Operation Claymore

Operation Claymore was a British/Norwegian commando raid on the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war economy. The landings were carried out on 4 March 1941, by 500 men of No. 3 Commando, No. 4 Commando, and a Royal Engineers section, and 52 men from Norwegian Independent Company 1. Supported by the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and two troop transports of the Royal Navy, the force landed almost unopposed. The original plan was to avoid contact with German forces and inflict the maximum of damage to German-controlled industry. They achieved their objective of destroying fish oil factories and some of oil and glycerine. The force returned with some 228 German prisoners, 314 Norwegian recruits, and a number of Quisling regime collaborators.

Through naval gunfire and demolition parties, 18,000 tons of shipping were sunk. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the raid was the capture of a set of rotor wheels for an Enigma machine and its code books from the German armed trawler Krebs. German naval codes could thereafter be deciphered at Bletchley Park, providing the intelligence needed to allow Allied convoys to avoid U-boat concentrations. In the aftermath, the evaluation of the operation differed, with the British, especially Winston Churchill and the Special Operations Executive, deeming it a success. In the eyes of the British, the main value of such actions was to tie up large German forces in occupation duties in Norway. Martin Linge and the other Norwegians involved were more doubtful of the value of such raids on the Norwegian coast, but were not told of the value of the seized cryptographic information. Ongoing analysis of period documents suggests that commando raids of this type were a 'cover' for so-called "pinch raids" designed to capture German cryptographic equipment without the enemy realizing that was the true purpose of the raids.

Background

After the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had been expelled from Europe at the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called for a force to be assembled and equipped to inflict casualties on the Germans and bolster British morale. Churchill told the joint chiefs of staff to propose measures for an offensive against German-occupied Europe and stated that "... they must be prepared with specially trained troops of the hunter class who can develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast". Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke had already submitted such a proposal to General Sir John Dill, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Dill, aware of Churchill's intentions, approved Clarke's proposal. In 1940, the call went out for volunteers from among the serving Army soldiers within certain formations still in Britain and men of the disbanding divisional Independent Companies, originally raised from Territorial Army divisions, which had seen service in Norway. In November 1940, the new army units were organised into a special service brigade under Brigadier J.C. Haydon, with four special service battalions. By the autumn of 1940, more than 2,000 men had volunteered for commando training and the special service brigade now consisted of 12 units which were called commandos.

The idea for the raid was suggested to the Prime Minister by Hugh Dalton, the Minister of Economic Warfare, on 14 January 1941. The brief memo read, "I write to you about a project in Norway ... suggesting a surprise attack ... to land small parties to destroy herring and cod liver oil plants ... to destroy enemy ships in harbour ... to dispose of any small isolated German garrisons ... and to kidnap Quislings, who are hated by the local population .... " Winston Churchill liked the idea and recommended it to Admiral Keyes. So after an inauspicious start, the first large-scale commando raid was to be on the Lofoten Islands just off the Norwegian coast, inside the Arctic Circle, about from Britain. Once at the islands, the raiders would be landed at four small ports to destroy fish oil-producing factories. All the oil produced was being shipped to Germany, which extracted the glycerine, a vital ingredient in the manufacture of high explosives. The commandos would be transported to the islands aboard two new infantry landing ships, escorted by four and one L-class destroyer of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. The objectives of Operation Claymore were threefold. The Royal Navy were asked to safely escort the transports carrying the landing force to the islands and back. While there, they were to destroy or capture any German shipping or Norwegian shipping working for the Germans and provide naval gunfire support for the landing forces. The naval forces taking part were the escorts from the 6th Destroyer Flotilla: , , , and under the command of Captain C. Caslon. Two newly converted landing ships, and , were to transport the landing force.

The landing force was provided by the special service brigade (Brigadier J. C. Haydon). The commandos taking part were 250 all ranks from No. 3 Commando (Major John Durnford-Slater), and 250 all ranks of No. 4 Commando (Lieutenant Colonel D. S. Lister). They were supported by a section of Royal Engineers of No. 55 Field Company, (Second Lieutenant H. M. Turner) and four officers and 48 other ranks of the Norwegian Independent Company 1, (Captain Martin Linge). The attack was largely unopposed apart from four rounds fired by the German armed trawler Krebs at HMS Somali before she was sunk.

The force that landed at Stamsund destroyed the Lofotens Cod Boiling Plant. Two factories were destroyed at Henningsvær and 13 at Svolvær. In total, about  of fish oil and paraffin were set on fire. By 13:00 hours, both the infantry landing ships Princess Beatrix and Queen Emma had embarked all their troops and were ready to sail. The Germans eventually increased the number of troops in Norway and by 1944, the German garrison was 370,000 men strong (a standard British infantry division in 1944 had 18,347 men). No. 3 and No. 4 Commandos became part of the 1st Special Service Brigade and took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944.

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External sources

Tovey, Admiral Sir John C. Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, Despatch on raid on military and economic objectives in the Lofoten Islands (Norway) 1941 Mar.