Operation Title

Operation Title was an unsuccessful Allied attack on the German battleship Tirpitz during World War II. It involved two British Chariot manned torpedoes that were transported close to the battleship's anchorage in Trondheimsfjorden (English: Trondheim Fjord), Norway, by a Norwegian-crewed boat between 26 and 31 October 1942. The attack was abandoned following the accidental loss of both Chariots in the evening of 31 October.

The Allies considered Tirpitz to be a major threat to their shipping and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill directed that priority be placed on destroying the battleship. Several Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bomber raids against Tirpitz failed to inflict any damage, and it was decided to use Royal Navy midget submarines instead. Operation Title involved a pair of two-man British Chariot crews, two British support personnel, and four members of the Norwegian resistance. They were transported to Norway on board a small boat named Arthur that had been modified to covertly carry the Chariots and their crews. Arthur suffered mechanical problems during the voyage to Trondheimsfjorden, causing delays. Its captain, Leif Larsen, used forged documents to bluff his way through German defences.

Both Chariots were lost when bad weather caused them to detach from Arthur on 31 October, shortly before the attack was to have begun. This forced the operation to be abandoned. It was not possible for the Allied boat to reach the sea due to German security measures, and Arthur was scuttled. The Allied personnel attempted to escape overland to neutral Sweden. All but one reached Sweden on 5 November, with the other – a British serviceman – being taken prisoner by German forces. He was murdered on 19 January 1943. Historians regard Operation Title as a skilful attack that failed due to bad luck and faulty workmanship. The British attacked Tirpitz again in September 1943 using a different type of midget submarines; this operation caused severe damage to the battleship. The Royal Navy conducted several air raids against Tirpitz between April and August 1944 with mixed results, and she was crippled by a RAF heavy bomber attack in September 1944 and sunk in November that year.