Operation Manna was the codeword for a

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 ...

operation by the British and Greek forces in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

in mid-October 1944, following the gradual withdrawal of the German occupying forces from the country. The operation included an

airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

element, which was conducted by the British 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade on 12 October, when elements of the

4th Parachute Battalion The 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), is an Army Reserve unit of the British Army. Now recruiting across the United Kingdom originally the Battalion covered the North of England, with its headquarters located in Pudsey, West Yorkshire ...

parachuted onto the

Megara Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, befo ...

airfield outside of Athens. The prevailing weather conditions forced the abandonment of further parachute operations and it was not until 14 October that the rest of the brigade, less the 5th Parachute Battalion, arrived. After landing, the 4th and

6th Parachute Battalion The 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was created in 1942 by the conversion of the 10th (Merionethshire and ...

s marched on Athens. On 16 October, the 5th Battalion and the brigade's glider-borne element arrived. The 2nd Para Brigade was reinforced by the

British 23rd Armoured Brigade The 23rd Armoured Brigade, originally formed as the 23rd Army Tank Brigade, was an armoured brigade of the British Army that saw service during the Second World War. The brigade was a 2nd Line Territorial Army (TA) formation. It was reorganis ...

, and the British force took over the protection of the city.Cole, p. 68 The British and Free Greek navies transported British and Greek troops, as well as the Greek government in exile, to Athens.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manna, Operation Conflicts in 1944 1944 in Greece World War II operations and battles of Europe Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom) Land battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Military operations of World War II involving Germany Airborne operations of World War II Glider Pilot Regiment operations Military operations involving Greece Military history of Athens October 1944 events