Operation Checkmate (commando raid) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Checkmate
Part of Raids and Commando Actions in Norway during World War II
Cockles (photograph taken during Operation Frankton)
Date 28 April – 15 May 1943 Location Haugesund, Norway 59°26′47″N 05°17′54″E / 59.44639°N 5.29833°E / 59.44639; 5.29833 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant John Godwin RNVR
Units involved
No. 14 (Arctic) Commando
Strength
Seven men
Casualties and losses
7  (POW) 6 executed 1 died of Typhus	One minesweeper sunk

Operation Checkmate was a secret mission during World War II. It took place in April 1943 in Haugesund, Norway. British soldiers called British Commandos carried out the raid.

Seven men from No. 14 (Arctic) Commando were part of the team. They used special Limpet mines to attack German ships. They successfully sank one ship. Sadly, all seven men were captured later. Six of them were executed, and one died from a disease.

About Operation Checkmate

Operation Checkmate was the last of 12 commando raids on the Norwegian coast. These raids happened during the Second World War. The team for this mission had one officer and six other soldiers.

This commando group was formed in late 1942. Their job was to operate in very cold, Arctic areas. They were asked to do more raids in Norway. No. 14 (Arctic) Commando had two main parts. One part specialized in small boat operations. The other part was good at skiing and mountain climbing.

The commandos aimed to attack German naval and air bases in Norway. These bases were used by the Germans to attack Allied ships. These Allied ships were part of the Arctic Convoys. For Operation Checkmate, the men chosen were experts in boat operations.

The Team and Their Goal

The leader of the raid was Lieutenant John Godwin. He was from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The rest of the team included a sergeant, two petty officers, and three able seamen.

Their mission was to attack ships in Oslo and Kopervik. They planned to enter the harbors quietly using canoes. Then, they would attach Limpet mines to the ships' hulls.

The Mission Begins

The commando team traveled across the North Sea by a fast boat. This boat was called a Motor Torpedo Boat. When they reached Norwegian waters, they set up a hidden base. This base was on the island of Bokn.

The Motor Torpedo Boat then left them. It returned to the United Kingdom. The raiding party had a small fishing boat called a coble and their canoes. The plan was for the Motor Torpedo Boat to come back later. It would pick them up and take them back to the UK.

Attacking the Ships

The commandos had two canoes for their mission. Lieutenant Godwin and Able Seaman Burgess were one team. Able Seamen Mayor and West were the other team.

Their plan was to use the coble to get close to their targets. This would happen under the cover of darkness. Then, they would use the canoes to get even closer. They would attach their Limpet mines to the ships.

They managed to sink one German ship. It was a minesweeper named M 5207. A German document later said that several German ships were sunk. This included the one from Operation Checkmate and others sunk by a Norwegian resistance group.

After the Attack

After the attack, the two canoe teams returned. They went to where the coble was supposed to be. But the coble had been moved. The three other soldiers, with help from Norwegian civilians, moved it. They took it to a safer place further inland.

The two canoe teams then moved west. They went towards the Urter islands. They waited there for their Motor Torpedo Boat pickup. The coble was moved to be fixed, but its crew had to leave it.

Capture and Aftermath

The group with the coble was captured on May 14, 1943. The German Army, police, and Norwegian civilians searched for them. The next day, the four men on Urter island were also captured.

They were held at the Grini concentration camp for questioning. Then, they were handed over to the German secret police. They were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp memorial plaque for British and Commonwealth forces

All the men from Operation Checkmate were captured while in uniform. This meant they should have been treated as prisoners of war. However, in 1942, Adolf Hitler gave a special order. This order was called the Commando Order. It said that all captured commandos should be executed after questioning. This was true even if they were in uniform.

At Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the men were forced to march long distances. They had to march about 30 miles a day over cobblestones. This was to break in German Army boots.

Five of the team members were executed on February 2, 1945. Mayor and Roe were moved to Belsen concentration camp. Mayor was executed there on April 7, 1945. Roe died from Typhus.

Lieutenant Godwin was honored after his death. He was mentioned for his bravery as a prisoner of war. He is remembered at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. This memorial is for naval service members with no known grave. Other team members are also remembered on various naval memorials.