Operation Aquatint: The 1942 Commando Raid on Normandy

What Was Operation Aquatint?

Operation Aquatint was a British commando raid originally planned for the night of 11–12 September 1942 but was postponed 24 hours due to poor visibility. It was instead carried out on the night of 12–13 September by the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF). Eleven men crossed the English Channel aboard MTB 344 (nicknamed “The Little Pisser”) to capture German prisoners for intelligence gathering at Saint-Honorine-des-Pertes on the Normandy coast. The plan relied on scaling the cliffs at a single point identified from air photographs half a mile east of Saint Honorine. On the night, the darkness was too complete to locate that point from the sea, and the party decided to instead land on the beach they believed to be Saint Honorine, where it ran into German defences. Three men were killed, four were taken prisoner, and four escaped. The operation’s commanding officer, Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO MBE, was among those killed.

What Was the Small Scale Raiding Force?

The Small Scale Raiding Force, also designated No. 62 Commando, was a British special operations unit formed in 1942 to carry out raids on the German-occupied coastline of Western Europe. Operating from Motor Torpedo Boats out of ports on the south coast of England, SSRF parties would land in small numbers, attack German positions, gather intelligence, and attempt to capture prisoners for interrogation. Targets were typically accessible from the sea and lightly enough held to make a swift strike and withdrawal feasible.

Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO MBE, Royal Artillery, commanded the unit. His second-in-command was Captain J.G. Appleyard, who sailed on Operation Aquatint as the MTB’s navigator and wrote the official after-action report three days after the raid.

The SSRF drew personnel from across the Allied nations then fighting from British soil. British, French, Dutch, Polish, and other servicemen served together on raids, making units such as the one that carried out Operation Aquatint genuinely multinational in composition.

The Plan: Raiding Saint-Honorine-des-Pertes

The objective was to raid a small group of German-held buildings near the beach at Saint-Honorine-des-Pertes on the Normandy coast. The raiders were to capture at least one prisoner for intelligence purposes.

The approach had to be carefully routed. A German minefield blocked the direct crossing of the Bay of the Seine, running north of Cape Barfleur and extending west for several miles. MTB 344 would instead round Barfleur on the inshore Cherbourg–Le Havre shipping route before heading south-west to the target.

At Saint-Honorine the coastline is cliffed. Air photograph reconnaissance had identified a single point, approximately half a mile east of the village, where the cliffs could be scaled. The plan required the party to climb at that specific point, cross the clifftop, approach the German positions from the rear, overwhelm the first post or building encountered, take prisoners, and withdraw by the same cliff route to the waiting MTB.

Everything depended on finding that one climbable point in the dark.

Crossing the Channel

MTB 344 departed from The Needles, Isle of Wight, at 2012 hours on 12 September 1942. Major March-Phillipps commanded the raiding party; Captain Appleyard sailed as navigator.

The passage to Cape Barfleur followed the inshore route to stay clear of the minefield. The Cape was rounded by dead reckoning at 2210 hours. The night was described in Appleyard’s subsequent report as “unusually dark,” with patches of fog in the coastal regions, and land could not be seen. Speed was reduced to 12 knots rounding the Cape, since at that speed the main engines ran comparatively quietly. After clearing Barfleur, a direct course was set for Saint-Honorine.

During the final approach Appleyard took depth soundings every two miles with a lead line. Even the 100-foot cliffs at Saint-Honorine could not be made out until the vessel was within approximately half a mile of the shore. MTB 344 switched to its silent auxiliary engine for the last stretch. At 0005 hours a gap in the cliffs was identified as Saint-Honorine. The vessel anchored in three fathoms, NNE of the gap, 300–400 yards offshore, at 0017 hours.

The Cliffs in the Dark

The landing party left the MTB at 0020 hours in a Goatley collapsible landing boat and made for the right-hand side of the cliff gap. A small, steady white light was burning at the foot of the cliffs on the left. As the party crossed the water, a single flash came from the cliff top on the right.

The problem was immediately apparent. From 400 yards the climbable point could not be located. The air reconnaissance photographs had shown one route up the cliffs and only one. Without finding it, the planned approach from the rear was impossible.

The decision was made to land directly on the beach. The landing party believed they were approaching Saint-Honorine. They had in fact landed at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, several kilometres to the west, on a stretch of coast far more heavily defended and subject to regular German patrols.

At 0050 hours, Tommy gun and pistol fire broke out at the foot of the cliffs around the white light. Fifteen to twenty explosions followed, thought to be German stick grenades, possibly lobbed down from the cliff top. Machine gun fire, Verey lights, and signals spread along the coast in both directions. A searchlight on the cliff top flashed and attempted to sweep the sea, but failed to hold power and never reached the MTB.

At 0120 hours, machine guns on both cliff tops opened fire, first down onto the beach, then swinging out to sea as the MTB was spotted in the light of the flares.

From the vessel, Appleyard heard a shout of “Come back” from the right-hand side of the beach. Then Captain Hayes’ voice was heard clearly, calling Appleyard by name. The words could not be made out above the noise, but the message was taken as an order for the MTB to withdraw: the landing party was pinned under the sea-wall or among the few buildings at the beach’s edge, unable to return to the water under fire and full illumination from flares.

At 0130 hours, Appleyard cut the anchor cable and ordered a crash start on the main engines. A bullet had already struck the starboard engine, damaging the gearbox and ignition system and leaving it nearly useless.

The Rescue Attempt

Appleyard did not leave the coast immediately. The MTB withdrew two miles to sea, then throttled down gradually on silent engines to give the impression of departing. After ten minutes, during which the gunfire from the shore fell silent, the vessel turned back. It crept towards Saint-Honorine at slow speed with an infra-red contact light burning at the masthead, a pre-arranged signal to the landing party. The MTB held position within half a mile of the coast for the next three-quarters of an hour.

No response came. None of the party’s pre-arranged return signals were seen. The Goatley boat could be made out on the beach, stranded above the high-water mark.

At 0225 hours, a German patrol craft opened fire from the north-west, then a second vessel from the north. The nearest shells fell twenty feet from the MTB’s starboard beam. With enemy vessels closing from seaward and no possibility of recovering the landing party, Appleyard set course east for a mile and then north. He departed Saint-Honorine at 0235 hours.

Rather than retrace the longer route round Cape Barfleur, he crossed directly through the minefield. MTB 344 passed through without incident. Air cover located the vessel at 0645 hours but was forced off after twenty minutes by poor flying conditions. The MTB docked at Portsmouth at 1035 hours on 13 September 1942.

By noon, Appleyard had given the outline of events in a cipher message sent from HMS Hornet to Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth. His full written report followed on 16 September.

The Men of Operation Aquatint

The eleven-man raiding party reflected the nature of the SSRF and of the forces gathering in Britain in 1942. Alongside British officers and men were personnel who had escaped occupied Europe and continued fighting under Allied command.

Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO MBE RA commanded the operation. He was killed on the beach at Saint-Honorine. He is buried in the churchyard at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

Captain J.G. Appleyard was 2nd-in-Command of the SSRF and sailed as navigator aboard MTB 344. He remained on the vessel throughout the action; a twisted ankle had prevented him joining the landing party. His after-action report, dated 16 September 1942, is the principal primary source for the operation.

Captain Graham Hayes was among the landing party. His voice was the last Appleyard heard from the shore.

Captain Burton and Captain Lord Howard were also among the officers in the landing party. Howard was shot in the leg during the action.

Lieutenant Tony Hall was hit on the head while trying to drag a German towards the Goatley during the raid.

CSM Tom Winter was among the other ranks in the party.

Maitre André Desgranges was the Free French naval officer in the party.

Private Jan Hellings was Dutch, one of those who had made his way to Britain after the occupation of the Netherlands.

Private Abraham Opoczynski, known as Orr, was Polish.

Sergeant Williams was killed during the operation on the beach at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

Private Lehniger, who went by the name of Pte. Leonard, was from the Sudetenland and German-speaking, a Czech national with a Jewish mother who had previously served at the Dieppe raid. He was killed at Saint-Honorine and is buried at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

Casualties and Prisoners

Three men were killed during the action on the beach: Major March-Phillipps, Sergeant Williams, and Private Lehniger. Four were taken prisoner: Captain Lord Howard (seriously wounded),Lieutenant Tony Hall (seriously wounded),CSM Tom Winter, and Maitre Desgranges. Four escaped the beach initially: Captain Hayes, Captain Burton, Private Hellings, and Private Opoczynski.

The German High Command communiqué issued after the raid gave the following account:

During the night of the 12th–13th September, a British landing party, consisting of five officers, a Company Sergeant Major and a private tried to make a footing on the French Channel coast, East of Cherbourg. Their approach was immediately detected by the defense. Fire was opened on them and the landing craft was sunk by a direct hit. Three English officers and a de Gaullist Naval officer were taken prisoner. A major, a Company Sergeant Major and a private were brought to land dead.

The communiqué’s prisoner count, four men including Maitre Desgranges, the Free French naval officer, matches the British record. The claim that the landing craft was sunk by a direct hit does not: Appleyard’s report records that the Goatley was found stranded above the high-water mark, not destroyed. The dead are listed as a major, a Company Sergeant Major, and a private; British records identify the three killed as Major March-Phillipps, Sergeant Williams, and Private Lehniger. The communiqué’s claim that a CSM was among the dead is wrong: Williams was a sergeant, not a CSM, and CSM Tom Winter survived as a prisoner.

None of the four who escaped remained free for long. Captain Burton was eventually recaptured. Private Hellings escaped by swimming from the beach and was later taken prisoner by the Germans, surviving the war as a POW; he was repatriated after the armistice and died in South Africa around 2007. Private Opoczynski was also recaptured and died in captivity on 12 April 1945, weeks before the German surrender.

The fate of Captain Graham Hayes was the most remarkable of all. He evaded capture, was passed along a French Resistance network, and crossed the Pyrenees into Spain. Spanish authorities arrested him and returned him to German custody. He was executed by firing squad at Fresnes prison on 13 July 1943.

For detailed individual accounts of all the men, see the research compiled by Nigel Stewart at Combined Operations.

The Graves at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer Church

Three of the men killed during Operation Aquatint are buried in the churchyard at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, their graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO MBE

Commanding officer of the Small Scale Raiding Force, killed 13 September 1942.

Private Leonard (Private Lehniger)

Killed 13 September 1942.

Sergeant Williams

Killed 13 September 1942.

The church is at Rue de l’Église, 14710 Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. For visiting details and directions, see the Commonwealth War Graves at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer Church place page.

Visiting the Memorial Today

A plaque commemorating the men of Operation Aquatint is located at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. For the exact location, photographs of the memorial, and directions, see the Operation Aquatint memorial plaque place page.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer lies in the heart of the Normandy landing beaches area, with the Mémorial Musée d’Omaha Beach a short distance away.

The plaque is located on the sea wall at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, at the end of Avenue de la Libération, where plenty of parking is also available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Small Scale Raiding Force?

The Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF),also known as No. 62 Commando, was a British special operations unit that conducted raids on the German-occupied coastline of Western Europe in 1942. Operating from Motor Torpedo Boats, SSRF parties landed in small numbers to gather intelligence and capture prisoners.

What happened during Operation Aquatint?

On the night of 12–13 September 1942, eleven men from the SSRF crossed the English Channel to raid Saint-Honorine-des-Pertes in Normandy. The planned cliff landing could not be executed in the dark, and the party was forced onto the beach, where it came under heavy German fire. Three men were killed and four were taken prisoner.

Who was Major March-Phillipps?

Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO MBE, Royal Artillery, was the commanding officer of the Small Scale Raiding Force. He led Operation Aquatint and was killed during the action on the beach at Saint-Honorine on 13 September 1942. He is buried at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer churchyard, Normandy.

Why did Operation Aquatint fail?

The plan depended on scaling the cliffs at a single point identified from air photographs. The darkness on the night was extreme, and the precise location could not be found from the sea. Forced to land directly on the beach, the party encountered German defences rather than approaching from the rear as planned.

Where are the Operation Aquatint men buried?

Three men killed during Operation Aquatint are buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer churchyard: Major March-Phillipps DSO MBE, Private Leonard, and Sergeant Williams.

What happened to the survivors of Operation Aquatint?

Four men were taken prisoner. Of the four who escaped the beach, three were eventually recaptured. Captain Graham Hayes evaded through the French Resistance, crossed into Spain, was handed back to the Germans, and was executed at Fresnes prison in July 1943. Private Hellings survived as a POW. Private Opoczynski died in captivity in April 1945.

Sources

• ADM 179/227: Report on Operation Aquatint, Captain J.G. Appleyard, 16 September 1942. The National Archives, Kew.
• ADM 179/227: Cypher Message, HMS Hornet to Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth, 13 September 1942. The National Archives, Kew.
• DEFE-2/109. The National Archives, Kew.
• Nigel Stewart, ‘Operation Aquatint’, Combined Operations (www.combinedops.com).

Phil – founder of Normandy War Guide
I started the site more than a decade ago after my first trip to Normandy and have been hooked ever since. I visit a few times each year to explore new sites and update the guide. Over the years I've also transcribed thousands of WWII war diaries and scanned original maps to keep this history accessible for everyone.