fastslå flyenes bestemmelsessted, og de som gjettet for også fint med det. Oppdraget var strengt hemmelig, og de fire maskinene skulle ta av til forskjellige tider.

Ved 17-tiden ble den ene maskinen kjørt fram mot rullebanen. Besetningen var polsk, og de syv flygerne røpet ikke med en mine hvor flyet skulle, eller hva som sto fore. Kort etter kom syv uniformerte unge menn ut sammen med to offiserer og en sivilkledd. Den ene av offiserene bar obersts distinksjoner innsydd i feltkappen.
Mennene samlet seg ved Lancaster**-maskinen og det ble vekslet håndtrykk. Den sivilkledde — en mann i 60-årene med sterke hornbriller, la handa på akselen til en av de unge.
— Du må være forsiktig Peter, sa han. — Greier dere ikke heismaskineriet, får dere prøve å sprenge lokomotivene mens de står parkert og ubevoktet på stasjonene. Han så et øyeblikk inn i guttens rolige kalde øyne.
— Skulle det gå galt, må dere unngå å komme i kamp, men heller trekke dere unna og forsøke en gang senere.
Den unge mannen så på sin far. — Vær sikker, sa han. — Vi skal klare oss.

Les videre i Kampen om Thamshavnbanen. 2 : SS Kommando Drondtheim

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