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26-493: 1942 1943 1944 1945 Associated articles Operation Archery , also known as the Måløy Raid , was a British Combined Operations raid during World War II against German positions on the island of Vågsøy , Norway, on 27 December 1941. British Commandos of No. 3 Commando , two troops of No. 2 Commando , a medical detachment of No. 4 Commando , a demolition party from 101 Troop (canoe) of No. 6 Commando , and

52-479: A dozen Norwegians from Norwegian Independent Company 1 conducted the raid. The Royal Navy , led by the light cruiser HMS  Kenya , with the destroyers HMS  Onslow , Oribi , Offa and Chiddingfold , provided fire support. The submarine HMS  Tuna was in support as the force navigational check. Prince Charles and Prince Leopold transported the troops. Also in support were Royal Air Force bombers and fighter-bombers. Central to

78-532: A small number of Germans and Quislings were made prisoners of war . The navy also captured an Enigma coding machine , with its associated wheels and settings, from the patrol ship they had sunk. They also returned with over 200 Norwegians who volunteered to serve in the Free Norwegian Forces . The raid was successful, with no casualties to the Allied force. At least one lesson seemed to have been learnt, as it

104-579: The British Army and the Royal Navy . In 1941 the title of Director of Combined Operations was changed to Adviser Combined Operations. In 1942 the title of Adviser Combined Operations was changed to Chief of Combined Operations. The department existed until 1947 but later re-emerged under a new name in 1951, as the Amphibious Warfare Headquarters . Operations included: The Attack on

130-541: The Commandos to various targets, and then recover them. Thus, it was a combined arms coordination and command structure. Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes was the first director, from 17 July 1940 to 27 October 1941. He was replaced first by Lord Louis Mountbatten , who led the command for a year. He in turn was succeeded by Major General Robert Laycock (October 1943 – 1947). It comprised background staff whose job

156-532: The German Naval Code . Captain O'Flaherty was hit by sniper fire and lost an eye, later wearing an eye-patch as a brigadier. Capt O'Flaherty can be seen in the image of 'Wounded British Soldier' being helped by two fellow soldiers. The soldier with bayonet is Derek Page of No 3 Commando. the soldier on the left is Herbert Cecil Wright. Several Quislings and over 70 loyal Norwegians (Jøssing) were also brought back. In conjunction with this raid, Operation Anklet

182-525: The Norwegian Independent Company 1 , Captain Martin Linge , was killed in an attack on the local German headquarters and eight Royal Air Force aircraft were shot down. (A Norwegian civilian was hit by shrapnel during the raid, and died from the resulting injuries the following night). The commandos accounted for at least 120 defenders killed and returned with 98 prisoners and a complete copy of

208-620: The Royal Air Force was not involved. But it would be the last raid undertaken without air support. The naval force formed for Operation Anklet consisted of 22 ships from three navies. The Royal Navy provided the most ships which included the light cruiser HMS  Arethusa ; six destroyers ( HMS  Somali , Ashanti , Bedouin , Eskimo , Lamerton and Wheatland ); three minesweepers ( HMS  Speedwell , Harrier and Halcyon ); two Landing Ship Infantry (HMS  Prins Albert and Prinses Josephine Charlotte );

234-576: The submarines HMS  Tigris , HMS  Sealion ; and the survey ship HMS  Scott . The Royal Fleet Auxiliary provided two fleet tankers ( RFA Grey Ranger and Black Ranger ); the freighter Gudrun Maersk ; and the Tugboat Jaunty . The exiled Royal Norwegian Navy provided the corvettes HNoMS Andenes and Eglantine , while the Polish Navy provided the destroyers ORP Krakowiak and Kujawiak . The landing force

260-550: The German garrison to be concentrating on the Christmas festivities and would therefore be caught unprepared. The landings were unopposed as the commandos, dressed in white camouflaged overalls, were landed on the western side of the island of Moskenesøya . They soon occupied the villages of Reine and Moskenes , capturing the small German garrison and a number of Norwegian Quislings at the radio station at Glåpen . The raiding force

286-855: The Iron Coast (film) depicts an account of Allied Combined Operations Headquarters commandos executing a daring raid on the German-occupied French coast during the Second World War . 52°43′52″N 1°43′23″W  /  52.7311°N 1.7230°W  / 52.7311; -1.7230 Operation Anklet Naval: Royal Navy 1 Light cruiser 6 Destroyers 3 Minesweepers 2 Landing Ship Infantry 2 Submarines 1 Survey ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary 2 Tankers 1 Freighter 1 Tugboat Royal Norwegian Navy 2 Corvettes Polish Navy 2 Destroyers 1942 1943 1944 1945 Associated articles Operation Anklet

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312-712: The commander was Admiral Sir Roger Keyes , a veteran of the Gallipoli Campaign and the Zeebrugge Raid in the First World War . In 1940, the call went out for volunteers from among the serving Army soldiers within certain formations still in Britain, and men of the disbanding Divisional Independent Companies originally raised from Territorial Army Divisions who had seen service in Norway. The Lofoten Islands form part of

338-603: The commandos. Some of the other ships conducted operations around the islands. The destroyer Bedouin destroyed a radio station at Flakstadøya , while the cruiser Arethusa and destroyers Somali , Ashanti , and Eskimo entered the Vestfjorden . Here they captured the Norwegian coastal steamers Kong Harald and Nordland and Ashanti sank a German patrol boat. The 300-man landing force landed at 06:00 on Boxing Day . The date had been selected by British planners, who expected

364-419: The floating reserve and troops from Vågsøy Island. Several local citizens assisted the commandos by acting as porters for ammunition , grenades and other explosives and in carrying away the wounded. At around 14:00, the commandos started their withdrawal having destroyed four factories, the fish-oil stores, ammunition and fuel stores, the telephone exchange and various military installations, leaving much of

390-622: The hunter class who can develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast." One staff officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke , had already submitted such a proposal to General Sir John Dill , the Chief of the Imperial General Staff . Dill, aware of Churchill's intentions, approved Clarke's proposal. The Commandos came under the operational control of the Combined Operations Headquarters . The man initially selected as

416-529: The north western Norwegian coastline about 100 mi (160 km) inside the Arctic Circle . Operation Anklet would be the second raid on the islands. The first, Operation Claymore , had taken place in March 1941, and the third raid, Operation Archery , would take place at the same time as Operation Anklet. The raid was organised by the Combined Operations Headquarters , and would only use naval and land assets,

442-521: The operation was the destruction of fish-oil production and stores which the Germans used in the manufacture of high explosives. Another intention was to cause the Germans to maintain and increase forces in Norway, which would reduce forces deployed on the Eastern Front , thereby giving a numerical advantage to Allied forces. The commando force of 570 troops was divided into five parties to The dawn landing

468-480: The town in flames. The naval assault force of one cruiser and four destroyers had sunk 10 vessels, some found in the act of being scuttled to prevent capture. Technical difficulties had prevented the German coastal artillery from being fully effective, with one of their three 130 mm guns scoring one hit on the cruiser. No Royal Navy ships were lost but the navy suffered four men killed and four wounded. The Commandos sustained 17 killed and 53 wounded. The commander of

494-527: Was attacked on 27 December 1941 by a German seaplane that bombed the cruiser Arethusa . Although it was not hit, it did suffer some damage that would require 14 weeks in dock to repair. With no air support of their own, the commander of the raid, Admiral Hamilton , having occupied the Norwegian villages for two days, decided to pull out and head back to Scapa, where they arrived on 1 January 1942. During Operation Anklet, two radio transmitters were destroyed, several small German boats were captured or sunk, and

520-509: Was mounted by No. 12 Commando on the Lofoten Islands as a diversion. The raid was enough to persuade Adolf Hitler to divert 30,000 troops to Norway and to build more coastal and inland defences. Hitler thought that the British might invade northern Norway to put pressure on Sweden and Finland . Combined Operations (United Kingdom) The command used air and naval units to deliver

546-585: Was preceded by a very effective naval bombardment and objectives were achieved, except in Måløy . German opposition in the town was much stiffer than expected as, unknown to the British, a Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops) unit of experienced troops from the Eastern Front was there on leave. The defenders' experience in sniping and street fighting caused the operation to develop into a bitter house-to-house battle . The British commander, John Durnford-Slater , called on

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572-608: Was seen as a diversionary raid for this bigger raid, intended to draw away the German naval and air forces. After the British Expeditionary Force had been evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called for a force to be assembled and equipped to inflict casualties on the Germans and bolster British morale. Churchill told the joint Chiefs of Staff to propose measures for an offensive against German-occupied Europe, and stated: "they must be prepared with specially trained troops of

598-489: Was sent back to Scapa, arriving on 24 December. Wheatland left Scapa alone on 25 December to catch up with the rest of Force J. As the task force approached the islands, the submarine Sealion was already in position to act as a navigational beacon for the attack, which was planned for 26 December. When the task force arrived, the infantry landing ship Prins Albert , escorted by destroyer Lamerton and corvettes Eglantine and Acanthus , headed towards Moskenesøya to land

624-587: Was supplied by 223 men of No. 12 Commando , supported by 77 men of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 . The naval task force was assembled at three locations: Scapa Flow , Greenock and Lerwick . The task force, now known as Force J, left Scapa and Greenock for the Lofoten Islands on Monday 22 December, and those at Lerwick the following day. En route to join up with the main force, the infantry landing ship Prinses Josephine Charlotte developed engine trouble, and together with her destroyer escort Wheatland

650-531: Was the codename given to a British Commando raid during the Second World War . The raid on the Lofoten Islands was carried out in December 1941, by 300 men from No. 12 Commando and the Norwegian Independent Company 1 . The landing party was supported by 22 ships from three navies. At the same time, another raid was taking place in Vågsøy . This raid was Operation Archery , on 27 December 1941, and Operation Anklet

676-399: Was to plan operations and to develop ideas and equipment to harass the enemy in any way possible. It also covered all those who worked with landing craft up to and including the landing ships that were used in the various amphibious operations . The badge of Combined Operations was an Eagle over a submachine gun over an anchor , reflecting the three service arms; the Royal Air Force ,

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