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Military Operations

Operation Gunnerside

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Operation Gunnerside was a British-directed sabotage mission by Norwegian commandos of Kompani Linge against the Vemork heavy-water plant in German-occupied Norway, carried out on the night of 27-28 February 1943. Six Norwegian saboteurs, trained by Britain's Special Operations Executive, skied into the Vemork facility, planted explosive charges in the electrolysis chambers, and destroyed the plant's entire heavy-water inventory without any Allied casualties. The raid is credited with delaying Nazi Germany's nuclear weapons research.

Facts
Operation Type
Special-forces raid (industrial sabotage) 1
Start Date
1943-02-27 1
End Date
1943-02-28 1
Location
Vemork hydroelectric plant, Rjukan, Telemark, German-occupied Norway 1
Participants
Kompani Linge (Norwegian Independent Company 1) commandos, British Special Operations Executive 1
Objective
Destroy heavy-water production at the Vemork plant to inhibit German nuclear weapons research 1
Outcome
The entire heavy-water inventory, over 500 kilograms, was destroyed along with critical electrolysis equipment, with no Allied casualties 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Operation Gunnerside
WikipediaOperation Gunnerside section
Quote, Operation Gunnerside section
The raid was considered successful. The entire inventory of heavy water produced during the German occupation, over 500 kg, was destroyed with equipment critical to the operation of the electrolysis chambers.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Operation Gunnerside
WikipediaIn Category: Military OperationsView the Source
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