| Operation Devon | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Italian Campaign of World War II | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  Germany  Italian Social Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Harold Alexander John Durnford-Slater | Albert Kesselring Richard Heidrich | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | ||||||
  Location within Italy | |||||||
Operation Devon was the code name of an amphibious landing by British Commandos in 1943 at Termoli, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, during the Italian Campaign of World War II.
Devon was launched on 3 October 1943, as part of the attack on the Volturno Line, and was undertaken by No. 3 Commando, No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commando and other elements of the 2nd Special Service Brigade. It was later reinforced by two brigades of the British 78th Infantry Division. [1]
In the early hours of 3 October 1943, 3 and 40 Commandos, and elements of the Special Raiding Squadron landed behind the German lines under cover of darkness at Termoli, a seaport town on the Adriatic coast, north of the Biferno River. 40 Commando penetrated well into the town before the Germans were alerted.
There was brisk close-quarter fighting with German paratroopers from Kampfgruppe Rau – a defensive detachment made up of one Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) platoon, with flak, engineer, transport and other support units from 1. Fallschirmjäger Division) ensued.
By 08:00 hours[ citation needed ], the commandos had captured the town and controlled the approaches. So complete was the surprise that the kampfgruppe commander, Major Rau, was wearing pyjamas when captured, and German vehicles and motorcyclists drove into a commando ambush position until around noon.
Elements of the 78th Division, including tanks, had arrived to reinforce the commandos by the time German forces counter-attacked in strength: two battalions from 16. Panzer Division and the paratroopers of Kampfgruppe Schultz, The British held off repeated counter-attacks until 6 October. By noon on the 6th they had linked up with the British Eighth Army, and by noon on the 6th the enemy was in full retreat. [1]
The operation was an success. It had won a valuable harbour and the assault force had repelled all counterattack. Devon subsequently caused German forces to withdraw from the natural defence line on the Biferno and denied them use of an important lateral road from Naples, thereby forcing them to retreat further northwards. [2]
The operation had been a costly one for the commandos, however. Between them they lost three officers and 29 other ranks (ORs) killed, seven officers and 78 ORs wounded, and one officer and 22 ORs missing. [1]
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infantry armed with small arms and light weapons, although some paratroopers can also function as artillerymen or mechanized infantry by utilizing field guns, infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks that are airdropped together into the combat zone.
The Bernhardt Line, or Reinhard Line, was a German Army defensive line in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Having reached the Bernhardt Line at the start of December 1943, it took until mid-January 1944 for the US Fifth Army to fight its way to the next line of defences, the Gustav Line. The Bernhardt Line was defended by XIV Panzer Corps, part of the German Tenth Army.
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Operation Fustian was an airborne forces operation undertaken during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 in the Second World War. The operation was carried out by Brigadier Gerald Lathbury's 1st Parachute Brigade, part of the British 1st Airborne Division. Their objective was the Primosole Bridge across the Simeto River. The intention was for the brigade, with glider-borne forces in support, to land on both sides of the river. They would then capture the bridge and secure the surrounding area until relieved by the advance of British XIII Corps, which had landed on the south eastern coast three days previously. Because the bridge was the only crossing on the river and would give the British Eighth Army access to the Catania plain, its capture was expected to speed the advance and lead to the defeat of the Axis forces in Sicily.
The Volturno Line was a German defensive position in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II.
The 1st Parachute Division was an elite German military parachute-landing division that fought during World War II. A division of paratroopers was termed a Fallschirmjäger Division. For reasons of secrecy, it was originally raised as the 7th Air Division, before being renamed and reorganized as the 1st Parachute Division in 1943.
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The 2nd Special Service Brigade was formed in late 1943 in the Middle East and saw service in Italy, the Adriatic, the landings at Anzio and took part in operations in Yugoslavia. On 6 December 1944 the Brigade was renamed 2nd Commando Brigade, removing the title Special Service and its association with the Schutzstaffel.
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No. 48 Commando was a battalion-sized formation of the British Commandos, formed in 1944 during the Second World War. No. 48 Commando was assigned to the 4th Special Service Brigade and served in North West Europe, taking part in the Normandy landings and operations around Ostend and Antwerp before being disbanded after the war in January 1946.
No. 47 Commando is a battalion size formation in the British Commandos, formed in August 1943 during the Second World War. The Commando was assigned to the 4th Special Service Brigade and served North West Europe and took part in the Normandy Landings, operations around Ostend, Antwerp and the Netherlands before being disbanded in January 1946. No. 47 Commando has recently been reformed and now takes back on its old role as an amphibious raider, replacing what was 1 Assault Group Royal Marines.
The Fallschirmjäger were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-command.
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