Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Lieutenant

Unit:

1st Battalion, Special Air Service Regiment, British Army

Awarded on:

January 31st, 1945

Awarded for:

Operation Titanic I

Citation:
"On the night of 5/6 Jun 44, Lt POOLE with another officer landed by parachute near LE MESNIL VIGOT just S. of the neck of CHERBOURG peninsula as part of an operation involving 200 dummy parachutists intended to distract the enemy from the 82nd American A/B Div which was "dropping" to the NORTH. German tps in the area were a panzer Grenadier Div, a SS Div and a mixed Bde of Mongolian and Ukranian Tps. Although the work of the party was prejudiced by a miss-timing of their "drop", the success of the party as a whole was not inconsiderable as it drew away approx one Enemy Div from the American area.
Lt Pooles 'Party has been told that they could expect to be over-run by American tps in approx 9 days. The party spent 6 weeks waiting to be relieved and on the 17 Jul 44 they were captured. During this period they did considerable sabotage work to signal & electrical installations & collected valuable information which they passed to Intelligence channels. Their situation was highly unenviable. During the 3rd week a German Anti Para Coy was specifically detached to hunt them & on occasion came very close indeed, as illustrated by the fact that once Lt Poole's party and the Americans spent the night at apposite ends of the field with the Germans passing at 20 yards. The mobility of the party was greatly hampered by a wounded man who had to be carried. The party was seldom at eany time more than 450 yds from Germans; in fact they found greater safety from pursuit in keeping within 200 yds of different enemy HQ's. Being within enemy lines they were subjected to constant shell-fire from our own guns. Their undurance was severely taxed lack of food. As from the 3rd week their French contacts could only bring food once or twice in a week and at that in very limited quantities. They could not cook as it was impossible to have a fire. For the last two weeks they lived chiefly on raw vegtables. Throughout a period of acute nervous & physical strain Lt. Poole showed outstanding resourcefulness and courage. His coolness & clearmindedness during momnets of crisis as well as during the hours of shelling and suspense, sustanined the other members of his party incalculably. He carried out numerous sabotage attacks. Upon the 12th day a report was received that two escaped American POW both unabe to walk from wounds and lack of food, were in hiding some 5 mls away. Lt Poole undertook to fetch them & succeeded in doing this despite the hazards of crossing country densely filled with Germans. The affect of his work and example upon his men cannot be overestimated. On 17 Jul 44 the party had worked its wasy NORTH into "No-Man's-Land"& would have gained the American lines had the germans not over-run them in a counter-attack. They were found in a ditch by an enemy patrol who threw grenades amongst them, wounding every member of the party except Lt. Poole and one other. The party repelled the enemy patrol after which Lt Poole succeeded in leading & carrying his men 200 yds across "No-Man's-Land" to a house which necessitated his making several trips across fire-swept ground. He then prepared such defences as his limited resources would permit & made further excursions into "No-Man's-Land" to fetch water for the wounded.
The house was finally surrounded and attacked by a german platoon. Had it not been for this stroke of ill-fortune on the 42nd day of their being within enemy lines, Lt. Poole would have succeeded against overwhelming odds in bringing back his party to the Allied lines. His determination, courage and leadership were of the highest exemplary value and quality."