Operation Devon was the

code name A code name, codename, call sign, or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in ...

of an amphibious landing by

British Commandos The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against German-occ ...

in 1943 at

Termoli Termoli ( Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a ...

, on the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

coast of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, during the Italian Campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Landing

''Devon'' was launched on 3 October 1943, as part of the attack on the

Volturno Line The Volturno Line (also known as the Viktor Line; , ) was a German defensive position in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the ...

, and was undertaken by No. 3 Commando, No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commando and other elements of the 2nd Special Service Brigade. It was later reinforced by two brigades of the British 78th Infantry Division. In the early hours of 3 October 1943, 3 and 40 Commandos, and elements of the Special Raiding Squadron landed behind the German lines under cover of darkness at Termoli, a seaport town on the Adriatic coast, north of the

Biferno The Biferno is a river of Molise, in southern Italy. Its source is in the ''comune'' of Bojano and during the first few kilometres of its course, it receives the waters of numerous streams which flow from the Matese mountains. It runs through sev ...

River. 40 Commando penetrated well into the town before the Germans were alerted. There was brisk close-quarter fighting with German paratroopers from ''Kampfgruppe Rau'' – a defensive detachment made up of one ''Fallschirmjäger'' (paratrooper) platoon, with flak, engineer, transport and other support units from 1. ''Fallschirmjäger'' Division. By 08:00 hours, the commandos had captured the town and controlled the approaches. So complete was the surprise that the ''kampfgruppe'' commander, Major Rau, was wearing pyjamas when captured, and German vehicles and motorcyclists drove into a commando ambush position until around noon. Elements of the 78th Division, including tanks, had arrived to reinforce the commandos by the time German forces counter-attacked in strength: two battalions from ''16. Panzer Division'' and the paratroopers of ''Kampfgruppe Schultz''. The British held off repeated counter-attacks until 6 October. By noon on the 6th they had linked up with the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt, before being renamed the Army of the Nile and then the Eighth Army on 26 September. It was cr ...

, and by noon on the 6th the enemy was in full retreat.

Aftermath

The operation was a success. It had won a valuable harbour and the assault force had repelled all counterattacks. ''Devon'' subsequently caused German forces to withdraw from the natural defence line on the Biferno and denied them use of an important lateral road from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, thereby forcing them to retreat further northwards. The operation had been a costly one for the commandos, however. Between them they lost three officers and 29 other ranks (ORs) killed, seven officers and 78 ORs wounded, and one officer and 22 ORs missing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devon, Operation of 1943 Conflicts in 1943 World War II British Commando raids 1943 in Italy Province of Campobasso Amphibious operations of World War II Battles of World War II involving Germany Battles of World War II involving Italy October 1943 in Europe Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom World War II operations and battles of the Italian Campaign Italian campaign (World War II)