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| [[Operation Cupola]]|| 20 March || [[Øresund]]||{{HMS|Searcher|D40|6}}<br>HMS ”Premier”<br>{{HMS|Queen|D19|6}}||8 Avengers<br>20 Wildcats || Anti-aircraft positions || 2 Wildcats damaged in accidents||1 patrol ship damaged<br>Anti-aircraft batteries damaged || Minelaying operation targeting the Øresund area between Denmark and Sweden. 8 Avengers from 856 NAS were dispatched from ”Premier” protected by 20 Wildcats from [[882 Naval Air Squadron|882 NAS]] operating from ”Searcher”. 7 Avengers laid mines and the Wildcats attacked anti-aircraft positions and a patrol vessel.|| {{sfn|Hobbs|2022|p=309}} |
| [[Operation Cupola]]|| 20 March || [[Øresund]]||{{HMS|Searcher|D40|6}}<br>HMS ”Premier”<br>{{HMS|Queen|D19|6}}||8 Avengers<br>20 Wildcats || Anti-aircraft positions || 2 Wildcats damaged in accidents||1 patrol ship damaged<br>Anti-aircraft batteries damaged || Minelaying operation targeting the Øresund area between Denmark and Sweden. 8 Avengers from 856 NAS were dispatched from ”Premier” protected by 20 Wildcats from [[882 Naval Air Squadron|882 NAS]] operating from ”Searcher”. 7 Avengers laid mines and the Wildcats attacked anti-aircraft positions and a patrol vessel.|| {{sfn|Hobbs|2022|p=309}} |
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| [[Operation Prefix]]|| 26-27 March || [[ |
| [[Operation Prefix]]|| 26-27 March || [[]] area||HMS ”Searcher”<br>HMS ”Puncher”<br>HMS ”Queen”||9 Avengers and 23 Wildcats (26 March)<br>15 Wildcats, 1 Firefly (27 March) || 8-10 [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109]]s || 1 Wildcat damaged||3 Bf 109s destroyed<br>Radio station damaged || On 26 March, 9 Avengers from [[853 Naval Air Squadron|853 NAS]] escorted by 23 Wildcats from 882 NAS attempted to locate and attack shipping travelling from to Kristiansand. 8-10 German fighters attacked the British force, with 3 being shot down with a Wildcat being damaged. Wildcats strafed two German ships without success. The Avengers did not locate any targets. On 27 March, 15 Wildcats from 882 NAS guided by a Firefly attacked German shipping at [[Aalesund]] without success and strafed a radio station on Vikero island, setting it on fire. || {{sfn|Hobbs|2022|p=309-310}} |
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Latest revision as of 11:01, 4 October 2025
Allied aircraft carriers conducted a large number of attacks against German-occupied Norway from mid-1943 until the end of World War II in Europe in May 1945. Most of these operations targeted military installations and shipping. A series of raids were also made against the German battleship Tirpitz in early to mid-1944.
The initial raids used Royal Navy fleet carriers as well as smaller escort carriers. A single attack, Operation Leader, involved an American aircraft carrier. After the fleet carriers were withdrawn in late 1944 to serve in the Pacific, escort carriers continued to make raids against Norway.
The operations had mixed results. The first attack against Tirpitz was successful, but the others were not. Many raids were frustrated by bad weather.
In 1943 the Admiralty, the government department that commanded the Royal Navy, wanted to commence offensive operations against German shipping operating off Norway. It was not possible do do so immediately as the Home Fleet had few aircraft carriers; most of the RN’s carriers were needed in other theatres of the war. Nevertheless, three attacks were made.
The first two attacks, Operation Camera and Operation Governor, were conducted in July 1943. They formed part of the deception campaign ahead of the Allied invasion of Sicily and aimed to prevent the Germans from sending forces from Norway to the Mediterranean. While there is little evidence that the attacks succeeded in this goal, they demonstrated that Allied naval task forces which included aircraft carriers could safely operate off Norway.
In October 1943 the American aircraft carrier USS Ranger, which was temporarily operating with the Home Fleet to allow the British to redeploy HMS Illustrious to the Mediterranean, conducted what the historian David Hobbs has described as “the first in a long series of better-organised strikes against German shipping in the Norwegian littoral”. American aircraft flying from Ranger attacked German shipping at Bodø on 4 October. This attack destroyed five German ships and another five were damaged.
By 1944 the improved strategic situation for the Allies allowed British aircraft carriers to be allocated to conduct strikes against the Norwegian coastline. The completion of new carriers for the Royal Navy and delivery of improved aircraft also facilitated these attacks. Additional escort carriers were also assigned to protect the Arctic Convoys.
All of the Royal Navy’s fleet carriers were transferred to the British Pacific Fleet during late 1944 and early 1945. The Home Fleet was assigned eight escort carriers to protect convoys and continue offensive operations against German targets in Norway.
| Operation name | Date | Location | Allied carriers involved | Allied attack force | German forces involved | Allied losses | German losses | Summary | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation Sampler | 1-5 January | Vaggso | HMS Nairana | N/A | N/A | None | None | A planned attack against shipping at and near Vaggso was cancelled due to bad weather after the attack force sailed. | |
| Operation Spellbinder | 12 January | Near Egersund | HMS Premier HMS Trumpeter |
Premier: 856 NAS (Advengers) and part of 881 NAS (4 Wildcats Trumpeter: 846 NAS (Avengers and Wildcats) and part of 881 NAS (Wildcats) |
Warships | 2 aircraft shot down | 1 Ju 88 shot down | The carriers provided air support for a surface action group that attacked a convoy. The British warships sunk a minesweeper and damaged a merchant vessel. Two Wildcats were shot down while trying to supress German anti-aircraft guns. A German Ju 88 that was shadowing the British ships was shot down by a Wildcat. Aircraft from the carriers subsequently protected the surface ships as they withdrew. | |
| Operation Gratis | 13 January | Near Haugesund and Utsira | HMS Premier HMS Trumpeter |
12 Avengers 16 Wildcats |
None | None | None | Minelaying operation near Haugesund conducted by six Avengers from each of 846 and 856 NAS. Each group of Avengers was escorted by eight Wildcats. Eleven of the Avengers successfully dropped their mines. Some of the Wildcats strafed a German radar and radio station at Utsira after the minelaying was completed, but the results of this are unclear. | |
| Operation Winded | 28 January | Vaggso | HMS Campania HMS Nairana HMS Premier |
Swordfish | ? | None | Unclear | Swordfish flying from Campania and Nairana attacked German shipping at Vaggso during the night using rockets and bombs. The British believed that three merchant ships were hit but this was not confirmed by German records. David Hobbs notes that the German records by this stage of the war were “neither comprehensive or accurate”. This was the first night attack to have been conducted by Home Fleet aircraft carriers and replaced Operation Sampler. Fighter aircraft from Premier protected the Allied naval forces during daylight hours. [ Action of 28 January 1945 provides broader context and references] | |
| Operation Selenium | 12 February | Near Skatestrommen | HMS Premier HMS Puncher |
7 Avengers 16 Wildcats |
Coastal anti-aircraft positions | 1 Wildcat damaged in combat 2 Wildcats, 1 Barracuda damaged in a deck landing accident |
Unclear | During Operation Selenium I the escort carriers protected a surface action group as it withdrew. In Operation Selenium II on the same day the carriers conducted a minelaying operation in waters off the lighthouse at Skaten. The minelaying force comprised seven Avengers from 856 NAS escorted by four Wildcats from the same squadron. Twelve Wildcats from 881 NAS provided top cover. Five of the Avengers dropped mines, blocking a channel, and Wildcats strafed German positions at Rugsuno, Skarsten and Berdle. | |
| Operation Shred | 22 February | Near Salhusstrommen | HMS Premier HMS Puncher |
? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Planned sweep of the waters leading to Salhusstrommen. Aircraft were launched, but the operation was cancelled due to haze over the target area. Conducted in conjunction with Operation Groundsheet on the same day. | |
| Operation Groundsheet | 22 February | Karmoy Channel | HMS Premier HMS Puncher |
9 Barracudas 16 Wildcats |
Anti-aircraft positions | 2 Barracudas | 1 Do 24 damaged or destroyed | Minelaying operation targeting the Karmoy Channel. 9 Barracudas from 821 NAS were dispatched protected by 16 Wildcats. The escorts were directed to return to the carriers early in the operation and strafed targets in the Stavanger area, setting a Dornier Do 24 flying boat on fire. The Barracudas continued to the target area, with two being shot down by German anti-aircraft guns. The survivors laid mines successfully. Conducted in conjunction with Operation Shred on the same day. | |
| Operation Cupola | 20 March | Øresund | HMS Searcher HMS Premier HMS Queen |
8 Avengers 20 Wildcats |
Anti-aircraft positions | 2 Wildcats damaged in accidents | 1 patrol ship damaged Anti-aircraft batteries damaged |
Minelaying operation targeting the Øresund area between Denmark and Sweden. 8 Avengers from 856 NAS were dispatched from Premier protected by 20 Wildcats from 882 NAS operating from Searcher. 7 Avengers laid mines and the Wildcats attacked anti-aircraft positions and a patrol vessel. | |
| Operation Prefix | 26-27 March | Trondheim area | HMS Searcher HMS Puncher HMS Queen |
9 Avengers and 23 Wildcats (26 March) 15 Wildcats, 1 Firefly (27 March) |
8-10 Bf 109s | 1 Wildcat damaged | 3 Bf 109s destroyed Radio station damaged |
On 26 March, 9 Avengers from 853 NAS escorted by 23 Wildcats from 882 NAS attempted to locate and attack shipping travelling from Trondheim to Kristiansand. 8-10 German fighters attacked the British force, with 3 being shot down with a Wildcat being damaged. Wildcats strafed two German ships without success. The Avengers did not locate any targets. On 27 March, 15 Wildcats from 882 NAS guided by a Firefly attacked German shipping at Aalesund without success and strafed a radio station on Vikero island, setting it on fire. |
- Hobbs, David (2022). The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe, 1939-1945. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-9979-1.
- Roskill, S.W. (1960). The War at Sea 1939–1945. Volume III: The Offensive Part I. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. OCLC 58588186.
- Roskill, S.W. (1961). The War at Sea 1939–1945. Volume III: The Offensive Part II. History of the Second World War. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. OCLC 59005418.
