Operation Forfar was the name given to a series of
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 ...
raids on the French coast during World War II. The raids were part of
Operation Starkey
Operation Cockade was a series of deception operations designed to alleviate German pressure on Allied operations in Sicily and on the Soviets on the Eastern Front by feinting various attacks into Western Europe during World War II. The Allies h ...
, a military deception intended to draw out the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
. The purpose of these raids was to identify German coastal units and to gain technical intelligence on German equipment, creating the impression of pre-invasion reconnaissance.
Background
In January 1943 Allied high command put off the invasion of France until the following year, and by April had decided to focus on the Mediterranean. The newly appointed Chief of Staff to the
Supreme Allied Command (COSSAC), Major-General Frederick Morgan, was directed to conduct military deception operations against western Europe, in the hope that it would tie down enemy forces during the assault on the south of the continent. The directive included explicit reference to creating fictional amphibious assaults on the French coastline, in an effort to draw out the Luftwaffe.
Morgan and
John Bevan, head of the
London Controlling Section (LCS), established a deception planning section of COSSAC called "Ops (B)", under Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Jervis-Read. The section, alongside the LCS, began outlining a plan to meet the 1943 targets. On 3 June they submitted three operations (Starkey, Wadham and Tindall), under the overall name
Cockade
A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap.
Eighteenth century
In the 18th and 19th centuries, coloured cockades were used in Europe to show the allegia ...
to the Chiefs of Staff for approval.
Starkey
Operation Starkey was a threatened invasion in the
Pas de Calais
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continent ...
area of France in early September 1943, with the intention of drawing the Luftwaffe out to combat the threat, and into an air battle.
As well as collecting up landing craft and other physical deception, the plan called for Commando raids on the French coast.
[ Each raiding party was made up of around ten men, drawn from No. 10 and No. 12 Commando as well as the Special Boat Squadron.][ The objective within the Starkey "story" was reconnaissance for the coming invasion. To that end the raiders left behind letters for the enemy to pick up.][
Both Charles Cruickshank in his book ''Deception in World War II'' and Thaddeus Holt, in his book ''The Deceivers'' state that Forfar was planned as fourteen missions, between July and September 1943 – but that only eight were carried out (One, Forfar Beer, had to be aborted three times).][ In his history of 10 Commando Nick van der Bijl places the planned number at thirteen, with only 6 undertaken (one had to be aborted twice).][
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Raids
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forfar, Operation
Conflicts in 1943
World War II British Commando raids
1943 in France
Commandos (United Kingdom)
World War II deception operations