Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes

Infobox Military Person
name=Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes
lived=May 18, 1917 - November 18, 1941
placeofbirth=Aberdour, Fife, Scotland
placeofdeath=Beda Littoria, Libya


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=United Kingdom
branch=Royal Scots Greys, British Army
serviceyears=1937 - death
rank=Lieutenant-Colonel
commands=
unit=11 Commando
battles=World War II
awards= [ [http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_K01.html British officers, WWII] ] Victoria Cross (19 June 1942, posthumously)
Military Cross
Croix de Guerre
laterwork=
portrayedby=
Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, VC, MC, CdeG (May 18, 1917 - November 18, 1941) was awarded the Victoria Cross during World War II. At the time he was the youngest lieutenant colonel in the British Army.

Family

Keyes was the oldest son of Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, a British naval hero in World War I and the first Director of Combined Operations during World War II. He attended Kingsmead School in Seaford, Sussex and the Royal Military College.

Keyes was a member of the MCC. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = World War Rolls of Honour at Lord's
work =
publisher = MCC
date = 6 November 2007
url = http://www.lords.org/latest-news/news-archive/world-war-rolls-of-honour-at-lords,959,NS.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-20 ]

Early actions

Geoffrey Keyes was commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys. He saw action at Narvik [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Keyes v. Rommel
work =
publisher = Time Magazine
date = Jan 12, 1942
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773004,00.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-20 ] and was later attached to No.11 Commando, which was sent to the Middle East as part of Layforce.

Following the allied invasion of Syria on June 8, 1941, No.11 Commando were sent to successfully lead the crossing of the Litani River in Lebanon, fighting against troops of the French Vichy régime, during which Keyes played a leading part. In this operation, Keyes won the Military Cross. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Keyes v. Rommel
work =
publisher = Time Magazine
date = Jan 12, 1942
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773004,00.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-20 ]

Operation Flipper

In October / November 1941 a plan was formulated at 8th Army headquarters to attack various objectives behind enemy lines, including headquarters, base installations and communications facilities. This was intended to disrupt enemy organisation before the start of Operation Crusader.

The operation, codenamed "Flipper", was led by Lt. Col. Robert Laycock. Keyes, who had been present throughout the planning stage, selected the most hazardous task for himself: the assault on the headquarters of Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps near Beda Littoria, some miles inland from Apollonia. One of the objectives was to kill Rommel himself.

On the night of 17/18 November 1941, Keyes' detachment of 30 men landed from submarine some 250 miles behind enemy lines, but most of the boats were swamped in the passage to the beach, with some men drowned. Those who did reach land sheltered in a cave, drying out by a fire. Shortly before first light, they moved to a wadi, where they sheltered during daylight. After dark on the second night, the detachment moved off, but their Arab guide refused to accompany the party in the, by then, deteriorating weather. Keyes then led his men up a 1,800 foot climb followed by an approach march of 18 miles in pitch darkness and torrential rain. Hiding during daylight, the detachment advanced to within a few hundred yards of the objective by 10pm on the fourth night. With the depletion of his force to seven, through losses whilst coming ashore and stragglers on the approach march, and with information obtained from local Arabs, Keyes modified his original plan. He detailed most of his men to take up positions to block enemy interference and took just Captain Campbell and Sergeant Terry, with him.

At 11:59pm, Keyes led his party past sentries and other defences up to the house. Unable to find an open window or door, Keyes took advantage of Campbell's excellent German by having him pound on the front door and demand entrance. The sentry who opened the door was set upon by Keyes and Campbell, but Campbell was obliged to shoot him. The noise alerted the other German occupants to their presence and Keyes was shot. Speed was now essential. Rogers and Campbell soon realised that Keyes was badly wounded as they fired into and threw a grenade into a room of five Germans in two separate actions of opening the door. Sgt Terry fired on the emergence of a pair of feet on the stairwell; they disappeared. Keyes was taken outside and attended to, but quickly passed away. Captain Campbell was then shot by one of his men when he foolishly ventured around a corner, having previously given his private orders to shoot on sight. With no other option, Sgt. Terry gathered the raiding team together and retreated; the mission was a total failure.

Keyes received a full military honours burial on Rommel's orders in a local Catholic cemetery. It was later ascertained that Rommel himself had not been there, having left the house two weeks earlier.

For his actions, Keyes was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Further information

His grave is in Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya. He is remembered on the Kingsmead School War memorial in Seaford, Sussex and also in the parish church in the village of Tingewick in Buckinghamshire, home of the Keyes family.

A major factor in Keyes recipientcy of the Victoria Cross was the after action report drafted by Lt-Col Laycock in which he describes many of the mission events that he did not take part in and in most cases was not there. The attitude of the British public at that time was extremely low and this award seems to be given on this basis combined with Keyes' effort and posthumous enthusiasm rather than the actual outcome. German after action reports paint a more realistic portrail of what happened than post-raid British sources.

References

* [http://www.combinedops.com/Operation%20Flipper.htm Combined Operations - Operation Flipper]
*British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
*Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)

Reading list

* Keyes, Elizabeth. "Geoffrey Keyes, V.C., M.C., Croix de Guerre, Royal Scots Greys, lieut.-colonel, 11th Scottish Commando" (London : G. Newnes, [1956] )

* Asher, Michael. "Get Rommel: The secret British mission to kill Hitler's greatest general" (Cassell Military Paperbacks, [2005] )

External links

* [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/theartofwar/valgal/valour/INF3_0437.htm Lieutenant Colonel G.C.T. Keyes] in "The Art of War" exhibition at the UK National Archives
*