Operation Sunstar was 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 opposi ...

raid on

Houlgate Houlgate () is a small tourist resort in northwestern France along the English Channel with a beach and a casino. It is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region. History Pre-19th century Houlgate developed as a hamlet in t ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

over the night of 22/23 November 1941.

British Commandos The Commando, Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against ...

of No. 9 Commando took part in the raid their objective was the Batterie de Tournebride on the ''Butte de Houlgate''.Marcel Miocque et Huguette Vernochet (2006). ''Houlgate regards sur le passé''. p182 Ninety men of No.9 Commando travelled across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

on HMS ''Prince Leopold'' and landed at the bottom of the Vaches Noires. The ship also transported four Assault Landing Craft which were used for the landing, four

Motor Gun Boat The motor gun boat (MGB) was a small, high-speed British military vessel of the Second World War, which was armed with a mix of guns, in contrast to the physically similar motor torpedo boat (MTB), whose main offensive weapon were torpedoes. ...

s were used to provide cover. The operation encountered several difficulties. At first there was no sign of any Germans, but soon the area was illuminated by flares and searchlights. Trucks were seen approaching, so the raiders still on the beach swam out after exchanging torch signals with the cover party. The LCA gunners withheld their fire in order not to reveal their position. During this time another raider party called at a farmhouse, and was informed that the arrival of a two-man German bicycle patrol was imminent. The raiders set a rope across the road to dismount the Germans, but no sooner had they done this than a Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber attacked the waiting LCAs. Private J. Davidson, a Bren gunner on one of the LCAs, now discovered that his LCA was half full of water and had only one engine operative. Even so, as the dive-bomber made a second strafing attack, Davidson managed to put two bursts into the aeroplane. The Commandos did not succeed in destroying the battery or taking any prisoners but they did obtain documents and other information.Marthe Rambaud et Jean-Claude Bosquain (1995). ''Gonneville-sur-Mer 1939-1945''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunstar, Operation of 1941 Conflicts in 1941 World War II British Commando raids 1941 in France Military history of Normandy