WW2 British Commandos Raid on German-held Norway | 1941 | Operation Claymore | World War 2 Footage

• published: 24 Dec 2014
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►My channel: http://youtube.com/TheBestFilmArchives ►SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/TheBestFilmArchives?sub_confirmation=1 ►Google+: http://plus.google.com/+TheBestFilmArchives ►Facebook: http://facebook.com/TheBestFilmArchives ►Twitter: http://twitter.com/BestFilmArch The British Commandos were formed during the World War 2 in June 1940, following a request from the British prime minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. The first Commando raid in Norway, Operation Claymore, was conducted in March 1941. This was the first large scale raid from the United Kingdom during the war. Their objective was the Norwegian Lofoten Islands (Vaagso and Maaloy). They successfully destroyed the fish-oil factories, petrol dumps, and 11 ships, while capturing 216 Germans, encryption equipment, and codebooks. About the British Commandos: After the British Expeditionary Force had been evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, 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 the hunter class who can develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast." By the autumn of 1940 more than 2,000 men had volunteered (from within the British Army) and in November 1940 these new units were organised into a Special Service Brigade consisting of four battalions under the command of Brigadier J. C. Haydon. The Special Service Brigade was quickly expanded to 12 units which became known as Commandos (filled by members of all branches of the United Kingdom's armed forces and a number of foreign volunteers from German-occupied countries.) Reaching a wartime strength of over 30 individual units and four assault brigades, the Commandos served in all theatres of war from the Arctic Circle to Europe and from the Mediterranean and Middle East to South-East Asia. Their operations ranged from small groups of men landing from the sea or by parachute to a brigade of assault troops spearheading the Allied invasions of Europe and Asia. After the war most Commando units were disbanded. However, the present day British Royal Marine Commandos, Parachute Regiment, Special Air Service, and Special Boat Service trace their origins to the original Commandos. About the German-held Norway: The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940 and ended on 8 May 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht. Civil rule was effectively assumed by the Reichskommissariat Norwegen ("Reich Commissariat of Norway"), which acted in collaboration with a pro-German puppet government, while the Norwegian king and legitimate governmentcontinued to operate in exile from London. This period of military occupation - usually referred to as the "war years" or "occupation period" in Norway - had defining significance for Norwegian society. About the Operation Claymore: Operation Claymore was the codename for a British Commandos raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway during the World War 2. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war industry. The landings were carried out on 4 March 1941, by the men of No. 3 Commando, No. 4 Commando, a Royal Engineers Section and 52 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. Supported by the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and two troop transports of the Royal Navy, the force made an unopposed landing and generally continued to meet no opposition. The original plan had been to avoid contact with German forces and inflict the maximum of damage to German-controlled industry. They achieved their objective of destroying fish oil factories and some 3,600 tonnes (800,000 imperial gallons) of oil and glycerine. Through naval gunfire and demolition parties, 18,000 tons of shipping were sunk. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the raid, however, was the capture of a set of rotor wheels for an Enigma cypher machine and its code books. This enabled German naval codes to be read at Bletchley Park, providing the intelligence needed to allow allied convoys to avoid U-boat concentrations. The British experienced only one accidental injury and returned with some 228 German prisoners, 314 loyal Norwegian volunteers and a number of Quisling regime collaborators. In the aftermath the evaluation of the operation differed, the British and especially Winston Churchill deeming it a success. In the eyes of the British the value of such actions was mainly to tie up large German forces on occupation duties in Norway. WW2 British Commandos Raid on German-held Norway | 1941 | Operation Claymore | World War 2 Footage