'Scaletta - Operation Blackcock (1)'

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Date commenced: 
Sunday, August 15, 1943
Units: 
2 Commando

Operation Blackcock was a British amphibious landing to take Scaletta on the north-east coast of Sicily. Planned by Lieutenant General Sir Miles Dempsey’s XIII Corps, of General Sir Bernard Montgomery’s 8th Army, the operation was designed as one of a pair of Allied operations to cut off the last elements of the German forces trying to fall back to their evacuation point at Messina in north-eastern Sicily.

No 2 Commando History contains some more information [view].
 
[Source: National Archives records file DEFE 2/105, Combined Operations Headquarters: "Blackcock" and "Bullfrog" Date: 1943.]
Notes
This should not be confused with a later Operation Blackcock, an operation to clear German troops from the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard in the Netherlands and Heinsberg in Germany. It was carried out by the British Second Army in January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the rivers Roer and Wurm and advance further into Germany. The operation was carried out by Lt-General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps by three divisions: the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Lewis Lyne), the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (Major-General Gwilym Thomas) and the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division (Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith).
 
The National Archives hold the following records regarding this latter operation.
DEFE 2/95              Combined Operations Headquarters: "Baboon" "Copyright" "Blackcock" "Bruteforce" "Barbaric" and "Bristle" Date: 1941-1945 
WO 205/846           21st Army Group Operational reports: Operation Blackcock Date: 1945 Jan
WO 205/847           Operation Blackcock: working papers Date: 1945 Jan.
WO 205/848           Operation Blackcock: 7 Army Division Date: 1945 Jan.  
WO 205/849           Operation Blackcock: 52 Division Date: 1945 Jan
WO 351/60             21 Army Group: Operation "BLACKCOCK"; clearing the area between the River Maas and the River Roer 15-26 January 1945 Note: With maps Date: 1945 Jan 01 - 1945 Dec 31
 
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No 2 Commando

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