He Went to War With a Sword and a Longbow

Fact check

The facts and where they come from

1. He went to war with a sword, a longbow and bagpipes. Wikipedia: “he fought in the Second World War with a broadsword, longbow, and a set of bagpipes.” The Telegraph: he went to France “taking with him his bow and arrows which he used on patrols against the Germans in front of the Maginot Line,” and at Vaagso he “carried his bow and arrows and armed himself with a broad-hilted claymore.” 31
2. It worked: he won the Military Cross for l’Epinette in 1940 and the DSO for Salerno in 1943. The Telegraph: “Churchill was awarded the MC in the retreat at the Battle of l’Epinette,” and for Salerno he was “recommended for the VC but eventually received the DSO.” The arrow kill and the 42 prisoners, below, are reported, not certain. 13
3. His name was Jack Churchill (John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill), and his men called him Mad Jack. The Telegraph writes of “the admiration and devotion of those under his command, who nicknamed him ‘Mad Jack’.” 13
4. In France in 1940, the Germans trapped his company. The Telegraph: “After the Germans attacked in France, Churchill was awarded the MC in the retreat at the Battle of l’Epinette (near Bethune) where his company was trapped by German forces.” The German attack on France lasted from May 10 to June 25, 1940 (Wikipedia, Battle of France). 15
5. He fought back with machine guns, and his bow. The Telegraph: “Churchill fought back with two machine guns (and his bow) until ammunition was exhausted.” 1
6. He reportedly killed a German with an arrow. The Telegraph lists “killing with a bow and arrow” among his exploits, and HistoryNet calls it “the only known long bow kill of the war.” But Wikipedia says “A common story is that Churchill killed a German with a longbow,” and that Churchill himself later said “his bows had been crushed by a lorry earlier in the campaign” (citing Owen, Commando, 2012). Hence “reportedly.” 143
7. In Norway he led commandos ashore playing the bagpipes, in Operation Archery at Vågsøy on December 27, 1941. The Telegraph: he “led the landing force ashore with his bagpipes.” Wikipedia, citing the BBC’s Great Raids of World War II: “As the ramps fell on the first landing craft, Churchill and his Commando leapt forward,” while he was playing “March of the Cameron Men.” The date is from Wikipedia’s Operation Archery article. 136
8. In Italy, with his sword and one corporal, he reportedly took 42 prisoners. Wikipedia, citing Parker’s Commandos: “With the help of a corporal, he infiltrated the town, captured the post and took 42 prisoners including a mortar squad,” and he later “walked back to the town to retrieve his sword, which he had lost in hand-to-hand combat.” HistoryNet: “At Salerno Churchill personally captured 42 German prisoners,” with only his sword and a corporal. The Telegraph gives the unit’s version: “They captured the village of Pigoletti and its garrison of 42 men as well as an 81 mm mortar and its crew.” The Salerno landings began on September 9, 1943 (Wikipedia, Allied invasion of Italy). 3417
9. In Yugoslavia, a mortar shell killed or wounded everyone around him, and he kept playing the bagpipes until grenades knocked him out. Wikipedia: “A mortar shell killed or wounded everyone but Churchill,” who was playing “Will Ye No Come Back Again?”; he was then “knocked unconscious by grenades” and captured. HistoryNet gives the same account. The Telegraph: “Playing his pipes, Churchill led No 40 Commando in a night attack which reached the top of the objective where he was wounded and captured.” The IWM interview’s contents list “use of bagpipe tune as signal” and “wounding and capture by German forces on Brac Island, 2/6/1944.” 3412
10. The Germans thought he was related to Winston Churchill; he wasn’t. The Telegraph: “The Germans thought, wrongly, that Churchill must be a relation of the Prime Minister.” Wikipedia: “Believing that he might be related to Winston Churchill (which he was not), German military intelligence had Churchill flown to Berlin for interrogation.” 13
11. He ended up in a concentration camp near Berlin. The Telegraph: “Eventually he was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen Camp, near Berlin.” IWM: “prisoner of war in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Germany, 7/1944-4/1945.” 12
12. He escaped through a tunnel, but was caught. The Telegraph: “Churchill tunnelled out of the camp with an RAF officer, but was recaptured.” The IWM interview’s contents: “account of construction of escape tunnel … escape through tunnel … circumstances of recapture by German authorities near Rostock.” HistoryNet: they “managed to tunnel out and escape in September of 1944.” 124
13. So he escaped again, over the Alps to American troops. The Telegraph: he escaped when the floodlights failed and “walked across the Alps near the Brenner Pass. He then made contact with an American reconnaissance column in the Po Valley.” HistoryNet: he slipped away in April 1945, “heading towards the Alps,” and was found “by an American reconnaissance unit.” 14
14. He survived it all, and was sorry when the war ended. The Telegraph: he was posted to the brigade preparing to invade Japan, “but the war ended - much to his regret, as he wanted to be killed in battle.” The obituary is of a man “who has died aged 89”; Wikipedia gives the date, March 8, 1996. 13

Sources

1. Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Churchill (obituary, March 13, 1996; archived copy) The Daily Telegraph
2. Interview with John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill (1986, catalogue number 9231) Imperial War Museums
3. Jack Churchill Wikipedia
4. The Daring Exploits of ‘Mad Jack’ Churchill (Chuck Lyons) HistoryNet
5. Battle of France Wikipedia
6. Operation Archery Wikipedia
7. Allied invasion of Italy Wikipedia

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