Books
| Operation Varsity |
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was the Allied (British, Canadian and American) airborne operation that took place at Wesel, Germany on March 24th 1945. The purpose of the operation was to gain a foothold across the Rhine, so that Allied forces could cross into Germany and bring the Second World War to a successful conclusion.
The operation was the largest airborne operation in history, and involved the British 6th Airborne Division (which included a Canadian Parachute Battalion), and the US 17th Airborne Division. The troops were deployed using 540 C-47 Skytrain aircraft, 72 C-46 Commando aircraft, and 1,300 gliders.
All objectives were achieved within 24 hours, including capturing bridges over the river and linking up with Allied ground troops. Allied forces did however suffer heavy losses; 1,111 dead, 1,625 wounded, and 50 aircraft and 11 gliders shot down.
| World War II |
| Operation Barbarossa 1941 German Invasion of Russia |
| Operation Citadel 1943 The Battle of Kursk |
| Operation Dragoon 1944 Invasion of southern France |
| Operation Varsity 1945 Crossing the Rhine |
| Invasions That Never Were |
| Operation Sealion 1940 German invasion of England |
| Operation Olympic 1945 US invasion of southern Japan |
| Operation Coronet 1946 US invasion of northern Japan |
| Special Forces |
| Operation Entebbe 1976 Entebbe Airport Rescue |
| Operation Nimrod 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege |
| British Cold War Operations |
| Operation Musketeer 1956 Suez Crisis |
| Operation Corporate 1982 Falklands War |
| Operation Black Buck 1982 Vulcan raids on Port Stanley |
| Operation Granby 1990-91 Persian Gulf |
| British Post Cold War |
| Operation Herrick 2002- Afghanistan |