Island Echo examines the rumours of a German raid on the radar station at St Lawrence in 1943 in which prisoners and valuable equipment were taken – or so it’s claimed.
It was the proud boast of the Ministry of Defence that no part of the UK (which does not include the Channel Islands) was ever occupied – even very briefly – by German forces during World War II. Britain’s shores had remained inviolate to enemy landings throughout the war.
But there have long been rumours of a German raiding party coming ashore on the Isle of Wight during the war years. The story was put into book form by local historian Adrian Searle in 2016 in his work: Churchill’s Last Wartime Secret.
Searle contends that on 15/16th August 1943, a raiding party from the German-occupied Channel Island of Alderney landed on the coast of the Undercliff with the intention of capturing the latest radar equipment to take back to German-occupied Europe.
The raiders were said to have been transported to the coast of the Isle of Wight by submarine and then left their submarine in 2 inflatable dinghies before landing at Woody Bay, an isolated stretch of coast between Ventnor and St Catherine’s Point. A total of around 10 men came on shore. They apparently succeeded in their objective with a large transmitting device captured.
Searle bases his story of the raid on the testimony of 2 German witnesses that allegedly took part. Dr Dietrich Andernacht was a highly respected historian and archivist. He passed away in 1996. The 2nd witness – who unfortunately remains anonymous – was a former naval officer, who related his version of the raid to local military historian Gareth Sprack.
In Dr Dietrich’s version of events, the captured transmitter had a self-destruction device, which exploded when dismantled by German technicians. He also claimed several British prisoners (probably 3) were taken during the raid.
According to the evidence of the naval officer who spoke to Gareth Sprack, there was a firefight between the raiding party and British guards, which led to the deaths of 2 of the defenders and serious injuries to 1 of the German attackers.
Is there any evidence of British soldiers going missing at the time of the raid that would corroborate accounts of prisoners being taken? 1 local story relates that a Ventnor girl had been going out with 1 of the soldiers stationed at the St Lawrence radar site and was heartbroken to have been informed he had died. Months later, she heard he was alive and well in a German POW camp.
A 2nd account – which appeared in Island Life magazine in 2009 – told of a young soldier guarding a searchlight unit having fallen to his death off a cliff, only for his relatives to have been informed by the Red Cross that he had been snatched by a German raiding party and was now a prisoner of war.
If soldiers based on the Isle of Wight had been captured during a raid and then subsequently detained in a POW camp, why would they not tell their stories on their return home at the end of the war? Searle claims that they would have been made to sign the Official Secrets Act on their release from captivity and dissuaded from relating their experiences.
So, why was the raid hushed up? Searle believed the high-level secrecy at the time was understandable. The panic and negative effect on public morale following the admission of a German landing on British soil would have been damaging to the British war effort.
But why is it necessary – some 80 years after the event – to keep the raid secret?
Historian, Gareth Sprack, commented:
“I can see why the British would keep this secret for so long. We have this thing about Churchill, the great saviour of Britain in World War II, who has made this proud statement that there was no successful commando raid, or enemy landing of any sort, during the war. Are we even now ready, effectively, to discredit Churchill even in the smallest of ways?”
What do Island Echo readers believe? Was there really a successful German raid on St Lawrence in 1943, which has effectively been airbrushed from history? Are there any stories of missing soldiers from that period from elderly relatives that might shed light on the events of 15/16th August 1943?
If anyone has any evidence to share, please do so in the comments section or email [email protected]…
If it was possible to have researched the records in the sixties I think there would be no doubt the evidence would be more conclusive. A lot of older residents in the area would recount the story more or less as written here. One used to talk of a soldier billeted with the family who did not return one day and there had been gunfire overnight. It was mentioned that one Canadian Soldier was released from a PoW camp in Germany even though his unit was based on the Island during the conflict returned back to the area after the war. Sadly the people who were there at the time are no longer with us and it is understandable that some historians should discredit the story as it does on fit the records.
Very interesting and intriguing tale.
I do however doubt that the radar equipment would have had a ‘self destruct’ device within it back then. Although possible would seem unlikely that anyone would expect it to be dis-assembled by enemy hands so imo unlikley.
How very different our country was back only a few short decades ago. With an enemy desperate to get here but IF they did arrive likely a one off, yet now, with modern radar, ‘apparently’ we can’t even keep out ill equipped, non trained foreign men from landing wherever they choose.
Disgraceful what Politicians have allowed to ruin this country, not for a while, but for the rest of eternity now.
Thanks for the story and hope others can shed more light on it
Re: apparently’ we can’t even keep out ill equipped, non trained foreign men from landing wherever they choose.
Slightly off topic, but a very good point you make there.
I’ve never heard of this story before, very interesting if true.
Self destruct capability!!!! Yep, someone got carried away talking to a man in a pub in Ventnor, probably Tom Cruise
A Home guard sentry was snatched by a German raiding party in Sussex and taken back and placed in a pow camp, this is well documented.
Up to quite recently there was by the old war bunker now turned into a home, an old absestos building which used to contain wireless equipment years after the war had ended.
You would think if a fire fight then IF the radar was housed there that bullet damage would show up easily, but perhaps the special radar electrics were housed in the one of several bunkers, now bricked up. I have been in one of them and never saw bullet damage but wasn’t expecting to find such so never looked too hard. Rember an old toilet in there and the pipe is seen on the edge of the cliff still today.
Perhaps the bunker the house is now made from could have more info as to any seen bullet damage.
Lovely area yet council closed the f.path now.
A charming area, yet the Council have closed off the footpath for months now.
A disgrace as one of the best costal walks on Wight.
We pay enough council tax and they just waste it on useless beings.
Story for gullible grockles on rainy coach tours?
Typical shoddy Nazi trick
It’s a really good book, my mum got me a copy 🙂
But didn’t the British send a raiding party to Germany to find out about RADAR secrets? I thought they were ahead of us in that field.
We did , known as operation Bitting, raid on the German radar station at Brunival, Northern France in February 1942. There was a clear reason and motive for our raid. Once you know the German motive in detail, you have a reason to raid. No motive…no raid. But there is a well documented motive…….come along to the talk in St Lawrence on October 26th to find out more about this facinating WWII story and how the German raid story is emerging after 82 years……Nothing to see here?