My father Graham Rouse (still alive as I write this) was in 1944 commanding officer of the small Motor Launch ML 197. One of his jobs was to make smoke around HMS Albatross and other allied ships at times of the (largely ineffectual) bombardment by more remote German shore batteries in the days and weeks following D Day. HMML 197 was also dependent upon Albatross for supplies, and at one point Albatross expressed irritation at the frequency of their re-victualling visits. Thereafter, the smokescreen visits seemed to become less regular - until, that is, Albatross signalled to ML 197 "Make smoke around me and I will give you white bread".

Although ML 197 probably killed one of the German "human torpedoes" which may have attacked Albatross (see my father's account on the BBC People's War website) , they had left Normandy by the time Albatross was torpedoed.

Philip Rouse (son) p.rouse@yahoo.co.uk