Digby Tatham-Warter Disabled a German Tank With Only an Umbrella During World War II

Allison "Digby" Tatham-Warter could be considered the most interesting figure among the British Army personnel who served in World War II. Known for his wit and assertive leadership, he gained prominence through his efforts in the Battle of Arnhem. What really set him apart, however, was his remarkable use of a seemingly ordinary object: an umbrella.

Digby Tatham-Warter enlists in the British Army

Digby Tatham-Warter military career began in 1935, when he was accepted into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After two years, he graduated in 1937 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant to the Unattached List of the British Indian Army. He was subsequrntly transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

Tatham-Warter didn't see action in the Second World War until the death of his brother, John, during the Second Battle of El Alamein . He volunteered for the airborne forces, was transferred to the Parachute Regiment and assigned as commander of A Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st Airborne Division.

Battle of Arnhem

Digby Tatham-Warter's company was chosen by Lt. Col. Jack Dutton Frost to lead the 2nd Parachute Battalion into the Battle of Arnhem . The engagement was part of the larger Operation Market Garden , which aimed to seize strategically important bridges in the Netherlands, to allow the Allies access to the Rhine. It would also allow them to bypass the Siegfried Line .

Tatham-Warter trained his men to communicate with bugles, used by the British during the Napoleonic Wars , in case their radios failed, and he himself decided to carry an umbrella, as he struggled to remember passwords. When asked why, he said that "only a bloody fool of an Englishman" would carry an umbrella into battle.

On September 17, 1944, Tatham-Warter and his men parachuted into the Netherlands, seven miles from Arnhem. Over the next several hours, they traveled through the back gardens of local residences and along the way took 150 German prisoners . By that evening, they'd captured the north end of the bridge. Mortar fire, however, meant it was impassable, so the paratroopers waited for backup. Unfortunately, their radios had failed and they were unaware help wouldn't be arriving anytime soon.

The Germans soon mounted a panzer counteroffensive against the 2nd Battalion. Tatham-Warter, wearing a bowler hat, led the charge against the enemy. With his umbrella in one hand and a pistol in the other, he disabled a German armored vehicle after shoving the former through the car's observation slit, incapacitating its driver. He also used it to save a chaplain, saying , "Don't worry about the bullets, I've got an umbrella."

Digby Tatham-Warter meets members of the Dutch Resistance

During the engagement, Digby Tatham-Warter was wounded by shrapnel, and his company was captured. They were taken to a German-operated hospital due to their injuries, but Tatham-Warter didn't stay there long. Once the nurses were out of sight, he and his second-in-command, Capt. Tony Frank, made their escape through a window.

The two were sheltered by a Dutch woman who then connected them with Dirk Wildeboer, a local leader of the Dutch Resistance in Ede. Wildeboer provided Tatham-Warter with a false ID card that portrayed him as the deaf-mute son of a Dutch lawyer. He also introduced them to another Resistance member, Menno de Nooy, who gave Tatham-Warter a bicycle. This allowed him to visit other escapees despite being surrounded by German soldiers, managing to stay unnoticed.

Tatham-Warter was also given a radio to stay in touch with British Intelligence. In the following weeks, he coordinated supply and equipment drops with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and arranged for weapons and ammunition to be hidden at specific locations in and around Ede.

Operation Pegasus

Ever the cunning soldier, Digby Tatham-Warter planned to create a force behind German lines, to help future Allied attempts to cross the Rhine. When it became clear no such mission would occur soon, his scheme was changed to one of escape, codenamed Operation Pegasus .

On the night of October 22, 1944, Tatham-Warter and a contingent of 150 escaped soldiers cycled to the Rhine, where members of the British Army's XXX Corps helped them cross the water. Before making the journey himself, Tatham-Warter flashed the "V for Victory" message in Morse code with his torch. From there, the men journeyed back to the United Kingdom.

Tatham-Warter was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts. His report on the Battle of Arnhem also resulted in the British government posthumously promoting Lt. John "Jack" Grayburn, who'd died during Operation Garden Market, to captain. The deceased soldier was also awarded the Victoria Cross, the country's most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

Digby Tatham-Warter's post-war service

Upon the conclusion of World War II, Digby Tatham-Warter went on to serve in Mandatory Palestine. He was later transferred to British Kenya and appointed to the 5th King's African Rifles. During the Mau Mau Rebellion in the 1950s, he raised a volunteer mounted police force and led them into battle against the Mau Mau. He was also present during Kenya's move for independence.

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Digby Tatham-Warter passed away on March 21, 1993, in Nanyuki, Kenya, at the age of 75. Upon completing his military service, he was credited with establishing the concept of the modern safari, where an emphasis is placed on taking pictures of the animals, rather than hunting them.