| Operation Candytuft | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWorld War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Major Roy Farran | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 16 soldiers | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Two captured | |||||||
Operation Candytuft was an operation conducted by the British2nd Special Air Service (SAS) during theSecond World War. It took place on the east coast ofItaly, between the towns ofAncona andPescara, from 27th of October 1943 to 2nd of November 1943. The 16 man force under the command of Major Roy Farran aimed to disrupt German transport and communications by cutting the coastal railway. By the end of the mission, the force had successfully damaged railways, roads and communications, with two men captured.
In late 1943, the east coast ofItaly was under the control ofNazi Germany, as was most of the country. The railway betweenAncona andPescara was important for moving German troops and supplies. The British wanted to disrupt the railway without using large forces. Operation Candytuft was to work alongsideOperation Saxifrage in the same area.
The main objective of the operation was to derail a train on the railway betweenAncona andPescara. There were also several secondary objectives, including blowing gaps in the railway line in front and behind the train, mining the main coastal road to further disrupt traffic, and cutting telephone and power lines to hamper German communications. Even if the derailment failed, the secondary objectives were to be carried out.
The forces involved on the British side included 16 men from the2nd Special Air Service (SAS). The men were divided into four four-man teams, with three from D Squadron and one from B Squadron, and was commanded by Major Roy Farran. The Germans had an unknown number of soldiers in the area, and aU-boat was anchored at the mouth of theTronto River, possiblyU-410, aType VIIC submarine.
In order to deliver the men to their landing point, naval transport was needed. The type of craft chosen wasmotor torpedo boats (MTBs) to minimise detection and allow for a fast extraction. The landing point was to be near the mouth of theTronto River, south ofAncona. The plan was to ferry the troops from the MTB’s to shore in small boats to further avoid detection. The insertion was scheduled to take place in the late evening on 27th October at 22:00 hours. After landing, the teams were to move several kilometres inland and hide during the daylight hours. The teams were then required to rendezvous at a specific point on the railway line before attempting the sabotage. Naval forces offshore were also instructed to monitor the coastline for extraction signals.
During the operation, theSAS teams successfully landed on the night of 27-28 October, and moved 4-5 miles (6-8 kilometers) inland along the southern bank of theTronto River, avoiding detection and reaching their hiding spots. The four teams operated independently, but all followed the same overall plan. Poor weather conditions made coordination difficult, but the teams moved towards the railway line on the appointed time. Explosives were placed at points along the tracks, the coastal road was mined and telephone and power lines were cut.
The demolition charges exploded and caused significant damage to German transport infrastructure. The railway line was destroyed in several locations, disrupting rail traffic. The mining of the coastal road further hindered movement, while German communications were affected by the cutting of telephone and power lines. TwoSAS personnel were captured by German forces, but the remaining 14 successfully avoided detection and moved south towards the pre-designated extraction area. The men again hid during daylight hours and moved at night to avoid patrols, while naval forces monitored the coast-line for pre-arranged torch signals. In the end, the majority of theSAS force was successfully extracted by motor torpedo boats.
Operation Candytuft successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of small SAS sabotage teams, as well as disrupting German transportation along the Adriatic coast at a critical time in the Italian campaign. Damage to the railway and road infrastructure forced the Germans to divert much needed resources to repair and heightened security. The operation also showed the potential of naval and SAS teams working in conjunction. Despite the capture of two SAS personnel, the operation was considered a tactical success, and contributed to the growing reputation of the Special Air Service in WWII.
