Operation Fritham

Operation Fritham
Part of World War II
Date 30 April 1942 – 14 May (air raid) – 2 July 1943 Location Spitsbergen, Norway Result Operational failure Norwegian military presence on Svalbard
Belligerents
Norway	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
Einar Sverdrup †
Strength
82 soldiers SS Selis (transport ship) SS Isbjørn (transport ship)	4 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors
Casualties and losses
12 killed 15 wounded (one died later)

Operation Fritham was a British based Norwegian operation with the goal of securing the rich coal mines on the island of Spitsbergen (a part of Svalbard) and denying their use to Nazi Germany.

The mission

On 30 April 1942, 82 men from the Norwegian Brigade in Scotland sailed from Greenock heading for Svalbard. They sailed aboard the steamships Selis and Isbjørn. On 14 May, the two ships were sunk by Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor long-range patrol bombers. Twelve men were killed and 15 wounded.

The operation's commander was Einar Sverdrup, who died on the mission. Sverdrup had been the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, a Norwegian coal mining company based in Svalbard.

SS Selis and SS Isbjørn were sunk by four Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors of the Luftwaffe.

Aftermath of the air attack

The surviving soldiers managed to get to Barentsburg. The survivors were on their own until May, when they were spotted by an Allied aircraft, following which they were supplied by air-drop. On 2 July the force were re-supplied by sea, an operation code-named Gearbox. They survived isolated on Spitsbergen until reinforcements arrived. Air raids continued against the Fritham force during this period and therefore Operation Gearbox equipped them with anti aircraft guns.