| Page Created |
| September 26th, 2022 |
| Last Updated |
| September 27th, 2022 |
| Country |
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| Additional Information |
| Unit Order of Battle Commanders Operations Equipment Multimedia Sources Interactive Page |
| Operations |
| Northwest Europe |
February 1942
Two men from the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando. Their mission is to reconnoitre the area of Anse de St Martin, Cherbourg Peninsula, France in a canoe.
February 1942
Ten men from the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando. Their Mission is to capture German prisoners for interrogation near Omonville, France
February 1942
Ten men from the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando. Their mission is a raid at Herm & Jethou, Channel Islands.
August 14th, 1942 – August 15th, 1942
Operation Barricade. Eleven men from the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando. Their mission is the destruction of a German radar installation and nearby Flak sites in the Pointe de Saire near Saint Vaast in France. The Commandos land unopposed from a Motor Torpedo Boat. While heading towards their objective they run into a German patrol. They open fire and kill three Germans and wound another six. Being compromised they withdraw to the Motor Torpedo Boat without reaching their objective. The Commandos suffer no casualties.
September 2nd, 1943 – September 3rd, 1942
Operation Dryad. Twelve men from the Small Scale Raiding Force No. 62 Commando, commanded by officer Major Gus March-Phillipps. Their mission is the Reconnaissance of the Le Casquets Lighthouse area and capture German prisoners.
The raiding party takes seven prisoners. They find several codebooks which are taken back for analysis. The force suffers two injured men.
September 7th, 1943 – September 8th, 1942
Operation Branford. Twelve men from the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando. Their mission is to locate a suitable gun position to support an attack upon Alderney, at Burhou island, one of the Channel Islands.
The men completed their mission without any difficulty.
September 12th,1943 – September 13th, 1942
Operation Aquatint. Twelve men from the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando, commanded by officer Major Gus March-Phillipps. Their mission is to perform a reconnaissance of the St Honerine area, France and
take prisoners to bring home with them.
While observing the coastline from the Motor Torpedo Boat, they incorrectly identify a valley which they believe is Saint Honorine, but was Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, about one and a half kilometre to the right of their intended target.
00:20. The landing party heads toward the beach in a Goatley boat. After reaching the shore they realise they are too close to some houses to leave their boat where it is. They drag the boat two hundred metres east away from the houses and above the high-water mark. Captain Lord Howard guards the boat while the rest of the Small Scale Raiding Force checks the area to ensure it was safe and they had not been observed during their landing. On their way back to the beach they spot a German patrol of about seven or eight men coming from the direction of the houses and take cover.
00:50 The German patrol’s guard dog discovers them. The patrol opens fire on them with machine guns and hand grenades. The Small Scale Raiding Force manages to disperse the German patrol with return fire. They return to the beach and reach the Goatley boat. Captain Lord Howard is wounded trying to re-collapse the boat, but the others manage to get him aboard. The fight lasts for about 30 minutes. When the German patrol moves to the beach, Lieutenant Hall tries to capture one of the Germans. Instead, he is hit over the head and captured himself. Presuming he is dead; the raiding party leaves him behind. They manage to get about one hundred metres out to sea when the Goatley Boat is located and engaged by three machine gun posts above the beach. A gun emplacement to the west also starts firing towards them with heavier calibre guns. The combined fire from four positions damages the boat, which begins to sink. The commandos attempt to swim out to the Motor Torpedo Boat, which by now is also discovered and under fire. Unable to locate it in the darkness, they are forced to swim back to the beach. Winter is fired on again when he reaches the beach and is captured. He is taken to the German headquarters where he is put into a room with Captain Lord Howard and Desgranges, who are also captured.
01:30 The Motor Torpedo Boat is forced to withdraw, but not before it suffers engine damage; a bullet disables the starboard engine. After 10 minutes it moves back inshore hoping to pick up any survivors.
02:30 The ship is again located by the Germans and forced to withdraw once again under increasingly heavy mortar and machine gun fire. Unable to locate any of the survivors, it recrosses the German minefield.
10:00 The Motor Torpedo Boat arrives in Portsmouth.
September 18th, 1942 – September 19th, 1942
Operation Basalt. Twelve men from the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando and No. 12 Commando, Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Cancelled due to bad weather.
October 3rd, 1942 – October 4th, 1942
Operation Basalt. Twelve men from the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando and No. 12 Commando, Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Their mission is an offensive reconnaissance of the island Sark, one of the British Channel Islands and to capture German soldiers for integration.
With the help of the locals the Commandos manage to get some valuable information and capture five German soldiers. While trying to capture some officers in the nearby hotel, one German escapes. In the fight that follows three Germans are killed. The Commandos decide to retreat to the Motor Torpedo Boat and return to Great Britain with one German prisoner.
November 11th, 1942 – October 12th, 1942
Operation Fahrenheit. Ten men from No. 12 Commando and the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando, Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Their mission is to capture German servicemen for interrogation by attacking a signals station at Pointe de Plouezec on the North Brittany coast, France.
After a frontal assault on the Signal Station and killing several Germans, the raiding party comes under fire from the Signals Station. They decide to retreat before reinforcements arrive. The rading party successfully re-embarks and returns to Dartmouth.
November 15th, 1942 – November 16th, 1942
Operation Batman. Ten men from No. 12 Commando and the Small Scale Raiding Force, No. 62 Commando, Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Their mission is situated near Cherbourg, France.
The operation is cancelled due to high seas.
February 9th, 1943 – February 10th, 1943
Operation Huckaback. Forty-two men from the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando and No. 4 Commando. Their mission is to take prisoners and gain information during a simultaneous raid about the situation on the occupied Channel Islands, Herm, Jethou and Brecqhou.
The mission is cancelled due to severe weather.
February 27th, 1943 – February 28th, 1943
Operation Huckaback. Ten officers and men of No. 4 Commando and the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando under Captain Patrick Anthony Porteous VC, Captain W. Hewitt of No. 1 Bombardment Unit and Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Their mission is to take prisoners and gain information about the situation in the occupied Channel Island of Herm and assess the potential to land and use artillery on the island.
The raiding force land two hundred metres to the north-west of Selle Rocque on a shingle beach from MTB 344. After three unsuccessful attempts to scale the cliff, Porteous finally manages to climb up the bed of a stream and pulls the others up using toggle ropes the men wear.
On reaching Belvoir House, the raiding force finds it had been broken into and abandoned. During continued reconnaissance they also find the Old Tower of Herm and the Château deserted. The raid does not find any signs of the German occupation troop or the island’s population. The caretaker of Belvoir house was aware of people on the island but locks the door. Leaflets are left for the Germans to find. The commandos retreat to the beach and return to England.
March 1st – 2nd, 1943
Operation Backchat. four men under the overall command of the Small Scale Raiding Force Commando, but two men on loan from the 2 Special Boat Section (2SBS), Motor Torpedo Boat 344. Their mission is a butcher and bolt raid, capturing and killing as many enemies as possible on the French coast at Anse de St Martin, France.
While cruising along the French coast towards their objective it seems that the Motor Torpedo Boat 344 is spotted. At about 23:30, two searchlights suddenly came on, and several guns positioned close to the lights start firing. While under fire, two enemy patrol vessels are spotted. The decision is made to abandon the mission. The Motor Torpedo Boat arrives safely in Portland at 02:00.
April 3rd – 4th, 1943
Operation Pussyfoot. Ten officers and men of the Small Scale Raiding Force of No. 62 Commando. Their mission is to reconnoitre a hamlet, obtain information and take enemy prisoners on the western side of Herm, one of the Channel Islands.
The mission is abandoned due heavy fog.
| West Africa |
January 14th, 1942.
Operation Postmaster. Thirty-two men made up from four Special Operations Executive agents, eleven Small Scale Raiding Force commandos and seventeen men recruited from the local population as crew. Their objective is to board and capture the Italian and German ships in the harbour on the Spanish island of Fernando Po, off West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea and sail them to Lagos.