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01:00:00:00 01:00:13:20 01:00:35:00 – 01:00:44:55 01:00:45:00 01:01:09:12 01:01:14:00 Caption: Ted Sismore master
navigator of the Shell House Raid 01:01:30:00 Title:
—the— SHELL
HOUSE —RAID—
narrated
by MARTIN SHEEN 01:01:40:00 Caption: FORTUNE favors
THE BRAVE -TERENCE 01:01:47:19 01:02:02:12 01:02:15:00 Caption: Ole Lippmann danish
resistance leader 01:02:31:20 01:02:50:12 Caption: Wing Commander Bob Bateson led
the first wave of six mosquitos 01:03:00:00 01:03:01:10 Caption: Svend Truelsen chief
of danish military intelligence 01:03:07:00 01:03:26:00 01:03:33:00 01:03:36:10 Caption: Ted Sismore master
navigator of the Shell House Raid 01:03:43:10 01:04:03:15 01:04:23:00 01:04:26:00 Caption: Ole Lippmann danish
resistance leader 01:04:35:00 01:04:58:00 01:05:16:05 01:05:36:22 01:05:49:02 01:06:03:08 Caption: Professor Brandt Rehberg Shell House attic prisoner 01:06:21:12 Caption: —the— MOSQUITO 01:06:26:09 01:06:43:05 01:06:58:10 01:07:08:20 01:07:21:14 01:07:35:10 Caption: —the— ANATOMY —of— ATTACK 01:07:59:05 Caption: Air Chief Marshall Sir Basil Embry flew with the first wave of
attackers 01:08:09:00 01:08:13:20 Caption: Svend Truelsen chief of danish military
intelligence 01:08:28:12 01:08:38:07 01:09:02:10 Caption: Ted Sismore footage from 1973 01:09:15:00 01:09:29:20 01:09:44:058 Caption: Ted Sismore footage from the 1960’s 01:10:08:010 01:10:25:06 01:10:48:02 01:10:56:00 01:11:24:00 Caption: —the— START MARCH 21, 1945 8:30 am 01:11:28:18 01:11:49:20 01:12:07:20 01:12:17:15 01:12:23:00 01:12:30:21 01:12:48:00 01:12:58:04 01:13:05:00 01:13:31:12 01:13:55:20 01:14:14:20 01:14:44:19 01:15:09:15 01:15:35:00 01:15:54:02 01:16:13:17 Caption: Doctor Mogens Fog Shell House attic prisoner 01:16:32:09 01:16:52:10 01:16:54:05 Caption: Paul Borking parachutist and SOE agent 01:17:00:03 01:17:03:04 01:17:18:18 01:17:47:12 01:18:07:00 01:18:24:10 01:18:39:22 01:19:00:00 01:19:09:12 01:19:33:05 01:19:56:10 01:20:18:24 01:20:32:00 01:20:50:00 01:21:03:15 01:21:16:10 01:21:36:05 01:22:03:00 |
Ted
Sismore: I had one experience in Ted Sismore: When the door opened and a man stepped out, and with a great shock, saw
me looking at him from about forty feet. That was one of experience. Fighter
plane flying over the sea. Narrator: During World War II,
Adolf Hitler and Narrator: The machine was the
Mosquito attack aircraft, the man was Ted Sismore, master navigator in Narrator: The German war
machines subjugated almost all of Narrator: And its fighters
became a serious challenge to the German occupiers. The center of evil for
the Danish resistance movement was this building Shell House. The Gestapo
headquarters in Ole Lippmann: Gestapo people had
been very active indeed They had been successful in arresting some key people
and had through torture and through maltreatment of those people they had
arrested in able to get hold of their important part of the resistance movement.
Narrator: It was a house of
terror and torture. A place of surveillance where files of evidence were kept
on Danish resistance workers. And to deter British RAF raids on Shell House
the Germans imprisoned resistance leaders as hostages in cells in the attic
of the building. Bob Bateson: It wasn’t just a
task of destroying the building but if possible to ensure the people in the
sixth floor were not killed and had a chance of escape. Svend Truelsen: Their operation was
regarded as one of the most dangerous operation in World War II. Narrator: Success of the
mission depended on a pinned point attack signaling out one building in a
crowded modern city. The man chosen who lead the attack find the path from Narrator: Today, he lives in a
small village in North of London. Ted Sismore: When I was still in
school, we could see Ted Sismore: And it’s silly to
say this, to remember this now, but it’s true we used to say, we were afraid
of war would come too soon and we wouldn’t be old enough to get into it. I
was in the RAF volunteer reserve in August 1939. Ted Sismore: Our first contact
with the Danish resistance was when we were sharing some information about
the Gestapo headquarters. The Danes were getting worried about the amount of
information the Gestapo had put together on the underarm movement. Narrator: By the end of
February 1945, resistance leader Ole Lippmann sent a secret signal to Ole Lippmann: I came
to the conclusion that irrespective of the risks, irrespective of the
fact that a lot of close friends and people I knew were sitting on the top of
the Shell House plus both the houses next to the Shell House and the school
on the other side would be hit. I came home to Ted Sismore: And we were asked to
go up to SOE headquarters in Ted Sismore: And then we looked
very carefully at all the information that they provided photographs,
diagrams, maps and realized that there was just one possible approach to
Shell House which could be successful. Ted Sismore: And so after some deliberation we said yes, we thought we
could do it knowing that it would be difficult. But the problem of course was
that we were told about the Danes up in the attic. Ted Sismore: And we said there is
no way we attack this building and protect the Danes in the attic. We are
going likely to kill them all. That was the biggest worry at that phase of
the operation. Professor
Brandt Rehberg:
The feel that was nearly in all the prisoners that all knew that it was
necessary. All expected the raid to come. All knew that if they don’t raid it
now they have so much material that they can’t practically arrest the whole
resistant movement in Fighter
plane Mosquito flying across. Narrator: The Mosquito was a
breakthrough attack aircraft that had extra ordinary speed and
maneuverability. It was made almost entirely of wood. The wooden wonder as it
became known. Ted
Sismore:
The first time I ever heard about the Mosquito, I was in a troop ship in Narrator: The Mosquito gave the British a versatile
weapon for low level operations much faster, much more nimble
and more threatening to German control of the air. Ted
Sismore:
It’s incredible this airplane lives up to its reputation. I really…..it’s supposed to be very fast and very maneuverable.
Well, within five minutes of getting airborne and you knew that was true. Ted Sismore: It was fast and it was maneuverable. That is how I decided that’s
where I wanted to be. Narrator: Like the rest of Sir
Basil Embry:
We started to make a relief model of the target of an area of about, I
suppose a kilometer square around the target. Ted
Sismore:
All the information we were given by the Danes was absolutely
vital. We had Svend Truelsen, who was our appointed liaison officer, I
said quite casually it’s a pity someone didn’t stand on this bridge and take
a photograph up here. Svend
Truelsen:
Oh, he requested a photo which shares the Shell House exactly in the way the
pilots would see it when they are running into target. Ted
Sismore:
Not very long afterwards he appeared in my office with the photographs and
said we let do and he had arranged for this particular
photograph to be taken and for it to be flown out and was produced to
me and I said well, now you have given me the last bit of information I can’t
possibly allow myself to fail, can I? Ted
Sismore (1973):
The key to the whole attack really was that the only open approach to the
front of this building was across the water which of course gave us an open
flat approach and of course we set the model up so that all the crews could
look at it. Ted Sismore (1973): And of course to see it from the line we were having. You to
get down, look at it, you got to be down here. This is the kind of visual
approach that one had where you can see the target and you can pick out the
spy on the things which really matter.
Ted
Sismore:
Of course the building was the only building whereas
I can remember that was camouflaged. It didn’t make it easy to find it. But
it did confirm when we got close that it was the right building we were
aiming for. Ted
Sismore (1960):
The problem with all these targets always was how many bombs do we need to do
the job without over playing it, without having too many crews involved. And
in this case we selected Eighteen Mosquitos flying in three waves of
six and all carrying eleven second delay bombs so that the first aircraft to
be clear before the second wave appeared.
Sir
Basil Embry:
We had arrived over the target at twenty past eleven. That was the time when
all of the staff that were working there, were at offices which would help us
to, enable us to destroy the records because all the safes would be open,
papers would be on the tables and all and also we would kill the greatest
number of Gestapo. Narrator: The final operation
of plans for the raid, code named ‘Carthage’were completed. At RAF First
field eighteen Mosquito bombers and twenty eight Mustang fighter escort
aircraft were assembled, poised for the mission. Narrator: But the North sea
route to Ted
Sismore:
Well, I had been in the operation -- and had been on the telephone to --
headquarters about the weather and various aspects like that. The weather was
not good. We knew that it was going to be difficult, it was windy, it was rough. Narrator: Finally, on the
morning of March 21st 1945 the weather conditions improved and one
of the most daring raids of World War II was underway at last. Ted
Sismore:
We flew over the sea of 50ft all the way just to make sure we didn’t get
picked up by any radar. Not only did it keep us out of radar it kept us out
of the line of sight of light attack guns.
Ted
Sismore:
The pilot was having quite a problem and I was the navigator and I was having
an equal problem because it was difficult it’s really you couldn’t hold the
map steady and certainly you couldn’t write. Ted
Sismore:
Until we had the combination of bumps it was difficult to see the course, it
was difficult see we had salt on the windscreen. Unknown Voice:
The difficulty in approaching the Danish coast of course is, it’s very flat
and therefore difficult to identify from fifty feet. Unknown Voice:
But fortunately you have a number of very distinctive light houses along the
coast. We were able to identify the light houses which were within visual
distance without too much trouble. Narrator: The aircrafts swept
over the Danish countryside at rooftop level. One Mosquito bomber flew
through the drifting smoke of a cottage chimney. Unknown Voice:
Below at a tree top height it was the most impressive ride in the -- Unknown Voice:
The fields looked beautifully green and all the caps working in the fields
were gushed and they were waiving and they held hold their horses they were
plowing by…horses….they were holding their horses, coming to attention and
saluting and they were tremendously excited. And it was very-very inspiring
to see. Narrator: To the people of Ted
Sismore:
The target was difficult to find, the important thing was to make sure, I was
on the track line that we had drawn on the map exactly. I don’t mean nil, I
mean exactly because if we could stick on that line the target would come up
straight ahead. Ted
Sismore:
Fortunately with the geography of Ted
Sismore:
But when we ran into the city of Ted
Sismore:
It was pretty well standard drill, if you were attacking a building to
release the bombs to try and strike somewhere close to the ground because
remember we had eleven second deal at bombs so the bombs were going to hit
and be somewhere into the building before they actually exploded. So we
wanted to get the main load down to have the maximum effect. Narrator: Approximately three
blocks from the target people waived at the onrushing British aircraft. The
Mosquitos literally streamed down the streets towards the Shell House and
then pounded the lower floors of the building with explosives and --. The
attacking aircraft aimed or skip their bombs towards the lower levels of
Shell House. Attack that provided precious minutes for the hostages and
resistance fighters to escape down adjoining staircases. Mogens
Fog:
But then we went down the staircase and then we could see across the yard….we
could see the other part of the building was destroyed of the upper floors and
we saw that our comrades were really had crossed. Professor
Brandt Rehberg:
When we came to the lowest part of the staircase there were so many dead
people and injured people that you could not avoid stepping on them and that
stopped me and I stood waiting at the --- and Phoo came from behind and
knocked me on my shoulder and said, get on Rehberg, we have to get on. Narrator: At the time of the
raid Paul Borking, parachutist and SOE agent was being interrogated on the
fifth floor. Animated
Gestapo Interrogator:
(To Paul Borking) In the morning you will be shot. Narrator: Borking saw the
Mosquitos over the interrogators shoulder; he leapt to his feet, overturned
the table, ran from the room and escaped to freedom. Professor
Brandt Rehberg:
First time when I got really scared was when Mr. Shark and Phoo, Campman and
I, we four at the same time we were running away from the building and over
about between 50 or 100 meters open space and I was sure that now they will
start shooting you in your back. But nothing happened. Narrator: Shell House was
destroyed as was the largest store of Gestapo records in Narrator: An accidental
bombing of the nearby Jeanne d’Arc school resulting in the deaths of 86
children’s and 13 adults. Ted
Sismore:
Since the object of the raid was to destroy the documentation, the raid was
totally 100% successful. When this destruction, the building caught fire in a
big way, I ‘m sure all the documentation was lost. Ted
Sismore:
So 100% success. Then you have to balance it with the losses. Some of the
Danes in the roof were killed; all the children’s there were killed. How can
you balance it? Ted
Sismore:
There is no question but the aircraft crash of Peter A Kleboe actually
clipped a tower on the rear wing. And that caused the accident. Ted
Sismore:
He crashed close to the school, the smoke from the fire clearly hit the
target from the people coming up from behind and somebody accidentally
because of the smoke released the bombs early and they went into the school,
the most terrible tragedy. Ted
Sismore:
There is little doubt though that had all the bombs gone into the target.
It’s most likely that most of the Danes in the attic would have been killed.
The loss of the children was supposed was very dramatic and it affected us very
much. Ted
Sismore:
We were up there in Ted
Sismore:
And I should never forget it, they were….they would said, the same thing “We
do understand”. I don’t know how they could. Narrator: Edward Ted Sismore,
master navigator of the SHELL HOUSE raid rose to the rank of Air Commodore
before retiring in 1976. After the war he also became a pilot. Narrator: Shell House was
completely destroyed along with vital Gestapo records and information. The
attack on Shell House lasted approximately four minutes. Many members of the
Gestapo were killed. Narrator: Most of the Danish resistance
fighters imprisoned in the attic escaped. The Royal Air Force lost ten
airmen, four Mosquito bombers and two Mustang fighters. Narrator: The British raid on
the Shell House helped destroy the power of the Gestapo in Ted
Sismore:
When the war ended I said I have finished killing, because I wouldn’t go
shooting, I wouldn’t go shooting game or anything because I said I have
killed enough people. CREDITS: PRODUCED AND WRITTEN BY ED BALKAN EDITING AND ANIMATION BY VAN MAXIMILIAN CARLSON NARRATION MARTIN SHEEN ORIGINAL MUSIC BY TAKESHI FURUKAWA ANIMATION ART ERIK CAINES GRAPHIC ART DANIEL GONZALEZ IN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY GRAHAM GEDDES SOUND RECORDIST BOB DAVIS FEATURING TED SISMORE OLE LIPPMANN BOB BATESON SIR BASIL EMBRY PROF.
BRANDT REHBERG SVEND TRUELSEN DR.
MOGENS FOG AUDIO MIXER - RICK
SANCHEZ ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED
BY – TAKESHI
FURUKAWA SCORE RECORDED BY – SHINNOSUKE
MIYAZAWA SCORE COORDINATOR – JUDY
YOO SITE MANAGER – GILLIAN
MONCRIEFF STILL PHOTOGRAPHY – CAROLE
BALKAN PRODUCTION CONSULTANT – SUZANNE
BAUMAN SPECIAL THANKS TO RALPH STEINER DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT HERITAGE CENTRE DEDICATED TO SIR MICHAEL BALCON ADELE BALKAN ED BALKAN PRODUCTIONS COPYRIGHT © 2011 ED BALKAN PRODUCTIONS |
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