Customer Reviews

The Mystery of X5: Lieutenant H.Henty-Creer's Attack on the "Tirpitz"

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In September 1943, six British miniature submarines (X-Craft) were towed to Norway. Three (X-5, 6 & 7) were to attack the Tirpitz and three (X-8, 9 & 10) the Scharnhorst. X-8 and X-9 failed to get to the starting line and, although X-10 did enter the fjord, she became so beset with technical problems her attack was abandoned. X-10 was the only X-craft to re-emerge from Kaafjord but was later scuttled during the tow back to Scotland.

It is known that both X-6 and X-7 succeeded in placing their charges below the Tirpitz although both craft were then disabled and had to surface beside the massive battleship. All four crew members of X-6 abandoned their vessel safely but only two escaped the sinking X-7. These six survivors were then taken on board a German vessel which was now on full alert. From the decks of that ship, those six men saw X-5 surface before being destroyed at close range. And that is where this outstanding story begins!

The commanders of X-6 and X-7 were both awarded the Victoria Cross and, as this book so expertly explains, only two awards to British servicemen may be granted posthumously. Curiously, it is a policy of all or nothing. One of those awards is the Victoria Cross and the other is a Mention in Despatches. The MID entitles the holder to wear an oak leaf on whatever campaign medal is appropriate but it carries no post-nominal letters or separate decoration.

In the immediate aftermath of Operation Source - as it was called, each of the three commanders of X-5, 6 & 7, were recommended for the VC. But only two were ever awarded (Lieutenants Cameron and Place of X-6 & X-7 respectively). The VC for Lt Henty-Creer of X-5 was placed on hold pending further evidence and that would appear to be where it has remained to this day.

In a letter to Henty-Creer's mother, Rear Admiral Barry lays out a clear explanation of why the award was withheld on the grounds that the attacks by Cameron and Place had been successful whereas there was no evidence to confirm whether or not Henty-Creer's attack had been completed. His argument was that, on seeing X-5 from the decks of the Tirpitz, none of those present were able to state whether X-5 was in the process of making her getaway or still heading towards the target with her charges still in place. With the wreck of X-5 having never been discovered, this mystery remains unresolved.

More importantly, however, Admiral Barry exposes a huge error in his judgement. Whilst he was quite right in stating that any serviceman who failed to survive the action in question might only receive either the highest possible decoration or the lowest possible award, he was wrong to include "success or otherwise" within the deciding process.

On 29 January 1856, Queen Victoria signed the Royal Warrant which created the Cross which bears her name. In so doing she instituted what has become the most famous medal in the world. That Warrant, however, clearly stipulates all servicemen are on an equal footing for eligibility and neither rank, nor years of service, nor wounds nor any other peripheral circumstance may be taken into account. The only criteria for the award of the Victoria Cross is "the merit of conspicuous bravery" and Henty-Creer displayed that merit by either placing his charges alongside those of X-6 and X-7 or by getting so close to the mighty Tirpitz and continuing to press home his attack after the alarm had been raised.

As this book so eloquently describes, the success or failure of an operation, or of the final outcome of an individual's part in that operation, has no bearing on the award of the Victoria Cross itself and the one which was allocated to Lt Henty-Creer all those years ago should now be issued.

NM