Beschreibung:

‘It is clear that courage and enterprise of the very highest order in the close presence of the enemy was shown by these very gallant gentlemen, whose daring attack will surely go down to history as one of the most courageous acts of all time.’ Sir Max Horton, Flag Officer Submarines, in his final despatch to the Lords of the Admiralty. The unique Second World War ‘attack on the Tirpitz’ C.G.M. group of four awarded to Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Edmund Goddard, helmsman of H.M. Midget Submarine X6, whose skipper Lieutenant Donald Cameron was awarded the Victoria Cross, as too was the skipper of X7, Lieutenant Basil Place; the crew-members from X6 were all taken prisoner and were being interrogated aboard the Tirpitz when their charges exploded underneath the battleship Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, G.VI.R. (E.R.A. 4th E. Goddard, P/MX 89069); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal, these three unnamed as issued, with case of issue for the first and named card box of issue for the campaign medals, extremely fine (4) £40,000-£50,000 Footnote Provenance: Sotheby’s, October 1983 (£7,000) - this sale also included the Jutland V.C. group to Commander The Hon. E. B. S. Bingham, R.N. (£18,000); Exhibited: ‘An Exhibition of Important British Gallantry Awards, 1800-1950,’ Sotheby’s, May/June 1992. C.G.M. London Gazette 22 February 1944: ‘For gallantry, skill and daring during the successful attack by His Majesty’s Midget submarines X6 and X7 on the Tirpitz.’ The occupation of Norway in 1940 provided the German Navy with ideal fjord anchorage for its capital ships. Safe in the knowledge that the Royal Navy lacked the strength to be constantly on patrol, the Kriegsmarine was free to menace the North Atlantic trade routes at will. When harboured in the fjords, the German battleships were far from the open sea, out of reach of surface ships and conventional submarines, and well beyond the range of the R.A.F.’s heavy bombers. The Tirpitz, in particular, acted as a major influence over the movements of the British Home Fleet, and consequently a way had to be found to attack her where she spent most of her time - in harbour. The answer to the problem was the four-man Midget Submarine or X-craft. At fifty feet in length the X-craft was small enough to penetrate the fjord defences and yet large enough to carry a four-ton charge and to operate unsupported for several days. In May 1942, six operational X-craft were ordered from Armstrong Vickers, and the call went out to volunteers for ‘special and hazardous service’. Thorough and dangerous training began in the waters around the Isle of Bute in the summer of 1943, and by September 1944 the crews had been brought to ‘concert pitch’. On the 10th, news came that the Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Lutzow were all at anchor in the fjords. Using conventional submarines as tugs, the X-craft were towed over 1,000 miles to their starting points before embarking on their individual assigned missions. But, during the eight-day journey to the slipping position, tragedy struck when X9 (Sub-Lieutenant E Kearon) parted her tow in foul weather and disappeared without trace. X8 also ran into difficulties and had to jettison her explosive charges. After exchanging the passage crews for operational crews, X5, X6, X7 and X10 slipped their tows, on time and in the planned positions. Ahead lay a 50-mile journey fraught with danger. X10 (Lieutenant K. R. Hudspeth) was detailed to attack the Scharnhorst but various mechanical failures meant that this attempt had to be abandoned. X6 (Lieutenant D. Cameron , in which E.R.A. Goddard was helmsman, X7 (Lieutenant B. C. G. Place, D.S.C.) and X5 (Lieutenant H. Henty-Creer) were all detailed against the Tirpitz. Acting independently the three X-craft began their journeys to the Tirpitz lying in Kaa Fjord on 20th September. The first obstacle to be negotiated was a minefield and this X6 crossed on the surface. At 1 a.m. when Stjern Sound was entered, Cameron discovered that X6’s p