Operation Claymore
Encyclopedia
Operation Claymore was the codename for a British Commandos
raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway
during the Second World War
. The Lofoten Islands were an important center 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 from the German
armed trawler
Krebs. 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; an officer injuring himself with his own revolver; 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
and the Special Operations Executive
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. Martin Linge
and the other Norwegians involved were more doubtful of the value of such raids against the Norwegian coast. Following Operation Claymore the Norwegian special operations unit Norwegian Independent Company 1
was established for operations in Norway.
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."
One staff officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke
, had already submitted such a proposal to General
Sir John Dill
, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Dill, aware of Churchill's intentions, approved Clarke's proposal. Three weeks later the first Commando raid Operation Collar
took place. The raiders failed to gather any intelligence or damage any German equipment; their only success was in killing two German sentries.
The Commandos came under the operational control of the Combined Operations Headquarters. The man initially selected as the commander was Admiral
Sir Roger Keyes, a veteran of the Gallipoli Campaign and the Zeebrugge Raid
in the First World War. In 1940, the call went out for volunteers from among the serving Army soldiers within certain formations still in Britain, and men of the disbanding Divisional Independent Companies originally raised from Territorial Army Divisions who had seen service in Norway. In November 1940 the new army units were organised into a Special Service Brigade
under Brigadier
J.C. Haydon, with four Special Service Battalions. By the autumn of 1940 more than 2,000 men had volunteered for commando training, and the Special Service Brigade now consisted of 12 units which were called Commandos.
After an inauspicious start the first large scale commando raid was to be on the Lofoten Islands, which are just off the Norwegian coast inside the Arctic Circle
and about 900 miles (1,448.4 km) from Britain. Once at the islands the raiders would be landed at four small ports, to destroy fish oil producing factories. All the oil produced was being shipped to Germany who extracted the glycerine, a vital ingredient in the manufacture of high explosives. The commandos would be transported to the islands aboard two new infantry landing ship
s, escorted by four Tribal class
and one L class destroyer
of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.
L.H.K. Hamilton. the Royal Navy were tasked to safely escort the transports carrying the landing force to the islands and back. While there they were to destroy or capture any German shipping or Norwegian shipping working for the Germans and provide naval gunfire support for the landing forces. The naval forces taking part were the escorts from the 6th Destroyer Flotilla: , , , and under the command of Captain
C. Caslon. There were two newly converted landing ships the and the which were to transport the landing force.
The landing force was provided by the Special Service Brigade
under command of Brigadier
J.C. Haydon. The commandos taking part were 250 all ranks from No. 3 Commando
under command Major
J.F. Durnford-Slater
, 250 all ranks of No. 4 Commando
under command of Lieutenant Colonel
D.S. Lister. They were supported by a Section
of Royal Engineers
of No 55 Field Company, under command of Second Lieutenant
H.M. Turner, and 4 officers and 48 other ranks of the Royal Norwegian Navy, under the command of Captain Martin Linge
. The landing force were to destroy the oil producing facilities in the ports of Stamsund
, Henningsvær
, Svolvær
and Brettesnes. Engage the German garrison and attempt to make prisoners of war and personnel found in the area. They were also to detain any supporters of the Norwegian Quisling
party and persuade the local population to leave with them and join the Free Norwegian Forces
.
The force started gathering at Scapa Flow
in the Orkney Islands
on 21 February 1941 and remained there for almost a week before leaving for Norway just after midnight on 1 March 1941. The landing force was distributed amongst the ships, headquarters Special Service Brigade were transported on HMS Somali. No. 4 Commando which had been assigned landings at Svolvær and Brettesnes were on board HMS Queen Emma. No 3 Commando which had been assigned landings at Stamsund and Henningsvær were on board HMS Princess Beatrix. The Royal Engineers and Norwegian forces were divided between both the landing ships.
The time they had spent at Scapa Flow was used getting acquainted with the transport ships and the Assault Landing Craft
they would be using to reach the shore. The problems the navy perceived providing gunfire support were also discussed, as because of the shallows the destroyers would not be able to approach closer than 1 miles (1.6 km) to shore. Because of this the commandos were trained to rely on their own weapons to provide covering fire and support each other from their landing craft. Plans were also made for them to look after themselves in case the destroyers were called away to deal with a naval threat, which included every man being ordered to take enough rations to last 48 hours ashore.
at 19:00 hours 1 March 1941 to take on fuel. Refuelling took five hours and the naval task force set out again heading northwards towards the Arctic
to avoid detection by German air and sea patrols. They then turned east and headed towards Norway. They arrived at the Lofoten Islands during the early morning of 4 March 1941, just before 04:00 hours. Entering the Vestfjord
they were surprised to see all the harbour navigational lights illuminated, which they believed to be a sign that they were not expected and had achieved complete surprise.
During the planning for the operation, plans were drawn up that called for simultaneous landings at all their targets at 06:30 hours but on arrival they decided to postpone the landings by 15 minutes so they would not be landing in total darkness. When they did commence to disembark the landing force, they were all ashore by 06:50 hours.
On shore the landing force commenced their operations, unopposed and the only shots fired were by the armed trawler
Krebs. They managed to fire four rounds at HMS Somali before being sunk. Other ships sunk by the landing forces were the merchant ships
Hamburg, Pasajes, Felix, Mira, Eilenau, Rissen, Ando, Grotto and the Bernhardt Schltz which amounted to 18,000 tons of shipping.
Additionally the force that landed at Stamsund destroyed the Lofotens Cod Boiling Plant. Two factories were destroyed at Henningsvær and 13 at Svolvær. In total about 800000 gallons (3,636.9 m³) of fish oil, kerosene
and paraffin
were set on fire. They captured 228 prisoners of war, seven from the German Navy
, three from the army
, 15 from the Luftwaffe
, two from the Schutzstaffel
(SS), 147 from the Merchant Navy and 14 civilians.
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. These were rescued from the sinking German armed trawler Krebs. Their capture enabled Bletchley Park
to read all the German naval codes for some time, which provided the intelligence needed to allow allied convoys to avoid U-boat
concentrations.
By 13:00 hours both the infantry landing ships HMS Princess Beatrix and HMS Queen Emma had embarked all their troops and were ready to sail. With them came 300 volunteers for the Free Norwegian Forces
in Britain.
Both of the commando units involved in the raid No. 3 and No. 4 Commandos would become part of the 1st Special Service Brigade
that took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944.
British 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...
raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
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...
. The Lofoten Islands were an important center 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. 3 Commando
No. 3 Commando was a battalion-sized commando unit raised by the British Army for service during the Second World War. Formed in July 1940 from volunteers for special service, it was the first such unit to carry the title of "Commando"...
, No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando was a battalion-sized British Army commando unit, formed in 1940 early in the Second World War. Although it was raised to conduct small-scale raids and harass garrisons along the coast of German-occupied France, it was mainly employed as a highly-trained infantry assault unit.The...
, a Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
Section
Section (military unit)
A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
and 52 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
. Supported by the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and two troop transports of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, 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
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
and its code books from the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
armed trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
Krebs. This enabled German naval codes to be read at Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
, providing the intelligence needed to allow allied convoys to avoid U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
concentrations. The British experienced only one accidental injury; an officer injuring himself with his own revolver; and returned with some 228 German prisoners, 314 loyal Norwegian volunteers and a number of Quisling regime
Quisling regime
The Quisling regime, or the Quisling government are common names used to refer to the collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942 until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering...
collaborators.
In the aftermath the evaluation of the operation differed, the British and especially Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
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. Martin Linge
Martin Linge
Martin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
and the other Norwegians involved were more doubtful of the value of such raids against the Norwegian coast. Following Operation Claymore the Norwegian special operations unit Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 was a British SOE group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. It was organized under the leadership of Captain Martin Linge...
was established for operations in Norway.
Background
After the British Expeditionary ForceBritish Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
had been evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
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."
One staff officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke
Dudley Clarke
Dudley Wrangel Clarke, CBE, CB was a Brigadier in the British Army who was behind several deception operations during the Second World War and who founded the British Army's Commando force. He was born at Ladysmith, Natal, and educated at Charterhouse School...
, had already submitted such a proposal to General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir John Dill
John Dill
Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill, GCB, CMG, DSO was a British commander in World War I and World War II. From May 1940 to December 1941 he was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, and subsequently in Washington, as Chief of the British Joint Staff...
, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Dill, aware of Churchill's intentions, approved Clarke's proposal. Three weeks later the first Commando raid Operation Collar
Operation Collar (commando raid)
Operation Collar was the codeword for the first commando raid, conducted by the British forces, during the Second World War. The location selected for the raid was the Pas-de-Calais department on the French coast. The British Commandos had not long been formed and were not yet trained, so the...
took place. The raiders failed to gather any intelligence or damage any German equipment; their only success was in killing two German sentries.
The Commandos came under the operational control of the Combined Operations Headquarters. The man initially selected as the commander was Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Roger Keyes, a veteran of the Gallipoli Campaign and the Zeebrugge Raid
Zeebrugge Raid
The Zeebrugge Raid, which took place on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the British Royal Navy to neutralize the key Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge...
in the First World War. In 1940, the call went out for volunteers from among the serving Army soldiers within certain formations still in Britain, and men of the disbanding Divisional Independent Companies originally raised from Territorial Army Divisions who had seen service in Norway. In November 1940 the new army units were organised into a Special Service Brigade
Special Service Brigade
The Special Service Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War.It was formed in 1940, after the call for volunteers for Special Service who eventually became the British Commandos.-Background:...
under Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
J.C. Haydon, with four Special Service Battalions. By the autumn of 1940 more than 2,000 men had volunteered for commando training, and the Special Service Brigade now consisted of 12 units which were called Commandos.
After an inauspicious start the first large scale commando raid was to be on the Lofoten Islands, which are just off the Norwegian coast inside the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
and about 900 miles (1,448.4 km) from Britain. Once at the islands the raiders would be landed at four small ports, to destroy fish oil producing factories. All the oil produced was being shipped to Germany who extracted the glycerine, a vital ingredient in the manufacture of high explosives. The commandos would be transported to the islands aboard two new infantry landing ship
Landing Ship, Infantry
Landing Ship, Infantry was a British term for a type of ship used to transport infantry in amphibious warfare during the Second World War...
s, escorted by four Tribal class
Tribal class destroyer (1936)
The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...
and one L class destroyer
L and M class destroyer
The L and M class was a class of sixteen destroyers which served in the British Royal Navy during World War II. The ships of the class were launched between 1939 and 1942.-Design details:...
of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.
Mission
The objectives of Operation Claymore were three fold: the overall commander of the raid was Rear AdmiralRear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
L.H.K. Hamilton. the Royal Navy were tasked to safely escort the transports carrying the landing force to the islands and back. While there they were to destroy or capture any German shipping or Norwegian shipping working for the Germans and provide naval gunfire support for the landing forces. The naval forces taking part were the escorts from the 6th Destroyer Flotilla: , , , and under the command of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
C. Caslon. There were two newly converted landing ships the and the which were to transport the landing force.
The landing force was provided by the Special Service Brigade
Special Service Brigade
The Special Service Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War.It was formed in 1940, after the call for volunteers for Special Service who eventually became the British Commandos.-Background:...
under command of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
J.C. Haydon. The commandos taking part were 250 all ranks from No. 3 Commando
No. 3 Commando
No. 3 Commando was a battalion-sized commando unit raised by the British Army for service during the Second World War. Formed in July 1940 from volunteers for special service, it was the first such unit to carry the title of "Commando"...
under command Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
J.F. Durnford-Slater
John Durnford-Slater
John Frederick Durnford-Slater, DSO & Bar was a British Army officer who was credited with raising the first Army commando unit during the Second World War....
, 250 all ranks of No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando
No. 4 Commando was a battalion-sized British Army commando unit, formed in 1940 early in the Second World War. Although it was raised to conduct small-scale raids and harass garrisons along the coast of German-occupied France, it was mainly employed as a highly-trained infantry assault unit.The...
under command of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
D.S. Lister. They were supported by a Section
Section (military unit)
A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
of No 55 Field Company, under command of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
H.M. Turner, and 4 officers and 48 other ranks of the Royal Norwegian Navy, under the command of Captain Martin Linge
Martin Linge
Martin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
. The landing force were to destroy the oil producing facilities in the ports of Stamsund
Stamsund
Stamsund is a small village in Vestvågøy municipality in Lofoten in Nordland county. It has approximately 1400 inhabitants, and is an important fishing area with Aker Seafoods and J.M.Johansen with Lofoten trawl fishing the most important companies. Lofoten trawl fishing is the largest trawling...
, Henningsvær
Henningsvær
Henningsvær is a fishing village near Austvågøya, in the Lofoten Islands part of Nordland county in Norway.It is connected to Austvågøya by two bridges....
, Svolvær
Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
and Brettesnes. Engage the German garrison and attempt to make prisoners of war and personnel found in the area. They were also to detain any supporters of the Norwegian Quisling
Quisling
Quisling is a term used in reference to fascist and collaborationist political parties and military and paramilitary forces in occupied Allied countries which collaborated with Axis occupiers in World War II, as well as for their members and other collaborators.- Etymology :The term was coined by...
party and persuade the local population to leave with them and join the Free Norwegian Forces
Free Norwegian Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces in exile were remnants of the armed forces of Norway that continued to fight the Axis powers from Allied countries, such as Britain and Canada, after they had escaped the German occupation of Norway during World War II.-Background:...
.
The force started gathering at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
in the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
on 21 February 1941 and remained there for almost a week before leaving for Norway just after midnight on 1 March 1941. The landing force was distributed amongst the ships, headquarters Special Service Brigade were transported on HMS Somali. No. 4 Commando which had been assigned landings at Svolvær and Brettesnes were on board HMS Queen Emma. No 3 Commando which had been assigned landings at Stamsund and Henningsvær were on board HMS Princess Beatrix. The Royal Engineers and Norwegian forces were divided between both the landing ships.
The time they had spent at Scapa Flow was used getting acquainted with the transport ships and the Assault Landing Craft
Landing Craft Assault
The Landing Craft Assault was a British landing craft used extensively in World War II. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by John I. Thornycroft Ltd. During the war it was manufactured throughout...
they would be using to reach the shore. The problems the navy perceived providing gunfire support were also discussed, as because of the shallows the destroyers would not be able to approach closer than 1 miles (1.6 km) to shore. Because of this the commandos were trained to rely on their own weapons to provide covering fire and support each other from their landing craft. Plans were also made for them to look after themselves in case the destroyers were called away to deal with a naval threat, which included every man being ordered to take enough rations to last 48 hours ashore.
Landings
The naval task force known by the codename Rebel left Scapa Flow and headed towards the Faroes. They berthed in the SkálafjørðurSkálafjørður
Skálafjørður, also known as Kongshavn is a fjord in Eysturoy. It is the largest fjord in the Faroe Islands...
at 19:00 hours 1 March 1941 to take on fuel. Refuelling took five hours and the naval task force set out again heading northwards towards the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
to avoid detection by German air and sea patrols. They then turned east and headed towards Norway. They arrived at the Lofoten Islands during the early morning of 4 March 1941, just before 04:00 hours. Entering the Vestfjord
Vestfjord
Vestfjord is a Norwegian fjord, which would be described as a firth or an open bight of sea between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway, northwest of Bodø...
they were surprised to see all the harbour navigational lights illuminated, which they believed to be a sign that they were not expected and had achieved complete surprise.
During the planning for the operation, plans were drawn up that called for simultaneous landings at all their targets at 06:30 hours but on arrival they decided to postpone the landings by 15 minutes so they would not be landing in total darkness. When they did commence to disembark the landing force, they were all ashore by 06:50 hours.
On shore the landing force commenced their operations, unopposed and the only shots fired were by the armed trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
Krebs. They managed to fire four rounds at HMS Somali before being sunk. Other ships sunk by the landing forces were the merchant ships
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
Hamburg, Pasajes, Felix, Mira, Eilenau, Rissen, Ando, Grotto and the Bernhardt Schltz which amounted to 18,000 tons of shipping.
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
and paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
were set on fire. They captured 228 prisoners of war, seven from the German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
, three from the army
Heer
Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:...
, 15 from the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, two from the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS), 147 from the Merchant Navy and 14 civilians.
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the raid, however, was the capture of a set of rotor wheels for an Enigma cypher machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
and its code books. These were rescued from the sinking German armed trawler Krebs. Their capture enabled Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
to read all the German naval codes for some time, which provided the intelligence needed to allow allied convoys to avoid U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
concentrations.
By 13:00 hours both the infantry landing ships HMS Princess Beatrix and HMS Queen Emma had embarked all their troops and were ready to sail. With them came 300 volunteers for the Free Norwegian Forces
Free Norwegian Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces in exile were remnants of the armed forces of Norway that continued to fight the Axis powers from Allied countries, such as Britain and Canada, after they had escaped the German occupation of Norway during World War II.-Background:...
in Britain.
Aftermath
Operation Claymore was the first of 12 commando raids directed against Norway during the Second World War, the German response to these raids, was to eventually increase the number of troops they had stationed there. By 1944 the German garrison in Norway had risen to 370,000 men. By comparison a British infantry division in 1944 had an establishment of 18,347 men.Both of the commando units involved in the raid No. 3 and No. 4 Commandos would become part of the 1st Special Service Brigade
1st Special Service Brigade
The 1st Special Service Brigade was a brigade of the British Army. Formed during World War II, it consisted of elements of the army and the Royal Marines. The brigade's component units saw action individually in Norway and the Dieppe Raid , before being combined under one commander for service in...
that took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944.