Operation Hardtack

Operation

Operation Hardtack is the overall designation of the series of special forces raids across the English Channel by the No. 10 Commando, No. 12 Commandos, 2^nd U.S. Ranger Battalion and the Special Boat Service.

All but one of the raiding parties are delivered by motor torpedo or gun boats, the latter being an airborne undertaking. The raids are ended by order of Major General R. E. Laycock, the Chief of Combined Operations. The reason was that intelligence had shown that the raids made the Germans bring in extra reinforcements. Especially into the areas in which Operation Overlord would take place.

November 26^th, 1943 – November 27^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack (Dog). Team of Commandos. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Bivelle near Dieppe, France.

December 24^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 1. Team of Commandos. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Gravelines, France.

December 25^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 2. Team of Commandos. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Gravelines, France.

December 25^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 3. Team of Commandos. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Quinéville on the east side of the Cotentin peninsula, France.

December 26^th, 1943 – December 27^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 4. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance by tat Biville (actually Criel sur Mer) in the Dieppe area, France.

The raiders were forced to withdraw in the face of German patrol activity.

December 26^th, 1943 – December 27^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 5. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Onival near Le Tréport, France.

One commando is injured by an anti-personnel mine during the landing. The rest of the reconnaissance party spends four and a half hours ashore. They observe some unoccupied strongpoints but do not see any German troops.

December 24^th, 1943 – December 2^5th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 6. Seven men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and No. 12 Commando, Motor Gun Boat 322 and a DorySeven men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and No. 12 Commando, Motor Gun Boat 322 and a Dory known as Force 114, protected by units of the 1^st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla and the 10 Air Group. This mission would take place together with Operation Hardtack 28. Their mission is a to capture a prisoner and perform a reconnaissance of the enemy coast and defences on Sark one of the Channel Islands, France. , protected by units of the 1^st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla and the 10 Air Group. This mission would take place together with Operation Hardtack 28. Their mission is a to capture a prisoner and perform a reconnaissance of the enemy coast and defences on Sark one of the Channel Islands, France.

The raiders were unable to scale the cliff below which they had been landed, and therefore returned to the UK.

December 27^th, 1943 – December 28^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 7. Seven men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and No. 12 Commando, Motor Gun Boat 322 and a Dory known as Force 114, protected by units of the 1^st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla and the 10 Air Group. This mission would take place together with Operation Hardtack 28. Their mission is a to capture a prisoner and perform a reconnaissance of the enemy coast and defences on Sark one of the Channel Islands, France.

With only a rudimentary map, Sergeant Andre Dignac, a Frenchman leads the group successfully up the cliffs under cover of darkness.

They encounter a minefield and attempt to navigate their way through it. Unfortunately, a mine is triggered, instantly killing another French commando, Corporal Robert Bellamy. Sergeant Dignac is also wounded by an exploding mine and dies shortly after.

The team retreats through the pitch black, injuring three more by exploding mines but making it back to their Motor Gun Boat.

December 26^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 8. Team of Commandos. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance on Jersey one of the Channel Islands, Great Britain.

December 24^th, 1943 – December 25^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 11. Five members of 1 Troop (French) of No.10 Inter Allied Commando, Rene Navrault, Caron, Albert Meunier, Pourcelot, and Marcel Madec, led by Warrant Officer Pierre Wallerand, Sergeant John Park of No. 4 Commando attached to 2 Special Boat Section, is assigned to be the Coxwain of the Dory together with Corporal George Chapman, Special Service Brigade Signals, and Corporal Jones of No.10 Commando ‘X’ Troop they are tasked with remaining offshore in the Dory to expedite the withdrawal of the raiding party. Motor Torpedo Boat 25, Dory. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance on Gravelines, France.

The motor torpedo boat transporting the raiding party diverts to attack a convoy. While trying to land, the raiding party’s dory sinks resulting in the death of one man. The other seven men reach the shore and join the French resistance.

December 24^th, 1943 – December 25^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 13. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and the Special Boat Service. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance at Bénouville, France.

The raid is generally a success, The reconnaissance team do not capture any German soldiers for interrogation.

December 26^th, 1943 – December 27^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 21. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance in the vicinity of the St Marcouf Isles and Quinéville, France.

The raiders gather vital information on the defensive obstacles on what would become Utah Beach in Operation Neptune during Operation Overlord.

December 27^th, 1943 – December 28^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 23. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. This is an unrealised beach reconnaissance near Ostend, Belgium. The raid was called off after the motor torpedo boat being used to deliver the raiding party ran aground.

December 25^th, 1943 – December 26^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 28. Six men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando (Captain P. Ayton, Lieutenant L. Hulot, Sergeant D. Roberts, Corporal J. Hourcourighary, Corporal M. Roux, and Corporal Allain), Motor Gun Boat 329 and a Dory known as Force 114, protected by units of the 1^st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla and the 10 Air Group. This mission would take place together with Operation Hardtack 7. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance in the area of Gifford Bay and bring home a German soldier for interrogation on the island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, Great Britain.

The team disembarks Motor Gun Boat 329 and uses a Dory to reach the landing area at Petit Port. At 20:45 on 25^th of December 1943 the team lands unopposed. The crew of the Dory hide the ship and remains close under cover. The raiding team makes their way for a small stone building, the Wolfs Lair. No signs of any recent enemy activity are found.

They continue up the into the valley until they reach a barbed wire fence of about a metre high running parallel to the beach for about two hundred metres, protecting a mine field. The team proceeds toward the village of Egypt and do a small recon but find no signs of recent use. Captain Ayton decides to make a detour avoiding the village. They move across the countryside towards a known observation post. The post is heavily camouflaged and consists of a mound with two entrances on the landward side. With no enemy presence observed, they entered the bunker to find it was locked and abandoned. On the seaward side, they find a pillbox also camouflaged with a loophole facing North. They find several slit trenches close to the observation post which are in poor condition and show no evidence of recent use.

They decide to leave the bunkers and go inland using the road, hoping they would meet an enemy patrol. As they neared the closest farm, it looked to be lived in, so they advance and knock loudly on the door. A frightened woman opens the window, and they ask in English, about the whereabouts of the Germans. She responds back in German, believing the team to be Germans trying to trick her. Swearing at them it becomes clear to the team that she was not going to help them.

The team then moves to the east towards another farm. The frightened owners, two brothers Le Breton, open the door and are calmed down by Captain Ayton and Lieutenant Hulot. The brothers soon relaxed when they are certain this was not a German trap. They agree to be questioned by the Commandos. After the interview, the brothers offer to assist the team and take them to the nearest enemy strongpoint.

Being aware of the Germans minefields, they guide the team across the fields to the eastern edge of the German resistance nest Jasmin. Close to barbed wire, Captain Ayton and Holt then go on alone and arrive at what is thought to be a minefield. They investigate that area but see no sign of a sentry and could not find an easy entry into the resistance nest. With only 45 minutes left to make their way back to the beach, it is decided to return as they had come.

04:45. They reach Petit Port but the dory is not there so the team moves northward along the cliff to look for it, flashing a torch for fifteen minutes to attract the attention of the dory. Captain Ayton crawls under the fence they come across and trads on a mine that explodes. The is prmarely unable to find him as they search the cliff side. Hearing a faint cry for help they find him lying gravely wounded on the cliff side with his foot entangled in some brambles, which prevented him from falling down the cliff.

At this point, they hear faint sound of the Motor Gun Boat some four hundred metres from the shore. The team starts to flash the torch again and the Motor Gun Boat sends the dory to pick them up. They manage to get Captain Ayton down the cliff and finally re-embarked in the dory at about 05:20. Captain Ayton dies later that day.

December 24^th, 1943 – December 25^th, 1943

Operation Hardtack 36. Ten men of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance near Wassenaar, Netherlands.

The raiding team lands but all the men are killed by the Germans.

January 1944

Operation Hardtack 22. Unrealised operation by a team of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando and later the 2^nd US Ranger Battalion Their mission is a reconnaissance raid with the intention to capture prisoners for interrogation back in Great Britain on Herm in the Channel Islands, Great Britain.

The raid was cancelled at the planning stage.

Multimedia

Outline Operation Hardtack 7 and 28