Operation Mascot was an unsuccessful British carrier air raid conducted against the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' at her anchorage in Kaafjord, Norway, on 17 July 1944. Few of the British airmen were able to spot the battleship, and their attacks did not inflict any significant damage. ''Tirpitz'' was eventually disabled and then sunk by Royal Air Force heavy bombers later in the year.

Home Fleet forces dispatched

The_Royal_Navy_during_the_Second_World_War_A19715_(cropped)

The attack force comprised the following ships and

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

units:Roskill (1961), p. 156Brown (1968), p. 40Brown (1977), p. 36 : Flagship of Admiral Henry R. Moore : 1 ''King George V''-class battleship (10 × 14-inch main btty, 28 kn): :: First Cruiser Squadron ::: :::: 1841 Naval Air Squadron (18

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...

s) :::: No. 8 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing :::::

827 Naval Air Squadron 827 Naval Air Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. It operated Fairey Barracudas starting in May 1943, becoming the first squadron to receive the Fairey Barracuda in any substantial n ...

(12

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda ...

s) ::::: 830 Naval Air Squadron (12 Barracudas) ::: ::::

880 Naval Air Squadron 880 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft carrier-based squadron formed in January 1941. The squadron served throughout the Second World War being embarked in the carriers , , and serving off East Africa, in the Mediterran ...

(12 Supermarine Seafires) :::: 1840 Naval Air Squadron (20

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second ha ...

s) :::: 842 Flight (3

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also us ...

) ::: :::: 894 Naval Air Squadron (16 Seafires) ::::

1770 Naval Air Squadron 1770 Naval Air Squadron (1770 NAS) was a List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons, Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) on 10 September 1943 as a two-seat fighter squadron and embarked on H ...

(12

Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly is a Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft that was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was developed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Avia ...

s) :::: No. 9 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing ::::: 820 Naval Air Squadron (12 Barracudas) :::::

826 Naval Air Squadron 826 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadron formed during World War II which has been reformed several times since then until last disbanded in 1993. History Second World War No. 826 Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford in Sussex a ...

(12 Barracudas) ::: 2 ''County''-class heavy cruisers (8 × 8-inch main btty, 31.5 kn): , ::: 1 ''Dido''-class light cruiser (8 × 5.25-inch main btty, 32.25 kn): ::: 1 ''Fiji''-class light cruiser (12 × 6-inch main btty, 31.25 kn): :: Third Destroyer Flotilla ::: 6 V-class: , , , , , ::: 4 M-class: (flagship), , , ::: 1 S-class: ::: 1 ''Tribal''-class: :: 20th Escort Group ::: 3 ''Captain''-class frigates: (flagship), , ::: 1

B-class destroyer B class may refer to: Ships * Burak-class corvette, B-class corvette of the Turkish Navy * A- and B-class destroyer, B-class destroyer, launched in 1930 for the British Royal Navy * B-class destroyer (1913), British torpedo boat destroyers * B- ...

Strike force

The strike force launched in the early hours of 17 July comprised the following units:Brown (1977), p. 37 *No. 8 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing (21 Barracudas) *No. 9 Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Wing (23 Barracudas) *1770 Naval Air Squadron (12 Fireflys) *1840 Naval Air Squadron (20 Hellcats) *1841 Naval Air Squadron (18 Corsairs)

Notes

References

;Citations ;Works consulted * * * *{{cite book, last=Tactical, Torpedo and Staff Duties Division (Historical Section), title=Hunting Tirpitz: Naval Operations Against Bismarck's Sister Ship, year=2012, publisher=University of Plymouth Press, location=Plymouth, United Kingdom, isbn=9781841023106, editor=Bennett, G.H., chapter=Naval Aircraft Attack on the Tirpitz (Operation 'Tungsten') 3 April 1944, origyear=1944, pages=133–177 World War II orders of battle