Operation Chestnut

Part of World War II, Invasion of Sicily

Date	12 July 1943
Location	Sicily
Result	British failure

Belligerents

United Kingdom

Italy

Commanders and leaders

Major Geoffrey Appleyard

Strength

Invasion of Sicily

Corkscrew Mincemeat Barclay Chestnut Narcissus Fustian Ladbroke Gela Troina Centuripe

During World War II, Operation Chestnut was a failed British raid by 2 Special Air Service, conducted in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily.

Two teams of ten men each, codenamed 'Pink' and 'Brig', parachuted into northern Sicily on the night of 12 July 1943, to disrupt communications, transport and the enemy in general. All radios were broken and much ammunition, explosives and food lost in the jump. One team landed near an inhabited area, alerting the defenders.

Without radios neither team was able to contact and direct the planes bringing in reinforcements, which subsequently returned to base without any drops being made. The raiders were unable to achieve anything worthwhile and worked their way towards friendly lines evading the enemy.

This was the first parachute raid for 2 SAS, and also the raid when Maj. Geoffrey Appleyard, (former commander of the Small Scale Raiding Force), was lost. Appleyard was aboard the plane carrying 'Pink' team as drop supervisor. After the drop was made the plane failed to return to base.

British Commando raids of the Second World War

A	Abstention Agreement Ambassador Anklet Archery Aquatint Aflame Anglo Amherst Archway Abercrombie Acid Drop Albumen Astrakan

B	Baobab Basalt Biting Bigamy Batman Begonia Bulbasket Brandy Barricade Bardia raid Battle of Hill 170 Bristle Branford Battle of the Litani River

C	Candytuft Chestnut Clawhammer Claymore Cold Comfort Collar Colossus Cartoon Chariot Canuck Crackers Chess Checkmate Chopper

D	Driftwood Dryad Defoe Dunhill Deep Cut Devon

E	Exporter

F	Flipper Frankton Freshman Fahrenheit Forfar Farrier Foxrock

G	Gaff Gauntlet

H	Hardtack Hawthorn Houndsworth Huckaback

I	Infatuate

J	Jaywick Jubilee J V

K	Kitbag Keystone

L	Loyton

M	Maple Menacle Musketoon Myrmidon

N	Narcissus Nelson Newton Nicety Noah

O	Opossum

P	Postmaster Partridge Pistol

R	Rimau Roast Roundabout Rumford

S	Saxifrage Savanna Sunstar Speedwell

T	Tarbrush Thistledown Tombola Twin Pimples raid

British Commandos List of Commando raids on the Atlantic Wall

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Operation Chestnut

See also