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2010
70th Year


 ~ RAIDS AND LANDINGS ~

Raids & Landings ranged from Commando style "hit & run" attacks, designed to inflict damage on the German war machine and to tie down German forces in areas that might otherwise be lightly defended to major amphibious landings such as Italy and Normandy.
 

Dates

Location (Codename)

Notes

4/7/40 Mers-el-Kebir (Catapult) The neutralisation of a squadron of the Vichy French fleet. Operation Catapult aimed to secure the immobilisation of the French Naval Fleet lest it should fall into German hands. Although not a Combined Operation this naval action is included in this website because it provides useful background to British concerns about Vichy French military resources and foreign held territories. These concerns subsequently resulted in actions involving Combined Operations such as those in North Africa (Torch) and the Litani River.
3-4/3/41 Lofoten Islands (Claymore) [Land} 3 & 4 Commandos. [Sea] HMS Queen Emma, Princess Beatrix & 5 Destroyers.
20-21/4/41 Bardia, North Africa [Land] A Battalion (ex No 7 Commando). [Sea] HMS Glengyle.
9-10/6/41 Litani River, Palestine [Land] C Battalion (ex 11 Commando). [Sea] HMS Glengyle.
14/11/41 Rommel's HQ, N Africa (Flipper) [Land] Middle East Commando. L detachment, No 11 Commando & G(R) Branch
26-27/12/41 Lofoten Islands 2nd Raid (Anklet) [Land} 12 Commando. [Sea] HMS Arethusa & 8 destroyers in support.
27/12/41 Vaagso, Norway  (Archery) [Land] 2 & 3 Commandos [Sea] HMS Prince Leopold & Prince Charles + HMS Kenya & 4 Destroyers. [Air] Bomber Command & Coastal Command.
27/2/42 Bruneval, France. (Biting) [Air] 1 Whitley Squadron. [Sea] Landing Craft & Escorts. 
28/3/42 St Nazaire, France (Chariot) [Land] Nos.1,2,3,4,5,9 & 10 Commandos. [Sea] HMS Campbelltown.

5-7/5/42

Madagascar (Ironclad) This brief account of Operation Ironclad, the invasion of Madagascar, is taken from the viewpoint of a member of No 5 Commando. Combined Operations Command was not the principal player in this operation against the Vichy French regime - more of an assistant. The total campaign lasted 6 months but the bulk of the special work of Combined Operations and the Commandos was concentrated into a few days in early May 1942. [Land] No 5 Commando.

19/8/42

Dieppe, France (Jubilee) [Land] Nos 3 & 4 Commando with 50 US Rangers, the Canadian 2nd Division. [Sea] 230 ships with 3000 men. [Air] 65 RAF Squadrons (fighters, fighter/bombers and bombers).

12-13/9/42

'Sword' Beach (Aquatint) [Land] 12 Commandos of the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF). [Sea] MTB 344 the Little Pisser under the command of Freddie Bourne.

15-22/9/42

Glomfjord, Norway (Musketoon) [Land] 2 Captains, 8 other ranks from No 2 Commando & 2 Corporals from Norwegian Forces attached to SOE. [Sea] Free French Submarine Juno.
8 -12/11/42 North Africa (Torch) Full listing of all services on page
7/12/42 River Gironde, France (Frankton) [Land] 10 Royal Marines - "The Cockleshell Heroes." [Sea] Sub. HMS Tuna.
11/6/43 Pantelleria (Corkscrew) [Land] Infantry [Sea] ? [Air] ? 
10/7/43 Sicily (Husky) [Land] US 7th Army British 8th Army [Sea] 2760 ships of the RN and US Navy [Air] ?
9/9/43 Salerno, Italy (Avalanche) A brief account of the advance from Sicily to Rome. More detailed accounts of the individual landings listed below will be added in due course.
6/6/44 Normandy, France (Neptune & Overlord) [large file] 170,000 assault troops, 5000 ships and 820 aircraft mainly from Canada, UK and the USA.
17/6/44 Elba, Italy (Brassard) In this account of this French led invasion of Elba the emphasis is on the role of the RN Commandos (Beach Commandos).
1-8/11/44 Walcheren (Infatuate) Infatuate 1[Land] 155th Infantry Brigade - 4th & 5th Bn. KOSB, 7th/9th Bn The Royal Scots. Infatuate 2 4 Special Services Brigade - 41, 47 & 48 RM Commando with attached No 10 (Inter Allied)
  To be written  
1941 Spitzbergen (Gauntlet)  
3/9/43 Reggio, Italy  
11/9/43 Taranto, Italy  
22 Jan'44 Anzio, Italy (Shingle)  
17/6/44 Elba, Italy  
15/8/44 Anvil, France  
19/8/44 Southern France (Dragoon)  
3/1/45 Akyab, Arakan Peninsula  
12/1/45 River Myebon, Arakon Peninsula  
21/1/45 Ramree, Arakan Peninsula  
22/1/45 Kangaw, Arakan Peninsula  
26 Jan'45 Cheduba, Arakan Peninsula  
16/2/45 Ruywa, Arakan Peninsula  
Apr 45 Comacchio, Italy  
2/5/'45 Rangoon. Burma  
Sep 1945 Malay Coast (Op Zipper)  
 

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Combined Operations HQ 1942 mystery photo found in Holland. Do you have any information about it?

COHQ Mystery Photo

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Books
Commando Veterans' Association - for those who wore the green beret for any time from 1940 to the present day. Associate membership also available. CVA

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