Operation Agreement
Encyclopedia
Operation Agreement consisted of a series of ground and amphibious operations carried out by British, Rhodesian and New Zealand forces on German and Italian-held Tobruk
on 13 September 1942, during the Second World War
. A Special Interrogation Group
, fluent in German, also took part in missions behind enemy lines. The attacks extended to Benghazi
(Operation Bigamy
(Snowdrop)), Jalo oasis
(Operation Nicety
(Tulip)) and Barce (Operation Caravan
(Hyacinth)). The assault on Tobruk ended in disaster; the British lost three warships, seven motor torpedo boat
s and dozens of small amphibious craft and several hundred soldiers and marines.
war effort in North Africa by destroying airfields, harbour facilities, ships, vehicles and large oil stores. The Allies also intended to capture Jalo oasis, which was to be used as a gathering point for the retreating ground forces involved in the other operations.
(LRDG) successfully assaulted Barce and its airfield, destroying 16 aircraft and damaging seven more. The main barracks there were also attacked.
The SAS
—led by Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling
and supported by S1 and S2 patrols of the LRDG—were to attempt a large-scale raid on Benghazi. However, after running behind the planned timetable their presence was discovered after a clash at a roadblock as dawn broke. With the element of surprise lost and the protection of darkness receding, Stirling decided not to go ahead with the attack and ordered a withdrawal.
The assault to take Jalo oasis was carried out by the Sudan Defence Force along with S1 and S2 patrols of the LRDG. The first attack on the night of 15/16 September was easily repelled by the defenders who had been alerted to the operation and had been strengthened. The attackers withdrew on 19 September as an Italian reinforcing column approached the oasis.
from the submarine failed to set up beacons on the shore to guide the main British force due to bad sea conditions. The expected garrison had been strengthened and British destroyers bringing in the seaborne troops landed their troops on a beach far to the west of the intended one. Another seaborne landing—comprising motor launches and boats—partially failed to reach the planned landing point. Only two Motor Torpedo Boat
s (MTB)s entered a small cove to land members of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
, but one of them was hit and became stranded in the shallow water.
Allied strength for Operation Agreement involved an amphibious seaborne force of about 400 Royal Marines
, 180 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Army Engineers and about 150 SAS coming from the desert. Losses amounted to about 300 Royal Marines
, 160 Army, 280 Royal Navy, one cruiser , two destroyers ( and ), two motor launch
es, four MTBs and several small craft. MTB 314, a boat which was damaged and ran aground during the battle, was captured by the German minesweeper R-10 at dawn with 117 seamen and soldiers on board. Dozens of British seamen and marines were rescued at sea by the Italian torpedo boat
Castore
and several Italian motor barges, which also seized a couple of makeshift amphibious craft attempting to reach Alexandria at very low speed. German and Italian losses were 16 killed and 50 wounded.
One of the many reasons for the failure of the operation was non-existent security. Dock workers knew the destination before the crews. As the destroyers left Alexandria, dock workers called "Have a good time at Tobruk, Johnnnie!". Bad planning had provided landing barges that were so fragile that a large number, when holding landing parties, disintegrated when they were launched from the destroyers.
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
on 13 September 1942, during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. A Special Interrogation Group
Special Interrogation Group
The Special Interrogation Group was a unit of the British Army during World War II. It was organized from German-speaking Jewish volunteers from the British Mandate of Palestine...
, fluent in German, also took part in missions behind enemy lines. The attacks extended to Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
(Operation Bigamy
Operation Bigamy
Operation Bigamy was a raid during the Second World War by the Special Air Service in September 1942. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling and supported by the Long Range Desert Group. The force were to destroy the harbour and storage facilities at Benghazi and raid the airfield...
(Snowdrop)), Jalo oasis
Jalo oasis
Jalo Oasis is an oasis in Cyrenaica, Libya, located west of the Great Sand Sea and about 250 km south-east of the Gulf of Sirte. Quite large, long and up to wide, it supports a number of settlements, the largest of which is the town of Jalu...
(Operation Nicety
Operation Nicety
Operation Nicety was an operation in September 1942 during the Second World War by the Sudan Defence Force. It was designed to support the raiding forces taking part in Operation Agreement, Operation Caravan and Operation Brevity. The objective of the operation was the seizure of the Jalo oasis in...
(Tulip)) and Barce (Operation Caravan
Operation Caravan
Operation Caravan was a subsidiary of Operation Agreement under which four simultaneous raids were carried out against important Axis Lines of Communication positions....
(Hyacinth)). The assault on Tobruk ended in disaster; the British lost three warships, seven motor torpedo boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
s and dozens of small amphibious craft and several hundred soldiers and marines.
Targets
The objective of Operation Agreement was to undermine the AxisAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
war effort in North Africa by destroying airfields, harbour facilities, ships, vehicles and large oil stores. The Allies also intended to capture Jalo oasis, which was to be used as a gathering point for the retreating ground forces involved in the other operations.
Beginning
G1 and T1 patrols of the Long Range Desert GroupLong Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
(LRDG) successfully assaulted Barce and its airfield, destroying 16 aircraft and damaging seven more. The main barracks there were also attacked.
The SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
—led by Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
and supported by S1 and S2 patrols of the LRDG—were to attempt a large-scale raid on Benghazi. However, after running behind the planned timetable their presence was discovered after a clash at a roadblock as dawn broke. With the element of surprise lost and the protection of darkness receding, Stirling decided not to go ahead with the attack and ordered a withdrawal.
The assault to take Jalo oasis was carried out by the Sudan Defence Force along with S1 and S2 patrols of the LRDG. The first attack on the night of 15/16 September was easily repelled by the defenders who had been alerted to the operation and had been strengthened. The attackers withdrew on 19 September as an Italian reinforcing column approached the oasis.
Main attack
The main attack on Tobruk suffered from poor planning and coordination. First, British CommandosBritish Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War 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...
from the submarine failed to set up beacons on the shore to guide the main British force due to bad sea conditions. The expected garrison had been strengthened and British destroyers bringing in the seaborne troops landed their troops on a beach far to the west of the intended one. Another seaborne landing—comprising motor launches and boats—partially failed to reach the planned landing point. Only two Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
s (MTB)s entered a small cove to land members of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
, but one of them was hit and became stranded in the shallow water.
Allied strength for Operation Agreement involved an amphibious seaborne force of about 400 Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, 180 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Army Engineers and about 150 SAS coming from the desert. Losses amounted to about 300 Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, 160 Army, 280 Royal Navy, one cruiser , two destroyers ( and ), two motor launch
Motor Launch
A Motor Launch is a small military vessel in British navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high speed air-sea rescue....
es, four MTBs and several small craft. MTB 314, a boat which was damaged and ran aground during the battle, was captured by the German minesweeper R-10 at dawn with 117 seamen and soldiers on board. Dozens of British seamen and marines were rescued at sea by the Italian torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
Castore
Spica class torpedo boat
The Spica-class were a class of torpedo boats of the Regia Marina during World War II. These ships were built as a result of a clause in the Washington Naval Treaty, which stated that ships with a tonnage of less than 600 tons could be built in unlimited numbers...
and several Italian motor barges, which also seized a couple of makeshift amphibious craft attempting to reach Alexandria at very low speed. German and Italian losses were 16 killed and 50 wounded.
One of the many reasons for the failure of the operation was non-existent security. Dock workers knew the destination before the crews. As the destroyers left Alexandria, dock workers called "Have a good time at Tobruk, Johnnnie!". Bad planning had provided landing barges that were so fragile that a large number, when holding landing parties, disintegrated when they were launched from the destroyers.
In popular culture
Operation Agreement was fictionalized in the 1967 film Tobruk.See also
- North African Campaign timelineNorth African Campaign timeline- 1940:* 10 June: The Kingdom of Italy declares war upon France and the United Kingdom* 14 June: British forces cross from Egypt into Libya and capture Fort Capuzzo* 16 June: The first tank battle of the North African Campaign takes place, the "Battle of Girba"...
- Battle of the MediterraneanBattle of the MediterraneanThe Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940-2 May 1945....
- List of World War II Battles
- British CommandosBritish CommandosThe British Commandos were formed during the Second World War 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...