View Full Version : Unknown/Obscure WWII Battles
Post an article about a relatively unknown/obscure battle or campaign during WWII. I always find stuff like this interesting.
Ill start with the Battle of Madagascar in 1942: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Madagascar
Battle of the St. Lawrence River (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_St._Lawrence)
Battle of Sunda Strait
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sunda_Strait
Operation Bagration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bagration
Probably the largest and most successful single offensive operation of WWII, forgotten largely because it was overshadowed by Overlord that happened just two weeks prior.
AntEater
06-06-07, 03:40 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Koh_Chang
The naval battle of Koh Chang. The only french naval victory of WW2 (:arrgh!:).
A french colonial squadron with a light cruiser and some sloops took apart the a Royal Thai Navy squadron without french losses.
As the french in Indochina were somewhat in the Vichy camp, and Thailand a quasi ally of Japan, this could well be considered a battle of axis powers...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Koh_Chang
The naval battle of Koh Chang. The only french naval victory of WW2 (:arrgh!:).
A french colonial squadron with a light cruiser and some sloops took apart the a Royal Thai Navy squadron without french losses.
As the french in Indochina were somewhat in the Vichy camp, and Thailand a quasi ally of Japan, this could well be considered a battle of axis powers...
I have never before heard of a battle between two Axis powers :huh: ... very interesting stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek
:D Chock
Happy Times
06-06-07, 08:15 PM
Battles of Suomussalmi and Raate-Road. Finnish troops destroyed two Soviet divisions, suffering some 700 as KIA&MIA against some 45.000 KIA&MIA on the Soviet side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Suomussalmi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Raate-Road
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Battle_suomussalmi.jpg
bookworm_020
06-06-07, 09:16 PM
Battle of Timor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Timor_%281942-43%29
The Avon Lady
06-07-07, 02:49 AM
Operation Mincemeat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat). Not a battle but a prelude to Operation Husky (Sicily) and its effect on second guessing the Allies led to a major German blunder in Operation Market Garden a year and a half later.
EDIT: I think I'll buy the movie: The Man Who Never Was (http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Never-Was/dp/B0007ZEOQE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5308451-6120106?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1181202929&sr=1-1). :yep:
Jimbuna
06-07-07, 04:07 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek
:D Chock
Awesome Chock :lol:
AntEater
06-07-07, 06:08 AM
A totally unknown Pacific battleship surface action!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_pips
The "Battle of the Pips"
A totally unknown Pacific battleship surface action!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_pips
The "Battle of the Pips"
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
@AL: The effect Operation Mincemeat had on the entire war effort is astounding. :huh: Especially the part about the Panzer divisions diverted from the Eastern Front just in time to miss Kursk.
Axis (Vichy) vs Allies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
Allies vs Allies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
Nope, the Vichy French government was not an ally to Great Britain.
Allies vs Allies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
Nope, the Vichy French government was not an ally to Great Britain.
True, even still, the ultimatum is so great it's worth posting herre in its entirety:
It is impossible for us, your comrades up to now, to allow your fine ships to fall into the power of the German enemy. We are determined to fight on until the end, and if we win, as we think we shall, we shall never forget that France was our Ally, that our interests are the same as hers, and that our common enemy is Germany. Should we conquer we solemnly declare that we shall restore the greatness and territory of France. For this purpose we must make sure that the best ships of the French Navy are not used against us by the common foe. In these circumstances, His Majesty's Government have instructed me to demand that the French Fleet now at Mers el Kebir and Oran shall act in accordance with one of the following alternatives;
(a) sail with us and continue the fight until victory against the Germans.
(b) Sail with reduced crews under our control to a British port. The reduced crews would be repatriated at the earliest moment.
If either of these courses is adopted by you we will restore your ships to France at the conclusion of the war or pay full compensation if they are damaged meanwhile.
(c) Alternatively if you feel bound to stipulate that your ships should not be used against the Germans unless they break the Armistice, then sail them with us with reduced crews to some French port in the West Indies — Martinique for instance — where they can be demilitarised to our satisfaction, or perhaps be entrusted to the United States and remain safe until the end of the war, the crews being repatriated.
If you refuse these fair offers, I must with profound regret, require you to sink your ships within 6 hours.
Finally, failing the above, I have the orders from His Majesty's Government to use whatever force may be necessary to prevent your ships from falling into German hands.
Allies vs Allies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
Nope, the Vichy French government was not an ally to Great Britain.
Yep. Vichy was an Axis satellite (see Axis vs. Axis above: Vichy French vs. pro-Axis Thai gov't). I wonder if there really are any true Allies vs. Allies battles.
Even still, thanks for posting that Oberon -- it certainly qualifies under unknown/obscure :D.
Jimbuna
06-07-07, 11:11 AM
Allies vs Allies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
Nope, the Vichy French government was not an ally to Great Britain.
True, even still, the ultimatum is so great it's worth posting herre in its entirety:
It is impossible for us, your comrades up to now, to allow your fine ships to fall into the power of the German enemy. We are determined to fight on until the end, and if we win, as we think we shall, we shall never forget that France was our Ally, that our interests are the same as hers, and that our common enemy is Germany. Should we conquer we solemnly declare that we shall restore the greatness and territory of France. For this purpose we must make sure that the best ships of the French Navy are not used against us by the common foe. In these circumstances, His Majesty's Government have instructed me to demand that the French Fleet now at Mers el Kebir and Oran shall act in accordance with one of the following alternatives;
(a) sail with us and continue the fight until victory against the Germans.
(b) Sail with reduced crews under our control to a British port. The reduced crews would be repatriated at the earliest moment.
If either of these courses is adopted by you we will restore your ships to France at the conclusion of the war or pay full compensation if they are damaged meanwhile.
(c) Alternatively if you feel bound to stipulate that your ships should not be used against the Germans unless they break the Armistice, then sail them with us with reduced crews to some French port in the West Indies — Martinique for instance — where they can be demilitarised to our satisfaction, or perhaps be entrusted to the United States and remain safe until the end of the war, the crews being repatriated.
If you refuse these fair offers, I must with profound regret, require you to sink your ships within 6 hours.
Finally, failing the above, I have the orders from His Majesty's Government to use whatever force may be necessary to prevent your ships from falling into German hands.
Definitely in the days Britannia ruled the waves :rock: :arrgh!:
The unknown Patton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Rose
Whoops! My bad, post edited! :up:
Some more:
Operation Wikinger - Axis vs Axis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wikinger
Operation Green - The invasion that never happened -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Green_%28Ireland%29
FIDO - Not a battle but an interesting snippet -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_Investigation_and_Dispersal_Operation_%28FIDO% 29
A WW1 battle - An interesting battle this, the SMS Cap Trafalgar was disguised as HMS Carmania and Carmania was disguised as the Cap Trafalgar. :doh:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Cap_Trafalgar
http://ca.geocities.com/volturno@rogers.com/volturno58.html
Pattons Prayer - http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/pattonsprayer.php
Fu-Go bombing campaign against the US mainland.
http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/fugo.htm
Ok, so they're not so much battles, some of them, and one is in World War one...but it's relatively unknown stuff that I've come across. Enjoy! :up:
Whoops! My bad, post edited! :up:
Some more:
Operation Wikinger - Axis vs Axis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wikinger
Operation Green - The invasion that never happened -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Green_%28Ireland%29
FIDO - Not a battle but an interesting snippet -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_Investigation_and_Dispersal_Operation_%28FIDO% 29
A WW1 battle - An interesting battle this, the SMS Cap Trafalgar was disguised as HMS Carmania and Carmania was disguised as the Cap Trafalgar. :doh:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Cap_Trafalgar
http://ca.geocities.com/volturno@rogers.com/volturno58.html
Pattons Prayer - http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/pattonsprayer.php
Fu-Go bombing campaign against the US mainland.
http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/fugo.htm
Ok, so they're not so much battles, some of them, and one is in World War one...but it's relatively unknown stuff that I've come across. Enjoy! :up:
Some really good stuff there (and something other than Wikipedia finally... althought Wikipedia is great :D). I have recently taken an interest in forest firefighting, and I had no idea that smoke-jumpers originated from the Fugos during WWII.
The retaking of Corregidor Island
March 1945
http://www.corregidor.org/chs_impact/impact2.htm
http://www.corregidor.org/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Air/hill16.jpg
The grueling air and naval softening up of the Rock had left the defending Japs dazed and scattered but they rallied, and for nearly two weeks isolated groups of them fought on with a suicidal frenzy. But several days before 1 March our forces were in possession of Corregidor, opening the finest harbor in the East to Allied shipping. More than 4,000 Japs were killed at Corregidor, and many more drowned while swimming away from the Rock. Others, estimated to be thousands, sealed themselves in the subterranean passages, and those who destroyed themselves made the island reverberate with underground explosions for many days afterward.
Happy Times
06-07-07, 05:10 PM
Night Of The Bombers
The most daring mission of Finnish bombers in WW2
http://www.virtualpilots.fi/hist/WW2History-NightOfTheBombers.html
Jimbuna
06-08-07, 08:02 AM
That was very intersesting HT :up: I'll have to ask Dowly about this over on TS tonight :yep:
darius359au
06-08-07, 08:22 AM
The Battle of Brisbane :D
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww2/battle-brisbane.htm
This ones not funny
http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww2/anecdotes/cowra.html
Privates Jones and Hardy got the George Cross for their actions during the breakout , maning the Vickers then disabeling it before they died so that it couldnt be used by the Japanese.
That was very intersesting HT :up: I'll have to ask Dowly about this over on TS tonight :yep:
What for?? I just heard of it myself too. ;)
AntEater
06-08-07, 08:55 AM
"Sonderkommando Junck"
http://www.luftwaffe39-45.historia.nom.br/ases/bf110_drewes2.jpg
The german military mission to Iraq 1941. (can't find any english page on it)
In May 1941, the Luftwaffe dispatched a small unit to Iraq to support the anti-british coup there, via Vichy French Syria.
It consisted of around a dozen Me 110 heavy fighters of 4./ZG 76 as well as around half a dozen He 111 bombers of KG 4, supported by Ju 52s and also huge Ju 90 transports.
As shown, all aircraft were painted in iraqui markings.
Some missions were flown, but the whole operation was a logistical nightmare, as everything had to be flown in from Rhodes(!) to Aleppo in Syria, taking a detour to avoid both Cyprus and Egypt-based RAF fighters. Eventually, the 110 and 111s were all either lost or abandoned due to lack of spares, but personell losses were light.
One of the Me 110 pilots was Martin Drewes, a later nightfighter ace whose first victory was a RAF Gloster Gladiator shot down over Habbanyia.
http://www.wfg-gk.de/geschichte1.html
2004 account of Drewes in German (Drewes actually wrote a book which is extremely hard to get)
Quote: Infrastructure - none, spares - none, fuel - none really suitable for our engines.
hoagiedriver
06-08-07, 10:46 AM
Awesome thread. I love this stuff.
Jimbuna
06-08-07, 10:59 AM
That was very intersesting HT :up: I'll have to ask Dowly about this over on TS tonight :yep:
What for?? I just heard of it myself too. ;)
Wey ya crazy little Finnish ferret :lol:
Heibges
06-08-07, 01:53 PM
The History of the 43rd Infantry Division, 1941-1945
by Joseph E. Zimmer, Colonel, Infantry (Retired)
A Merriam Press Original Reprint Publication
Monograph 23
Paperback (6x9)
#MM23-P
ISBN 1-57638-151-X
Retail price: $17.95
This division is from the Pacfic and fought everywhere from Guadalcanal to the Phillipines. They trained at Camp Blanding in Florida and Camp Shelby in Mississippi.
Battles covered include:
Munda
Arundal
Shimbu Line
Ipo Dam
and others.
Officerpuppy
06-08-07, 02:36 PM
If I only knew the name of the battle or operation...:damn:
What I'm thinking about is the fighting that took place between the Italians and other foreign volunteers in the German Army vs the Soviets outside Stalingrad.
If I only knew the name of the battle or operation...:damn:
What I'm thinking about is the fighting that took place between the Italians and other foreign volunteers in the German Army vs the Soviets outside Stalingrad.
I found some stuff about Hungarians at Stalingrad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Second_Army
Italians at Stalingrad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_war_in_Soviet_Union%2C_1941-1943#The_Italian_8th_Army_or_Armata_Italiana_in_Ru ssia
And Rumanians at Stalingrad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_Fourth_Army
Torpedo Fodder
06-08-07, 08:48 PM
I nominate Operation Exporter, the British/Free French invasion of Vichy-controlled Lebanon and Syria.
http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/downloads/campaigns/BKC-OperationExporter.pdf
Happy Times
06-09-07, 01:29 AM
The retaking of Corregidor Island
March 1945
http://www.corregidor.org/chs_impact/impact2.htm
http://www.corregidor.org/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Air/hill16.jpg
That article lead me to this, history is great.:D
http://www.concretebattleship.org/ and
http://www.travelsmart.net/ph/inquirer/issues/dec98/dec06/features/fea_main.htm
Ishmael
06-09-07, 11:25 AM
The Battle off Samar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar
This raid marked the first action in the Gilbert Islands -- even before Tarawa. It is largely overshadowed by the full-scale assault over a year later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makin_Raid
Battle of Greenland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenland_during_World_War_2
Safe-Keeper
06-11-07, 11:43 PM
The Norwegian stand at Hegra Fortress near Trondheim. 200-300 volunteers dug an old decomissioned fort out of the snow drift and held off a German regiment for almost a full month until they learned all other forces in South Norway had surrendered and that there was, in effect, nothing left to defend.
Wiki article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hegra_Fortress).
tenakha
06-12-07, 04:21 AM
The battle of Bir Hakeim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bir_Hakeim
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.