September 1943

September 1st, 1943 – September 4th, 1943

Operation Forfar Beer IV

Commandos, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando

Ten men of No. 12 Commando and No. 1 French troop, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando known as Fynn Force commanded by Major Fynn. Their mission is a beach reconnaissance and capture a German Prisoner for interrogation at Eletot in the Seine-Maritime region of northern France. Despite several attempts to make contact with the Germans, the raiding team is unable to capture a German prisoner. They succeed in reconnoitre the beach and receive some valuable information from French fishermen. The team returns home safely.

September 7th, 1943 – April 1944

Operation Speedwell

2 Special Air Service

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stirling, commander of the 2 Special Air Service Regiment, recognises that German armoured divisions in northern Italy rely on rail transport due to fuel shortages. He devises a plan to sabotage railway lines, delaying enemy reinforcements and allowing the Allies to establish themselves before German armour arrives. Planning begins in August 1943 with proposals for a large-scale parachute operation. However, limited transport reduces the force to four officers and nine men, split into two teams, Speedwell One and Speedwell Two. Their objective is to sabotage railways north of Florence and La Spezia. They receive no ground support, radio contact, or reliable escape routes. Command assumes an Allied advance will secure their exfiltration, but they may have to trek eight hundred kilometres south through enemy territory. On September 7th, 1943, two transport aircraft depart Tunisia, carrying the teams to Italy. They wear US Army overalls to mimic German troops at a distance and carry mixed weaponry, explosives, rations, and Italian lire. Officers have gold sovereigns for emergencies. Speedwell One, led by Captain Philip Hugh Pinckney, parachutes into mountainous terrain near Florence. Strong winds scatter them. Lieutenant Greville-Bell breaks ribs on landing but regroups most of the team. Pinckney goes missing and is later presumed executed by Italian Carabinieri. The team presses on, sabotaging the Pistoia–Bologna railway and derailing multiple trains. They survive on minimal rations and eventually reach the Allied lines after 73 days. Greville-Bell receives the Distinguished Service Order, while Sergeant George Daniels is awarded the Military Medal. Speedwell Two, commanded by Captain Patrick Dudgeon, targets the La Spezia–Parma railway. His team splits into separate sabotage missions. Lieutenant Wedderburn and Lance Corporal Harold Challenor successfully destroy railway lines, derailing multiple trains. Forced to evade German patrols, they rely on local farmers for shelter. As winter sets in, they suffer malnutrition. Challenor survives illness and a German capture, later escaping to reach Allied lines in April 1944. He is awarded the Military Medal. Dudgeon, Brunt, Foster, and Shortall are captured and executed under Hitler’s Commando Order. A British military court convicts several German officers for their murders in 1948. Memorials in Italy honour their sacrifice.

September 8th, 1943

Salerno

Operational Group A

5th Army Detachment

September 8th, 1943 – September 9th, 1943

Operation Ferdy

Royal Marine Commandos, Commandos

No. 40 (RM) Commando and two troops of No. 3 Commando. Their mission is to interfere with enemy withdrawal, prevent demolition of roads and bridges and thus aid the advance of the British 8th Army. The Assault Force performs an amphibious landing at dawn at Vibo Valentia, known at the time as Porto San Venere, on the southern tip of Italy. After a first day of heavy fighting, the following day X troop of No. 40 (RM) Commando enters the neighbouring town of Pizzo.

September 9th, 1943

Operation Avalanche

Commandos, Royal Naval Beach Commandos, U.S. Army Rangers

No. 2 Commando, No. 41 (RM) Commando, Royal Naval Beach Commandos, 2nd U.S. Army Ranger Battalion, 3rd U.S. Army Ranger Battalion 4th U.S. Army Ranger Battalion. The Allied invasion of Italy.

September 12th, 1943 – September 13th, 1943

Unternehmen Eiche

Fallschirmjäger, SS Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal

Staff comapny and two companies of the Fallschirmjäger-Lehr-Regiment and 16 men from the SS Sonderverband z.b.V. Friedenthal, two war correspondents and an Italian General. The mission is under command of Major Mors. Their mission is to Liberate the captured former Prime Minister of Italy, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini who is being held at a hotel at Gran Sasso mountain, Italy. In July 1943, Benito Mussolini, the former leader of Italy, is arrested by Partisans after being removed from power by King Vittorio Emanuele III. The new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio seeks to terminate the alliance with Nazi Germany and make peace with the Allies. Hitler orders a rescue mission to save Mussolini, led by General Kurt Student. Otto Skorzeny’s troops are placed under his command in assistance of the Fallschirmjäger General. After Mussolini is moved to various locations, Skorzeny and his team, along with other German troops, search for him in Rome. They eventually discover that Mussolini is being held captive at the Hotel Gran Sasso on a mountain. General Student confirms the location and assigns Major Otto-Harald Mors to plan the rescue operation. On September 12th, 1943, Operation Eiche (Oak) is launched. Gliders carrying German Fallschirmjäger and Skorzeny’s men land near the hotel under command of Oberleutnant Freiherr Von Berlepsch. The ground assault column, led by Major Mors, takes a longer route to avoid potential resistance. Mussolini is successfully rescued and brought to safety. There are discrepancies in the accounts given by Skorzeny and his adjutant Radl, who exaggerate their own roles and downplay the contributions of others. The rescue operation becomes a significant event in World War II and highlights Skorzeny’s reputation as a daring and resourceful commando.

September 13th, 1943 – October 6th, 1943

Operation Bathtub II

Operational Group A

General Donovan, present in Algiers, assigns Lieutenant Colonel Serge Obolensky to lead this mission. The primary objectives are to make contact with General Basso of the Italian Army in Sardinia, encourage him to confront evacuating German forces, and seek approval for deploying Operational Group units in the area. Upon their arrival by parachute, Obolensky and his team, including First Lieutenant Michael Formichelli and radio operators Lieutenant James Russell and Sergeant William Sherwood, set out to execute their plan. They successfully make contact with the Italian Air Force at Decimomannu Airport and are escorted to General Basso’s headquarters. Despite presenting their case, General Basso is reluctant to involve American special units in the operation. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. later arrives to support the mission, bringing additional Operational Group officers to aid in diplomatic efforts and information gathering. Under Roosevelt’s guidance and with Obolensky as his Executive Officer, they conduct extensive surveys of Sardinian military and civilian infrastructure. Their findings lead to the deployment of various Allied support missions on the island. By October 6th, 1943, leadership of the Allied Forces in Sardinia transitions to Brigadier Boulnois. Following this, General Roosevelt and Colonel Obolensky, along with their team, return to Algiers, concluding this phase of the mission.

September 15th, 1943 – November 16th, 1943

Unternehmen Leopold, Battle for Leros

Long Range Desert Group, Special Boat Squadron, Fallschirmjäger, Brandenburg Division

The British bringin B Squadron, Long Range Desert Group and S Detachment, Special Boat Squadron. The Germans I. Fallschirmjäger Regiment 2, 1. Küstenjägerabteilung Brandenburg Division, 3. Battalion,1. Brandenburg Regiment (Reserve) and the 15. Fallschirmjäger Abteilung, 4. Brandenburg Regiment (Reserve). The Battle of Leros, known as Unternehmen Leopard, occurs during World War II in the context of the Dodecanese Campaign. Leros, located in the Aegean Sea, holds significant strategic value due to its natural harbours and Italian coastal fortifications. Control over Leros offers a crucial naval and air advantage in the region. The Italians have heavily fortified Leros, transforming it into a naval base. By the time of the armistice, its strategic importance has waned, leaving its defences undermanned and resources limited. The defending forces on Leros consist of British, Italian, and Greek troops, including the Long Range Desert Group and the Special Boat Squadron. The total strength of the defenders is around 8,000 men, primarily naval and administrative personnel. Led by Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, the German plan, Unternehmen Leopard, aims to capture Leros using a combination of air raids and coordinated amphibious and airborne assaults, including units as the Brandenburgers and the Fallschirmjäger. Blitzkrieg tactics are employed to overwhelm the Allied defences. The battle begins on November 12th, 1943, with heavy Luftwaffe bombing raids targeting key installations and defensive positions. This is followed by amphibious landings at Pandeli Bay and Grifo Bay. Despite fierce resistance, the Germans establish beachheads and capture strategic points. Significant engagements occur around Apetiki hill and the Rachi ridge. The Germans’ superior air power and reinforcements, including airborne troops, gradually turn the tide in their favour. Fallschirmjäger play a crucial role despite heavy casualties. The Allied forces struggle with inadequate air support, poor communication, and logistical issues, hindering their ability to mount a coordinated defence and respond effectively to the German assault. After five days of intense fighting, German forces capture Leros on November 17th, 1943. The fall of the island results in substantial casualties for the defenders, with many troops taken as prisoners. The German victory solidifies their control over the Aegean Sea. The British suffer 4,800 casualties, many taken as prisoners, and lose 26 vessels and 113 aircraft during the Aegean operations. The Germans capture 1,388 British and 3,145 Italian prisoners. On October 4th, 1943, German troops execute the captured Italian commander of the island, Colonel Felice Leggio, and 101 of his officers, in accordance with Hitler’s September 11th, 1943, order to execute captured Italian officers. The Germans suffer 1,109 casualties, losing 21 vessels (mostly small) and 92 aircraft.

September 21st, 1943 – February 1944

Operation Goshawk

Norwegian Independent Company 1, Special Operations Executive

Two-man party (J. Gunleiksrud and O. Dobloug) of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (Kompani Linge) as part of a Special Operations Executive operation. Their mission is to provide further instruction for the Assumed Milorg resistance groups in the Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen area. They also must obtain fresh information on these groups in German-occupied Norway, and to make arrangements for the assassinations during Operation Ratweek I in November 1943. The team is parachuted into Norway and carries out extensive training with local groups over the following weeks. Although they prepare for Operation Ratweek II, no assassinations are undertaken. In February 1944, the two men cross the border into neutral Sweden.

September 21st, 1943 – Spring 1944

Operation Redwing

Norwegian Independent Company 1, Special Operations Executive

Two-man party (L. Pettersen and G. Wiig-Andersen) of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (Kompani Linge) as part of an operation by the Special Operations Executive. Their mission is to form a small group in the Voss-Bergen area of German-occupied Norway to work either as saboteurs or for the assistance of other teams from Great Britain without endangering other groups in the area, and to undertake assassinations in November as part of Operation Ratweek. The Team is parachuted into Norway on September 21st, 1943. They make contact with local leaders and establish a radio link with Great Britain. The two men also meet the Norwegian military (Milorg) resistance movement’s district leader for Bergen and establish a relationship. No assassinations are undertaken for the fear of reprisals. Early 1944, Pettersen moves to the Operation Pheasant area. Andersen keeps transmitting after receiving new crystals for his radio.

September 24th, 1943 – October 4th, 1943

Unternehmen Eisbär, Battle for Kos

Brandenburgers, Special Boat Squadron