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Authors: Ross Kemp

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Operation Chariot: HMS Campbeltown wedged into the outer lock gate.
The German troops on deck were unaware of the giant explosive charge below their feet.

Operation Chariot: A German soldier passes the body of a dead Commando in the morning after the remarkably bold raid on St.
Nazaire dockyard.

Operation Deadstick: Royal Marine Commandos move through Colleville-sur-Orne on their way to relieve forces at Pegasus Bridge.

Operation Deadstick: Three of the six Horsa gliders that brought Howard’s force in the first hours of D-Day to capture the bridge over the Caen Canal at Bénouville, subsequently known as ‘Pegasus Bridge’.

Operation Deadstick: Pegasus Bridge, safely under British control, thanks to the efforts of Howard and his small force.
The gliders can be seen in the distance.

Author Acknowledgements

Firstly I would like to thank Niall Edworthy, whose passion and enthusiasm has driven this book forward from the start.
There are several people I must also thank for helping me transform
Raiders
from a mere idea to the book you are holding in your hands now.
A great deal of research has been done, mainly at The National Archives in Kew and for that I am very grateful to Roger E Nixon (Military & Historical Search) and Daniel Starza Smith for digging out the relevant files and sifting through reams of documents to locate the relevant material.
On their behalf, I should also thank the ever-helpful staff at Kew as well as the archivists at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.

Also to Ben Dunn at Random House.
And of course, as ever, Lord Waheed Ali, for all his support.

Picture Acknowledgements

© Imperial War Museums (H 17365); © Imperial War Museums (D 12870); © Imperial War Museums (B 5288); © Imperial War Museums (B 5067); © Imperial War Museums (B 7033); © WoodyStock/Alamy; © Norimages/Alamy; © Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy; © Bettmann/CORBIS; © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS; © Norway’s Resistance Museum; © Poperfoto/Getty Images; © Poperfoto/Getty Images; © Poperfoto/Getty Images; © Poperfoto/Getty Images; © Hulton Archive/Getty Images; © Underwood archives/Getty Images

The author and publisher have made all reasonable efforts to contact copyright holders for permission and apologise for any omissions or errors in the form of credits given.
Corrections may be made to future printings.

Sources & Further Reading
Operation ARCHERY

The National Archives, Kew

Supplement to the
London Gazette
, 2 July 1948 (Dispatch to Admiralty by Admiral Sir John Tovey)

The Vaagso Raid
, Joseph H.
Devins

The Commandos
, Charles Messenger

Operation Archery
, Ken Ford

Storm from the Sea
, Lt Col Peter Young

Commando
, Brigadier John Durnford-Slater

The Green Beret: The Story of the Commandos 1940–45
, Hilary St George Saunders

Operation BITING

The National Archives, Kew

By Air to Battle: The Official Account of the British Airborne Divisions

Most Secret War
, R.
V.
Jones

The Red Beret: The Story of the Parachute Regiment at War 1940–45
, Hilary St George Saunders

A Drop Too Many
, Major General John Frost

The Bruneval Raid: Stealing Hitler’s Radar
, George Millar

Operation JUDGEMENT

Fleet Air Arm Museum & Archives, RNAS Yeovilton

War in a Stringbag
, Charles Lamb

With Naval Wings
, John Wellham

Swordfish: The Story of the Taranto Raid
, David Wragg

Taranto 1940
, A.
J.
Smithers

A Sailor’s Odyssey: The Autobiography of Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope
, Andrew Browne Cunningham

Operation CHARIOT

The National Archives, Kew

Storming St Nazaire
, James Dorrian

The Attack on St Nazaire
, Robert Ryder

The Greatest Raid of All
, C.
E.
Lucas-Phillips

List the Bugle: Reminiscences of an Irish Soldier
, Major General Corran Purdon

Saint-Nazaire: Operation Chariot – 1942
(Battleground series), James Dorrian

The Green Beret: The Story of the Commandos 1940–45
, Hilary St George Saunders

Turned towards the Sun
, Michael Burn

www.stnazairesociety.org

Supplement to the
London Gazette
, 30 Sept 1947

Operation GUNNERSIDE

The National Archives, Kew

The Real Heroes of Telemark
, Ray Mears

Skis Against the Atom
, Knut Haukelid

Assault in Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program
, Thomas Gallagher

Operation Freshman
, Richard Wiggan

Operation DEADSTICK

The National Archives, Kew

The Pegasus Diaries
, John Howard & Penny Bates

Pegasus Bridge
, Stephen Ambrose

The Devil’s Own Luck
, Dennis Edwards

The Pegasus and Orne Bridges: Their Capture, Defence and Relief on D-Day
, Neil Barber

Pegasus Bridge
, Will Fowler

Panzer Commander
, Hans von Luck

With the 6th Airborne Division in Normandy
, Richard Gale

Pure Poett: The Memoirs of General Sir Nigel Poett

March Past: A Memoir
, Lord Lovat

The Red Beret: The Story of the Parachute Regiment at War 1940–45
, Hilary St George Saunders

By Air to Battle: The Official Account of the British Airborne Divisions
, ed.
Bob Carruthers

Index

The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created.
To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.

Ainsworth, Staff Sgt John 257, 259, 261

Alexander, Lord 126

Alexandria:

Axis spies in 15

Royal Navy adopts 3

Amundsen, Roald 141–2

Andrea Doria
26

Anita L.
M.
Russ
79

Armstrong, Capt.
78

Atlee, Clement 126

atomic bomb 132–3, 168

see also
Operation Gunnerside; Operation Swallow; Vemork

Balkans, Italian invasion of 45

Barkway, Staff Sgt 259–60, 261

Bayley, Lt 32, 36, 40

BBC Norwegian Service, coded message on 138

Beart, Lt 220

Beattie, Lt Cdr Stephen (‘Sam’) 187, 190, 203, 215–16, 221, 229, 238

honours for 240

Bénouville 242, 254, 266, 268–9, 270

intelligence source in 250, 271

scale model of 246

Birney, Capt.
225–6

Bismarck
193

Bletchley Park 59

Boer War 57

Boland, Staff Sgt 259

Bomba Bay 29

Bomber Command:

Archery plans cancelled by 77

diversion raids of 112

huge percentage losses of 101–2

bombs, shoddy design of 35

Boulogne 58

Boyd, Capt.
30, 35, 36, 45, 52, 53

Boyle, Staff Sgt 259–60, 261

Brett, Lt 223–4

Bridge Too Far
,
A
128

Britain:

Air Ministry of, Intelligence Section in 102

antiquated ships of 2

and Blitz 44

Luftwaffe’s bombing of viii, 44

poor Mediterranean air assets of 5

Telecommunications Research Establishment of 107

British Army:

Commandos,
see
Commandos

D Coy, Ox and Bucks,
see
Operation Deadstick

Medical Corps (RAMC) 62, 75

Parachute Regiment 129

paratroopers from, in Biting,
see
Operation Biting

paratroopers from, in Deadstick,
see
Operation Deadstick

Royal Engineers 62, 104, 144–5, 198

Royal Fusiliers 123

South Wales Borderers 123

Special Service Brigade 57, 273

see also individual operations by name

Brooke, Gen.
Sir Alan 126

Brotheridge, Lt Den 257–8, 260

Browning, Maj.
Gen.
‘Boy’ 100, 107

Bruneval:

eve of raid on 110

Freya traced to 103

German troops stationed in and around 111

Navy’s lateness in arriving at 122–3

paratroopers drop over 115–16

proposed raid to capture Würzburg at 103–4

raid on 116–24

today 129–30

see also
Operation Biting

Burn, Capt.
Micky 199, 218

Burrough, R/Adm.
Harold 55, 67, 69

line-of-fire order given by 70

post-operation dispatch of 75–6, 90–1

takes charge of Archery naval forces 61–2

Tovey praises 96

Burt, Lt 219, 227

Burtinshaw, Lt 223–4

Buscall, Sub-Lt 22

Caen Ship Canal, British assault on bridge of,
see
Operation Deadstick

Caio Duilio
33, 40, 41, 42, 44–5

Carr, Sgt 224

Cephalonia 18, 28

Chamberlain, Sgt 222

Chant, Lt 222–3

Charteris, Lt Euen 112–13, 114, 116–17, 121–2

honours for 127

Chauvenau, Charles 110–11

Churchill, Maj.
John (‘Mad Jack’) 72–3, 83

Churchill, Winston:

and atomic threat 132

in Boer War 57

Commons addressed by, after Judgement 42–3

Frost praised by 126

Gunnerside monitored by 132

heavy-water mission closely followed by 184

ideas demanded by vii–viii

Illustrious
praised by 52

Mountbatten appointed by 59–60

‘reign of terror’ requested by viii, 56–7

Roosevelt meets 134

on
Tirpitz
’s destruction 193

Ciano, Count 44

Clifford, Lt 17, 30, 34–5

Collier, Lt 226, 227

Combined Operations:

Archery a coup for 96

boosted status of 129

equipment for Biting made available by 105

establishment of ix

most hazardous raid undertaken by 191

see also individual operations

Commandos:

formation of 57–8

intensive training of 64

in Operation Archery,
see
Operation Archery

and Operation Chariot,
see
Operation Chariot

in Operation Claymore 58–9

in Operation Gunnerside,
see
Operation Gunnerside

silent boots of 207

trailblazers of potent form of warfare 94

weaponry carried by 64

Conte di Cavour
25, 26, 40, 41–2, 44–5

Cook, Cdr F.
N.
109

Copenhagen, Battle of 6

Copland Maj.
Bill 197, 200, 221

Cork, Sgt 82

Cox, Flt Sgt Charles 107–8, 112, 113–14, 118–19

honours for 127

Crete 14

Cunningham, Admiral Sir Andrew 45–6

attempts to coax Italians into battle 4

danger understood by 4

George VI’s letter to 44

good-luck message of 18

and
Illustrious
bombing 47

lukewarm congratulations from 38–9, 52–3

praise from 39

Taranto air-attack planning of 10–11

D-Day,
see
Normandy landings

Dönitz, Adm.
Karl 213–14

Donner
85

Dowling, Tpr 82

Dumont, Roger 110, 127

Dunkirk:

difficulty rebuilding army after 105

evacuation of vii, 2, 56, 66, 198

Duplex pistol 14

Durnford-Slater, Lt Col.
John 62, 71, 74, 83–4, 86–7, 90, 91, 92

men addressed by 94

Durrant Sgt Tom 236, 237

honours for 240

Dutch royal family 57

Eden, Anthony 126

Edwards, Pte Denis 276–7

Egypt 3

see also
Alexandria

Einstein, Albert 132

Enigma 59

Etches, Lt 223

Fairey, Charles 7–8

Fairey Swordfish 7–9

engine failures in 17

manoeuvrability of 49–50

Falkenhorst, Gen.
von 166, 168

Fenton, Lt 218–19

fish oil:

factories, destruction of 95

importance of, to Germany 58

see also
Operation Archery; Vaagso

Fiume
33

Fleet Air Arm 7, 15, 18–19

and Swordfish 9

Fohn
73, 77–8

Forbes, Adm.
Sir Charles 200, 208

Forde, Sub-Lt 28

Forrester, Capt.
Algy 79, 81

Fox, Lt Dennis 244, 261, 268–9

France:

‘defensive habit of mind’ of 56

Fall of 82

French Resistance 110–11

Freya radar system, British baffled by 102–3

Frost, Maj.
John 100–1, 104, 108, 109, 117–18, 119, 120, 122–3, 124, 127–8

in Biting, first to jump 115

honours for 127

summoned to London 125–6

Fulmine
39

Fyljesdal 145

Gale, Maj.
Gen.
Richard 242–3, 248–9, 274–5, 276

Geneva Convention 264

George VI 44

Germany:

and atomic weapons 132–4

Biting men praised by 129

elite Panzer regiment of, in Caen 252, 267–8, 275

fish oil important to 58

formidable Vaagso defence of 75

and heavy-water facility, sabotage on,
see
Operation Gunnerside; Operation Swallow; Vemork

and heavy-water facility, transfer of 180–4

night-time detection system of,
see
Freya radar system

North Africa campaign of 45

and Vemork defence,
see
Operation Gunnerside; Vemork

Gestapo 107, 116, 146

Gibraltar 3

Giles, Bruce 81

Giles, Capt.
John 74–5, 80–1

gliders:

advantages and disadvantages of 253–4

landing in 258–9

nausea-inducing motion of 255

in Normandy landings 253

in Operation Deadstick,
see
Operation Deadstick

Going, Lt 17, 30, 34–5

Gondrée, Georges 250, 271

Gondrée, Thérèse 250, 271

Goodwin (airman) 27

Gorizia
32

Greece, Italian invasion of 14–15, 45

Green, Lt Bill 213

Green, Sub-Lt 30–1

Greenhalgh, L/Cpl 260

Grieve (airman) 28–9

Grigg, Sir James 126

Groves, Maj.
Leslie 178

Guernsey 58

Haines, Trp Sgt Maj.
225

Hale, Lt Cdr ‘Ginger’ 29, 32, 41

Hall, Lt 81

Hamilton, Lt 31

Hampton, Col.
Charles 148

Hansen, Knut Leir 182–3

Hardanger Vidda 131, 134, 137, 141–2, 147, 149–57

ferocious storm on 154

German troops scour 150

Haugland, Knut 137–44, 150–4, 157

honours for 184

return of, after sabotage 168–70

see also
Operation Gunnerside; Operation Swallow; Vemork

Haukelid, Knut 148–50, 156, 160–5
passim
, 167

ferry sabotage by 181–4

honours for 184

return of, after sabotage 168–71

see also
Operation Gunnerside; Vemork

Haydon, Brig.
Joseph 57–8, 62, 64, 68

post-operation dispatch of 75–6, 90–1

Tovey praises 96

Helberg, Claus 136–44, 150–4, 156, 159–65
passim
, 166

escape of 172–7

honours for 184

missing 166, 167

oedema suffered by 150

see also
Operation Gunnerside; Operation Swallow; Vemork

Henderson, Lt 235, 236

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