Operation Sunstar was a

Second World War 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 ...

raid on

Houlgate Houlgate () is a small tourist resort in northwestern France along the English Channel with a beach and a casino. It is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (admini ...

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

over the night of 22/23 November 1941.

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 ...

of No. 9 Commando took part in the raid. Their objective was the Batterie de Tournebride on the ''Butte de Houlgate''.Marcel Miocque et Huguette Vernochet (2006). ''Houlgate regards sur le passé''. p182 Ninety men of No. 9 Commando travelled across the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

on HMS ''Prince Leopold'' and landed at the bottom of the Vaches Noires. The ship also transported four Assault Landing Craft, which were used for the landing, while four

Motor Gun Boat The motor gunboat (MGB) was a small, high-speed British military vessel of the Second World War, which was armed with a mix of guns, in contrast to the physically similar motor torpedo boat (MTB), whose main offensive weapon were torpedoes. ...

s provided cover. The operation encountered several difficulties. At first there was no sign of any Germans, but soon the area was illuminated by flares and searchlights. Trucks were seen approaching, so the raiders still on the beach swam out after exchanging torch signals with the cover party. The LCA gunners withheld their fire in order not to reveal their position. During this time another raider party called at a farmhouse, and was informed that the arrival of a two-man German bicycle patrol was imminent. The raiders set a rope across the road to dismount the Germans, but no sooner had they done this than a

Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...

dive-bomber attacked the waiting LCAs. Private J. Davidson, a

Bren The Bren gun (Brno-Enfield) was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by the United Kingdom in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in Wor ...

gunner on one of the LCAs, now discovered that his LCA was half full of water and had only one engine operative. Even so, as the dive-bomber made a second strafing attack, Davidson managed to put two bursts into the aeroplane. The Commandos did not succeed in destroying the battery or taking any prisoners but they did obtain documents and other information.Marthe Rambaud et Jean-Claude Bosquain (1995). ''Gonneville-sur-Mer 1939-1945''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunstar, Operation of 1941 Conflicts in 1941 World War II British Commando raids 1941 in France Military history of Normandy