Combined Operations Headquarters was a department of the British

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

set up during

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces.

History

The command used air and naval units to deliver the Commandos to various targets, and then recover them. Thus, it was a combined arms coordination and command structure. Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes was the first director, from 17 July 1940 to 27 October 1941. He was replaced first by Lord Louis Mountbatten, who led the command for a year. He in turn was succeeded by Major General Robert Laycock (October 1943 – 1947). It comprised background staff whose job was to plan operations and to develop ideas and equipment to harass the enemy in any way possible. It also covered all those who worked with

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

up to and including the landing ships that were used in the various

amphibious operations Amphibious warfare is a type of Offensive (military), offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the opera ...

. The badge of Combined Operations was an Eagle over a

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...

over an

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

, reflecting the three service arms; the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. In 1941 the title of Director of Combined Operations was changed to Adviser Combined Operations. In 1942 the title of Adviser Combined Operations was changed to Chief of Combined Operations. The department existed until 1947 but later re-emerged under a new name in 1951, as the Amphibious Warfare Headquarters.

Directors of Combined Operations

* Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes (17 July 1940 to 27 October 1941).

Adviser Combined Operations

* Commodore, Lord Louis Mountbatten (28 October 1941–1942).

Chiefs of Combined Operations

* Commodore, Lord Louis Mountbatten (1942-September 1943). * Major General Robert Laycock (October 1943 – 1947).

Operations

Operations included: * Operation Collar (24–25 June 1940) – four raids on the

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) 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 of France, with 890, and is the ...

department on the French coast, the first British Commando raid on occupied Europe (just 20 days after the end of the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

). * Operation Claymore (4 March 1941) – the raid on the Lofoten Islands to destroy fish oil factories and stocks. * Operation Anklet (26-27 December 1941) – a raid on the Lofoten Islands as a diversion for Operation Archery. * Operation Archery (27 December 1941) – a raid on German positions on the island of Vågsøy to destroy fish oil factories and stocks. * Project Habakkuk – the development and construction of giant

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

ships. * Operation Postmaster (14 January 1942) – oversaw a

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

capture of Axis shipping in neutral

Spanish Guinea Spanish Guinea () was a set of Insular Region (Equatorial Guinea), insular and Río Muni, continental territories controlled by Spain from 1778 in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Bight of Bonny, in Central Africa. It gained independence in 1968 a ...

Operation Biting Operation Biting, also known as the Bruneval Raid, was a British Combined Operations (United Kingdom), Combined Operations Raid (military), raid on a German coastal radar installation at Bruneval in northern France, during the Second World War, ...

(27–28 February 1942) – the Bruneval raid to capture a Würzburg radar. * Operation Chariot (28 March 1942) – the St. Nazaire raid to destroy the Normandie dock. * Operation Barricade (14–15 August 1942) – failed raid on an anti-aircraft gun and radar site north-west of Pointe de Saire * Operation Jubilee (19 August 1942) – the Dieppe raid. * Operation Dryad (2–3 September 1942) – raid on the Casquets lighthouse in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

* Operation Pound (7–8 September 1942) – France * Operation Aquatint (12–13 September 1942) – reconnaissance of Normandy beach * Operation Freshman (19 November 1942) – Attack on the Vemork Norsk Hydro chemical plant in Telemark. * Operation Frankton (7–12 December 1942) – the "Cockleshell heroes" attack by

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

on shipping in Bordeaux, France. * Operation Starkey (September 1943 – 5 November 1943) – a sham invasion of Europe staged to draw the Luftwaffe into battle. * Operation Postage Able (16-18 January 1944) – X-class submarine reconnaissance of Normandy beaches * Exercise Tiger (22-28 April 1944) – D-Day training with tragic results. * Operation Gambit (4-6 June 1944) – the use of X-class submarines to provide navigational aid at

Sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

and Juno Beaches on D-Day. * Mulberry harbours – portable harbours for

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. *

Operation Pluto Operation Pluto (Pipeline Under the Ocean or Pipeline Underwater Transportation of Oil, also written Operation PLUTO) was an operation by British engineers, oil companies and the British Armed Forces to build oil Pipeline transport, pipelin ...

– construction of

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

pipelines underneath the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

after D-Day. * Operation Roast (1–8 April 1945) – operation at Comacchio lagoon, Italy

Units

*Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) – a unit that surveyed landing sites for invasions, including those of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. The unit was made up of members of the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

, Corps of Royal Engineers and Special Boat Service. * Small Scale Raiding Force, also known as "No. 62 Commando".

Film

The '' Attack on the Iron Coast'' (film) depicts an account of Allied Combined Operations Headquarters commandos executing a daring raid on the German-occupied French coast during the

.Attack on the Iron Coast
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References

Sources

External links

* {{Coord, 52.7311, -1.7230, region:GB-ENG, format=dms, display=title Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in World War II Joint military units and formations of the United Kingdom 1940 establishments in the United Kingdom 1947 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1947 Lord Mountbatten