SpyTHINK 064: 007 in WW1: Agent Paradrop!
Legendary WW1 infantry machine gunner turned into observer and pilot "ace", Mustang former enlistedman turned officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Barker when not shooting down enemy aircraft and balloons...was using large transport biplanes:
https://1sttac.blogspot.com/2021/05/futurewarthink-031-2x-wings-are-better.html
...to drop James Bond spies by parachute behind enemy
lines...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_George_Barker
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in April and
was given five days' leave in London to acquire an officer's uniform and
equipment. On his return, he was assigned to 4 Squadron and on 7 July
transferred to 15 Squadron, still flying in the B.E.2. On 21 July Barker
claimed a Roland scout "driven down" with his
observer's gun, and in August claimed a second Roland, this time in
flames. He was Mentioned in Despatches around this time. He officially
qualified as an Observer on 27 August and on 15 September he worked for the
first time with Canadian troops, including his old regiment. On 15 November,
Barker and his pilot, flying very low over the Ancre River, spotted a large
concentration of German troops massing for a counter-attack on Beaumont Hamel. The
crew sent an emergency Zone Call which brought to bear all available
artillery fire in the area onto the specified target. [NOT THE USMC] The
force of some 4,000 German infantry was effectively broken up. He was awarded
the Military Cross for this action in the concluding stages of the Battle of
the Somme.[9]
On 7 November 1917, 28 Squadron was transferred to Italy
with Barker temporarily in command, and most of the unit, including
aircraft, traveled by train to Milan.[11] [GROUND MOBILITY IS A MUST]
By this time, his personal Sopwith Camel (serial no. B6313) had become the most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF, Barker having used it to shoot down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918, for a total of 404 operational flying hours. It was dismantled in October 1918, Barker keeping the clock as a memento, although he was asked to return it the following day. During this time Barker trialed a series of modifications to B6313, to improve its combat performance. The Clerget rotary engine's cooling efficiency was poorer in the hotter Italian climate, so several supplementary cooling slots were cut into the cowling. The poor upward visibility of the Camel resulted in Barker cutting away progressively larger portions of the center-section fabric. He also had a rifle-type, notch and bead gun-sight arrangement replace the standard gun sight fitting.[15]
In London at RAF HQ, he persuaded his superiors he needed to get up to date on the latest combat techniques in France and he was granted a 10-day roving commission in France, wherein he selected the Sopwith Snipe as his personal machine and attached himself to No. 201 Squadron RAF, whose Squadron commander, Major Cyril Leman, was a friend from his days as a Corps Co-operation airman. [NOT THE USMC] He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on day 10, Sunday, 27 October 1918.
While returning his Snipe to an aircraft depot, he
crossed enemy lines at 21,000 feet above
the Forêt de Mormal. He attacked an enemy Rumpler two-seater which broke
up, its crew escaping by parachute (the aircraft was of FAA 227,
Observer Lt. Oskar Wattenburg killed). By his own admission, he was careless
and was bounced by a formation of Fokker D.VIIs of Jagdgruppe 12,
consisting of Jasta 24 and Jasta 44. In a descending battle
against 15 or more enemy machines. The dogfight took place immediately above
the lines of the Canadian Corps. Severely wounded and bleeding profusely,
Barker force-landed inside Allied lines, his life being saved by the men of an
RAF Kite Balloon Section who transported him to a field dressing station. The
fuselage of his Snipe aircraft was recovered from the battlefield and is
preserved at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.[17][18]
At a hospital in Rouen, France, Barker clung to life
until mid-January 1919, and then was transported back to England. He was not
fit enough to walk the necessary few paces for the VC investiture at Buckingham
Palace until 1 March 1919.[19]
Barker is officially credited with one captured, two (and
seven shared) balloons destroyed, 33 (and two shared) aircraft destroyed, and
five aircraft "out of control", the highest "destroyed"
ratio for any RAF, RFC or RNAS pilot during the conflict.[20] The Overseas
Military Forces of Canada recognized Barker as "holding the record for
fighting decorations" awarded in the First World War.[21]
Barker was appointed acting director of the RCAF in
early 1924 and he graduated from RAF Staff College, Andover, in 1926. While
waiting to start RAF Staff College Course No 4, Barker spent two weeks in
Iraq with the RAF to learn more about the uses of airpower.
http://www.combatreform.org/colonialairpower.htm
He formally reported on his findings to the Minister of
National Defence, and informally to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, of the
U.S. Air Service. One of his achievements in the RCAF was the introduction
of parachutes.
http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v1/v1n1/barker.htm
...and got his first sight of an enemy pilot bailing out
with a parachute. On June 15, the Austrian's launched their war-winning
offensive only to be stopped and routed at the Piave. As part of the
preparations for the inevitable allied counterattack, Barker was asked to
assist with a joint Anglo-Italian intelligence operation. He was to fly a twin-engined
Italian SP4 aircraft that had been specially modified for agent-dropping.
After several false starts due to poor weather, the agent, Alessandro Tandura, was
successfully dropped on 9 August. Barker flew on to bomb various Austrian
targets in order to hide the reason for the overflight. Barker also chauffeured
Edward Prince of Wales about in a Bristol Fighter during the prince's several
visits to 139 Sqdn.
https://ww1.nam.ac.uk/stories/major-john-carter/#.YKtLUBpKjIU
Major John Carter
June 1918
Kensington, London
Home Soldiers' Stories Major John Carter
PIC: Major John Carter with British and Italian intelligence officers, 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-2-11
In June 1918, Major John Carter was serving as an
intelligence officer in Italy. While there, he was involved in developing new
methods of parachuting agents behind enemy lines. His unpublished archives
and photographs shed light on this top secret and pioneering mission.
Italian front
Carter was serving with an Anglo-French expeditionary
force sent to assist the Italian Army after its defeat at Caporetto in November
1917. Initially, the British contribution consisted of five divisions, but this
was reduced to three in April 1918.
British troops played a supporting role during the
Italian defence of the Piave in November-December 1917, then in the defeat of
the Austrian offensive of June 1918 (the Second Battle of the Piave), and
finally in their decisive defeat at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in October
1918.
Clandestine activities
While most British Soldiers were undertaking conventional
military duties in these battles, Carter was engaged in more clandestine
activities.
During June 1918, he became involved in planning sabotage
operations against Austrian war production factories. As part of this, he
organised and reported on a series of parachute trials given the codename ‘Tinpot’.
PIC: Captain Bowen (centre) wearing the parachute harness
before the drop on 26 June 1918. To his left is Lieutenant-Colonel Billy
Mitchell of the United States Army Air Service.
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-2
Parachutes
While many pilots and observers in both aircraft and
balloons had started to wear parachutes as a safety precaution, the operational
dropping of Soldiers or equipment by parachute was a brand new concept.
Carter and his British and Italian colleagues developed a
way of dropping a man at low level through the floor of a converted
Savoia-Pomilio SP4 reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. They used Everard
Calthrop’s ‘Guardian Angel’ parachute, which had been turned down by the
Royal Flying Corps in 1916 on the grounds that such a device ‘might
impair the fighting spirit of pilots’.
Carter explained how the parachute worked in an SP4:
‘Before leaving the ground the parachute container and
supporting rod are pulled up under the forward observers post where they are
held by a rope and steadied by a small forked shaped piece of metal. The
man-to-be-dropped sits in the back seat with his legs hanging down below the
nascelle (the seat is cut away to allow room for his legs). The seat is held in
place by two bolts attached by cables to a handle in the forward observation
post.
‘Immediately before the man is to be dropped, the
parachute container and supporting rod are lowered to the fullest extent of the
rope the other end of which is made fast to the machine gun bracket in the
forward observer’s post. The pilot then is given the sign to drop the machine’s
nose and the bolts supporting the back seat are drawn. The seat under the
man-to-be dropped then swings down on its hinges and the man falls clear,
pulling out the parachute body from the container as he goes. The empty
container is then hauled up into its place under the nascelle… The parachute
container has to be lowered before the man so as to prevent the parachute body
catching in the bracing wires of the machine.’
Top secret file on ‘Agent Dropping’, March-August
1918
NAM. 2004-06-94-5
PIC: Testing the parachute harness before the drop at
Grossa aerodrome, 26 June 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-1
Trials
Secret trials of the equipment were conducted by the
Royal Air Force in front of Allied officers at Grossa and San Pelagio
aerodromes on 26 and 28 June 1918. Carter sent a series of photographs of the
tests with his report to his superiors. His account also demonstrated the
dangers of parachuting at low level:
‘At 250 metres the parachute container was lowered, and
the strain was taken by the rope. The bolts were released and worked well,
Captain Bowen falling in the aerodrome. In some unaccountable way the parachute
body was torn on leaving the machine, and the speed of descent was about 23
feet per second instead of 15 feet per second. Also, the rope attached to the
parachute got between Captain Bowen’s legs and caused him to turn two
somersaults before the parachute opened. Otherwise the descent was satisfactory
and Bowen landed safely… Major Finzi [of Italian intelligence] expressed
himself satisfied and arranged for some of his agents to be brought down to the
aerodrome and instructed in landing.’
Top secret file on ‘Agent Dropping’, March-August 1918
NAM. 2004-06-94-5
PIC: The British subsequently began supplying Italian
intelligence with parachutes for agent dropping. Carter wrote that they ‘had
been thoroughly instructed in the system of dropping agents by mean of
parachutes’.
Members of the project also suggested that black
parachute silk be substituted for the white used in the trials, no doubt to aid
concealment as agents descended into enemy territory under cover of darkness.
PIC: The parachute tied up under the forward observer's
seat with British and Italian officers looking on, 26 June 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-4
Observers
The trials impressed many of the watching officers. Among
them was Lieutenant-Colonel Billy Mitchell of the United States Army Air
Service.
No doubt inspired by what he’d witnessed, Mitchell
later devised a daring plan for dropping an entire American infantry division
behind German lines from a fleet of modified British Handley Page bombers. The
war ended before the operation could be executed, but Mitchell continued to
champion airborne forces in the post-war years. [www.combatreform.org/airbornewarfare.htm]
PIC: Captain Bowen dropping at Grossa aerodrome, 26 June
1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-8
Careless talk
Carter’s papers show that he was constantly concerned
about any ‘gossip there may have been at the front’ and of the ‘parachute idea
being brought into light’. He went on:
‘Personally I am a very great believer in secrecy and I
think there is far too much talking in the Army… the thing in itself [ie
parachutes] is no secret – the application of them is the secret.’
Top secret file on ‘Agent Dropping’, March-August
1918
NAM. 2004-06-94-5
Incendiaries
Carter’s correspondence also contains references to
incendiary or explosive devices. In September 1918, he wrote to a colleague
that two military intelligence non-commissioned officers were arriving in Rome
from England with ‘ten new parachutes’ and ’20 small incendiary
apparatus’. These appear to have been glass tubes ‘with durations
between five and six hours’.
[EDITOR: like the OSS/SOE incendiary devices used in WW2
and by the evil CIA to down their geostrategic rival, USAF's C-124 filled with
spies https://www.bitchute.com/video/ZaSXygEv4xYM/
]
PIC: Adjusting the harness of Captain McClure before the
drop at San Pelagio aerodrome, 28 June 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-12
Mission
Several agents were eventually dropped by SP4 behind
Austrian lines, some of whom were equipped with the mysterious ‘tube’ incendiary
devices. In August 1918, Carter
reported on the first mission:
‘A man was produced from the 8th Italian Army Corps, a
lieutenant of Arditi [elite Italian assault troops], a tiny man and absolutely
without fear. The night for the attempt was pitch dark and arrangements had to
be made for light-houses and signals on the way. [Captain William] Barker
piloted the machine (Barker has killed 35 huns), [Captain William] Wedgewood
Benn going as observer and manipulator. At 1,200 feet, east of Vittorio, in the
vicinity of Saroni, they let the parachute go. Barker saw the parachute open
out beautifully and there seems little doubt that the descent was made
successfully. The return journey, in spite of the inky darkness and attempts of
the enemy to fix them with searchlights, was made in safety.
‘Benn tells me that subsequently, after 4 or 5 days, some
photographs were taken of a field in Monticolli a little distance from where
the man was dropped. From the photographs there seems every reasonable ground
for supposing that our friend landed safely, as certain marks are shown in the photographs
which appear to correspond with the prearranged plan of signaling on his
arrival. (On landing he was instructed to make his way to another field and
place clothes etc on the ground thereby signaling his safe arrival)… Benn is of
the opinion that a first class pilot must always be employed… The aeroplane
used was an SP4, a big heavy machine, in which if they had been met with very
intense anti-aircraft fire they would have been in very serious danger as this
type of machine cannot be turned and twisted.’
Top secret file on ‘Agent Dropping’, March-August
1918
NAM. 2004-06-94-5
What the Italian agent’s mission was, and whether or not
he succeeded, is unfortunately absent from Carter’s files.
PIC: Captain McClure descending at San Pelagio aerodrome,
28 June 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-13
Special Forces pioneers
The papers do, however, show that the concept of
parachuting agents or special forces into occupied territory to wage a secret
war of sabotage and subversion originated much earlier than usually thought.
The activities of remarkable men like John Carter
occurred more than 20 years before the Special Operations Executive were
carrying out similar missions.
PIC: British and Italian officers after the drop, 28 June
1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-3-14
Biography
John Fillis Carré Carter (1882-1944) was born on 11
January 1882 in the parish of St Luke’s, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was
the son of Major Charles Carré Carter of the Royal Engineers.
He was educated at Wellington College and the Royal
Military College, Sandhurst. Having passed out as Queen’s Cadet, Carter was
commissioned a second lieutenant with the Indian Staff Corps on 28 July 1900.
He served in Waziristan on the North West Frontier in 1901-02 and was promoted
to lieutenant on 28 October 1902.
Carter was later seconded to the Indian Police Service in
Burma in 1905. He was made captain on 28 July 1909, by which time he was
serving with the 35th Sikhs back on the North West Frontier.
On 4 August 1914, Carter joined British intelligence.
His Indian and police experience soon made him an ideal candidate for MI5’s
G section. This was formed to combat possible wartime espionage by Indian
nationalists and other revolutionaries in Europe. G section’s main focus was on
preventing any subversion of Indian troops serving in the European theatre.
Carter’s files provide a daily record of his intelligence
work in London, including meeting named agents and undertaking counter-espionage
operations. He also helped uncover a plot by the German-backed Indian
Independence Committee to assassinate the Secretary of State for War, Lord
Kitchener.
In 1915, he married Gwendoline Marjorie Georges. The
couple had two children, John Ralph, who also later joined the Army, and Joan.
PIC: Austrian prisoners, 1918
More details: NAM. 2004-06-91-2-3
Carter left G section on 4 March 1918 for a new posting
in Rome with the Special Intelligence Section of the Italian Expeditionary
Force. Initially, he was engaged in countering German and Austrian espionage
and subversive activity in Italy. But in June 1918, he began work on ‘Tinpot’.
Carter eventually reached the rank of brevet-lieutenant
colonel and was twice mentioned in despatches for his wartime services. He
joined the Metropolitan Police in 1919, although he didn’t formally retire from
the Army until 1921.
Carter worked for the Directorate of Intelligence at
Scotland House where he was Assistant Director under Basil Thomson, another
veteran of MI5’s G section, and co-responsible for providing regular security
reports to the British cabinet.
Carter was then appointed Deputy Assistant Commissioner
of the Metropolitan Police in October 1922. The following year, he was
appointed a Cavalier of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus by the King of
Italy. And two years later, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British
Empire. In June 1925, he was also made a Freeman of the City of London. He was
then living at 79 Gunterstone Road in Kensington, London.
In 1933, he took command of No 2 District (North West
London). Then, from November 1938 to September 1940, he was Assistant
Commissioner ‘A’ of the Metropolitan Police.
In 1939, Carter and his wife were living at Flat 14
Lincoln House, Kensington. He died on 14 July 1944 in Stoneridge, Tavistock, Devon.
****
MILITARY WORLD
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MI-007 Indiana Jones, James Bond is REAL Universe (JBIRU)
ENTER THE REAL WORLD OF 007 JAMES BOND & INDIANA
JONES!
1933-45: "SPYMAKER:
The Secret Life of Ian Fleming"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/IOvCQkiKYUkY/
1942: "The
Silent Enemy"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/giUDl9U3bik3/
1944: 007 Indiana Jones:
"FAST GETAWAY"
https://jamesbondisreal.blogspot.com/2021/05/007-indiana-jones-fast-getway.html
1945: "James
Bond is Born" (JBIB)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/jHwnQ76xxh4P/
1953: "Moonraker"
(MR)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/o3IzV3N6TuN7/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFINj5ol6l4
1954: "Live
& Let Die" (LALD)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/PQUnQIOtvoMN/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7I7GPcGMpk
1958-Present: "007
Indiana Jones & the Danger of the Lost Moon" [9, 000 words]
https://jamesbondisreal.blogspot.com/2021/05/007-indiana-jones-and-danger-of-lost.html
1959: "Thunderball"
(TB)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/nfwJtCtBqcc2/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNgD2ka4rbI
1962: "On Her
Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/xIvI37va4ebn/
1962: "Dr. No"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/TW3R1vJHoeu9/
1963: "From
Russia with Love" (FRWL)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/c3i9FpGBG3dY/
1964: "Goldfinger"
(GF)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/l5COSIZmqOg6/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Hgp19VkJO8sn/
1965: "The Man
with the Golden Gun" (TMWTGG)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/UlXBvUIAXfDA/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM33uYpJnyQ
1966: "You Only
Live Twice" (YOLT)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/nRJkIwW4SYPK/
1967: "The New
Spy Against Divided Evil" (NSADE)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/QXCseztn6931/
2009: "Casino
Royale" & "Quantum of Solace" (CR & QoS)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/6fItlF6W1rDa/
2011: "The Point
of Gravity"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/RJPKRNwSqUFz/
www.jamesbondisforreal.com/CHAPTER16CONTINUATIONPAGE.htm
2013: "MASQUERADE:
Everything is NOT What it Appears"
www.combatreform.org/masquerade007shortstory1.htm
2015: "The Bell
Tolls for Thee: The Poppy is Also a Flower" (TBTFT)
https://www.bitchute.com/video/5LFkc3WzlfaF/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/yEFnjIT58AeL/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/c6YCW5kL9jeh/
2021: "Jeannie
in a Bottle"
https://www.bitchute.com/video/qzf8DMdbIssO/
More 007 Indiana Jones Adventures to Come!!
Semper
https://www.combatreform.org/2LTMichaelSparksUSMCR.htm
Airborne!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkRaE3UEags
Commander Ian Fleming
RNVR 1939-51 wrote the James Bond 007 books/movies for the Information Research
Division (IRD) of MI6-SIS who he worked for as a Master Spy under journalistic
cover from 1933-39 and 1945-1964 when he was murdered (as concluded by
legendary investigative reporter, Jim Marrs to me) to prevent him publicly
condemning the Warren Commission white wash of the CIA's group ambush murder of
his friend, President John F. Kennedy. Former U.K. MP Rupert Allason (spy
author Nigel West) revealed and validated this.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/hlwjiDU6qoF1/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/jHwnQ76xxh4P/
https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sj9CnXlfNz62/
http://www.jamesbondisforreal.com
James Bond is REAL.
https://ospreypublishing.com/norway-1940-46759?___store=osprey_usa
ReplyDeleteDr. James Corum is a retired U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel. He taught military history at Salford University, UK, from 2014 to 2019, and was dean of the Baltic Defence College from 2009 to 2014. From 1991 to 2004, he served as a professor at the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Power Studies. From 2005 to 2008 he was an associate professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Dr Corum is the author of several books on military history, including "The Roots of Blitzkrieg: Hans von Seeckt and German Military Reform" (1992); "The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940" (1997); "Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen, Master of the German Air War" (2008); "The Luftwaffe's Way of War: German Air Doctrine,1911-1945", with Richard Muller (1998); "Airpower in Small Wars: Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists", with Wray Johnson (2003); "Fighting the War on Terror: A Counterinsurgency Strategy" (2007); and "Bad Strategies: How Major Powers Fail in Counterinsurgency" (2008).
LTC James Corum USAR (R) PhD. writes: "Of course spies were paradropped in WWI. I've written a lot on WWI ground attack. Even a doctrine for it. Have done a lot of work on the Eastern Front during WWI and after WWI (Freikorps battles against the Red Army 1918-1919). The Germans not only used armored trains and armored cars in the May 1919 offensive against the Red Army- but the large German air contingent was equipped with the latest all-metal Junkers one and two seat fighters/fighter bombers and detachments were attached to sweep forward of the 3 columns of German/Latvian troops attacking the Red Army at Riga in May 1919. I've published a lot on WWI airpower (and joint ops) and it's very interesting how 'modern' war was in 1917 (detailed air ops orders written for support- reads like an order today). Loads of innovation on Eastern Front but next to nothing written in English. I can do all the German original docs and my wife is fluent in Russian so she can translate the docs of the Russian 1917 Army and Red Army which are in the Latvian Archives. So I can get an operational view of both sides complete with ops orders. So I have several book projects on East Front during and just after WWI. But I lived out there for a long time and know the terrain, too."
ReplyDeletehttps://ospreypublishing.com/norway-1940-46759?___store=osprey_usa