The Slough-built Citroën SAZP pick ups used by the Royal Marines have been the subject of myth and legend since they first appeared in the late 1950s and disappeared in the late 1960s. A few well-known photographs appear from time to time, but little is known about their amazing adventures. The most common myth is that they were all thrown overboard from their aircraft carriers at the end of their service life.
The true story of the Royal Marines 2CV has taken me four years to research. I re-discovered them in a cartoon illustration in a French book about the 2CV. My mother instantly recognised the “funny little cars” as one of my late father’s projects. A quick hunt through the family archives soon turned up fascinating pictures of my late father, Captain John Hatfield RM with the prototype SAZPs on Hayling Island, Malta and Libya in the late 1950s.
The concept of modern amphibious warfare has its origins developed by the United States Marine Corps before the Second World War. Post-war amphibious doctrine was gradually being turned on its head with the advent of the helicopter. With an aircraft capable of quickly moving men and equipment onto land the traditional beach landing assault, with all its risks and casualties, could be avoided.
Early helicopters were basic machines that could barely lift themselves, but as Sikorsky developed larger helicopters like the S55 which first saw active service in the Korean War, potential uses were quickly realised.
The Royal Navy was quick to see that helicopters could be used for search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare. The Suez conflict of 1956 provided an opportunity for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to trial the concept of a helicopter assault from Royal Navy carriers. Although politically disastrous, the operation did lead to a new focus on sea and air deployment.
The study into helicopter operations highlighted the need for a lightweight heliportable vehicle to be an integral part of any vertical assault from the Commando carriers. In the pre-digital age radio equipment was very heavy and both command post radio-carrying trucks and mobile patrol scouting vehicles were key elements to the success of any assault. Other items required transport too, including ammunition, water, fuel, rations and, of course Marines themselves.
Heavier vehicles like Land Rovers and lorries could only be ferried ashore, so Fort Cumberland, the technical wing of Eastney Barracks, Southsea was tasked with coming up with a solution. As Adjutant of Fort Cumberland, Captain John Hatfield put his mind to the task.
The Hunting Percival Harrier folding/stacking vehicle was a very serious contender and was already in use at the fort. However, Captain Chatfield was a keen rally driver and read the magazine Motorsport which had featured the Slough-built 2CV. Photographs in the article had shown two men lifting the back of the vehicle and its weight was within the lifting capacity of the helicopters.
Our family home on Hayling Island was very near the Citroën dealership of Cutmill Garage, Bosham and the owner was willing to lend a 2CV van for an ad-hoc proving flight at Lee-on-Solent. A set of slings was quickly put together and on 11th of September 1957 a Whirlwind HAS Mk7 XG596 piloted by Lt Cdr David ‘Charlie’ Chaplin RN flew the first 2CV lift trial.
The 2CV van was returned to Cutmill Garage and an order was placed for a 2CV pickup. In early October, 33 CPP was delivered by Citroën Slough free of charge. With a complimentary tank of petrol, my father drove the vehicle to the Western Highlands of Scotland, putting it through its paces over the roughest terrain. However, it was soon back in Fort Cumberland (via our cottage in Wales and the old Aust ferry) because, on 1st of November, an important presentation was to be made to the Minister of Defence, Duncan ‘Shifting’ Sandsys.
Rehearsal lift trials were carried out and, on the day of the display lifting straps were produced to demonstrate how Marines could manhandle the vehicle. That night, Sandys was entertained by Lord Mountbatten at his Broadlands home. Mountbatten was a staunch supporter of the Royal Marines and the Commando carrier concept and was able to influence the conversion of the Centaur Class carrier HMS Bulwark from its fixed-wing role to that of helicopter Commando carrier.
After radio trials on Salisbury Plain the 2CV pickup 33 CPP was returned to Cutmill Garage and an order was placed for four new ones - paid for by the Admiralty this time. The first, delivered just before Christmas 1957, was registered 61 RN 91, with 61 RN 88-90 following. All were standard civilian SAZP models in light grey, with red wheels and tan seats.
A new heli-portable lifting system had to be developed before 61 RN 91 was airborne, underslung from a 701 Squadron Whirlwind HAR Mk3 XG588 in January 1958 at Fort Cumberland.
The four 2CVs took part in exercises demonstrating the new operations with helicopters, most notably exercise Runaground IX as Eastney. More importantly, in January 1958, a flight of four S55 HAS Mk2 helicopters (veterans of Suez) was formed for amphibious warfare trials in Malta, with HQ 3rd Commando Brigade Royal Marines. This was 728© Flight and was commanded by Lt Cdr Gilbert ‘Knocker’ Knight MBE DFC, a pioneer naval helicopter pilot and original senior pilot with 848 Squadron in Malaya. Lt Cdr Chaplin was also one of the pilots chosen.
In the meantime, 33 CPP sat outside Cutmill Garage until Captain Philip ‘Percy’ Sick, who lived nearby at Bosham Hoe, pulled in for petrol. He was offered the pickup for use on board his ship. Gick commanded HMS Bulwark on her last fixed-wing commission in 1957-58.
In early 1958, 33 CPP found itself onboard HMS Bulwark, sporting a large GB plate, as if it were going on holiday! Within weeks, Bulwark was anchored off Port of Spain, Trinidad and the senior pilot of 845 Squadron, Lt Cdr Colin Wheatley lifted off in Whirlwind HAS Mk7 XL834 with 33 CPP hanging underneath. They were bound for Piarco airfield, heavy socialising and a test match!
The adventures of 33 CPP had no official status and the vehicle was not part of the trials programme. Before Bulwark arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 33 CPP had already been flown ashore in the snows. In the far east, the little Citroën was used to ferry camphor wood chests to the ship from Wanchai, Hong Kong. It took part in a ‘show the flag’ exercise off Singapore, where the Royal Marines detachment manhandled it over a deck assault course before it was helicoptered around. In Mombassa it toured game reserves and during yet another Middle East crisis 33 CPP went ashore at Aqaba and Aden on more social trips. Bulwark finally returned to Portsmouth via Cyprus and Malta on 4th of November 1958 and the tired and by now rusty Citroën was handed back to Cutmill Garage. Restored and fitted with a canvas tilt it ended its days with the local sailing club. A remarkable journey for a loaned Citroën 2CV and worth a book in its own right!
But what of the regular service pickups? In May 1958, 61 RN 91 was sent to Malta with Captain Chatfield, who had become the new Brigade Transport Officer. Soon after it arrived at RNAS HAL FAR, base for 728© Flight, it was being lifted by S55 HAS Mk22 WV205 for proving flights. Later it was flown to the St George’s parade ground for lift/drop trials. It was released from increasing heights in increments until, from twenty feet, it was severely damaged. Amazingly, Captain Chatfield managed to repair 61 RN 91 and took it across to Libya for further trials, along with his unit transport of HQ 3 Brigade.
The three remaining trials pickups, 61 RN 88, 89 and 90 were often seen in various exercises with helicopters over the summer months of 1959, in Portsmouth and Plymouth. Meanwhile, from Malta 61 RN 91 was taken to Libya by sea and then driven from Tobruk to Tripoli, via Derna, Benghazi and the former Italian camp at Tarhuna. It returned to Malta on board the large landing ship HMS Striker to resume further trials, one of which was witnessed by Montgomery of El Alamein, who was impressed by the helicopter concept. 61 RN 91 was eventually retired for spares use, but it had been a very useful vehicle for the trials. In the words of one senior Royal Marines officer it had been “A splendid little bus”.
In early October 61 RN 88 and 61 RN 90 were shipped from Fort Cumberland to Malta on board RFA Retainer. 61 RN 89 was left at the Fort for further use by British-based units and never went abroad.
At the same time 728© Flight was also up-rated to full front-line squadron status, being recommissioned as 848 Naval Air Commando Squadron, still under the command of ‘Knocker’ Knight. On 4th of November all the new squadron pilots practiced 2CV lifting, with 61 RN88 and 61 RN 90 no painted in desert sand and sporting HQ Brigade markings, plus the Commando formation dagger flash. They were the only Royal Marine 2CVs to be given such a scheme. Meanwhile 61 RN 90 became Captain Chatfield’s personal trials vehicle, ensuring it was well looked after.
61 RN 88 became a familiar sight at the other Royal Marines barracks on Hayling Island, notably at Imtarfa Barracks, where 45 Commando was based. It was lifted there as part of a display for the benefit of Chiefs of Staff and other VIPs. The helicopter Commando project was going well until the much-vaunted Whirlwind HAS MK7s, just coming into service, began to drop out of the skies through engine failures. 848 Squadron had to continue with its old Sikorsky S55s until the Whirlwind troubles were resolved. This delayed the development of the Whirlwind Commando version and a new intensive flying trials unit (IFTU) was re-formed at RNAS Culdrose to sort out the issues. It wasn’t until August 1959 that the Whirlwind Mk7 Commando trials could continue in Malta.
By this time 61 RN 88 had been written off when deliberately dropped from an S55, 61 RN 90 had been to Libya several times on exercises, most notably “Exercise Whitebait” - a joint Anglo/US operation and the largest in North Africa since the Second World War.
Back in Britain 61 RN 89 had been busy at the joint RAF/Army base at Middle Wallop, where they were practicing 2CV lifts. It was slightly damaged by some awkward releases onto the grass airfield as they prepared for the annual joint service exercise at Eastney, known as Runaground X. This exercise also featured the first public outing for the famous hovercraft SRN 1, the extraordinary Fairey Rotodyne and many other innovations.
At about this time, the official in-house magazine for the Royal Marines published an article on the forthcoming Commando Carrier plans, as rumours were rife. The article included the statement “Those in the know will have doubtless seen beetle-like vehicles being flogged to death in Portsmouth, Plymouth and Malta. This is the Citroën 2CV deux chevaux or 2hp (French), which is undergoing trials for service in the Commando Carrier. Rumours from Fort Cumberland confirm it is a courageous little vehicle, practically ‘boot-proof’ and can be lifted by the S55”.
The Ministry of Supply had indicated to Citroën at Slough that it would be ordering 30 to 40 specially adapted 2CV pickups for the Commando Carrier, but the factory was unaware of the Whirlwind engine failures. The delays caused by this had a knock-on effect, and the 2CV ‘Trials Report’ and specifications requirements determined by Captain Chatfield in Malta was not available until late autumn 1959.
Although the initial Admiralty vehicle was by submitted for examination by Citroën in June 1959, the contract began to look in doubt when a prototype BMC Mini-Moke was accepted by Fort Cumberland for trials under directions from Malta.
In November 1959, the Mini-Moke 07 RN 49 was put through trials on Dartmoor against the last of the four trials 2CVs, 61 RN 89, under the direction of Lt Ernie Rigsby for 42 Commando Royal Marines. The Mini-Moke’s low ground clearance, a water-cooled engine and its inability to withstand repeated helicopter lifts/drops meant the 2CV won the day and Citroën finally got an urgent order to provide 35 pickups to Admiralty specifications by the first week of January 1960!
Following a frantic rush over Christmas, Citroën completed the order and the pickups were collected and driven to the drill shed at Fort Cumberland. Here, 35 Royal Marine drivers each received a brand new shiny Deep Bronze Green 2CV, a chit and petrol coupons and were told to put 1,000 miles on their clocks as soon as possible.
848 Squadron returned to its new base at Worthy Down, Winchester and began to receive their new Commando versions of the Westland Whirlwind HAS Mk7s, now rid of engine problems. In order to assist with troop and helicopter crew training, the last trials pickup, 61 RN 89, was heavily engaged in hooking-on drills, some of the time in snow and blizzard conditions.
Royal Marines of 42 Commando were destined to become the first to serve on the first Commando Carrier HMS Bulwark, just out of conversion at Portsmouth. Portsmouth Dockyard had manufactured special brackets to fit under the front of the chassis for wire lifting-sling attachments, and these were fitted to the 2CVs when they returned. Rings were also fitted to the hub nuts for securing the vehicles to the decks of the carrier. Two of the 2CVs were radio-screened and fitted out by Fort Cumberland and the Signals Wing at Eastney for the Air Control team, who would co-ordinate air strikes once ashore.
On 10th of March 1960 HMS Bulwark left Portsmouth with a compliment of 32 Helicopter Commando 2CV pickups. Three were retained at Fort Cumberland as spares. The 16 sand/stone coloured Whirlwind Mk7s of 848 Squadron flew out to join the ship in the Solent. 42 Commando and their heavier transport joined the ship with great ceremony a few days later at Devonport. On 15th of March the Commando Carrier was finally underway for work-up exercises at Malta and Libya.
HMS Bulwark began her first commission in a blaze of publicity in the national press. The Citroën pickups were often cited as the latest thing in amphibious warfare. The Commando Carrier concept was so new to the ship’s company, Marines and pilots of the helicopters that it took some time to run smoothly. Mistakes were made, but eventually a satisfactory procedure was established. During one of the first exercises, “Easter Egg” off the coast of Libya one pickup fell off the cargo hook of a Whirlwind while at 500 feet onto the beach near the Roman ruins at Leptis Magna. The remains were recovered to the ship, but only the spare tyre was salvaged from the wreck. The rest was heaved over the side.
There were two other 2CV casualties and, by the time the ship arrived off Aden in May 1960, only 29 were on board. One of the broken 2CVs was experimented on to see if a two-section vehicle would be easier for the helicopters.
Over the next two years the 2CVs of HMS Bulwark and 42 Commando served in a variety of roles, but the most active of all the 2CV pickups were the two fitted out with radio equipment - 94 RN 96 and 94 RN 94 - and because they were the Signals vehicles they were well looked after. When in Mombassa they went on a long range safari to the Ngorogoro crater to test the range of the radio equipment and narrowly escaped being attached by lions. In the Kuwait/Iraq crisis of 1961, HMS Bulwark was the first on the scene to repel the threat of invasion. 42 Commando were helicoptered ashore to secure the Kuwait airfield and the Signals 2CVs were first on the scene. The operation is often overlooked, but it is an ample justification for the Commando Carrier concept and the 2CVs were an integral part of its success.
Hot and humid conditions often meant the Whirlwind MK7s struggled to lift themselves, unlike in cooler northern hemisphere conditions. As a result, the 2CVs were stripped to the bare bones to reduce their weight. All the removed parts were taken ashore and stored in Singapore. Some 2CVs were used by the supporting troops and towed their Mobat 120mm anti-tank guns (weighing 770kg - more than the weight of the pickup itself!).
HMS Albion, a second Commando Carrier, came out of conversion in August 1962 and headed to the Far East to relieve her sister HMS Bulwark in November. She was equipped with the new turbine-engined Westland Wessex Mk1 helicopters of 845 Squadron. They were accompanied by 846 Squadron, still flying Whirlwind HAS Mk7s. It had been decided to continue using 2CV pickups so an additional 30 had been ordered from Citroën Slough. One had already been written off during a demonstration trial at Westland in Yeovil. Another was accidentally dropped during a work-up exercise off Purbeck in Dorset, from 2000 feet! “Ker-rikey” ran the ship’s cartoon. A third was later destroyed when it was dropped onto the beach at Leptis Magna (again!) During another exercise.
HMS Albion met up with HMS Bulwark at Aden and topped up her Citroën losses from the best of Bulwark’s survivors. Albion then headed to Borneo for the ongoing crisis with Indonesia.
After arriving back in England, some of Bulwark’s remaining pickups were sold off at Ruddington’s MoD sales and saw out their days in civilian life. The best returned to Bulwark for her next commission.
HMS Albion put most of her Citroëns ashore at HMS Terror and Sembawang in Singapore and some of these were still in use in 1971.
It is believed that Bulwark’s last pickups went ashore in 1966 at Trengannu, Malaysia, to assist in flood disaster relief. The ship’s assault supply officer assures me they did not return to the ship.
By Philip Hatfield, April 2003
Citroën supplied the Royal Marines with 69 SAZP pickups (four from the first order for trials, 35 for HMS Bulwark and 30 for HMS Albion). None of them are thought to exist.