They Fought Alone

by Maurice Buckmaster

  May 1944

  RAILWAYMEN’S TEAM

  Sixteen electrically powered locomotives destroyed out of eighteen in the Monceaux Station.

  GROUP ‘PIERRE’ (MÉRIGNAC)

  Telephone lines linking marshalling yards of the Paris–Orléans Railway line and Bassens cut at Carbon Blanc. Underground telephone and electric current lines cut, linking the Hitlerjugend barracks and the Mérignac race-course, as well as the Mérignac general camp. Telephone and electric power lines linking the ten-gun battery of Chut at the Mérignac Aerodrome and the Command Post at the Château Laffargue at Mérignac, cut in several places. Telephone lines on Pessac shooting range linking part of the Command Posts of Pessac–Alouette–Gazinet, cut 400 yards from Pessac: very important.

  June 1944

  GROUP ‘PIERRE’ (MÉRIGNAC)

  Underground telephone lines cut between St Médard and several German Command Posts. Sabotage of nine electrically-powered locomotives and two electric ‘Michelines’ 400 yards from Pessac Station (100 yards from a German sentry box). Essential parts of locomotives completely destroyed, as confirmed by the head of the Depot at the principal Bordeaux railway station, by whom the debris was examined. Railway lines sabotaged between powder-factory and the Lacanau–St Louis line (results not confirmed).

  GROUP ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’

  Motorised convoy attacked on RN 157 on its way from Bordeaux:

  Twenty-two trucks destroyed, 162 Germans killed, 182 wounded: the rest of the convoy retired to Bordeaux having been unable to get through ambush. Commando group losses: fourteen killed, forty-two wounded.

  GROUP ‘LÉON DES LANDES’

  Railway line Dax–Bayonne cut at four points: 360,000 volt pylons blown up onto railway line. The 10,000 volt line feeding the stations cut in three places. Telephone and telegraph lines along the railway cut in five places. Underground cable on Dax–Bayonne road cut in ten places. Ten trees cut down as roadblocks on Dax–Bayonne road. All telephone and telegraph lines on main and secondary roads between Dax and Bayonne cut. German telephone lines cut, specially the one between German HQ at the Château d’Abesse and St Paul de Dax. German staff car attacked on Dax–Bayonne road: two officers killed, five wounded: our men were attacked by following truck but withdrew without loss.

  At Nanosse, three teams blew four tall pylons carrying 150,000 volts – pylon across the railway track: the Dax–Mont-de-Marsan railway line cut in two places: the Dax–Orthez line pylon destroyed, cutting the 60,000 volt and the 10,000 volt lines feeding Dax and the railways.

  German dispatch riders killed on Dax–Mont-de-Marsan road. All telegraph lines above ground on Dax–Mont-de-Marsan road and railway destroyed. The same team blew up Dax–Bordeaux line in six places. At Ponteux, Tartas, on Bordeaux–Dax line, five 150,000 volt pylons brought down across railway track, which is thus cut. The parallel line carrying 60,000 volts to the sub-stations cut in five places. Between St Lever and Ponteux an angle pylon blown up: the 30,000 volt and the 10,000 volt lines cut in several places. Ten trees cut down across main Dax–Mont-de-Marsan road. All overground cable lines destroyed on Dax–Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux–Dax main roads. Underground cable Bordeaux-Dax-Toulouse cut and 25 metres of it carried away at the Pont de Sort between Dax and Toulouse. Twelve trees cut down on second class road Dax–Montfort–Mont-de-Marsan. Traffic stopped. All overground cables cut at numerous points. Two pylons blown up so as to obstruct Orthez–Dax railway line near Mimbaste station. Telephone and telegraph cables on railway cut.

  Dax–Peyrehorade: one angle pylon (60,000 volt) blown up on Bayonne line. Telephone and telegraph lines on Dax–Peyrehorade main road cut at numerous points and trees cut down across road. Sabotage of an enormous pylon on the Pau–Dax line; pylon blown up in fragments but remains standing. Angle pylon carrying 60,000 volts and 10,000 volts from St Lever blown up 300 yards from German watch-post. Pylon fell on and destroyed small transformer.

  Four pylons blown up at Nanosse. Guerrilla fighting with ambushed Germans; two killed, three wounded: one of our men captured and killed. Another team attacked German formations, killing and wounding some (exact number unknown). One of our men wounded, but rescued.

  Our Command Post attacked by 700 or 800 Germans armed with light tanks, mortars, field artillery and heavy automatic weapons. After vigorous resistance, the Commander orders withdrawal in good order. Germans were pushing a captured Frenchman in front of them, a revolver pressed into his back and forcing him to hold both hands above his head. Commander decided to blow up the Command Post so that it should not fall into enemy hands: prepared explosive charge and shouting to his men to retire, lit fuse. Enemy all round. Post exploded with detonation heard 24 miles away, but Commander had managed to get out of danger. Enemy stunned by vastness of explosion: forty-two Germans killed, numerous wounded by explosion and by murderous cross-fire partly from their own comrades. Three of our men killed, four captured and shot by Germans next morning, after refusing to divulge the name of their commander, despite a promise by the Germans of their lives if they did. They died heroically, singing the Marseillaise. Germans set fire to the farm where the Command Post was and arrested hostages from the civilian population.

  Six rail-cuts between Misson and Pau. 60,000 volt line on railway cut. One cement pylon carrying the cable blown up between Misson and Puyoô, a second damaged. Underground cable Dax–Bordeaux blown between Dax and Castets (interruption of communications for many days). Underground cable between Dax and Bayonne blown up, interrupting all communications between Dax, Bayonne, Spain and Portugal. Underground cable blown up between Dax, Pau and Toulouse.

  GROUP ‘GEORGES’

  Sabotage of: four 120,000 volt pylons near railway line; three 150,000 volt pylons near Grasignan; three 120,000 volt posts at Boir on St Genis road; three telegraph posts at St Fort. Electric line Hostenx–Bayonne cut. Eight 150,000 volt pylons near Ychoux. Twenty-four German telephone lines cut at La Souge. Three underground cables cut near Blaye. Two underground cables cut at the mouth of the Sauve. Points destroyed on railway at Clian. 100 yards of line at Villexavier destroyed. Two German trains derailed at Gennozac. Bordeaux–Bayonne line cut near Ychoux. Signals destroyed on Bordeaux–Dax line. Signals sabotaged at Bordeaux main station. Railway cut at Mosnac between Puy and Jonzac. Destruction of a bridge at Magnignas (RN 137). Destruction of a bridge on railway between Montendre and Chartresac. Destruction of a bridge on railway between Puy and Montignac. Destruction of a bridge near Puy (RN 137). Attack on a convoy near Saintes: result unknown. Two pylons blown up, denying electric power to railway. Three pylons blown up at Beychac.

  COMMANDO GROUP ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’

  Attack on Milice at Bordeaux: result unknown. Attack on German communications at Cenon: result poor. Second attack on German communications at Cenon: result satisfactory. Panzer Division’s communications damaged at Monrepos. Attack on Bordeaux Kommandantur: serious damage; loss of German life unknown. German train cut in two and derailed on Bordeaux–Toulouse line. Three derailments of German trains near Jonzac. All German underground cables destroyed at Jonzac. Underground cable between Dax, Pau and Toulouse blown up.

  ‘ARCACHON’ GROUP

  Two large HT pylons blown up, one line running along the railway and feeding the southern section. A third pylon is damaged by the fall of the other two. Twenty-nine workmen took three days to repair. Traffic partially stopped. Telephone and telegraph cables linking Arcachon with the outside world sabotaged.

  ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’ GROUP

  Three of our men attack German patrol thirty strong, without loss. German losses not known.

  ‘FERNAND’ GROUP

  500 litres of petrol taken from Germans. Railway points attacked on metal bridge crossing the Garonne at Bordeaux, but without success owing to intervention of railway officials and, later, German sentinels and patrols. Operation on the 60,000 volt electric line linking Chamberg, Le Bouscant, Couin: three pylons blown up, of which two completely destroyed.
Operation on the 33 tonne crane at Caen and on a steam locomotive which was just leaving the repair shops. Crane completely destroyed. Engine rendered unserviceable for an unknown period owing to cylinder damage. Subsequent attempts at repairing crane abandoned after two months. Operation on two telegraph and telephone pylons on the Talence bridge. Trains delayed by twenty-four hours. German telephone communications cut in several places near Jonzac. Derailment of one German train near Pons. Derailment of one goods train near Fléac. Destruction of railway bridge near Fléac. Rail cut over 150 yards near Soulhac. Complete destruction of ammunition train near Fléac, numerous German casualties. Underground cables and HT pylons cut near Soulhac. A German express train derailed by sabotage, colliding with a petrol-tanker train north of Bordeaux. German car attacked at Bordeaux: one captain and one sergeant killed. A Milice car attacked at Bordeaux: four miliciens killed, two wounded.

  July 1944

  ‘FERNAND’ GROUP

  Attack on pylons near Arcachon: seven pylons destroyed; 600 yards of cable brought down; electricity cut, trains delayed seven hours. Damage unlikely to be repaired for forty-five days, despite round-the-clock work. Attack made in daylight, despite close guard by Milice and Germans.

  Both railway tracks sabotaged for 250 yards 12 kilometres from Bordeaux on Bordeaux–Langon line, between Cadaujac and St Médard d’Eyrens: job done in broad daylight; delay of seventeen hours in normal traffic. Transformers sabotaged in railway repair shop of Bordeaux principal railway station: work stopped for three days.

  ‘PIERRE DE MÉRIGNAC’ GROUP

  Two telephone lines cut at Anlac. Electric railway line sabotaged, imposing twelve hour delay on all traffic. Much sabotage of overhead telephone lines, including fifty linking the German HQ with an AA Post at Painvert. German counter-attack ineffectual. Four cables linking AA batteries and control posts at Alouette–Pessac–Gazinet destroyed. Five other cables linking AA batteries with control post at Beutre destroyed. Sabotage of communications in three places.

  ‘ROLAND’ GROUP IN BORDEAUX HARBOUR

  All electric cables linking mines on the right bank of the Garonne cut; this was carried out from a canoe: the cuts were camouflaged so as to hide the damage. An attempt on the similar installations on the left bank failed. Electric cables linking mines destined to blow up Bastide Bridge cut, the work being camouflaged afterwards.

  ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’ GROUP

  Railway line on three bends of the Bordeaux–Le Verdon railway sabotaged for 144 yards at Soulhac. Five pylons and underground cables sabotaged near Soulhac. A German patrol encountered lost three killed and wounded, one of our group taken prisoner. Two cuts on permanent way 30 km. from Bordeaux on line to Toulouse: a semaphore destroyed: German pursuit ineffectual. Telephone-cable box destroyed at Lormont. Failure of an attempt to blow up a bridge on the Bordeaux–Libourne railway line at Ambarres: two of our men killed. No German loss. Cellulose factories at Facture attacked with much damage to machinery.

  ‘GEORGE’ GROUP

  Powder-works at St Médard attacked: explosives placed on water-mains and conduits; factory out of action for fifteen days. Bridge destroyed between Pons and Jonzac. Bridge destroyed between Pons and Bougnon. Bridge partially destroyed at Hendaye. Bridge destroyed at Gars, forcing Germans to use road detour. Two pylons bringing power to German works at Soulhac destroyed.

  ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’ GROUP

  Railway sabotaged at St Germain de Lusignan (causing three-hour hold-up), at Coux (one locomotive destroyed: five-hour hold-up), at Tugenac (unsuccessful in one place, but munition train derailed, seventeen wagons overturned: two locos destroyed: four days’ hold-up: German losses not known). Trees felled on Route Nationale 157: traffic held up twelve hours; German tank attacked, one German killed. Two large and one small pylon destroyed on Bordeaux–Libourne railway line. Railway sabotaged at Coux on Bordeaux–Paris line, 3 kilometres north of Montendre: traffic held up for four days. Munitions depot at Jonzac destroyed. Railway bridge destroyed at Bougneau, stopping traffic between Bordeaux and Saintes for more than forty-eight hours, after which only one track reopened. German requisitioning at Pons obstructed without retaliation from the enemy. Total destruction of Bougneau road-bridge, thus completing operation started some days previously: traffic completely stopped, necessitating detour of 45 miles. Points sabotaged at Pons station: considerable damage. Trees felled at Pas des Fenêtres prevent road traffic for twelve hours. Three pylons on line Pyrénées–Angoulême sabotaged at Clérac. Railway sabotaged at Coux on railway line Bordeaux–Saintes–Paris interrupts traffic for forty-eight hours. At the Latecouères aircraft factories at Toulouse, André Bouillard with two colleagues destroyed the two prototypes of the V4. Next day, photographs of the sabotage showing complete destruction of the two prototypes were taken and sent direct to London by the Espagne route. Two armoured locomotives destroyed in Toulouse station.

  THE ‘ROCQUEFORT’ GROUP

  Though only lightly armed, attacked and seized a petrol depot. German train blown up near Riviere on Dax–Bayonne line: three coaches across the permanent way; four Germans wounded; no traffic for three days. Line blown up underneath German train on Dax–Bordeaux line at 6.30 a.m.: train stopped but not derailed; several hours’ delay. On Dax–Pau line no train during night: Germans removed the explosives when patrolling. On Dax–St. Sever–Mont-de-Marsan line, no German train passed during night, so the team blew up three points at the exit of Montford station: twenty-two young people who were coming innocently to the Dax market were arrested; the Germans seized all the vegetables at the market; the population are highly amazed at this sign of German wrath. Underground cable Bordeaux–Dax blown up 6 miles from Dax. Germans, even angrier than at the railway sabotage, station troops at the point where the cable was cut and place automatic weapons all round; anybody using the road arrested: according to a German officer all the people of Dax are terrorists. Underground cable Dax–Toulouse blown up at Hinx S/Adour, cutting all telephone and telegraph contacts between Dax, Pau and Toulouse, also between Dax and Mont-de-Marsan. The same team were responsible for both operations. I am proud of them… Their Commander has lost all his property and personal possessions which have been seized by the Gestapo…

  ‘LÉON DES LANDES’ GROUP

  Underground cables Dax–Bordeaux blown up between Dax and Castets (several days out of service): and at Gourbers near Dax, and at St Paul les Dax, and Montford: irreplaceable. Sabotage at Hendaye, but no full report available. At St Martin d’Oney, 300 yards of railway line blown up, cutting off Mont-de-Marsan airfield. Eight cement giant pylons blown between Puyoô and Dax, two between Puyoô and Bayonne, four between Orthez and Pau. Overhead cable cut, carried away and destroyed between Bayonne, Sabin, Orthez and Pau: traffic stopped for a number of days.

  A particularly brilliant operation took place on 15 July 1944 at 9.10 p.m. All the petrol stored at St Paul les Dax was blown up. The seven tanks contained 456,000 litres of petrol and were totally destroyed. 200,000 more litres of oil were destroyed. The depot was guarded by three German watch-posts and surrounded by AA batteries. The people of Dax were overjoyed, the Germans furious.

  Railway bridge at Lucbardez on Mont-de-Marsan–Marmande line blown up: four days out of action (personally confirmed). 60,000 volt line from Licq blown up in mountain ravine, irreparable. The 60,000 volt line Sauveterre-de-Béarn–Baigts-Béarn blown up: six pylons destroyed. HT line blown at Lannemezan.

  As a result of these acts of sabotage, electric power considerably reduced. We shall go on till we eliminate it altogether.

  Cable linking France with Spain and Portugal cut at two points. German train blown up at Laluque: engine out of service at least two months.

  On the Marmande line 350 yards of rail again blown up: Germans obliged to replace rails by using marshalling yard rails. Line from St Sever to Dax blown: several hours’ delay. Fuse-boxes blown between Orthez and Dax, Orthez–Toulouse and Orthez–Pau. Points blown up in Bougue, Villeneuve de Marsa
n, Labastide d’Armagnac and Le Frède stations: traffic at a standstill. Complete munition train blown up in Laluque station when on its way to Normandy: twenty-two trucks containing shells and munitions of all kinds destroyed; first explosion at 8.30 p.m. followed by others throughout the night; forty-seven trucks carrying special German equipment reduced to matchwood and burned out; railway line and signalling apparatus destroyed; traffic totally stopped; trains from Toulouse, Pau, Bayonne, Dax, etc., had to be re-routed; no traffic between Bordeaux and Hendaye. The RAF had on several occasions tried without success to destroy this train.

  August 1944

  ‘DÉDÉ LE BASQUE’ GROUP

  German tanker-lorry blown up: 15,000 litres of petrol destroyed. German radio-detection van destroyed. Transmitting and receiving set captured and used by the group: two Germans killed. Trees felled at Pas des Fenêtres (RN. 157) stopping traffic throughout night. Two English parachutists coming from Normandy rescued. Sabotage on railway-line Bordeaux–Saintes–Paris: three points destroyed, as well as telephone lines.