Operation Basalt
| Operation Basalt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
 Sark Occupation and Heritage Museum |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom
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 Germany
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| Strength | |||||||
| 12 | 20 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | three killed, one captured | ||||||
Coordinates: 49°25′48″N 2°21′54″W / 49.430°N 2.365°W
Operation Basalt was a small British raid conducted during World War II on the German occupied British Channel Island of Sark.
The objective of the raid was of offensive reconnaissance and capturing prisoners.
The original plan was for the raid to take place on the night of 18-19 September 1942, and was postponed by a day, due to bad weather. Leaving Portland at 2200hrs it took longer than planned to reach Sark and MTB 344 encountered strong currents on the approach, resulting in an arrival time of 0300hrs. The requirement to depart by 0330hrs in order to be clear of the German occupied islands before dawn resulted in the operation being aborted. MTB 344 returned safely to Portland at 0530hrs.
On the night of 3–4 October 1942 twelve men of the Special Operations Executive's Small Scale Raiding Force, and No. 12 Commando, left Portland on MTB 344 at 1900hrs and landed on Sark with the object of offensive reconnaissance and capturing prisoners.
Climbing the cliff at the Hog's Back, between Dixcart Bay and Derrible Bay, the Commandoes were not spotted by German sentries nor did they encounter any guards. Several of the raiders broke into the house of a local. The occupant of the house, Mrs Frances Noel Pittard, proved very informative and advised there were about 20 Germans in the annex to the nearby Dixcart Hotel. She also declined an offer to take her to England. Mrs Pittard provided the commandos with documents, including local newspapers from Guernsey.
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