| Special Forces Operations in April 1943 |
| April 1943 |
| Operation Mincemeat |
| MI5, Abwehr |
| In 1939, Rear Admiral John Godfrey circulates the “Trout Memo,” outlining deception strategies to mislead the Axis during WWII. One idea suggests using a corpse with fake documents, later inspiring Operation Mincemeat. Early experiments with corpses and misleading documents in 1942 show promise, leading British planners to consider a larger deception. With the decision to invade Sicily in 1943, Allied leaders aim to mislead German forces into expecting an attack elsewhere. Charles Cholmondeley and Ewen Montagu develop Operation Mincemeat, involving the use of a corpse with false plans suggesting an invasion of Greece and Sardinia. Glyndwr Michael, a homeless man who recently died, is selected as the body, and given the fake identity of “Major William Martin.” In April 1943, Michael’s body is released off the coast of Spain, where it is discovered by local authorities. German intelligence obtains the documents and passes them to Hitler, who believes them to be genuine. As a result, German forces are diverted away from Sicily, contributing to the success of the Allied invasion. The operation’s success is confirmed by intercepted German communications, and it plays a key role in misleading the Axis, reducing resistance for the Allies during the invasion of Sicily. |
| April 1st, 1943 and April 8th, 1943 |
| Operazione Gamma Malta 3 and Operazione Gamma Malta 4 |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| Plans are in place to launch operations against naval units stationed at the Marsamxett Harbour submarine base. The attack is to be conducted by five Gamma combat swimmers, who are to be transported and deployed using Motoscafo Turismo Silurante Modificato 240, 246, and 256, launched from Augusta, Sicily. The first mission, originally scheduled for mid-November, is cancelled due to persistent adverse weather conditions, making deployment and approach infeasible. A second attempt begins on November 30th, 1942, but is abandoned following the failure of one of the approacher craft, preventing the operation from proceeding as planned. Two further operations, intended for April 1st, 1943 and April 8th, 1943, are also called off due to unfavourable weather, which once again hampers the ability to launch and execute the mission successfully. These missions, despite their careful planning, remain unfulfilled due to uncontrollable external conditions, marking them as aborted operations. |
| April 6th, 1943 |
| Operazione BO G 2 |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| Operazione BO G 2 is planned as a near-identical repetition of Operation BO G 1, which took place in December 1942. The objective is to infiltrate Annaba Harbour and attack enemy vessels using Gamma combat swimmers. The operation involves Motoscafo Turismo Silurante Modificato 262 and 263 as approacher craft, with MTSM 264 assigned as an escort. The personnel assigned to the mission include: MTSM 262, under the command of TV Giuseppe Cosulich, with MB C°3a C Francesco Malfa; MTSM 263, commanded by TV Edoardo Longobardi, accompanied by MA STV Mameli Rattazzi; MTSM 264, led by TV Corrado Garutti, with C° Giuseppe Barabino. The Gruppo Gamma divers designated for the attack are Tenente Aldo Coceani, Sottocapo Vago Giari, Sottocapo Ferdinando Pacciolla, Capo di 2° Classe Giovanni Maestrale, Capo di 2° Classe Walter Fabbri, and Sottocapo Giovanni Mistroni. On the night of April 6th, 1943, the operation is compromised when the craft are detected shortly before the combat swimmers can be deployed. With the element of surprise lost, the force is forced to withdraw, rendering the mission unsuccessful. This failed operation, like its predecessor, highlights the increasing difficulties in executing clandestine naval assaults as enemy detection methods continue to improve. |
| April 22nd, 1943 |
| Operazione Huelva |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| In 1942, Decima MAS devises a sabotage strategy, GOG (Gruppi Operativi Gamma), to infiltrate neutral ports and disrupt enemy shipping. The port of Huelva in Spain is selected, with the Italian steamship Gaeta providing a base for operations. In February 1943, Gamma operatives Salvatore Nizzi and Carlo Vianello, disguised with false documents, travel to Huelva via Barcelona and Madrid. They board the Gaeta under assumed identities and await instructions. On April 6th, 1943, they secretly receive their explosives and diving equipment. On April 22nd, 1943, their first attack attempt on a British merchant ship fails due to a malfunction in Vianello’s breathing apparatus. The following night, they successfully plant explosives. Later, they target another vessel, the Ladovich, a 9,700-ton freighter. Nizzi swims 3,000 metres and attaches charges to the ship, which departs on May 14th, 1943. As British security measures increase, including hull inspections and diver patrols, the operatives find it harder to strike. However, on June 13th, 1943, a grounded British ship presents an opportunity. Nizzi attaches explosives before the vessel refloats and resumes its journey. Of the ships attacked, only the Ladovich is confirmed to have sunk. The fate of the others remains unknown. Having completed their mission, Nizzi and Vianello return to Madrid but are later captured by British forces on their way back to Italy. They are held as prisoners until their repatriation in August 1944. |
| April 29th, 1943 – May 15th, 1945 |
| Operation Checkmate |
| Commandos |
| Seven men from No. 14 (Arctic) Commando of which one attachment from No. 12 Commando, two Cockle Mk.2 Canoes, one Coble and one Motor Torpedo Boat. Their mission is to attack German shipping in the harbour of Haugesund, Norway. The Commandos are transported across the by Motor Torpedo Boat. On arrival in Norwegian waters, they set up their patrol base on the island of Bokn, before the Motor Torpedo Boat leaves them. The intention is that the Motor Torpedo Boat returns later and transports them back to the Great Britain. The commandos prepare their canoes. Lieutenant Godwin and Able Seaman Burgess make one crew and the other crew consists of Able Seamen Mayor and West. They use the coble to move within striking distance of their targets and then use the canoes to get in closer and plant their Limpet mines. They manage to sink the minesweeper, M 5207. The two canoes then return to the location where the coble had been. However, it been moved by the three remaining soldiers, with the assistance of Norwegian civilians, to a safer location further inland. Not finding the coble, the two canoes then move westward, towards the Urter islands, where they waited for the Motor Torpedo Boat. The coble moves further inland to make contact with the canoeists but are eventually forced to abandon the coble. The three men are captured on May 14th, 1943, after an extensive search by the German Army, police, and Norwegian civilians. The day after, the four men on Urter are also captured. They are held at the Grini concentration camp and interrogated, before they are handed over to the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and transported to concentration camp Sachsenhausen in Germany. Here six of them are executed under the Kommando Befehl, one of them dies earlier of typhus. |