Very Rare
Operation Biting
Overview
Operation Biting was the first British paratrooper raid of WWII, targeting a German Würzburg radar installation near Bruneval, France. The mission was to capture components of the radar for technical analysis.
Obscure Facts & Hidden Details
The raid was conceived after a photo interpreter, Flight Officer Constance Babington Smith, spotted unusual circular dishes on aerial reconnaissance photos. Her discovery led to the entire operation.
"C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion under Major John Frost parachuted into France, assaulted the radar site, dismantled the Würzburg radar, and fought their way to the beach for extraction by Royal Navy landing craft.
The captured radar components allowed British scientists to develop countermeasures that saved thousands of bomber crew lives. Frost would later lead the defense of Arnhem bridge.
The raid was so successful that it convinced Churchill to expand the parachute regiment into a full division.
"C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion under Major John Frost parachuted into France, assaulted the radar site, dismantled the Würzburg radar, and fought their way to the beach for extraction by Royal Navy landing craft.
The captured radar components allowed British scientists to develop countermeasures that saved thousands of bomber crew lives. Frost would later lead the defense of Arnhem bridge.
The raid was so successful that it convinced Churchill to expand the parachute regiment into a full division.