Mission
Operation Titanic was carried out by the Royal Air Force and the Special Air Service. The Royal Air Force provided four squadrons from No. 3 Group RAF. The special duties squadrons No. 138 and No. 161 flying Handley Page Halifaxs and Lockheed Hudsons. They were joined by two other squadrons No. 90 and No. 149 flying Short Stirlings. The Special Air Service provided 12 men commanded by Captain Frederick James Fowles(Chick) and Lieutenant Norman Harry Poole. The Special Air Service were tasked to engage the Germans on landing, but to ensure some of them escaped to spread the word that hundreds of parachutists were landing in the area.
The mission was in four parts: Titanic I-IV. It entailed dropping dummy parachutists which contained rifle fire simulators, Window and an explosive charge. The explosives were designed to destroy the dummy and the only evidence left would suggest that the parachutist had burnt his parachute.
Titanic I was the simulated drop of an airborne division north of the Seine river. The drop zones were near Yvetot, Yerville, Doudeville in the Seine-Maritime region and Fauville in the Eure region. On these four drop zones 200 dummies and two Special Air Service teams were parachuted in.
Titanic II was the dropping of 50 dummy parachutists east of the Dives River to draw German reserves onto that side of the river but this mission was cancelled just before 6 June.
Titanic III was the dropping of 50 dummy parachutists in the Calvados region near Maltot and the woods to the north of Baron-sur-Odon to draw German reserves away to the west of Caen.
Titanic IV was the dropping of 200 dummies near Marigny in the Manche and as with Titanic I was supposed to simulate the dropping of an airborne division. Two Special Air Service teams were also dropped here near Saint-Lô. This group commanded by Captain Fowles and Lieutenant Poole landed at 00:20 on 6 June 1944, 10 minutes ahead of schedule. The Special Air Service teams carried recordings and amplifiers and played sound of rifle and Mortar fire together with shouted commands. The recordings lasted for 30 minutes after which the Special Air Service teams withdrew from the area.
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