Operation Bigamy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Bigamy
Part of Operation Agreement, the Second World War
Date September 1942 Location Benina and Benghazi, Cyrenaica, Italian Libya, North Africa Result Allied operational failure
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Italy  Germany
Commanders and leaders
David Stirling
Casualties and losses
~70 vehicles	Unknown

Operation Bigamy, also known as Operation Snowdrop, was a secret mission during the Second World War. It happened in September 1942. This daring raid was carried out by a special British military group called the Special Air Service (SAS).

The SAS was led by Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling. They also had help from another group, the Long Range Desert Group. The main goal of Operation Bigamy was to attack important enemy sites in Libya, North Africa.

What Was Operation Bigamy?

Operation Bigamy was a military raid planned by the British during World War II. The main targets were the harbor and storage areas in Benghazi. They also planned to attack the airfield at Benina. Both of these places are in Libya.

This mission was part of a bigger plan called Operation Agreement. Operation Agreement was a much larger attack on a place called Tobruk. Operation Bigamy was meant to trick the enemy. It made them think the main attack was happening somewhere else.

The Difficult Journey

The soldiers faced a very tough journey. They had to travel around the southern edge of the Great Sand Sea. This was a huge, difficult desert area. The trip was long and very tiring for the soldiers and their vehicles.

Why the Mission Failed

Sadly, Operation Bigamy did not go as planned. The raiding force was discovered by Italian soldiers. This happened at a roadblock. Because they were spotted, Lieutenant Colonel Stirling decided to pull his troops back. They headed towards a safe place called Kufra.

During their retreat, German planes attacked them. The planes belonged to the Luftwaffe, which was the German air force. The desert offered no cover, so the planes easily hit the vehicles. Nearly 70 vehicles were destroyed during this attack.

After the mission, the soldiers who survived were brought together. They formed a new group called the 1st Special Air Service regiment.

The Name: Operation Snowdrop

You might sometimes hear this mission called Operation Snowdrop. This name came from early versions of a book. The book was written by William Boyd Kennedy Shaw. It was called Long Range Desert Group.

At that time, the War Office had strict rules. They did not allow real secret mission names to be used in books. So, Shaw had to use a different, made-up name for the operation. That is why he used "Operation Snowdrop."

A Disagreement About the Mission

In September 1967, a writer named Len Deighton wrote an article. It was published in The Sunday Times Magazine. The article was about Operation Snowdrop.

The next year, David Stirling had a disagreement about the article. He felt some parts were not accurate. The article suggested that Stirling had talked about the secret raid at social events. These events were at the British Embassy in Cairo. The article said he was warned not to talk about it.

Stirling explained that Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister at the time, was at both gatherings. He said the topic came up in a private chat with the Prime Minister. The disagreement was settled, and Stirling received money for the issues raised in the article.