The stars, sun and surveyor’s instruments were his only tools to lead British special forces through the North African desert during World War II
WaPo article here.
In the excerpt above I left in the article's link to the Tamet airfield raid, ("Commando Paddy Mayne: Ireland’s Wolf of the Desert") which is an exceptional read. A brawling, wild man loner who seemingly had no fear.
WaPo article here.
"In mid-December 1941, a group of British commandos gathered in the Libyan desert outside an enemy airfield west of Sirte. They had crossed 400 miles during more than two days, driving stripped-down vehicles through wadis and wind-packed sand from an oasis deep in the Sahara.
Their guide, navigator Mike Sadler, was on his first mission, learning to use the sun, stars and surveyor-type instruments to traverse expanses with no roads and few landmarks. “A lot rested on it,” he recalled...
...The British force surged into the Tamet airfield and gunned down German and Italian pilots and crew. At least two dozen planes were destroyed or disabled. A fuel depot was set ablaze. A simultaneous British attack was underway at an air base in Sirte...
Both teams slipped back into the desert night, meeting the navigator at a rendezvous point. The successes set in motion a new guerrilla-style campaign in North Africa by a handpicked group of British munition specialists, gunners, crafty scroungers — and a newly minted navigator who may never have fired a shot...
Their guide, navigator Mike Sadler, was on his first mission, learning to use the sun, stars and surveyor-type instruments to traverse expanses with no roads and few landmarks. “A lot rested on it,” he recalled...
...The British force surged into the Tamet airfield and gunned down German and Italian pilots and crew. At least two dozen planes were destroyed or disabled. A fuel depot was set ablaze. A simultaneous British attack was underway at an air base in Sirte...
Both teams slipped back into the desert night, meeting the navigator at a rendezvous point. The successes set in motion a new guerrilla-style campaign in North Africa by a handpicked group of British munition specialists, gunners, crafty scroungers — and a newly minted navigator who may never have fired a shot...
In the excerpt above I left in the article's link to the Tamet airfield raid, ("Commando Paddy Mayne: Ireland’s Wolf of the Desert") which is an exceptional read. A brawling, wild man loner who seemingly had no fear.
