Popski's Private Army (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

Product Information

The summer of 1943 was spent in Algeria and Tunisia recruiting and training new volunteers from the LRDG, SAS, Commandos and Royal Armoured Corps for the fight in Italy, bringing the unit's size up to about 35 all ranks, with two fighting patrols and a small HQ. For a short while PPA experimented with using 1st Airborne Division's gliders to deliver them and their jeeps behind the Axis lines in Sicily, but their part in that operation was cancelled at the last minute. Popski's Private Army, officially No. 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA, was a unit of British Special Forces set up in Cairo in October 1942 by Major Vladimir Peniakoff. Popski's Private Army was one of several raiding units formed in the Western Desert during the Second World War. The squadron also served in Italy, and was disbanded in September 1945.

EVENTS PROCEEDED RAPIDLY AS THE GERMANS AND ITALIANS WERE CHASED/ OUT OF NORTH AFRICA ALMOST BEFORE PPA REALLY GOT GOING. A JOINT LRDG-/PPA PATROL DISCOVERED THE GAP IN THE MOUNTAINS THAT LET MONTGOMERY'S/ ARMOUR OUTFLANK ROMMEL'S MARETH LINE DEFENCES, AND PPA WAS AMONG/ THE FIRST ELEMENTS OF 8TH ARMY, PUSHING WEST, TO MEET THE BRITISH 1ST/ ARMY AND AMERICAN 2ND CORPS, PUSHING EAST, IN TUNISIA IN EARLY 1943./ Popski was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and became the British-Russian liaison officer in Vienna before demobilisation, naturalisation and achieving fame as a British writer and broadcaster.In September 1943 an advance patrol of PPA sailed to Taranto and headed inland. Popski immediately pulled off a major intelligence scoop by cleverly discovering the weakness of the German 1st Parachute Division opposing 1st Airborne. As a result of this success Popski was allowed to increase the size of PPA to 80 all ranks, but throughout the Italian Campaign about 100 men were actually deployed at any one time. For the next three months they raided German outposts, destroyed fuel and ammunition dumps, ambushed convoys, and liberated villages. With no more than 50 men at any time, they killed over 300 Germans with the loss of one man killed and three wounded and cleared 1,600 square miles of mountains. Raiding With the Garibaldi Brigade Willett, John, "Popski" MacGibbon and Kee 1954. Out of print but usually available at a price. This book is written as a companion to "Private Army" and does not treat Popski's military career in detail.

Allen Parfitt is a retired teacher. He has had a life-long interest in military affairs. He lives near Kalamazoo, Michigan with his wife and four cats. He is continually adding to his library of books on military history.Popski’s Private Army finished the war with a flourish: sailing some of their jeeps on RCLs to St. Mark's Square in Venice where they drove round and round just for the hell of it, the only wheeled vehicles ever to have been there. The unit was disbanded four months later on 14 September 1945, after hunting for Himmler, disarming Italian partisans and discouraging Josip Broz Tito’s partisans from encroaching on Austrian and Italian territory. They spent the next three days keeping the ford open, chasing away any Germans who came close; nights were spent at the Castle Ripalta whose chatelaine was a lovely English girl married into the Parlato family. When British armor arrived in the area, they led the tanks and armored vehicles across the ford and into Serracapriola. Halted by the German Line From there, Popski took his men to Tebessa, Algeria, where he persuaded the American II Corps to issue them rations and clothing. While they were at Tebessa, publicity was given to their journey through the dangerous gap between the German and American armies, and Popski seized the opportunity to get PPA transferred from the British Eighth Army to the British First Army.

At the end of the war Popski’s Private Army sailed some of their jeeps on RCLs to Venice, where they drove around St. Mark's Square, the only wheeled vehicles ever to have been there. The unit was disbanded four months later on 14 September 1945, after hunting for Himmler, disarming Italian partisans and discouraging Josip Broz Tito’s partisans from encroaching on Austrian and Italian territory. AFTER RETURNING TO CAIRO IN THE MIDDLE OF 1942 ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT HIS/ LAFC HAD BEEN DISBANDED WHILE HE WAS AWAY, POPSKI WAS INVITED TO JOIN/ AN LRDG RAID IN THE AREA HE HAD JUST LEFT. HE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THEIR/ WAYS, LOST A FINGER ON HIS LEFT HAND TO AN ITALIAN BULLET, AND WON AN MC./ He never got over Dresden and the trauma destroyed his first marriage. Happily, his second marriage to Bett was long and happy. Vic came to hate war and knew it was sometimes necessary but was never the solution. Popski may have been born a Belgian, but he died and Englishmen, having become a British citizen in 1945. He loved this country, and his resolve and determination, his sense of duty and his courage certainly inspire me. Morison, Samuel Eliot (1944). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II.: Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, January 1943-June 1944. Little, Brown. pp.235–236. ISBN 9780252070396 . Retrieved 24 February 2015.Just how important were these guys in turning the tide in North Africa? Rommel's papers, largely written from a god's-eye view, mention them at key places, even going to far as to name Stirling of the SAS. THE PPA MEMORIAL WAS FUNDED BY PPA VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIEND, AND ERECTED IN 2008 BY FOPPA/ THIS PLAQUE WAS GIFTED IN 2010 BY MICHAEL BLAKE AND ROBERT CUMMINGS IN MMEORY OF TROOPER PAT BLAKE THE SUMMER OF 1943 WAS SPENT IN ALGERIA AND TUNISIA RECRUITING AND/ TRAINING NEW VOLUNTEERS FROM THE LRDG, SAS, COMMANDOS ND ROYAL/ ARMOURED CORPS FOR THE FIGHT IN ITALY, BRINGING THE UNIT'S SIZE UP TO ABOUT/ 35 ALL RANKS, WITH TWO FIGHTING PATROLS AND A SMALL HQ./ His father took him to England, where Peniakoff resumed his studies at St John's College, Cambridge, reading mathematics. He initially had conscientious objections to participation in World War I, but by his fourth term at Cambridge his views had altered, and he went to France to volunteer as a gunner in the French artillery. He was injured during his service with the French Army and was invalided out after the Armistice in November 1918. [2]

ANTI TANK BATTERY, RA/ 151 ANTI TANK BATTERY, 93 ANTI TANK REGIMENT, RA/ 310 ANTI TANK BATTERY, 60 ANTI TANK REGIMENT, RA/ 32 PLATOON RCASC, 747 BRIDGE COMPANY RASC/ 1800 BAILEY BRIDGE PLATOON/ 1820 FOLDING BOAT EQUIPMENT PLATOON, RCASC/ 168 LONDON INFANTRY BRIGADE SIGNALS SECTION/ 1/3 ESSEX REGIMENT/ 2721 SQUADRON RAF REGIMENT/ ROYAL WESTMINSTER REGIMENT/ 4 AND 7 CANADIAN LIGHT FIELD AMBULANCE/ 1, 2 AND 5 CANADIAN MEDIUM REGIMENT PLATOONS RCASC/ 5 ARMY JEEP PLATOON/ 81 CANADIAN ARTILLERY COMPANY, RCASC/ 1501 ARTILLERY PLATOON, RASC/ 3 CANADIAN PROVOST COMPANY/ POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ HQ PORTERFORCE/27TH LANCERS/ ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS/ KING'S DRAGOON GUARDS/ 145 RAC/ GGHQ/ 1 ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY/ 1 AND 2 CANADIAN FIELD REGIMENT, RCA/ 2 AND 5 CANADIAN MEDIUM REGIMENT, RCA/ 12 AND 13 CANADIAN FIELD COMPANY/ 24 FIELD REGIMENT, RA/ Shortly after this No. 1 Demolition Squadron was formed, the smallest independent unit of the British Army at 23 men all-ranks. [1] The original officers of the unit were three friends who had served together in the Libyan Arab Force: Popski, Robert Park Yunnie and Jean Caneri.As far as Popski being 'a toff', he was a comfortably off and extremely erudite Belgian, that much is true. As a father of two well into his forties, he certainly didn't have to fight, but he did. He fought for Britain during WW2, being twice severely wounded and twice decorated. He was working for Mi6 before the war ended, and after 1945, he was behind the lines again, this time as a Cold War warrior. These activities cost him his reputation, since many within the British establishment were convinced that he was a Communist. He was not. Peniakoff is clear that WWII was the happiest time of his life. He describes his pre-war life in Egypt as “dreary” and in the early sections of the book comes over as something of a misanthrope. This might have been a reflection of his own unhappiness at the time, as it becomes less obvious during his account of the war years. For him, the war provided excitement and an escape from a life of mediocrity. I understand the point he is making, but some of the feelings he claimed to experience stretched my credulity a little. I suppose no-one can truly know another’s mind. With the raiders at Barce was an observer and guide, Major Vladimir Peniakoff. In the raid he had a finger smashed by a bullet; the finger was amputated next day in the desert and at the same time some shell splinters were taken from one of his legs. However, he said, he “enjoyed himself thoroughly” and was determined to have his own independent unit operating along the lines of the LRDG and SAS. The Oldest 2nd Lieutenant in the British Army By this time PPA personnel had gained between them a DSO, a Distinguished Conduct Medal, 6 MCs, 10 MMs, and 14 Mentions in Despatches; HM King George VI had personally requested an account of the unit’s exploits.