| Special Forces Operations in March 1943 |
| March 1943 – August 1943 |
| Operation Turkey Buzzard/Operation Beggar |
| No. 2 Wing, The Glider Pilot Regiment |
| Operation Turkey Buzzard, also known as Operation Beggar, is a British supply mission during the Second World War, carried out between March and August 1943. The mission involves transporting Airspeed Horsa gliders from England to North Africa, using Handley Page Halifax bombers of No. 295 Squadron Royal Air Force as tow aircraft, to support the upcoming Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). The 1st Airborne Division plans three airborne operations for the invasion of Sicily. The Horsa gliders, with capacities to carry up to 27 troops or a combination of a jeep and artillery, are preferred for delivering troops and equipment to strategic locations, such as key bridges and ports. The mission is conducted by No. 2 Wing of the Glider Pilot Regiment and No. 295 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. The gliders are needed to supplement American Waco gliders, which lack sufficient capacity for British airborne operations. The Horsa gliders, modified for long-distance towing, are flown over 5,100 kilometres in challenging conditions, facing enemy aircraft and adverse weather. Despite losing five Horsa gliders and three Halifax bombers, along with the loss of twenty-one RAF crew members from No. 295 Squadron and seven glider pilots from No. 2 Wing, the mission successfully delivers twenty-seven gliders to Tunisia. |
| March 19th, 1943 |
| Operation Roundabout |
| Troop 5 (Norwegian), No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, 29th Ranger Battalion, Commandos |
| A total of ten men from which four soldiers of the Norwegian troop of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, four men from the 29th Ranger Battalion and two men of No. 12 Commando under command of Captain Gilchrist. Their mission is to destroy a bridge over a Fjord at Stad, Norway. The raiding team lands unopposed and makes it to the target. Here one of the Norwegians of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando drops a magazine for his weapon, alerting the German guards. The team retreats to the extraction zone. |