An Overland Quest for a Lost WWII Patrol

A goal to unearth British Army artifacts led a team to tackle the rigours of the Sahara Desert.

by

Words and photos by Martin Spriggs

In 2019, a group of amateur historians and explorers embarked from England on an epic voyage of discovery to the Sahara Desert in Tunisia, North Africa. The mission was to find artifacts of a lost patrol led by Major Popski of the British Army, which was attacked by the Germans during World War II and left abandoned under the sand.

Although they succeeded in finding evidence that it existed, the group was unable to positively locate it. To do this, they needed to return to the desert.

Historic Background to Present Day

During the North African campaign of World War II in 1943, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and Britain’s Eighth Army battled Germany’s North Afrika Korps, led by General Erwin Rommel. As part of the campaign, the British Army formed specialized units to raid German airfields and supply chains behind the frontlines.

Fast forward to 2022. After COVID-19 delayed the expedition’s plans to return to North Africa for two-and-a-half years, the team deployed to the desert in May to complete their mission. This is their story.

The Team

The majority of the expedition members assembled in southern England for the start of the return overland expedition. Another small team departed from the island of Tenerife in Spain.

Six members were ex-military with desert operational experience. Except for two of the original members in 2019, most had little or no experience in a desert environment. Nevertheless, everyone was excited to participate when they departed in late April.

Off-Road Vehicles

The vehicle of choice for both expeditions was the Land Rover Defender. These have long been the choice for the military (and other non-government organizations) since they are robust, reliable vehicles that can handle the desert environment.

Although the newest one was three decades old, the Land Rover’s simplistic design is easy to operate and maintain. This also makes it a popular rig in the overlanding community.

Seven Land Rovers were used including one Lightweight, one Defender 90 and four Defender 110s. One of the lessons learned in 2019 was that their 200 TDI engines were not powerful enough to overcome some of the dunes in the Sahara. As a result, most of the rigs this time around were equipped with 300 TDIs.

The seventh Land Rover used on the expedition was a highly modified 110. Nicknamed “Franken Rover,” the vehicle’s owner had stretched its front body to fit a 3.0 L BMW six-cylinder engine. Unconventional shape notwithstanding, it managed to attract a crowd of curious onlookers wherever it went.

England to Tunisia

Except for fuel system issues, which plagued Franken Rover’s drive, the trek across Europe into southern Italy was largely uneventful. That was until the team encountered a road closure in the Southern Alps and the navigation system sent the team on a long circular detour. After a long day’s drive, the team finally linked up with the group from Spain late in the evening at a damp campsite in Genoa. They were tired but on schedule.

Tunis to Douz

After a delayed ferry departure, the team settled into a 22-hour crossing on the Mediterranean Sea from Genoa to Tunis. Team members enjoyed showers and bonded over drinks. Once in Tunis, the final group was together as the last of the members flew in to join them.

Having completed the run into southern Tunisia in 2019, the team set off on a routine run to the expedition staging area in Douz. However, the trip was shattered as one of the Land Rovers had an accident with a Tunisian vehicle a few hours into the drive. Fortunately, no one was injured and the Land Rover suffered minor cosmetic exterior damage.

Following the obligatory exchange of insurance details with the aid of the Tunisia police, the expedition continued on hard-surfaced roads to Douz. After settling in at a campsite for the evening, the team spent the next day and a half stripping the vehicles down preparing for the desert conditions.

Desert Shake-Out

After mission prep was completed, the team set off cross-country for a few days of driver training and desert running. Franken Rover continued to have fuel system issues and became a concern during the shake-out phase.

Unlike modern sport utility vehicles, specialized tools were not required for maintenance and repair. However, Franken Rover with its BMW engine complicated matters as its parts were not standard to the other vehicles.

Navigation in the desert was challenging as the team didn’t use satellite navigation. Instead, they used 1:200,000 scale maps that were surveyed in 1928 and printed in 1940. Who doesn’t like a challenge?

Principles of desert navigation were taught to the less experienced members of the team and they successfully navigated across the southern desert to two Roman forts over a few days.

Weather in the desert can be unpredictable and the team experienced their first of two rain storms during the shake-out phase. High winds and cool rain were a challenge but everyone adapted to the adverse conditions. After two days of getting used to the desert environment, the team arrived at a base camp southeast of Douz. Spirits were high.

Vehicle weight needs to be kept to a minimum when driving in the desert so only the necessary tools and spare parts were brought along. The team leads used lessons learned from the 2019 expedition. For instance, water and food runs to a local desert oasis were carefully planned to save time and added weight.

The Search

Once the team was established at base camp, everyone was ready for the next phase, which was the search for Popski’s lost patrol. Alan, a fellow with the Royal Geographical Society, provided the team with the historical background of the LRDG’s action during World War II. Members of the expedition were briefed on the conduct of the search and were split up into patrols for the search.

The constant heat of the sun meant enduring daily highs of 44°C (111°F). However, they persevered and on the first day, military artifacts were unearthed in the desert sand. Positive news.

One of the challenges was the aging vehicles suffered multiple breakdowns including broken coil springs, severed shocks, split head gaskets and cooling system failures. After each breakdown, field repairs were quickly completed to keep the team moving. A broken shock even needed to be welded together again!

On day two, after the team concentrated on the location of the previous discoveries, they hit pay dirt. German “jerry cans” and distinctive Vickers K machine gun magazines were unearthed. Both were known to have been used by the LRDG. All items that were found appeared to have damage from the final battle. But they were the proverbial needle in the haystack. Against all odds, they had found the location of Popski’s lost patrol.

Although the team was unable to find the hulls of the destroyed vehicles, the expedition discovered pieces of Mill’s bombs, as well as .50 calibre, Italian 20 mm, and .303 rounds as well as vehicle suspension parts. Tracing the head stamp on the .303 cartridge determined they were manufactured in India in 1942.

Aftermath

Finding Popski’s lost patrol left the team in a state of euphoria. All artifacts were gathered and catalogued. Bottles of rum, a favourite among the LRDG, were opened and glasses were raised in honour of their memory. As the celebration went well into the desert night, I was heard asking for another drink of “lum!”

The following day, the team built a makeshift cairn and deposited all the treasures inside the ring of rocks ready to be rediscovered by future explorers. Plans are in the works to contact the Imperial War Museum, the New Zealand Embassy, and the LRDG Preservation Society. The findings will also be presented to the Royal Geographical Society.

The journey back to England was one of satisfaction. The team had accomplished their mission during an incredible overlanding adventure.