Location: Rjukan, Norway

Surnames/tags: Freshman World War II Norway
Contents |
'Operation Freshman'
Organised by the British during World War II, 'Operation Freshman' was a hazardous initial attempt to sabotage the Vemork heavy water plant at Rjukan in Norway in late 1942. Sadly, it went horribly wrong, with almost all those who took part being killed, or, tortured and executed by the Germans.
The men were a small airborne force composed of sappers from the Royal Engineer units attached to 1st Airborne Division. Each glider carried fifteen sappers.
Two Airspeed Horsa gliders, each towed by a four-engined Handley Page Halifax bomber on long hawsers, departed from RAF Skitten near the Scottish coastal town of Wick - the first at 5:50pm. In addition to the flight crews, the four aircraft contained 48 young engineers from the British Commonwealth.
The hawser that pulled the first glider full of soldiers snapped over Norway and the glider crashed into a mountain just north of Stavanger, in Fylgjesdalen at the Lysefjord. The two glider pilots and six soldiers died on impact. Nine soldiers survived the crash but four who were injured were killed by the Germans and the remaining five executed. The Halifax bomber made it back to Wick on three engines.
The second bomber and the glider it was towing crashed at Helleland near Egersund, probably because of bad weather and icing. All seven in the bomber were killed instantaneously when it struck the ground.
The glider crashed at the mountain Benkjafjellet and the bomber at Hæstadfjellet.
A total of 41 men, 7 bomber crew and 34 soldiers in two gliders, from 48 participants in 'Operation Freshman' died.
At the end of the war Wehrmacht personnel were tried and condemned to death for their part in the executions.
Outcome of 'Operation Freshman'
The two Airspeed Horsa assault gliders each carried two pilots and fifteen airborne engineers. The 23 survivors of the two glider crashes were executed in accordance with the instructions of the Fuehrerbefehl. All seven crew members of the Halifax that was lost were killed in the crash.
The Men
- NOTE: Click on surnames in BLUE and underlined. to view their personal profile.
- NOTE: Fifth column 'B / G' meaning:-
- First bomber/glider combination to take-off:
- '1-B' name was Halifax Bomber W7720 'A' Apple;
- '1-G' name was Horsa Glider DP349.
- Second bomber/glider combination to take-off:
- '2-B' name was Halifax Bomber W7801 'B' Baker;
- '2-G' name was Horsa Glider HS114.
- First bomber/glider combination to take-off:
Surname | First Name | Rank | Nationality | B / G | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WILKINSON | Arthur Bernard | Sqn. Ldr. | 1-B | survived | |
COOPER | Thomas Bruce | Grp. Capt. | 1-B | survived | |
KEMMIS | Victor David | Pilot Officer | RAAF | 1-B | survived |
JONES | Allan Richard | Sgt. | RAAF | 1-B | survived |
OTTO | Eric Charles Duncan | Sgt. Radio Op. | RAAF | 1-B | survived |
CONACHER | Tom | Sgt. | 1-B | survived | |
WATT ? | Sgt. | 1-B | survived | ||
STRATHDEE | Malcolm Frederick C. | Sergeant / Pilot | 1-G | killed in crash | |
DOIG | Peter | Sergeant / Pilot | 1-G | killed in crash | |
METHVEN | David Alexander | Lieutenant | Scottish | 1-G | killed in crash |
HEALEY | Frederick | L/Sgt. | 1-G | killed in crash | |
HUNTER | John Glen Vernon | Sapper | 1-G | killed in crash | |
JACQUES | William | Sapper | 1-G | killed in crash | |
NORMAN | Robert | Sapper | 1-G | killed in crash | |
SIMKINS | George | Driver | 1-G | killed in crash | |
CAIRNCROSS | James Dobson | Corporal | British | 1-G | injured, executed |
FARRELL | Peter Paul | Driver | British | 1-G | injured, executed |
MASTERS | Trevor Louis | L/Cpl. | British | 1-G | injured, executed |
SMITH | Eric John | Sapper | British | 1-G | injured, executed |
BLACKBURN | James Frank | Sapper | British | 1-G | executed |
BONNER | Frank | Sapper | British | 1-G | executed |
JACKSON | Wallis Mahlon | L/Cpl. | British | 1-G | executed |
WALSH | John Wilfred | Sapper | British | 1-G | executed |
WHITE | Thomas William | Sapper | British | 1-G | executed |
PARKINSON | Arthur Roland | Flt/Lieut. | RCAF | 2-B | killed in crash |
SEWELL De GENCY | Gerard Walter | Pilot Officer | RAFVR | 2-B | killed in crash |
HAWARD | Arnold Thomas Hayward | Flying Officer | RAFVR | 2-B | killed in crash |
THOMAS | Arthur Edwin | Flt/Lieut. | RAFVR | 2-B | killed in crash |
FALCONER | James | Sergeant | RAF | 2-B | killed in crash |
BUCKTON | Albert | Flt/Sgt. | RAFVR | 2-B | killed in crash |
EDWARDS | George Mercier | Flt/Sgt. | RAFVR | 2-B | killed in crash |
DAVIES | Norman Arthur | Pilot Officer | RAAF | 2-G | killed in crash |
FRASER | Herbert John | Sergeant / Pilot | RAAF | 2-G | killed in crash |
ALLEN | Alex Charles | Lieutenant | British | 2-G | executed |
KNOWLES | George | L/Sgt. | 2-G | executed | |
BAILEY | Ernest William | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
BELFIELD | John Thomas Vernon | Driver | 2-G | executed | |
BEVAN | Howell | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
BRAY | Frederick William | L/Cpl. | British | 2-G | executed |
CAMPBELL | Alexander | L/Cpl. | 2-G | executed | |
FAULKNER | Thomas William | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
GRUNDY | Charles Henry | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
LEGATE | Herbert J. | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
PENDLEBURY | Ernest | Driver | British | 2-G | killed in crash |
SMALLMAN | Leslie | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
STEPHEN | James May | Sapper | 2-G | executed | |
THOMAS | John George Llewellyn | Cpl. | 2-G | executed | |
WILLIAMS | Gerard Stanley | Sapper | 2-G | executed |
Sources
- https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1946-March.pdf
- https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2003-August.pdf
- sciencenorway.
- https://www.assaultglidertrust.co.uk/freshman/
- https://issuu.com/investigate4fun/docs/issuu.com
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Freshman
- http://www.edenbridgetown.com/in_the_past/heros_of_telemark/the_memorial.shtml
- https://tihlde.org/~ktsorens/flyvrak/helleland.html
- http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/operation-freshman.19590/
- http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-ntopic4033.html
- https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=Y6B8CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT173&lpg=PT173&dq=g+w+s+de+gency&source=bl&ots=5btQ_jkPSX&sig=ACfU3U30zgx7l-pUTvLc5H2CBt1J_icVmg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzhNXtzZ7rAhXHTX0KHZFKCcIQ6AEwBHoECB4QAQ#v=onepage&q=g%20w%20s%20de%20gency&f=false
- https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=https://www.stamboomgroote.nl/atoombom/atoombom.htm&prev=search&pto=aue
Acknowledgements
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