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KIWIS and the LIBYAN DESERT TAXI SERVICE ……And Beyond!

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KIWIS and the LIBYAN DESERT TAXI SERVICE ……And Beyond! KIWIS and THE LIBYAN DESERT TAXI SERVICE ……and beyond! Peter Hurly 1940 to 1945 The Beginning WW1 Phase 1 • Light Patrol Cars 1916 to 1919 • Duke of Westminster Rolls Royce Armoured Cars The Lost Oasis of Zerzura The Beginning Phase 2 • The Zerzura Club. • Lost Oasis of Zerura – Hamid Khan expedition 1929 to 1930 • Ralph Bagnold / Ladislaus Almasy / Rosita Forbes/ Popski / Orde Wingate The Early Desert Explorations. • 1918 – Dr Ball and Capt C H Wilson Pembroke Yeomanry – Report of Military Geography of the North Western Desert of Egypt. • 1921 Colonel de Lancey Forth 100miles South of Siwa • 1924 Prince Kemel el Din and Dr Ball – Regenfeld • 1925 Bagnold and Holland • 1930 Sand Sea and Uweinat • 1929 – Ford A with 6 inch tyres • Almasy 1929 to 1931 – Gypsy Moth / Steyr vehicles • Sir Robert Clayton – East- Clayton and Lady Dorothy Clayton – East – Clayton • Pat Clayton Big Cairn / Gilf Kebir • 1933 Almasy – Penderel route through the Gilf Gilf Kebir The Cave of Swimmers The Italians in Libya • Balkan Wars 1911 – Occupied Libya • Tried to occupy Fezzan during WW1 • 1923 – 2nd Italo – Senussi War • Gen Grazianni – the Butcher • Frontier Wire – 168 miles • Omar Mukthar – hanged 1931 • Kufra captured 1931 • Gen Grazianni – the Butcher. • Frontier Wire – 168 miles. • Fusce ac sapien sed massa congue aliquam. • Praesent tempus lectus venenatis aliquam. • Find More PowerPoint Templates, Backgrounds, Presentations From MyFreePPT.com Ralph Bagnold • Maj RCS 1939 posted to East Africa • Troopship delayed at Port Said – met Gen Sir Archibald Wavell • Important to know what Italians were doing • “Give this officer everything he wants at once!” • Chevrolet trucks from Egyptian Army • 4 Tenets of Desert warfare The Area of Operations The Desert Desert ( Going) • Qatarra Depression • Great Sand Sea • Basaltic Rocks Ronald Unger Preparations • Trucks. • Personnel • Food • Weapons • Navigation • Radio • Intelligence • Survey Sun compass and condenser Chev 30 cwt Ford FW 30 & Chev 30 cwt 15 CWT and Jeep Radio No 11 Wireless Wyndom Aerials Tim Heywood Phillips Type 635 Cover -Wool trading The Troops Operations • Initially reconnaissance of Kufra and Uweinat – attacked fuel dumps. Italians doubled the number of garrison troops • 11 Jan 1941 – Murzuk raid in Fezzan. • Jebel Sherif. • Free French take Kufra • Tobruk (Daffodil) (Agreement)/ Benghazi (Snowdrop) (Bigamy) Jalo (Tulip) (Nicety) • Barce Raid (Caravan) Te Paki ROAD WATCH The Taxi Service • Observers • British and Arab undercover agents • SAS • Popski’s Private Army • Free French • Middle East Commandos • Sudan Defence Force • Greek Sacred Sqn Headquarters The Air Section • Two Waco Aircraft • Maj G Prendergast and SGT R F Barker • Reconnaissance • Mail delivery • CASEVAC • Liaison • No radio or direction-finding capability Nick Wilder & Ron Tinker Indian Long Range Desert Squadron Formed 25 Dec 1941 In May 1942 two patrols were attached to the LRDG; in October 1942 the whole unit came under LRDG command. Following service in North Africa the unit was redeployed to Zahidan, Baluchistan and Persia. Disbanded 1947 when India partioned Merlyn Craw The Aegean Operation Accolade • After North Africa – Many returned to Div Cavalry • Retrained Cedars of Lebanon • Levant Schooner Flotilla • Cos / Naxos • Levita • Leros. • NZ Government ordered A SQN (KIWI) to disband • Others remained on partisans in Yugoslavia / Albania / Greece Cedars Dodecanese Islands Italo Turkish War April 1912 Remained under Italian administration Oct 1912 Seized by Italy 1915 1943 Italy / Britain (Churchill) / Germany British 1945 to 1947 Greece 1947 to date COS • Strategic Importance • Only airfield – 2 SQNs Spitfires • 23 September 1943 Operation Polar Bear 3 October 1943 • RAF / SAAF SQNs overwhelmed • Closest British airfields now 300 miles away • Surrender 4 October • Massacre of 100 Italian officers Levitha HMLS Hedgehog transporting German POWS to Leros POWs overpowered crew Requested help – Germans elite forces occupied Levitha 49 LRDG told to take back Levitha told would be easy as only a few enemy troops there No reconnaissance Olivey “ Like hell I am!” Castello Hill Only 7 out of 49 escaped – biggest loss to LRDG – more than in the 3 years in the desert NZ Government furious – advised would withdraw NZ tropps from LRDG Leros l Leros Doune Westminister Abbey and St Christopher’s Hereford More than just a taxi service! ROMMEL The LRDG caused us more damage than any other unit of a similar size. References • Kennedy Shaw W.B; Long Range Desert Group. Collins 1945 • Lloyd Owen, David; Providence Their Guide. Harrap 1980. • O’Carroll, Brendan;Kiwi Scorpions. Token 2000 • O’Carroll, Brendan; Bearded Brigands. Ngaio Press 2002 • O’Carroll, Brendan; Barce Raid. Ngaio Press 2005 • O’Carroll, Brendan; Incident at Jebel Sherif. Kuno Gross 2009 • Pittaway & Fourie; LRDG Rhodesia. Dandy Agencies Pty 2002 • Mortimer, Gavin; The Men who made the SAS. Constable Press 2015 • O’Carroll, Brendan; The Long Range Desert Group in the Agean. Pen & Sword 2020. • O’Carroll, Brendan; The Long Range Desert Group in Action 1940-1943. Pen & Sword 2020. • Mortimer, Gavin; Vehicles of the Long Range Desert Group 1940-1945. Osprey 2020..
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