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:

• purely naval operations in the adjoining waters (see: List of World War II military operations - Atlantic Ocean)
• operations in Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), Iceland and Greenland (see: Military operations in Scandinavia and Iceland during World War II)
• operations in the Mediterranean and Italy (see: World War II operations in the Mediterranean region).

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

• Fall Weiss ("Case White") (1939) — invasion of Poland

1940

• Ariel (1940) — Allied retreat from France using ports between Cherbourg and the Spanish frontier.
• Ambassador (1940) — commando raid on Guernsey
• Attila (1940) — German seizure and occupation of Vichy France, without Italian support. See also Fall Anton ("Case Anton") and Lila.
• Cycle (1940) — British and Allied evacuation from Le Havre
• Dynamo (1940) — British & Allied evacuation from Dunkirk.
• Fall Gelb ("Case Yellow") (1939–40) — offensive against the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
• Grunpfeil (1940) — invasion of British held Channel Islands.
• Granit (Granite) (1940) — Fallschirmjäger capture of Fort Eben-Emael
• Marine (1940) — Dropping of naval mines into the Rhine
• Mondscheinsonate ("Moonlight Sonata") (1940) — Luftwaffe raid on Coventry
• Fall Rot ("Case Red") (1939–40) — invasion of France and rout of British Expeditionary Force
• Seelöwe ("Sealion") (1940) — planned invasion of Britain
  • Adlerangriff ("Eagle Attack") — Axis effort to destroy the RAF prior to invasion. Preceded by attacks on shipping known as "Kanalkampf" (Channel Battle). Aerial battles during the period were later dubbed the Battle of Britain.
  • Fall Grün ("Case Green") (1940) — planned invasion of Ireland as part of Seelöwe
  • Herbstreise ("Autumn Journey") — planned/diversionary invasion of Scotland as part of Seelöwe.
• Tannenbaum ("Christmas Tree") (1940) — planned invasion of Switzerland.
• XD (1940) — a series of demolition operations to prevent capture of oil installations and stocks by the Germans

1941

• Colossus (1941) — Feb. 10, commando raid on Tragino aqueduct near Calitri, Italy.

1942

• Basalt (1942) — raid on Sark
• Biting (1942) — commando raid on radar site in France
• Bolero (1942) — build-up of US forces and matériel for Roundup. Later utilized during Torch and Overlord.
• Zerberus — ("Cerberus") (1942) — break-out of German capital ships from Brest later dubbed the "Channel Dash".
• Chariot (1942) — British raid on Saint Nazaire.
• Clawhammer (1942) — planned commando raid on a radar site in France.
• Fall Anton (1942) — German occupation of Vichy France: Attila renamed, with Italian support.
• Frankton (1942) — commando raid on shipping in Bordeaux.
• Jubilee (1942) — repelled raid on Dieppe. See Also Operation Rutter.
  • Abercrombie (1942) — raid on Hardelot in preparation for Jubilee.
  • Cauldron (1942) — raid on Varengeville in support of Jubilee.
• Lila (1942) — plan to capture French fleet at Toulon.
• Millennium (1942) — British 1000 bomber raid on Cologne.
• Plan W (1942) — planning between Allies and neutral Éire (Ireland) to deal with Fall Grün.
• Roundup (1942) — plan to invade Europe in event of German or Soviet collapse. Later abandoned in favor of Torch landings. Planning for Roundup included;
  • Sledgehammer (1942) — establishment of beachhead in Cherbourg or Brest.
  • Roundhammer — revised planning for Roundup.
• Sickle (1942) — build-up of US air forces in UK

1943

• Bellicose (1943) — British bombing mission against Friedrichshafen and La Spezia.
• Bolero (1943/1944) — build-up of US forces and matériel in preparation for Allied invasion of France.
• Chastise (1943) — bombing of Ruhr area dams popularly known as the "Dambuster" raid.
• Corona (1943) — bombing raid on Kassel, Germany.
• Constellation (1943) — one of several proposals to retake the Channel Islands;
  • Condor (1943) — proposal to retake Jersey
  • Concertina (1943) — proposal to retake Alderney
  • Coverlet (1943) — proposal to retake Guernsey
• Crossbow (1943/1944) — plan to destroy rocket production and launch sites. See Also Pointblank.
  • Hydra (1943) — bombing of Peenemünde rocket research center.
• Double Strike (1943) — Bombing of Regensburg and Schweinfurt.
• Project Habakkuk (1943) — project to construct an aircraft carrier from ice.
• Pointblank (1943) — Umbrella for bombing offensive by USAAF and RAF in preparation for Overlord.
  • Gomorrah (1943) sequence of air raids on Hamburg.

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)
• Clipper (1944) — Allied assault on Siegfried Line at Geilenkirchen.
• Constellation (1944) — occupation of Venraij and Venlo by British VIII Corps.
  • Aintree (1944) — occupation of Overloon and Venraij by British 3rd Infantry Division.
• Diver (1944) — Defence of London against V-1 attack.
• Fusilade (1944) — capture of Dieppe
• Houndsmith (1944) — Special Air Service (SAS) action near Dijon.
• 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.
• Jericho (1944) — air-raid on Amiens prison to release French Resistance prisoners
• Lost (1944) — British raid on Brittany
• Loyton (1944) — unsuccessful large SAS action in Vosges mountains.
• Lüttich — German counter-offensive at Mortain.
• Marine (1944) — Dropping of naval mines into the Rhine
• Market Garden (1944) — Allied airborne attempt to cross the lower Rhine.
  • Comet (1944) — early draft of Market Garden
  • Berlin (1944) — defeat and withdrawal of British 1st Airborne.
• Nelson (1944) — cancelled SAS action in France.
• Newton (1944) — Free French SAS action in Burgundy, France
• Noah (1944) — response to blowing of river dykes near Nijmegen and consequential flooding
• Operation 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) — advance to River Vire
  • Bodyguard — deception plan, including:
    • Fortitude (1944) —
      • Skye
    • Fortitude (1944) — two deception operations to mislead over location of landings
    • Glimmer (1944) — feint towards Pas de Calais
    • Hambone (1944) — also known as Copperhead
    • Jael
    • Quicksilver
    • Zeppelin (1944) — deception plan to depict an amphibious landing on Crete, western Greece, or the Romanian Black Sea coast
  • Charnwood (1944) — assault on Caen.
  • Chicago — Allied airdrop
  • Cobra (1944) — breakout from Normandy.
    • Dunhill (1944) — SAS action in support of Cobra.
  • Cooney (1944) — Free French SAS action in St Malo area.
  • Dauntless (1944) — British XXX Corps.
  • Defoe (1944) — SAS action in Normandy
  • Detroit — American airdrop in Normandy
  • Dingson — Free French commando raid
  • Epsom (1944) — British assault west of Caen, Normandy
  • Goodwood (1944) — British breakout attempt (?) from Normandy
    • Atlantic (1944) — Supporting operation for Goodwood
    • Greenline (1944) — diversionary attack by XXI XXX & XXI British Corps
    • Pomegranate (1944) — preparation for 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
  • 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 effort to trap German armour in Normandy
  • Tractable (1944) — continuation of Operation Totalize to 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.
• 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") (1945) — Luftwaffe support raids on Allied airbases. Re-scheduled to 1 January 1945.
• Wellhit (1944) — assault on Boulogne

1945

• Amherst (1945) — French airborne raid in the Netherlands
• Anger (1945) — cross the Neder Rijn and capture Arnhem
• Blackcock (1945) — clearance of the Roer Triangle by the British 2nd Army
• Bremen (1945) — occupation of Bremen
• Cannonshot (1945) — crossing the IJssel
• Cleanser (1945) — advance to the IJsselmeer
• Crosskeys (1945) — the establishment of allied coastal and minesweeping forces in Danish waters
• Destroyer (1945) — clearing the "Island"
• Eclipse (1945) — occupation of north German ports
• Exodus (1945) — repatriation of POWs
• Goldflake (1945) — Canadian 1st Corps moves from Italy to northwest Europe under command of Canadian First Army
• Grenade (1945) — US Ninth Army advance from the Roer (see also Veritable)
• Nestegg (1945) — reoccupation of the Channel Islands
• Nordwind ("North Wind") (1945) — attempt to open a second front in Alsace
• Placket (1945) — delivery by sea of essential supplies to Dutch civilians
• Plunder (1945) — 21st Army Group crossing of the Rhine
  • Archway — SAS operation to support Plunder
  • Varsity — airborne crossing in conjunction with Plunder
• Schneeman (1945) — German attempt to open a second front in Netherlands.
• Valediction (1945) — original plan for Canadian First Army's advance through the Klever Reichswald to Xanten, delayed then renamed Veritable
• Venerable (1945) — clearance of German garrisons on the Gironde estuary (Operation Independence, revived)
  • Jupiter (1945) — assault on Ile d'Oléron
• Veritable (1945) — Canadian First Army's advance through the Klever Reichswald to Xanten co-ordinated with Grenade (formerly Valediction)
  • Blockbuster (1945) — final phases of Veritable'
  • Heather (1945) — reinforcement of XXX Corps by British 3rd Infantry Division
  • Ventilate (1945) — cancelled assault crossing of the Maas by British 3rd Infantry Division

See also

List of World War II military operations

External links

• WW2DB: List of Axis Operations
• WW2DB: List of Allied Operations