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Operation FARRIER
(Prepad na Mljet)
History
After Operation FOOTHOUND, raid on Ugljan and Pasman islands, had to be abandoned because of unfavorable report which reconnaissance section brought from Ugljan island on May 5th, headquarters of 2nd S.S. Brigade "because of the prestige" decided to carry out at lest some raid. Decision fell on Mljet island and operation received codename FARRIER, date was set May 20th originally intended for Operation FOOTHOUND.
On Mljet, beside smaller partisan detachment, was also one US reconnaissance section. Based on theirs reports of strength and locations of German forces, attack on the island was planned. But a week before planed landing on Mljet, not knowing anything about date of upcoming landing, partisans and US scouts moved away from German positions to verify reports from local population that Germans are hiding ships in caves on the western side of the island.
In April, Mljet was used by Yugoslav Partisans as diversionary raid from main highly successful raid on KorÄula.
Operation
Because of bad weather operation was moved for 48 hours and in the early morning of May 22nd almost thousand commandos (LRDG, No. 2 and 43 Commando, USOG commanded by Major P. G. Lovell), divided into two groups, landed on the Mljet south coast and after encirclement maneuver reached German positions at Babino polje. Here they turned on speakers and started calling Germans to surrender but Germans where nowhere to be found! Either because Germans withdraw from their positions or because commandos, not having partisans as guides, got lost in thick Mljet forest and instead at Babino polje arrived at some other place, no combat took place. Some German mortar shelled over the island occasionally but commandos couldn't pinpoint his position. Exhausted by marching across difficult terrain on night March 23/24, commandos embarked back on the ships and returned back to Vis island - with loss of prestige and with 9 missing soldiers.
Few days later small group of commandos returned to Mljet to search for missing but found only three which joined the partisans, other where captured by Germans except one which was killed.
Orders of Battle
- Allies
- Axis
Aftermath
References
- Jovan Vasiljević: ObraÄun na Jadranu
- Dr. Kazimir Pribilovic: Cetvrti pomorski obalski sektor Mornarice NOVJ
- Greek / American Operational Group Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Memoirs of World War 2 by Andrew S. Mousalimas