Operation "Easter 3"

Briefing: The German occupation force in the Netherlands has, for some time now, been untroubled by the attentions of the commandos. Due to this, Gennan formations once stationed in Holland have been shifted to other coastal zones. To rectify this, …

CCGE

Briefing: The German occupation force in the Netherlands has, for some time now, been untroubled by the attentions of the commandos. Due to this, Gennan formations once stationed in Holland have been shifted to other coastal zones. To rectify this, to tax the German command's manpower resources by forcing them to protect every mile of coastline from Norway to Greece, a series of raids will take place during the upcoming holiday season. All of these raids will be directed at military targets in Holland. Your Commando, due to its past record, has been assigned one of the most difficult and dangerous. The Commando will, under cover of darkness, penetrate up the River Maas for a distance of five miles; there your forces are to assemble at a disused warehouse. The following day, whenever you judge the time to be appropriate, elements of your command are to proceed upriver another two miles and effect a landing at Biesbosch, where several military installations are located. In Biesbosch, the commandos are to strike at lhe barracks, a small exclusive military hospital for officers, the regional Gestapo headquarters building, an OKW map depository, a Luftwaffe communications center, and other targets of opportunity. As Biesbosch is also a transportation center for OKH, expect strong Resistance by disparate elements of various German formations. However, success of this audacious raid will, hopefully, cause the German command to overreact and shift troops from other-and for us, more strategic-coastal sectors.

Biesbosch, Holland

The Commandos formed during the Second World War, following an order from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in June 1940 for a force that could carry out raids against German occupied Europe. Churchill stated in a minute to General Ismay on 6 June 1940: "Enterprises must be prepared, with specially-trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror down these coasts, first of all on the "butcher and bolt" policy..." Commandos were all volunteers for special service and originally came from the British Army but volunteers would eventually come from all branches of the United Kingdom's armed forces and foreign volunteers from countries occupied by the Germans. These volunteers formed over 30 individual units and four assault brigades. The commandos would serve in all the theatres of war from the Arctic Circle, to Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific. Their operations ranged from small groups of men landing from the sea or by parachute to a brigade of assault troops spearheading the Allied invasions of Europe and Asia.

Wikipedia: British Commando operations during the Second World War

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