List of military operations in the West European Theater during World War II by year

Western Front

Includes land and sea operations relating to north-west Europe, but excludes:

1935–1938
  • Fall Rot ("Case Red") (1935) — overview of defense planning in tandem with Fall Blau. Rot covered defense in the west in the event of military action in the east (Fall Blau).
  • Fall Blau ("Case Blue") (1935) — overview of defense planning in tandem with Fall Rot.
  • Fall Otto ("Case Otto") (1937) — plan to occupy Austria.
  • Fall Richard ("Case Richard") (1937) — Contingency planning for Soviet/communist takeover in Spain.
  • Fall Grün ("Case Green") (1938) — plan for invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944
  • Abel (1944) — harassment of German retreat in France
  • Astonia (1944) — assault on Le Havre
  • Axehead (1944) — proposed assault crossing of the lower Seine and capture of Le Havre and Rouen (superseded by Astonia)
  • Benson (1944) — reconnaissance mission by Belgian SAS near Amiens
  • Bergbang (1944) — unsuccessful mission by Belgian SAS east of River Meuse
  • Brutus (1944) — mission by Belgian SAS in Ardennes to arm local resistance and reinforce SAS forces
  • Bulbasket (1944) — SAS operation to prevent German reinforcements moving from southern France to Normandy
  • Bunyan (1944) — disruption mission by Belgian SAS in Chartres area
  • Caliban (1944) — mission by Belgian SAS near Leopoldsburg to disrupt German communications
  • Chaucer (1944) — Belgian SAS operation near Le Mans to harry German retreat
  • Clipper (1944) — Allied assault on Siegfried Line at Geilenkirchen.
  • Constellation (1944) — occupation of Venray and Venlo by British VIII Corps.
  • Cooney (1944) — French SAS operation in Brittany to cut railway lines
  • Derry (1944) — SAS operation near Le Mans to disrupt German retreat to Brest
  • Diver (1944) — Defence of London against V-1 attack.
  • Fabian (1944) — Belgian SAS reconnaissance operation around Arnhem (also involved in recovery of British paratroops after Operation Market Garden)
  • Franklin (1944) — French SAS operation in the Ardennes in support of the US VIII Corps
  • Fusilade (1944) — capture of Dieppe
  • Gaff (1944) — SAS operation near Rambouillet to kill or capture Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, but which instead destroyed trains and attacked a German headquarters
  • Gain (1944) — SAS successful SAS operation southwest of Paris to disrupt enemy communications
  • Gatwick (1944) — precursor of Operation Veritable
  • Gobbo (1944) — Belgian SAS intelligence gathering operation in northern Holland, near Drente
  • Haft (1944) — Special Air Service (SAS) intelligence gathering mission near Le Mans.
  • Haggard (1944) — SAS operation near Bourges
  • Hardy (1944) — SAS information gathering operation near Dijon
  • Harrod (1944) — French SAS operation in the Saone et Loire in support of the US 3rd Army
  • Houndsmith (1944) — Special Air Service (SAS) action near Dijon.
  • Houndsworth (1944) — Special Air Service (SAS) campaign in and around Morvan.
  • Hurricane (1944) — Bombing of Ruhr. See Also Chastise.
  • Independence (1944) — clearance of German garrisons on the Gironde estuary (postponed, later revived as Operation Venerable)
  • Infatuate (1944) capture of Walcheren Island — final phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Jedburgh (1944) — Airdrop of operatives into France, Belgium and the Netherlands to conduct sabotage and guerrilla warfare, and to lead the local resistance forces in actions against the Germans.
  • Jericho (1944) — air-raid on Amiens prison to release French Resistance prisoners
  • Jockworth (1944) — French SAS operation near Lyons to impede German movements and bolster local Resistance; became active in the fighting in Lyons
  • Kipling (1944) — British SAS action near Auxerre to aid Allied airborne landings in Orleans Gap; these were cancelled and the SAS harassed the enemy in support of allied ground advance
  • Loyton (1944) — unsuccessful large SAS action in Vosges mountains.
  • Lüttich (1944) — German counter-offensive at Mortain.
  • Marine (1944) — Dropping of naval mines into the Rhine
  • Market Garden (1944) — Allied land and airborne attempt to cross the lower Rhine.
  • Marshall (1944) — French SAS mission to harass enemy and stiffen local resistance around Correze
  • Moses (1944) — Free French SAS action around Poitiers
  • Newton (1944) — Free French SAS action in Burgundy, France
  • Noah (1944) — response to blowing of river dykes near Nijmegen and consequential flooding
  • Olive (1944) — offensive against the Gothic Line.
  • Overlord (1944) — invasion of Normandy, France. See also Pointblank.
    • Aberlour (1944) — cancelled follow-up to Mitten.
    • Astonia (1944) — assault on Le Havre
    • Bluecoat (1944) — Launched to support Operation Cobra
    • Bodyguard — deception plan, including:
    • Charnwood (1944) — assault on Caen.
    • Chicago — Allied airdrop
    • Cobra (1944) — breakout from Normandy.
      • Dunhill (1944) — SAS reconnaissance action in support of Cobra.
    • Cooney (1944) — Free French SAS action in St Malo area.
    • Dauntless (1944) — See Operation Martlet
    • Defoe (1944) — ineffective SAS reconnaissance around Argentan in Normandy
    • Detroit (1944) — American airdrop in Normandy
    • Dingson (1944) — Free French SAS operation around Vannes to disrupt communications and arm local Resistance
      • Lost (1944) — French SAS team in Brittany to link with Dingson
    • Epsom (1944) — British assault west of Caen, Normandy, aimed at capturing the city
      • Martlet (1944) — Supporting operation launched the day before Operation Epsom
    • Goodwood (1944) — British armoured assault to capture the Bourguébus Ridge, destroy German armoured reserves and support Operation Atlantic
      • Atlantic (1944) — Operation to capture the remaining sections of the German-occupied city of Caen. Launched side by side with Operation Goodwood
      • Greenline (1944) — diversionary attack by XII Corps designed to draw German attention away from the upcoming assault, out of the Orne bridgehead, codenamed Goodwood.
      • Pomegranate (1944) — diversionary attack by XXX Corps designed to draw German attention away from the upcoming assault, out of the Orne bridgehead, codenamed Goodwood.
    • Grouse (1944) — advance towards Tinchebray (also called Wallop).
    • Jupiter — British attack to occupy and hold Hill 112, near Caen
    • Kitten (1944) — British and Canadian advance to the Seine.
    • Mulberry (1944) — creation of safe anchorages using block ships
    • Neptune — landing phase of Overlord
      • Accumulator (1944) — diversionary naval operation near to the Channel Islands
      • Bravado (1944) — mine-laying around Kiel Canal to inhibit German naval reaction
      • Gambit (1944) — use of X-Craft midget submarines as navigation beacons off Sword and Juno beaches
      • Maple — Allied naval minelaying operations to inhibit German naval reaction
    • Mitten (1944) — elimination of German position at Chateau de la Ronde
    • Paddle (1944) — Canadian pursuit of German forces
    • Pirate (1944) — Anglo-Canadian training exercise prior to D-Day, at Studland Bay, England
    • Pluto (1944) — construction of undersea oil pipelines between England and France
    • Postage Able (1944) — landing beach surveys using X-Craft and divers
    • Smash (1944) — British training exercise prior to D-Day, at Studland Bay, Dorset, England
    • Spring — Canadian attack on high ground, south of Caen
    • Sussex — insertion of French OSS operatives into France to report German troop movements
    • Tiger (1944) — Allied training exercise prior to D-Day, near Slapton, England
    • Tonga — British airdrop in Normandy, east of the Orne River
    • Totalize (1944) — Allied advance to capture highground north of the city of Falaise
    • Tractable (1944) — Attack to capture the city of Falaise, and to help close the Falaise pocket
    • Trousers (1944) — Anglo-Canadian training exercise prior to D-Day, near Slapton, England
    • Walter (1944) — tidy-up operation, using two brigades.
    • Wallop (1944) — advance towards Tinchebray (also called Grouse).
    • Windsor (1944) — capture of Carpiquet.
  • Dickens (1944) — highly successful French SAS operation around Nantes to disrupt rail lines, gather intelligence and support local Resistance
  • Pegasus (1944) — Allied rescue of troops after failure of Market Garden
  • Queen (1944) — aerial close-support operation in Hurtgen Forest, east of Aachen
  • Switchback (1944) taking of Breskens pocket, first phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Totter (1944) combined ROC and RAF anti V-1 efforts
  • Undergo (1944) — assault on Calais
  • Vitality (1944) taking of South Beveland, second phase of the Battle of the Scheldt.
  • Wacht am Rhein ("Watch on the Rhine") (1944) — counteroffensive in the Ardennes
    • Greif ("Griffin") (1944) — infiltration using troops disguised in Allied uniforms.
    • Stösser (1944) — airborne drop in support of the Wacht am Rhein.
    • Bodenplatte ("Baseplate") (1944) — Luftwaffe support raids on Allied airbases. Rescheduled to 1 January 1945.
  • Wellhit (1944) — assault on Boulogne

1945

See also

List of World War II military operations

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