John Wilmot
OPERATION BITING
The first Parachute Operation undertaken by the British 1st Airborne Division was a Company size raid on a radar installation near Ste. Bruneval, France. They inserted by parachute, patrolled to the objective, stole the radar equipment and were evacuated from the beach by landing craft of the Royal Navy.
In the winter of 1941/42, Britain was on the defensive. They had survived the Battle of Britain but could not hope to invade the continent for another two and a half years. Their only form of offensive action lay in their Bomber Command. The biggest danger to the Bomber Crews was the new German radar network that had been deployed along the coast. They had to find a way to defeat the radar to protect their crews.
In January of 1942 Royal Air Force reconnaissance planes discovered a "Wuerzburg" radar installation at an isolated house near the village of Bruneval, France. The "Wuerzburg" was a very sensitive short-range radar used to pick up RAF Bombers as they crossed the channel. A whole string of them had been placed along the coast and the RAF was very interested in how they worked and how to defeat them.
Photo reconnaissance also showed a beach at the bottom of the nearby cliffs so the idea for a raid was born. French resistance forces were sent to confirm the location of the radar. They reported a German garrison of about 200 Operators and defence troops in a farmhouse called Le Presbytere about 150 meters to the north. They also reported that the beach was not mined.
Lord Louis Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations approved Operation Biting as an Airborne Raid because the strong beach defences made a sea landing dangerous. Major John Frost commanded "C" Company, 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Brigade, and they were selected to go.
Preparation For Battle
The company started training under the cover story that they were going to put on a demonstration for the Royal Family. The RAF Photo Interpretation Section built a scale model of the installation site based on air photos. Finally the Officers were let in on the secret and they used the model to develop their plan.
The raiding force would all jump onto the same Drop Zone about a kilometre inland. They would break into three parties, named "Drake", "Nelson" and "Rodney" after the famous sailors. Drake, under Major Frost, would secure the isolated house and the radar unit. Nelson, under Lieutenant Euen Charteris, would assault and neutralize the beach defences. Rodney, under Lieutenant John Timothy, would act as a blocking force to prevent reinforcements coming from the farmhouse. Once the "Wuerzburg" was secured it would be dismantled and carried to the beach where Royal Navy landing craft would come to pick up the paratroopers. A radar expert, Flight Sergeant E. W. F. Cox, was attached to Frost's party to supervise the dismantling of the radar unit. He was rushed to Ringway to complete five jumps and earn his wings before the mission. A party of Sappers from 1st Para Field Squadron was also attached.
By February 23rd everything was ready to go. The only thing to delay the mission was the weather. By the night of February 27/28 conditions were excellent. There was a full moon and the tide was right.
The Jump
Taking off from RAF Thruxton, in twelve Whitley bombers from 51 Squadron, they flew across the English Channel toward Le Harve. As they approached the coast they encounter flak. Some aircraft were hit but little damage was done. Two of the planes went off course taking evasive action. Lt. Charteris and his party were dropped two and a half kilometres off the DZ. They found their bearings and ran toward the beach. The rest of the raiding party landed on the snow-covered Drop Zone at about midnight and quickly assembled.
The Battle
Major Frost led the charge into the house as Lieutenant Young attacked the radar unit. Several Germans were killed and one Operator was taken prisoner. Flight Sergeant Cox and the engineers examined the radar as bullets flew around them. The vital parts of the radar were quickly removed. Some parts were literally ripped off the apparatus by the paratroopers using crowbars.
The enemy fire was increasing from the farmhouse at Le Presbytere and engine noises could be heard coming from the east. Lieutenant Timothy's blocking party opened fire on the reinforcements as they arrived and Major Frost decided it was time to get out of there. The action at the objective had taken just over fifteen minutes. The paratroopers picked up the radar parts and started for the beach.
Ahead lay the beach defences. They were still in place owing to the poor drop of Lieutenant Charteris and his party. Major Frost was about to organize an assault when out of the darkness the missing paratroopers appeared. They had run almost all the way from their landing point.
The assault went in and the beach defences were cleared. It was just after 02:00 hours. As the paratroopers gathered on the beach the wireless operators reported that they could not contact the Navy. A few tense minutes were spent trying to raise the boats. Verey lights were fired and, just when it looked like the German counterattack was about to come, out of the gloom the landing craft arrived firing at the Germans on the cliffs above. The Paras loaded the boats and made their escape.
The operation was a spectacular success. Most of the vital parts of the radar were captured as well as three German prisoners, one of whom was a qualified radar operator. Losses to the British were two dead, seven wounded and six missing.
Lessons Learned
From examining the radar parts and interrogating the prisoners British Intelligence learned a great deal about the German radar system. At first the "Wuerzburg" looked impossible to jam, but eventually it was discovered that, by dropping thin metal strips of varying lengths, it could be effectively blinded. Thus was the concept of "chaff" discovered.