Operation Musketoon
Operation Musketoon was an Anglo-Norwegian raid against a German-held Generator Station at Glomfjord, Norway in September, 1942 during the Second World War. The team comprised a total of twelve men - ten commandos and two Norwegian corporals - working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The team was brought to the fjord in Nazi-controlled Norway by submarines, where they would make their way to the Electrical Generator and disable it.
The importance of the generator was that it powered a nearby aluminium factory, considered vital to the German war effort.
The Team
- †Captain Graeme. D Black MC - born 9 May, 1911, in Dresden, Ontario
- †Captain Joseph. B J Houghton MC - born 13 June, 1911, at Bromborough
- †L./Sgt. William Chudley (explosives) - born 10 May, 1922, at Exeter
- †Rflm. Eric Curtis (explosives)
- Sgt. Richard O'Brien (explosives)
- †Pte. Reginald Makeham - born 28 January, 1914, at Ipswich
- †Cpl. Miller Smith - born 2 November, 1915, at Middlesbrough
- †Rflm. Cyril Abram - born 20 August, 1922, in London
- Cpl. John Fairclough - born 24 October, 1921, in London
- Pte. Fred Trigg
- †Cpl. Erling M Djupdraet
- Cpl. Sverre Granlund
† = executed October 23 or October 30, 1942
The Operation
The team travelled to Glomfjord in the Free French submarine Junon escorted by three British submarines. They began their trek towards the station, while avoiding a land survey patrol led by the German Lt. Wilhelm Dehne.
The mission succeeded in blowing up pipelines, turbines and tunnels, effectively destroying the Generating station - the aluminium plant was shut down permanently - however one commando had been killed outright, and another seven were captured while trying to escape the area, and taken to Colditz Castle. From there they were taken to Sachsenhausen detention camp and executed, the first victims of Hitler's Commando Order.
After the Operation
Seven of the officers were shot in Sachsenhausen following the issuing of the Commando Order by Hitler.
- O'Brien survived the war.
- Fairclough survived the war.
- Trigg was killed in Italy.
- Granlund was lost in February of 1943 when Norwegian submarine KNM Uredd sank off the Norwegian coast. In 1995, Norwegian artist Laila Lorentzen commemorated his role in the war with a statue built for Saltdal museum in Rognan.
The survivors of the raid were de-briefed in Britain after the raid, and a specialised Commando team ("North Force") was established for action in difficult terrain.
Further Research
The British National Archives have released their files relating to this operation under heading A/G1/WCI 682.