'Weserübung Nord' was the German component of 'Weserübung' concerned specifically with the German descents on Trondheim and Narvik in northern Norway (9 April 1940). ... Read More

'Weserübung Süd' was the German component of 'Weserübung' concerned specifically with the German descents on Bergen, Kristiansand and Oslo in southern Norway (9 April 1940)... Read More

'Wespe' was a German naval operation in support of Finnish naval activity, using the torpedo boats T 30 and T 31 as well as the smaller craft of Korvettenkapitän Dr Emil Kief... Read More

'Wespennest' was the German destruction of the French railway links between France and Switzerland (2 July/4 September 1940)., The operation was undertaken in two steps as 'We... Read More

'West' (ii) was a U-boat wolfpack two-part operation in the Atlantic against sundry HX and OB convoys (11/22 May 1941)., At varying times the U-boats in these first major wolf... Read More

'West' (iii) was the German attack on subsequent seizure of the island of Hiiumaa (Dagö in German) off the coast of Estonia as part of 'Siegfried' (i) (16 September/21 Octobe... Read More

'West-Bosnien' was a German, Croat and Hungarian operation against the partisan forces of Josip Broz Tito in the Kozara mountain area between Banja Luka and Prijedor of Axis-o... Read More

The 'Western Carpathian Strategic Offensive Operation' was a successful Soviet operation into the eastern part of the Slovak Republic (12 January/18 February 1945)., After pas... Read More

'Westfsalen' was a German naval diversionary undertaking, in tandem with 'Ostpreussen', to support 'Beowulf II' (12/13 October 1941)., The light cruiser Köln, torpedo boats T... Read More

'Westfall' was the German reporting word to indicate an Allied invasion of France and thereby launch the start of a number of preplanned counter-measures (7 November 1943/6 Ju... Read More

The 'Westgoten-Bewegung' was a German programme ordered by Adolf Hitler for all replacement and training units in Germany to move immediately to the defence of western Germany... Read More

'Westlösung' was a German unrealised plan by the anti-Nazi movement in the armed forces to destroy the Nazi administration, end hostilities on the Western Front, withdraw all... Read More

'Westmark' was a U-boat wolfpack operation, together with 'Burggraf', 'Neuland' (ii), 'Ostmark' and 'Wildfang' (i), in the Atlantic against the SC.121 convoy (6/11 March 1943)... Read More

'Westurm' was a German pair of naval shore bombardment operations in support of 'Beowulf II' by the light cruisers Emden and Leipzig, supported by the torpedo boats of Korvett... Read More

The 'Westvogesen-Stellung' was was a German extemporised defence position along the foothills on the western side of the Vosges mountains to the north of the frontier with Swi... Read More

'Westwall' (i) was a U-boat wolfpack operation in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the British Isles (2/12 March 1942)., The wolfpack comprised U-87, U-135, U-213, U-553, U-5... Read More

'Westwall' (ii) was a U-boat wolfpack operation in the Atlantic, Bay of Biscay and western Mediterranean against the convoys involved in 'Torch' (8 November/16 December 1942).... Read More

The 'Westwall' (iii) was a German extension to the 'Siegfried-Linie' defences ordered by Adolf Hitler in an unnumbered Führerweisung (24 August 1944)., The decision to extend... Read More

'Westwind' (i) was a German naval gunfire and manoeuvre diversion by smaller warships on the western side of the island of Saaremaa (Ösel in German) in tandem with 'Nordwind'... Read More

'Westwind' (ii) was a German series of small-unit attacks by elements of Generaloberst Dr Lothar Rendulic’s Heeresgruppe 'Nord' on the Soviet forces of Marshal Sovetskogo So... Read More

'Wet Pot' was an Allied series of unrealised plans for an amphibious landing on the Cotentin peninsula of German-occupied France (June/September 1944)., The plans were not nee... Read More

'Wetbob' was an Allied unrealised plan for an amphibious operation to secure a firm lodgement on the Cotentin peninsula of German-occupied northern France in the event of 'urg... Read More

'Wetshod' was the British and Canadian initial designation for 'Dollar' with 'Quicksilver II' (April 1944). ... Read More

'Wetterstaffel 5' was a German operation to parachute a four-man team onto Bjørnøya to establish a weather reporting station (19 October 1942 onward). ... Read More

'WFM' was the designation of Allied military convoys (together with a numerical suffix) plying the route from the UK to France after the Allies' break-out from their 'Overlord... Read More

'WG' was a British naval undertaking to intercept and capture or sink an eventual total of 10 German blockade-running ships in the Atlantic Ocean (February/March 1940)., In th... Read More

'Where and When' was a US clandestine air transport operation to and from neutral Sweden to occupied Norway during the closing stages of World War II (22 December 1944/August ... Read More

'Whinchat' was a British operation by the Special Operations Executive to reinforce a district leader of the Milorg military resistance organisation in German-occupied Norway ... Read More

'Whipcord' was a British unrealised plan for an invasion of Sicily following a successful conclusion of 'Crusader' (i) and 'Acrobat' (autumn 1941/spring 1942)., The plan was r... Read More

'Whipsaw' was a US sonic and visual deception by the 23rd Headquarters Special Forces within '11th Panzer Division' (1/4 February 1945)., The deception was designed to 'reveal... Read More

'Whisky' was a British exercise to test inter-service communication in the event of a German invasion on the eastern coast of the UK (July 1940). ... Read More

'White' (ii) was the British naval successor to 'Hurry' (i), and thus the second operation to deliver aircraft reinforcements to Malta (14/19 November 1940)., Departing the Cl... Read More

'White Falcon' was the British overall designation of plans for the occupation of neutral Iceland to prevent any German descent on the island (1940). ... Read More

'Whitebait' was a British diversionary bombing raid in support of the 'Hydra' (ii) attack on the V-weapon base at Peenemünde, an island off the German coast on the Baltic Sea... Read More

'Whiting' was a Free Dutch operation to land a party of the Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service in Japanese-occupied Dutch New Guinea in the Dutch East Indies ... Read More

'Whitwood' was a British cover plan to explain the grouping, just to the south of the Syrian border with Turkey, of anti-aircraft units and air force personnel ready to move i... Read More

'WHX' was the designation of Allied feeder convoys (together with a numerical suffix) plying the route from St John’s, Newfoundland to join 'HX' convoys (?). ... Read More

'Whynot' was a British attack on an airfield outside Catania on the Italian island of Sicily by a party of Special Boat Section personnel in support of 'Pedestal' (8/12 August... Read More

'Widerhaken' was the German fourth and last of a series of naval minelaying operations in the Ligurian Sea, off the north-west coast of Italy, by two ex-Italian torpedo boats ... Read More

'Widgeon' was a British special forces undertaking by Brigadier D. Mills-Roberts’s 1st Commando Brigade within 'Plunder' to cross the Rhine river eastward into Germany about... Read More

'Wieniec' was a Polish undertaking by the Związek Odwetu (union of retaliation, a resistance organisation concentrating on sabotage) against German rail transport within Pola... Read More

'Wiese' was a German plan to attack London, the British capital, with the V-3 (otherwise HDP) high-technology artillery system (1944/45)., The Germans planned to use the weapo... Read More

'Wiesegrund' was a German unrealised plan for Generaloberst Eduard Dietl’s 20th Gebirgsarmee to take the Rybachy peninsula on the USSR’s Arctic coast (summer 1942). , The ... Read More

... Read More

'Wiking' (i) was a German support attack by SS-Oberführer Karl Demelhuber’s SS Kampfgruppe 'Nord' to aid the Kampfgruppe 'Krakau' near the Niato Waara hill on the Finnish f... Read More

'Wiking' (ii) was the German programme to maximise the utilisation of the Norwegian economy and resources for the benefit of the German war effort (1942/43). ... Read More

'Wiking' (iii) was a U-boat wolfpack operation in the Kara Sea (1 August/8 October 1943). , The wolfpack eventually comprised U-302, U-307, U-354, U-601, U-703, U-711 and U-96... Read More

'Wiking' (iv) was the German overall designation of land and supporting air operations in the Caucasus region of the southern USSR (1943). ... Read More

'Wiking' (v) was the German alternative designation for the 'Krimhilde-Bewegung' evacuation of the Axis forces from the Taman lodgement at the western end of the Kuban peninsu... Read More

'Wikinger' (i) was a German naval operation over the Dogger Bank by Fregattenkapitän Fritz Berger’s 1st Zerstörer-Flottille (19/22 February 1940)., The operation was beset... Read More