Operation Acid Drop was a
British Commando
The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...
raid during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. This was the first commando raid carried out by
No. 5 Commando
No. 5 Commando was a battalion-sized commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War.
Formed in July 1940, the unit took part in a couple of small-scale raids in France in 1941 and contributed some personnel to Operation Chariot bef ...
and consisted of two simultaneous operations over the night of 30/31 August 1941. Each raid consisted of one officer and 14 men, their targets were the beaches at
Hardelot and
Merlimont
Merlimont () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
Merlimont lies on the coast of France, facing northwards to the English Channel. Long, wide sandy beaches and huge sand-dunes are the mos ...
in the
Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
with the aim of carrying out reconnaissance and if possible, to capture a German soldier. It was a hit and run type raid with only 30 minutes ashore but in the event neither party encountered any Germans.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acid Drop, Operation of 1941
Conflicts in 1941
World War II British Commando raids
Battles and conflicts without fatalities
1941 in France