Operation Anklet

Operation Anklet 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.

Operation Anklet
Part of the North West Europe Campaign

Lofoten Islands
Date26–27 December 1941
Location
Lofoten Islands
67°59′N 13°00′E
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 Norway
Poland		  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton
Naval:
Captain Hugh Dalrymple-Smith
Land:
Lieutenant Colonel S.S. Harrison		 Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Strength

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

Land:
No. 12 Commando 223 men
Norwegian Company 77 men		 Eight divisions in Norway
three coastal defence
four infantry
one Luftwaffe Field Division
Unknown number of aircraft and naval forces
Casualties and losses
1 light cruiser heavily damaged 1 patrol ship sunk
2 wireless stations destroyed

At the same time, another raid was taking place in Vågsøy. This raid was Operation Archery, on 27 December 1941, and Operation Anklet was seen as a diversionary raid for this bigger raid, intended to draw away the German naval and air forces.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.