Commando Despatch Rider: With 41 Royal Marines Commando in North-West Europe 1944-1945In 1944, Ray Mitchell landed in Normandy with his unit 41 Royal Marine Commando. His role in bringing the Third Reich to its knees was that of dispatch rider. Often operating alone in totally unfamiliar and hostile terrain, he and his motor bike delivered vital messages to forward units. This is a fighting soldier's account of war - warts and all and describes in vivid terms his and his fellow commandos' experiences and emotions. Over the next ten months the commandos were in the thick of the action in France, the Low Countries and Germany itself. Of particular note was the amphibious landing on the Walcheren Peninsula where the beleaguered German garrison fought fiercely to deny the Allies the vital port of Antwerp. |
Contents
Authors Preface | 1 |
From Rifleman to Despatch Rider | 7 |
UK Trips and Concentration Camps | 17 |
Copyright | |
12 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
41 Commando afternoon Airborne aircraft Allied Antwerp Army arrived artillery ashore assault attack Battalion battery beach began Bergen op Zoom Beveland bike billet bombs bridges Brigade British Buffaloes Caen Canadian Cany-Barville carried casualties civilian Commando HQ Compo convoy D-Day Despatch Riders Domburg Dozulé duty dyke enemy engine explosions feet Fighting Troops fire forward front German German position guns Haan head Headquarters hundred Infantry island jeep journey jump Landing Craft Landing Craft Infantry later leave Lion-sur-Mer Luc-sur-Mer Maas marched miles military morning mortar moved nearby night Officer Orne parachute passed patrol Pont l'Évêque radar stations Ranville Rear Echelon riding river River Orne road route Royal Marines Commando Sallenelles Scheldt shells side Signals South Beveland Sunday SWORD beach tanks town track trip Troarn truck unit vehicles Walcheren Waspik weeks Westkapelle wounded yards