The Soldier's Details

The Syrian campaign – 2/3rd 7th Division – the following has been taken from  Anzac Portal for which are mos grateful and wish to acknowlege.

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/north-africa-syria-2012.pdf

‘The Vichy French not only fought well, but showed great bitterness at the use of their own countrymen against them. Their numbers, organisation, equipment, knowledge of the ground, superiority in armour and well prepared defences made them formidable opponents. The British force was a collection of units and formations, and not even the 7th Division was complete. It was handicapped by a shortage of tanks, signal equipment, transport, and anti-aircraft weapons. At the start of the campaign the RAF had just fifty first-line aircraft available, including those of No. 3 Squadron RAAF, then re-equipping with Tomahawks. The Vichy French air force started with 100 bombers and fighters, but were reinforced from French North Africa. They were also supported by German aircraft from the Dodecanese, which attacked British shipping.

In order to secure Beirut, the seat of government and the headquarters of the Vichy French forces commander General Henri Dentz, the British advance would be on three routes, engaging the enemy on a wide front. The attack on the right was through Deraa to Damascus; in the centre through Merdjayoun to Rayak; and by the coast road to Beirut. The central and coastal routes were allotted to the 7th Division, which had been reinforced with units of the 6th Division and the British 1st Cavalry Division. The advance on the right was to be led by the 5th Indian Brigade as far as Deraa, where the Free French Force would take over the advance.

The offensive opened on 8 June and after some initial success was held up on all three fronts. On the right, the Indians secured Deraa and advanced 25 kilometres; the Free French troops took up the pursuit and advanced to within 15 kilometres of Damascus before they were halted by the Vichy French defence. In the centre, the 25th Brigade captured Merdjayoun on the afternoon of 11 June, but the pursuit towards Rayak soon ran into stiff opposition, since the Vichy French had considerable strength in the area. With progress expected to be very slow, Lavarack, commanding the 7th Division, postponed the advance on Rayak and ordered most of the 25th Brigade to make a wide turning movement through Jezzine to support the 21st Brigade on the coast. A small garrison was left at Merdjayoun. On the coast, the 21st Brigade attacked north from Palestine along the coastal road. By nightfall on the first day the brigade was east of Tyre, overlooking the well defended Litani River. A British landing north of the river mouth, aimed at seizing the arched stone bridge before it could be demolished, miscarried and the bridge was blown up. Under fire from mortars and machine guns the Australians constructed a pontoon bridge to enable them to cross the Litani on 10 June. The advance continued, opposed by rearguards every few miles, but by the evening of 12 June the Australians had reached Sidon, where the Vichy French were holding a strong position.

The first phase ended with strong resistance on all three routes. The next phase coincided with the unsuccessful Operation Battleaxe to relieve Tobruk. After a halt of five days, a well organised attack by the Indian Brigade broke the deadlock in the Damascus sector on 15 June and repulsed the Vichy French counter-attacks. However, a Vichy French counter-attack further south captured Kuneitra the following day, which was then recaptured by British troops supported by a company of the Australian 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion. In the central sector, the small force left at Merdjayoun adopted an active defence and attempted to outflank the Vichy French blocking the Rayak road. While the Australians were probing to the west, the Vichy French attacked Merdjayoun from the north and retook the town. Two rapidly organised Australians attacks failed to recapture Merdjayoun, but the Vichy French were checked from advancing any further. With the ending of Operation Battleaxe on 17 June, the RAF was able to allot more aircraft to the Syrian campaign. Among the reinforcements was the newly formed No. 450 (Hurricane) Squadron of the RAAF.

On 18 June, Lavarack took command of I Australian Corps and assumed control of all operations in western Syria. It was decided to concentrate the 7th Division, now commanded by Major General Arthur Allen, on the coastal route for the thrust to Beirut. The Indian brigade advanced to Mezze on the night of 18 June to cut the Damascus-­Beirut road. However, Vichy French tanks counter-attacked and surrounded the Indians, who held out until their food and ammunition were exhausted before surrendering on the morning of 20 June. The reverse meant that the newly arrived British 16th Brigade were ordered to take Damascus instead of, as originally intended, relieving the Australians before Merdjayoun so that they could reinforce the coastal drive. Supporting the British 16th Brigade in the advance to Damascus was the 2/3rd and 2/5th Battalions of the Australian 6th Division. On the afternoon of 20 June, in order to inspire the Free French to advance, a company of the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, which were normally supporting troops, led a steady thrust towards Damascus. That evening the 2/3rd Battalion, newly arrived from Palestine, advanced against a group of forts on the hills overlooking Damascus from the south-west. The defenders of Damascus surrendered to the Free French and Australian column before midday on 21 June. Two weeks after the campaign commenced, the first of the objectives had been taken.

It was at Merdjayoun on 19 June that Captain Charles Clark, Lieutenant Roden Cutler and an artillery team of the 2/5th Field Regiment and the 2/25th Battalion were attacked by Vichy French tanks. Both Cutler and Lance Corporal Victor Pratt opened fire on the tracks of the tanks, forcing them to seek shelter. Cutler and Pratt exchanged their anti-tank rifles for a rifle and Bren gun, and fired on the following Vichy French infantry, who took cover behind a stone wall. The tanks advanced again and opened fire, killing Pratt, mortally wounding Clark and wounding an artilleryman. Cutler hit the tank tracks with an anti-tank rifle, forcing the Vichy French to withdraw. He then personally supervised the evacuation of the wounded members of his party. Undaunted, and with a small party of volunteers, he pressed on to establish an outpost from which he could register the only road by which the enemy transport could enter the town. He carried out this task, and engaged enemy posts until cut off and forced to go to ground until after dark, when he succeeded in making his way through the enemy lines. Four days later at Merdjayoun, and again on 6 July at Damour, Cutler distinguished himself. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the only Australian artilleryman so honoured.

The 16th British Brigade, with the 2/3rd Battalion, advanced west towards Beirut. On 27 June Merdjayoun was recaptured, but fighting continued in the area. Two companies of the 2/14th Battalion suffered heavy losses attacking a strong Vichy French position north of Jezzine on 24 June, and it was decided to blast the Vichy French off the hill tops with artillery fire. Former Age journalist Oliver Dossetor lost his life in this action. He was hit in a barrage of bullets while moving up Hill 1284 with his platoon. One soldier who witnessed his death said Oliver’s last act was to take a drink of brandy from the hip flask he had been given as a farewell gift.9

On 26 June, Lavarack began to concentrate and bring up to strength the 7th Division, with the attachment of the 17th Brigade and transfer of six of the nine Australian infantry battalions westward to new sectors. On 28 June, eight Tomahawks of No. 3 Squadron RAAF, escorting a raiding force of Blenheims to Palmyra in central Syria, met a force of Vichy fighters and shot down several of their aircraft in full view of the 10th Indian Division that would capture the town on 3 July. On 28–29 June Australian patrols found the main Vichy French positions empty. Since mid June when the coastal sector had been ordered to halt, vigorous patrolling had been steadily gaining ground, so that by 30 June the whole of the ridge overlooking the Damour River was in Australian hands.

The Battle of Damour from 6 to 9 July was the decisive battle of the campaign, with five Vichy French battalions, well supported by artillery and other arms, firmly established on a formidable position behind the River Damour about 20 kilometres south of Beirut. The country to north and south of the River Damour consists of rocky spurs and deep valleys running generally east and west. The river was fordable, but its banks rose very steeply and in places were almost sheer. The 2/16th Battalion suffered sharp losses in a frontal attack on the left, but large-scale flanking movements by the 2/14th and 2/27th Battalions through the mountains to the east succeeded in spite of some strong counter-attacks. The road leading north from Damour was cut by the 17th Brigade; the British attacked towards Jebel Mazar; and the 25th Brigade pressed forward from Jezzine. After four hard days the Vichy French forces, now weary and depleted, were threatened from the south and east. The campaign was nearly over, but the central sector would see the last fierce fight on 10 July. That night Lieutenant Norman Stable’s company of the 2/31st Battalion, now reduced to sixty men, was ordered take the high ground north of Jezzine. Intense machine-gun fire from a fortified Vichy French position killed three and wounded two Australians, holding up the advance and making movement impossible. Private James Gordon, on his own initiative, crept forward over an area swept by machine-gun and grenade fire and succeeded in approaching close to the post, which he then charged from the front, killing the four machine-gunners with the bayonet. For his actions, which completely demoralised the enemy, allowing his company to advance and seize their objective, Gordon was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On the evening of 11 July, Dentz asked by radio that hostilities might end at midnight. Early on 12 July, a draft convention was agreed upon and initialled. After the terms had been submitted to the Vichy Government, the convention was signed at Acre on 14 July. Some British prisoners had been sent out of Syria and thirty senior officers, including Dentz, were detained as hostages and released when the British prisoners were returned. The total number of Allied casualties killed and wounded in Syria was 2400, including 1500 Australians. There were approximately 2300 Allied troops captured. The Royal Air Force (RAF) lost twenty-seven aircraft. The Vichy French losses are believed to have numbered more than 6000, of whom 1000 were killed.’