Special Forces Operations in June 1942 |
June 6th, 1942 – June 23rd, 1942 |
Raid on Crete, June 1942 |
L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade, No. 1 Special Boat Section |
Three teams from No.1 Special Boat Section and one from L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade, targeted four key airfields: Kastelli, Tymbaki, Maleme, and Heraklionto disrupt Axis air operations and support an Allied convoy to Malta. The raids involve complex coordination, stealth, and overcoming significant challenges such as difficult terrain and enemy patrols. Only two teams are succesfull in their attack. One team finds their airfield empty, another team finds it to heavily defended. The four raids account for twenty-six aircraft, fifteen to twenty trucks, unknown but sizeable quantities of petrol, oil, and bombs, and cause the deaths of over 100 German soldiers, at the cost of one Frenchman killed and three others taken prisoner. |