List of World War II military operations
This is a list of known World War II era codenames for military operations and missions commonly associated with World War II. this is not a comprehensive list, but most major operations that Axis and Allied combatants engaged in are included, and also operations that involved neutral nation states. Operations are categorised according to the theater of operations, and an attempt has been made to cover all aspects of significant events. Operations contained in the Western Front category have been listed by year. Operations that follow the cessation of hostilities and those that occurred in the pre-war period are also included. Operations are listed alphabetically, and where multiple aspects are involved these are listed inline.
Flags used are those of the time period.
Africa
Excludes North African campaignsChronometer – Anglo-Indian capture of AssabComposition – FAA attack on MassawaIronclad – Allied landings on Madagascar- Streamline Jane – ground campaign on MadagascarMenace – seaborne Free French and British attack on Dakar, French West Africa Postmaster – SOE operation to capture three Axis vessels in the neutral Spanish island of Fernando PoSupply – Allied anti-submarine naval patrol off Madagascar
Atlantic Ocean
Includes North Sea and Arctic Ocean operations and actions against naval vessels in harbourAlacrity – Allied naval patrols around AzoresBerlin – Atlantic cruise of Scharnhorst and GneisenauCatechism – final RAF air attack on TirpitzCerberus – escape of German capital ships from Brest to home ports in Germany Croquet – Allied anti-shipping off NorwayCupola – British anti-shipping operation off NorwayDeadlight – postwar scuttling of U-boatsDervish – first of the Arctic Convoys to the Soviet UnionDomino – second aborted Arctic sortie by Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen and destroyersDoppelschlag – German anti-shipping operation off Novaya Zemlya by Admiral Scheer and Admiral HipperDrachenhöhle – aborted attack on Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, using Mistel composite aircraftDrumbeat – part of "Second Happy Time" EJ – British anti-shipping operation off NorwayEnclose – British anti-submarine air offensive in Bay of Biscay Foxchase – British anti-shipping operation off NorwayFronttheater – first aborted Arctic sortie by Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen and destroyersGoodwood I, II, III and IV – sequence of 4 carrier-borne air attacks on TirpitzHolder – British special naval transport to MurmanskHusar – cancelled German anti-shipping operation in Kara Sea by LutzowLeader – antishipping operation off Norway by USS RangerLucid – attempt to destroy German invasion bargesMascot – failed carrier-borne air attack on TirpitzNordseetour – first Atlantic operation of Admiral HipperObviate – RAF air attack on TirpitzOstfront – final operation of Scharnhorst to intercept convoy JW 55BPaderborn – third and successful transfer of Scharnhorst and destroyers to NorwayParavane – RAF air attack on TirpitzPaukenschlag – German U-boat campaign against shipping off the United States east coast- Planet, Brawn and Tiger Claw – cancelled carrier-borne air attacks on the TirpitzPosthorn – British naval air attack on shipping off NorwayPotluck – Allied anti-shipping patrol off NorwayPrimrose – capture of 's Enigma cypher machine and documents by HMS BulldogRegenbogen Germany – failed German attack on Arctic convoy JW 51B, by Admiral Hipper and LutzowRheinübung Germany – planned German attacks on Allied shipping conducted by Bismarck and Prinz EugenRösselsprung – German naval operation to attack Arctic convoy PQ 17Roundel – British convoy escort to MurmanskSource – British X class submarine attacks on German warships based in NorwaySportpalast – aborted German naval operation to attack Arctic convoys PQ-12 and QP-8
- * Zauberflöte – return of damaged Prinz Eugen from Trondheim to GermanyStonewall – Allied operation to intercept blockade runners in the Bay of BiscayTeardrop – anti U-boat operation
- Tungsten – carrier-borne air attack on Tirpitz
- Tunnel – standard British plan to intercept German blockade runnersWikinger – foray by German destroyers into the North SeaWunderland – German anti-shipping operation in Kara Sea by Admiral ScheerZarin – German mining action off Novaya Zemlya by Admiral Hipper and destroyers
China
Manchukuo Chongqing Mission 204 Sankō – Japanese campaign in five provinces of northeastern China to crush the Chinese resistance following the Hundred Regiments OffensiveSei-go Gangnam Ichi-Go – Japanese campaign in eastern China to secure overland routes to Indo-China and airfields- * TO – plan to capture US airfields at Hengyang, Lingling, Lweilin and LiuchowAlpha – improvement of the defences of Kunming against Japanese threatsMatterhorn – establishment of bases for US B-29 bomber aircraft
South West, South, and South East Asia
Includes operations in Iraq, Syria, Iran, India, Burma, Malaya and Indo-China, and the Indian OceanAnakim – proposed strategy to retake Burma and reopen the land route to ChinaBajadere 18px – Possibly Fictional German special forces operation in India, including Free India Legion personnelBalsam – photographic reconnaissance of southern Malaya and airstrikes against Sumatran airfieldsBAN – defensive scheme for Mandalay and MeiktilaBirdseed – anti-shipping raid against Ramree harbour areaBoarding Party – raid against German ships interned in neutral port of Goa.Boomerang air raid on PalembangC – major Japanese naval incursion into Indian OceanCanned – search and destroy operation for German supply tankerCapital – Allied capture of northern BurmaCockpit – Allied naval airstrike on Sabang, Sumatra
- Operation Musketeer I, II, III – American and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines.Collie – naval airstrikes against the Nicobar Islands and air cover for minesweeping forces near Phuket IslandCorkscrew – anti-shipping raid against Gwa areaCountenance – Allied invasion of neutral Iran
- * Dover – occupation of Abadan
- ** Crackler —
- ** Marmalade —
- ** Mopup —
- ** Rapier —
- * Bishop – mopping up of Abadan IslandCrimson – Allied naval airstrike and bombardment of Sabang, SumatraCulverin – proposed allied invasion of northern SumatraCurtain – naval bombardment of coast near IndinDracula – British amphibious assault on Rangoon, Burma.
- * Bishop – covering operation for DraculaDiplomat – Allied exercise in preparation for joint operations against the JapaneseDukedom – British search and destroy operation for Japanese cruiser HaguroExporter – British and Commonwealth invasion of Vichy French-held SyriaFoil – cutting of submarine telephone cables off Hong KongFranz – proposal to establish sabotage teams in IranHa-Go – Japanese action to isolate and destroy Anglo-Indian forces in BurmaJaywick – Anglo-Australian attack on Japanese shipping in Singapore harbourKrohcol – British move into Thailand to pre-empt expected Japanese actionLentil – naval air attack on refineries on SumatraLivery – naval air strikes on northern Malaya and air cover for minesweeping operationsLongcloth – Chindits advance into BurmaMatador – Planned British pre-emptive move into Siam from MalayaMatador – British occupation of Ramree IslandMeridian – naval air attacks on installations on SumatraPamphlet – convoying of Australian troops from Suez to AustraliaPike – planned air attack on Soviet oil installations at BakuPioneer – aborted anti-shipping raid against Kyaukpyu harbourRathunt – naval patrol of coast near GwaRimau – anti-shipping raid by special forces on Japanese shipping in Singapore harbourSabine – British and Commonwealth invasion of the Kingdom of Iraq to restore government ousted by Rashid Ali; including;
- * Regatta – 21 Brigade advance from Basra by boat up the Tigris.
- * Regulta – "Euphrates Brigade" deployment from Basra to Kut by steamer and barge.Sabre – cutting of submarine communications cable off SaigonSankey – landings by Royal Marines on Cheduba IslandScrewdriver – combined operations raid against a Japanese headquarters at Sitaparokia RockScupper – anti-shipping sweep north of GwaSheikh Mahmut – failed attempt to establish bases in IraqSleuth – pursuit of German commerce raider in Indian OceanStruggle – destruction of IJN cruiser Takao in Singapore harbour, using midget submarinesTalon – Anglo-Indian capture of Akyab island and construction of supply airbase in support of Burma campaign
- * Lightning – landings on Akyab islandThursday – Chindits operation in BurmaTransom – Allied naval air raid on Surabaya, JavaTurret – Anglo-Indian landings and capture of TaungupU-Go 18px – Japanese assault on Imphal and KohimaZipper Planned British seaborne landing in Malaya.
- * Slippery deception operation for Zipper
- * Broadsword Planned offensive to northern Malaya following Operation Zipper.
- * Mailfist Planned offensive to liberate southern Malaya and Singapore following Operation Zipper.
Scandinavia and Finland
Axis
Birke – German plan to withdraw from northern Finland prior to the Lapland War.Birkhahn – German evacuation from Norway.Büffel – German operation to relieve troops in Narvik, Norway.Hokki – Finnish plan to destroy railroad tracks to deny the Soviets their supplies.Holzauge – activities in Greenland.Ikarus – planned German invasion of Iceland in response to British Operation Fork.Juno – German naval operation to disturb allied supplies to Norway.Kilpapurjehdus – Finnish naval operation for the militarization of the Åland islands.Lachsfang – Proposed combined German and Finnish attack against Kandalaksha and Belomorsk.Nordlicht – German withdrawal from the Kola Peninsula into Norway.Silberfuchs – German and Finnish operations in the Arctic, including:- * Blaufuchs 1 – Staging of German forces from Germany to northern Finland.
- * Blaufuchs 2 – Staging of German forces from Norway to northern Finland.
- * Platinfuchs – Joint German-Finnish attack towards Murmansk from Finnish Petsamo.
- * Polarfuchs – Joint German-Finnish attack towards Kandalaksha from Finnish Lapland.
- * Rentier – German occupation of Petsamo.Sizilien – German raid upon allied occupied Spitsbergen.Tanne Ost – failed German attempt to capture Suursaari from Finland.Tanne West – planned German attempt to capture Åland from Finland.Weserübung – German invasion of Denmark and Norway.
- * Weserübung Nord – German invasion of Trondheim and Narvik.
- * Weserübung Sud – German invasion of Bergen, Kristiansand and Oslo.Zitronella – German raid against a Norwegian/British station on Svalbard.
Allies
Alphabet evacuation of British troops from NorwayArchery – British commando raid on Vågsøy, Norway- * Anklet – raid on German positions on Lofoten Islands, NorwayBanquet – Reallocation of RAF training aircraftCarthage – RAF bombing of the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, DenmarkCatherine British plan to gain control of Baltic SeaClaymore – British raid on Lofoten Islands, NorwayFreshman – attempted raid on a Norwegian heavy water plant at Vemork, see Gunnerside
- * Grouse – Norwegian guide party for Freshman
- * Gunnerside – 2nd raid on the Norwegian heavy water plant at VemorkFork – Invasion of Iceland by British.Gauntlet – raid on SpitsbergenIbrox – cancelled SAS raid to destroy railway bridge near TrondheimHalfback – Naval operation that led to the action of 28 January 1945Jupiter – suggested invasion of NorwayMusketoon – British/ Norwegian destruction of a power station in NorwayPrimrose – Planned British landing at Ålesund, NorwayR 4 – Planned British invasion of NorwaySource – British response to German Operation SizilienThe Sepals/Perianth Operation – OSS supported operation in SwedenWilfred – British plan to mine the Norwegian coast
Other
Rädda Danmark – Swedish plan to liberate Denmark before the country was occupied by the Soviet Union- * Rädda Själland – Swedish landings on Zealand
- * Rädda Bornholm – Swedish landings on Bornholm
Technology
Axis
Caesar – transfer of technical plans and strategic materials to Japan, using.Beethoven – German programme to develop composite aircraft Prüfstand XII – German programme to develop submarine-launched V-2Allies
Alsos – Allied efforts to gather data on German nuclear fission developments.- * Big – capture of an atomic pile at Haigerloch.
- * Harborage – US sweep up of German atomic assets ahead of French occupation.
- * Epsilon – Eavesdropping on incarcerated German scientists.Aphrodite The use of B-17 bombers as radio-controlled missiles.Backfire – launches of captured V-2 rockets.Hawkeye – Radar research by US Navy.Lusty – US actions to capture German scientific documents, facilities and aircraft.Manhattan Project – program to build an atomic bomb.Most III – transfer of captured V-2 components from occupied Poland to Britain. Also known as Wildhorn III.Paperclip – capture of scientists, technical and German rocketry. Originally Operation Overcast sometimes called Project Paperclip.Surgeon – Similar to Paperclip; program to exploit German aeronautical scientific advances.Stella Polaris transfer of Finnish SIGINT, equipment, and personnel to Sweden following end of the Continuation war in 1944.TICOM – seizure of intelligence apparatus, in particular cryptographic assets. See also Stella Polaris.
Special Operations Executive
- Operation Jedburgh – SOE, OSS, and Free French-Belgian-Dutch exiles parachuted into France, the Netherlands and Belgium to perform guerrilla warfare.
Partisan operations
Includes some operations by regular forces in support of partisansAnthropoid – assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague.Burza – a series of local uprisings by the Polish Home Army- * Ostra Brama – battle for Wilno Canuck – SAS operation near Turin to train and organise Italian resistance fighters.Carpetbagger – US airdrops to several national Resistance forcesGłówki – a series of assassinations of Nazi personnel by the Home Army
- * Bürkl – assassination of Franz Bürkl
- * Hunting – assassination of Ludwig Fischer
- * Kutschera – assassination of Franz KutscheraMontagnards – FFI action to establish base in Vercors Massif
- * Cadillac – airborne supply operation to FFI in Vercors Massif
- * Eucalyptus – airdrop into Vercors Massif of liaison teams
- * Zebra – airborne supply operation to FFI in Vercors MassifJosephine B – Free French attack the transformer station at PessacSavannah – Free French attempt to ambush and kill Luftwaffe pathfinder pilots in FranceTaśma – action of the Home Army against German border guarding stationsWieniec – action of the Polish Związek Odwetu against German railway transportZamość Uprising – series of operations of the Polish resistance against the Germans
Intelligence
Axis
Bernhard — German plan to damage British economy using forged British banknotes.Elster – landings of German agents on the US east coast with objective of gathering intelligence on Manhattan ProjectHaudegen – German intelligence collection in Spitzbergen, NorwayHummer series – insertion of German agents into Britain. See also Hummer IKadella – airdrop of agents near MarseillePlan Kathleen – plan sent by the Irish Republican Army to Germany seeking support for activities. Dubbed "Artus" by German Foreign Ministry. See IRA [Abwehr World War II] for all IRA Abwehr involvement.Karneval – airdrop of agents near Brussels and WaalMosul – air drop of agents and supplies near MosulPastorius – separate landings of German agents on the US east coast with objective of industrial sabotage.Perlen-fischer – airdrop of agents near ParisSalaam – insertion of German agents into the British-occupied Kingdom of EgyptSeemöwe series – insertion of German agents into Britain and Ireland. See also Seagull I and Seagull II.Taube – mission to transport IRA Chief of Staff Seán Russell from Germany back to Ireland.Wal – aborted German plan to foster links with Scottish and Welsh nationalist groups.Walfisch – aborted German plan to land an agent in Ireland.Allies
Cornflakes – insertion of propaganda into the German mail system.SIGSALY – secure speech system for highest-level Allied communications.MAGIC – SIGINT resulting from Japanese cipher system PURPLE.Ruthless – Admiralty plan of Ian Fleming to capture an Enigma encryption machine.Venona – intelligence sharing resulting from spying on Soviets.Ultra – SIGINT resulting from German cipher system Enigma.Cardinal '''' – OSS team parachuted into Japanese Manchukuo to rescue Allied POWs including General WainwrightUncategorized
Alpenfestung – plan for Nazi national Redoubt in Alps.- * Werwolf – guerrilla force to resist occupation by Allies.Big Bang – demolition of defences of HeligolandBracelet – Churchill's flight to Cairo and Moscow.Catapult – Royal Navy actions to seize, disable or destroy the French fleet after France's surrender.Downfall – Proposed Allied plan for the invasion of Japan.
- Operation Sunrise – negotiations leading to German surrender in Italy.Eiche – German rescue from custody of Benito MussoliniFrantic – The use of Soviet airfields by western Allied bombers.Feuerzauber – Transfer of planes, engineers, and pilots to nationalist forces during Spanish Civil War.
- * Rügen – Bombing of Guernica.
- * Bodden – Abwehr intelligence gathering system operating from Spain and Morocco.
- * Ursula – Kriegsmarine U-boat operations in support of Francoist and Italian navies.Gaff – attempt to kill Erwin Rommel
- Halyard – Non-combat Allied airlift behind Axis lines in Yugoslavia
- Jericho – Allied aircraft bombed Amiens prison in German-occupied France to aid Resistance prison escapeKeelhaul – forced repatriation to the Soviet Union, by the western Allies, of Soviet prisoners of warMagic Carpet – American post-war operation to transport US military personnel homeManna – Allied air drops of food to famine-ravaged Netherlands, with German cooperationMargarethe – German occupation of Hungary. Döme Sztójay, an avid supporter of the Nazis, became the new Hungarian Prime Minister with the aid of a Nazi military governor.Panzerfaust/Eisenfaust – Kidnap of Hungarian leader Miklós Horthy's son to prevent defection of Hungary from Axis.Peking – removal of Polish warships to Britain, in advance of German invasionPied Piper – evacuation of children from British cities.Rabat – Plan to kidnap the Pope and diplomatic corp. from Vatican City.Regenbogen – rescinded order to scuttle Kriegsmarine.Rösselsprung – German attempt to capture Josip Broz TitoSafehaven – allied efforts to capture fleeing Nazis and seize German resources abroadSymbol – Churchill's flight to Casablanca.Tabarin – British Antarctic expedition.Tannenbaum
- Operation Walküre – Plan to deal with general breakdown of civil order within Germany following the death of Hitler and the seizure of power by other Nazi officials or the SS; a cover for clandestine action by the German resistance.Worek – Polish naval defence of the Polish coastRainbow War Plans – Global US War planning between the World Wars.