Operation Musketoon
Operation Musketoon was a joint British-Norwegian commando raid conducted from 15 to 21 September 1942 against the German-held Glomfjord hydroelectric power plant in occupied Norway, aimed at disrupting aluminum production critical to the Axis war effort.[1][2]
The operation involved a raiding party of twelve men—two officers and eight other ranks from No. 2 Commando, accompanied by two corporals from the Norwegian Independent Company 1—transported across the North Sea aboard the Free French submarine Junon.[1][2] After landing at Bjaerangsfjord and navigating arduous mountainous terrain north of the Arctic Circle, the commandos assaulted the facility on the night of 19–20 September, using explosives to destroy turbines, pipelines, and generators, which caused severe flooding and rendered the plant inoperative for several months and prevented its expansion during the war.[1][3]
Although tactically successful in halting output from a site producing thousands of tons of aluminum annually for German aircraft manufacturing, the raid incurred significant losses: one Norwegian participant died of wounds sustained in the action, while seven captured raiders were transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and executed on 23 October 1942 as the first victims of Hitler's Commando Order, a directive mandating the summary execution of Allied commandos.[1][3][2] Four survivors evaded full-scale pursuit, with three British commandos reaching neutral Sweden and the Norwegian corporal Sverre Granlund initially escaping before perishing later in the conflict.[1][2] The operation underscored the high-stakes nature of special forces actions in disrupting enemy infrastructure while provoking escalated reprisals against captured irregular fighters.[3]