Key Facts
- Operation dates
- 11–21 September 1942
- Total raiders
- 12 (10 British, 2 Norwegian)
- Captured and executed
- 7 men executed at Sachsenhausen
- Escaped to Sweden
- 4 men reached Sweden and were repatriated
- Target
- Glomfjord hydroelectric power plant, Norway
Strategic Narrative Overview
The twelve-man raiding party landed in Norway and infiltrated to the Glomfjord power plant, which they attacked and damaged sufficiently to put it out of operation for the rest of the war. To evade German search parties following the raid, the commandos split into two groups. Four men successfully crossed into neutral Sweden and were eventually repatriated to the United Kingdom, while the remaining group was captured by German forces.
01 / The Origins
During the German occupation of Norway in World War II, Allied planners identified Norwegian hydroelectric installations as vital to the German war economy. The Glomfjord power plant, supplying electricity to industrial facilities, was selected for sabotage. A combined force of British commandos from No. 2 Commando and Norwegian personnel from the Special Operations Executive was assembled to cross the North Sea by submarine and destroy the plant.
03 / The Outcome
Of the captured commandos, one man died of wounds sustained during the operation. The remaining seven were transported to Germany, interrogated, and subsequently executed at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, in accordance with Hitler's Commando Order directing that Allied special operations troops be killed upon capture. The Glomfjord plant remained closed for the duration of the war, fulfilling the operation's primary objective despite the heavy cost to the raiding party.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.