During World War II, the German 'Operation Hercules' was a plan to invade which island?
"diverted to the Russian Front and if the crisis in the Indian Ocean had abated, sufficient for ships to escort a fast convoy from Alexandria. Operation Hercules (""Operazione C3"") was an Axis plan to invade Malta and during 1942, reinforcement of the ""Luftwaffe"" in Sicily and the bombing campaign against the island led to speculation that it was the prelude to invasion. Gleanings from prisoners of war and diplomatic sources led to a certain apprehension about the meaning of troop movements in southern Italy. The absence of evidence from signals intelligence and air reconnaissance led to a conclusion that an"
"Operation Herkules Operation Herkules (; ) was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during World War II. Through air and sea landings, the Italians and Germans hoped to eliminate Malta as a British air and naval base and secure an uninterrupted flow of supplies across the Mediterranean Sea to Axis forces in Libya and Egypt. Extensive preparations were made for the invasion but the Axis victory at the Battle of Gazala (26 May to 21 June 1942), the capture of Tobruk on 21 June and Operation Aïda, the pursuit of the British as"
"into Egypt, diminishing any chance of success. With Hitler lacking faith in the parachute divisions after the Invasion of Crete, and in the ability of the Italian Navy to protect the invasion fleet from British naval attacks, the plan was cancelled. Operation Herkules Operation Herkules (; ) was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during World War II. Through air and sea landings, the Italians and Germans hoped to eliminate Malta as a British air and naval base and secure an uninterrupted flow of supplies across the Mediterranean Sea to Axis forces in"
"Operation Beowulf Operation Beowulf refers to two German plans to occupy the islands of Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhu, off the Estonian west coast. Both plans had the same objectives but assumed differing start points. The attack, using ""Beowulf II"", started on 8 September 1941 and had achieved its objectives by 21 October. This version assumed a rapid German victory in the Baltic States. It would have been a re-working of the World War I Operation ""Albion"", launched from Courland in Latvia. In the event, German forces were delayed as they crossed into Estonian territory. This version, which was executed, was"
"the excellent anchorage provided to warships by the many natural coves, the island was the second most bombed during World War Two (after Crete). On 8 September 1943, as Italy could not continue the war on the German side, it signed an armistice and came over to the Allied camp. After the Italian armistice, British reinforcements arrived on Leros and other Dodecanese islands and the island suffered continuous German aerial bombardment. One of the largest attacks was on the Greek Navy's flagship, the ""Queen Olga"", sunk by German bombers on Sunday September 26, 1943, along with HMS ""Intrepid"", while they"
"Operation Pelikan Operation ""Pelikan"" (), also known as Projekt 14, was a German plan for crippling the Panama Canal during World War II. In the fall of 1943 the Wehrmacht had completed preparations to haul two Ju 87 Stukas with folding wings on two U-boats to an unnamed Colombian island near the coast of Panama, reassemble the planes, arm them with ""special bombs"", and then send them to attack the Gatun Dam. After completing the mission, the pilots would fly to a neutral country and seek internment. However, Germany called off the plan, for unknown reasons, at the last minute."
"Operation Dracula During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British, American and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccupy Burma, but was dropped as the necessary landing craft and other resources were not available. In March 1945 however, it was resurrected, as it was vital to capture Rangoon before the start of the monsoon (which was expected in the second week of May) to secure the lines of communication of"
"Operation Corkscrew Operation Corkscrew was the code name for the Allied invasion of the Italian island of Pantelleria (between Sicily and Tunisia) on 11 June 1943, prior to the Allied invasion of Sicily during the Second World War. There had been an early plan to occupy the island in late 1940 (Operation Workshop), but this was aborted when the Luftwaffe strengthened the Axis air threat in the region. The Allied focus returned to Pantelleria in early 1943. The radar installations and airfield on the island were seen as a real threat to the planned invasion of Sicily (codenamed Operation Husky)."
"carry out a diversionary sortie in the vicinity of Iceland and the Faroes. The heavy cruiser ""Admiral Scheer"" (Kapitän zur See Theodor Krancke) would carry out another diversionary mission by raiding merchant shipping in the Atlantic. (It is doubtful this ship would have been available in time for the operation as she was undergoing extensive trials and crew training in the Baltic Sea following a major shipyard refit.) Operation Herbstreise During World War II, Operation Herbstreise (""Autumn Journey"" in German) was a planned series of deception operations to support the German invasion of the United Kingdom (Operation Seelöwe). It would"
"Second World War two German Heinkel He 111 bombers crash landed on the island in 1941. The first was on 3 March, when all the crew survived and were taken prisoner. The second was on 1 April when the pilot was killed and the other crew members were taken prisoner. This plane had bombed a British ship and one engine was damaged by anti aircraft fire, forcing it to crash land. A few remains can be found on the crash site. Reportedly to avoid reprisals the crew concocted a story that they were on a reconnaissance mission. The island of"
"were anchored in Portolago. The island of Leros was finally captured by German troops during operation ""Taifun"" in airborne and amphibious assaults between 12–16 November 1943. The forces involved were paratroop units and a battalion from the elite Brandenburg division. The ground troops were supported by bombers of the ""Luftwaffe"". Among them I. and II. group of Stuka-Wing 3. I. Group operated from Megara Air Base. The island remained under German occupation until the end of the war. After the Germans evacuated the island, it came under British administration, until, on 7 March 1948, together with the other Dodecanese Islands,"
"Invasion of the Isle of Wight."" Herm's sandy beaches were soon used for practising landings from barges, in preparation for the invasion of England, but otherwise the island saw little of the Germans beyond officers making trips to shoot rabbits. Herm had only a little German construction during the war; a flak battery was placed on the island for a few weeks, and mines were placed in an area. Occasionally German soldiers would travel to Herm to cut wood for fuel. Operation Huckaback was a British Second World War military operation that was originally designed to be a raid on"
"to launch a planned invasion of the island, Operation ""Herkules"". Although Malta became largely ineffective as an offensive base in mid 1942, later that same year the Allied offensive from Malta became increasingly effective. The Axis defeat at the Second Battle of El Alamein and the Allied landings, Operation ""Torch"", in Western North Africa, threatened to crush the Axis from both East and West. The Germans responded by sending reinforcements to Africa through Vichy-held Tunisia, but by the start of 1943 they were suffering increasing shipping losses to Malta's forces. Some respite was won for the Axis when the Allies"
"Operation Collie Operation Collie was a British naval operation in World War II, from 5–11 July 1945. Its objectives were, firstly, naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands, particularly on Nancowry Island; secondly, providing cover for minesweeping operations in advance of a possible invasion; and thirdly, making carrier raids on Japanese airfields in northern Sumatra. These measures were a prelude for an invasion, Operation Zipper, which was never carried out due to the Surrender of Japan. Operation Collie was carried out under the direction of Rear Admiral Wilfrid Patterson, by ruler-class aircraft carriers and ,"
"war, the German-Italian Allies planned to invade the island of Malta, then a British possession, using the ladders of the fire brigade, to be mounted on mine-layers. The soldiers (in this plan) could walk the ladders up to the island's territory. Giombini secretly asked all the 94 corps for a list of volunteers; it was necessary a strict selection for the manpower recruiting since the answers were numerous . The operation, called ""C3"" by Italians and ""Herkules"" by Germans, however, was abruptly cancelled in October 1942, and the Battalion was disbanded. In early November, under increasing Anglo-American bombing raids on"
"Germans drew up a report to examine the feasibility of seizing Iceland, Operation Ikarus. The report found that while an invasion could be successful, maintaining supply lines would be too costly and the benefits of holding Iceland would not outweigh the costs (there was, for instance, insufficient infrastructure for aircraft in Iceland). Invasion of Iceland The invasion of Iceland took place on 10 May 1940 during World War II. Iceland was occupied by troops of the United Kingdom. The British military operation, codenamed Operation Fork, was conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The invasion was carried out because"
"Malaya and from the waters around the Nicobars."" Operation Collie Operation Collie was a British naval operation in World War II, from 5–11 July 1945. Its objectives were, firstly, naval bombardment and aerial strikes on Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands, particularly on Nancowry Island; secondly, providing cover for minesweeping operations in advance of a possible invasion; and thirdly, making carrier raids on Japanese airfields in northern Sumatra. These measures were a prelude for an invasion, Operation Zipper, which was never carried out due to the Surrender of Japan. Operation Collie was carried out under the direction of Rear Admiral"
"Occupation of Iceland The Occupation of Iceland during World War II began with a British invasion intent on occupying and denying Iceland to Germany. The military operation codenamed Operation Fork was conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The invasion of Iceland was a British military operation conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines during World War II to occupy and deny Iceland to Germany. At the start of the war, Britain imposed strict export controls on Icelandic goods, preventing profitable shipments to Germany, as part of its naval blockade. Britain offered assistance to Iceland, seeking cooperation “as"
"Regia Marina out-gunned the British, yet the Royal Navy was far from out-classed. The German airforce had superior aircraft until late in the day, when Spitfires were finally sent to Malta. Also at this time, German and Italian strategists were planning Operation Herkules, a sea and air invasion of the Maltese Islands, an effort continuously postponed – until it was too late, because the Maltese Islands finally received their vital supply of fuel, food and munitions. On 15 August 1942 (feast of Santa Maria) a convoy of Royal and Merchant Navy ships made port at Valletta's Grand Harbour, after completing"
"also wanted to use Iceland as an air base for the protection of our submarines operating in that area"". After the British invasion, the Germans drew up a report to examine the feasibility of seizing Iceland, Operation Ikarus. The report found that while an invasion could be successful, maintaining supply lines would be too costly and the benefits of holding Iceland would not outweigh the costs (there was, for instance, insufficient infrastructure for aircraft in Iceland). Occupation of Iceland The Occupation of Iceland during World War II began with a British invasion intent on occupying and denying Iceland to Germany."
"Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The planned operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. The operation had two parts: Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet. Set to begin in November 1945, Operation Olympic was intended to capture the southern third of the southernmost main Japanese island, Kyūshū, with the recently captured island of Okinawa to be used as a staging area. Later, in the spring of 1946,"
"Rumors among the Germans who planned the sabotage were that it had been called off due to betrayal. Most of these types of plans involved acts of sabotage using agents in place and/or landed by U-boat. Operation Pelikan Operation ""Pelikan"" (), also known as Projekt 14, was a German plan for crippling the Panama Canal during World War II. In the fall of 1943 the Wehrmacht had completed preparations to haul two Ju 87 Stukas with folding wings on two U-boats to an unnamed Colombian island near the coast of Panama, reassemble the planes, arm them with ""special bombs"", and"
"stationed on the island in 1941 to prevent Nazi Germany from occupying the islands. Norway came under German occupation in 1940. The majority of inhabitants on the island were Russian, and the Soviet Union had a non-aggression pact with Germany until 22 June 1941. The United Kingdom and Canada sent military forces to the island to destroy installations, mainly Soviet coal mines, and to prevent German occupation. In 1943, the German battleship ""Tirpitz"" and an escort flotilla shelled and destroyed the Allied weather station in Operation Zitronella. On 6 September, a squadron consisting of ""Tirpitz"", the battleship ""Scharnhorst"" and nine"
"the other Japanese armies east of the Sittang. Matsui's men suffered slightly lighter casualties in this costly operation than most of the other Japanese units involved. However, the naval personnel in Matsui's force broke out separately from the main body and several days later, which allowed Allied units to concentrate against them. They were effectively wiped out, only a handful surviving. Operation Dracula During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British, American and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when"
"Operation Green (Ireland) Operation Green () often also referred to as Case Green () or Plan Green (), was a full-scale operations plan for a Nazi German invasion of Ireland in support of Operation Sea Lion (), the invasion of the United Kingdom, during World War II. Despite its detailed nature, Operation Green is thought to have been designed only as a credible threat, a feint, not an actual operation. Plan W, a planned occupation of all of the Free State by the British Armed Forces, was drafted by the British military in secret liaison with the Irish government to"
"and New Caledonia. Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides was selected as the headquarters and main base for the impending offensive—codenamed Operation Watchtower—with the commencement date set for 7 August 1942. At first, the Allied offensive was planned just for Tulagi and the Santa Cruz Islands, omitting Guadalcanal. However, after Allied reconnaissance discovered the Japanese airfield construction efforts on Guadalcanal, capture of that airfield was added to the plan and the Santa Cruz operation was dropped. The Allied ""Watchtower"" expeditionary force of 75 warships and transports, which included vessels from both the U.S. and Australia, assembled near Fiji on 26"
"was the name given by the Japanese to their plan to invade and occupy Nauru and Ocean Island. The operation was originally set to be executed in May 1942, immediately following Operation MO (the invasion of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands), and before Operation MI (the attack on Midway). The first attempt to occupy Nauru began on 11 May, when an Imperial Japanese invasion force consisting of a cruiser, two mine-layers and two destroyers, with Special Naval Landing Force units, under the command of Rear Admiral Shima Kiyohide, departed Rabaul. The task force was attacked by the United States"
"Invasion of Iceland The invasion of Iceland took place on 10 May 1940 during World War II. Iceland was occupied by troops of the United Kingdom. The British military operation, codenamed Operation Fork, was conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The invasion was carried out because the British Government feared that the island would be used by Germany. The Government of Iceland issued a protest, charging that its neutrality had been ""flagrantly violated"" and ""its independence infringed"". At the start of the war, the UK imposed strict export controls on Icelandic goods, preventing profitable shipments to Germany, as"
"Invasion of the Kuril Islands The Invasion of the Kuril Islands ( ""Kuril Islands Landing Operation"") was the World War II Soviet military operation to capture the Kuril Islands from Japan in 1945. The invasion was part of the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation, and was decided on when plans to land on Hokkaido were abandoned. The successful military operations of the Red Army at Mudanjiang and during the Invasion of South Sakhalin created the necessary prerequisites for invasion of the Kuril Islands. The operation took place between August 18 and September 1. The attack was made by the 87th Rifle"
"Raid on Santorini The Raid on Santorini took place on 24 April 1944 as part of the Mediterranean Campaign in World War II. It was conducted by the British Special Boat Service, against the mixed German and Italian garrison on the island of Santorini (Thera) in the Aegean Sea. The raid was made in tandem with similar operations at the islands of Ios, Mykonos and Amorgos that aimed to destroy Axis naval observation posts and radio stations on the Cycladic islands. During the winter of 1943, the Germans had secured their control of the Aegean archipelago. In spring 1944, they"
"in December 1437, when his ship sought shelter from a storm on the island during his journey to the Council of Ferrara. On 12 February 1944, SS ""Oria"" sank in a storm on the south east rocks of Patroklos island with 4,074 killed, most Italian military internees. It was also the island at the heart of the Israeli political scandal known as the ""Greek island affair"". Patroklos (Attica) Patroklos () or Gaidouronisi (Γαϊδουρονήσι, ""donkey island"") is a small, private island located in the Saronic Gulf, Greece. It is situated about 65 km from Athens and 3 km from Sounion and"
"logistical problems. It has been suggested that Mackenzie was the basis for the character Mr Cathcart in D.H. Lawrence's ""The Man who Loved Islands"", about a man who moved to ever smaller islands much as Mackenzie moved from Herm to the smaller Jethou, but Lawrence himself denied it. The German occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War essentially by-passed Herm. The island was claimed on 20 July 1940 by the Third Reich, a few weeks after the arrival of German troops in Guernsey and Jersey, German soldiers landed on the island to shoot a propaganda film, ""The"
"of an invasion was approved at a meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini from 29 to 30 April 1942. Command of the airborne component of ""Herkules"" was given to ""Generalmajor"" Kurt Student and ""Fliegerkorps"" XI. Student had commanded the German airborne assault in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. This time, Student had months to prepare and learn from the mistakes made on Crete. Knowledge of British defensive positions on Malta was extensive, thanks to meticulous aerial mapping by the Italians. Every fortification, artillery emplacement and AA battery was carefully noted and scrutinised. Student claimed later that ""We"