| Subject: Re: Marines Corps Flanders 23 April 1918 |
Author:
Mark Karau
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Date Posted: 21:17:47 05/09/05 Mon
In reply to:
Johan
's message, "Re: Marines Corps Flanders 23 April 1918" on 05:42:13 05/05/05 Thu
Sorry I missed this discussion. I've been away from the list for a while. All I would like to add to the discussion is that I would not rely completely on the number of graves in the cemeteries when assessing casualties. There is an extensive file in Freiburg relating specifically to the raid which may include a casualty count. It wasn't a priority of mine when I was researching the MarineKorps but I seem to remember seeing something to that effect. If you live in Europe Paul it would be well worth your while to go and check out the file.
>Hi Paul,
>
>Fact is that I even did research after German victims
>on the other West-Flanders military cemeteries.
>
>As you said it, it was a massacre, hidden to the
>public by propaganda and other stories. I was several
>times on the Mole about twenty years ago, trying to
>understand what had really happened there. O don't
>know if you ever had the opportunity to do the same at
>the time, but it gave a very good idea of the death
>trap the British marines ran into.
>
>The Germans were behind the concrete wall with their
>guns when they saw the ships arrive. The ships who
>where to land the personnel were as good as
>defenseless and could not really do anything back
>against these guns. That must already have been
>responsible for a number of victims. Once they were
>finally able to land on the Mole, they all came on to
>it in a narrow location, making them an ideal target.
>The Germans were in bunkers, hangars, behind other
>defenses, there were rows with barbed wire, had some
>machineguns and this explains why they, although
>seriously outnumbered, were able to hold of the force
>and prevent them to capture the Mole guns which were
>firing on the blocking ships.
>
>The numbers on defenses and losses on German side in
>the book of Deborah Lake are based on the material
>I've found over the last twentytwo years on the
>matter. It is unfortunately not what was found in the
>newspapers and propaganda, it is the sad story of many
>British men which fell in an action that came on a
>such a moment in the ware, that it had to be
>succesfull.
>
>People often don't take it in gratitude when I say
>that the raid was a disaster. High human losses, no
>real blocking of the Zeebrugge harbour, no result at
>all at Oostende...
>
>However it was a victory in another way. One for the
>propaganda, with all the medals and VC's. But it was
>also a victory as it had been a very daring and heroic
>attack on the Dragon's nest (to make a variant on the
>dragon's tail). By the time it happened Dover Barrage
>became more and more successfull in destroying passing
>submarines. Less and less subs would pass the
>Channel...
>
>Best from Johan
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