Operation Postmaster: A Secret Mission in World War II

Truth is said to be the first casualty of war. This is true of both reporting and as a foundation for military action. Oftentimes, the success of an operation hinges on craftily outwitting the enemy or keeping a mission so secret that not even those within their own ranks know about it.

There were quite a number of military undertakings during the tormented World War II, some of them being unofficial and conspiratorial. One of those was Operation Postmaster, where a small group of brave soldiers risked their lives for their country and people.

The mission was so important that big sections of the British Army military didn’t even know about it. Today, many years later, we can understand how the heroes of that time proceeded.

The origins of Operation Postmaster

Operation Postmaster was conceived at a time when the war in European waters was entering a decisive phase. The Allies were under immense pressure to break the Axis naval supremacy. The German fleet, in particular, was growing in strength.

The Kriegsmarine was tiny compared with the fleet of the Royal Navy. By the same token, the Germans had been using modern submarines to interdict and sink large numbers of Allied supply vessels. By 1941, the situation was already so grave for the Allies that Britain needed to devise something to limit the losses occurring at sea.

Axis powers viewed the supply lines across the Mediterranean as vital. These were supply routes connecting North Africa to the European mainland. Winston S. Churchill, who was then the British Prime Minister, felt that breaking these routes was important and sought after effective possibilities of halting Axis supplies.

It was in this strategic consideration that Churchill came up with the idea for Operation Postmaster. In August 1941, the Prime Minister gave the order to launch a special operation to focus specifically on the destruction of enemy shipping.

The unit’s primary goal was not the destruction of battleships, submarines, or cruisers, but more so the supply ships that were hauling ammunition or fuel to the German Navy.

In the course of the mission, several soldiers disguised as civilians boarded the fishing trawler Maid of Honor. This disguise was intended to avoid international entanglements in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean.

The head of the operation was none other than Major Thomas E. Spencer. He was an expert commander in hidden operations and had served various secret missions without being caught. He was also held in good regard by the British Armed Forces, besides enjoying confidence among fellow officers and generals.

Operation Postmaster and the theft of the Duchessa

Spencer’s team initially began in October 1941 with some reconnaissance in the waters of the Mediterranean.

Toward the end of 1941, the Special Operation Executive (SOE) decided that the Maid of Honor should turn towards the Gulf of Guinea and enter the harbor of the town of Santa Isabel on the island of Fernando Po. The area was then part of the Spanish colonial empire and had a large port.

In this harbor were anchored the large Italian freighter Duchessa d’Aosta and two small German coasters Likomba and Bibundi. All three served as supply ships for the submarines of the German and Italian navies. Italy was Germany’s ally and some Italian submarines were operating in the Atlantic.

Operation Postmaster hence had an objective: to sink the Duchessa and her escorts as they carried vital supplies for the Kriegsmarine’s submarine fleet.

In January 1942, Spencer’s unit was dropped off in a nighttime operation near the Italian coast. Disguised as fishers in fishing boats, they slipped into what seemed a safe harbor close to the Duchessa. Major Spencer and his team then worked most precisely and at great speed.

It speaks to the quality of the unit that they achieved more than the mission’s objective. Instead of sinking the Duchessa, Major Spencer’s squad simply stole it.

They proceeded so silently that no enemy unit was able to stop them. Nobody noticed the coup. Not a single shot was fired during the entire operation. No lives were in danger, only the booty was plundered.

The unit’s fate and its honors

After the success of Operation Postmaster, the unit was officially disbanded. The men returned to their regular units, but were awarded the highest military honors.

It is said that the members remained in close contact in the years after the war. Their stories, though, have only recently been made public. Only decades later was this operation revealed, and the feats of these men came to light.

Real war heroes often go unnoticed. Men like Spencer went overboard, risking their lives, not even knowing whether it would come to light before the public. He obviously wasn’t concerned about glory but about the good cause — the end of the war.

This article was first published on Medium.com.