Operation Gearbox

Operation Gearbox
Part of the Arctic Campaign of the Second World War
Global view of Norway (Svalbard circled)
Date 30 June – 17 September 1942 Location Svalbard, Norway 78°14′48″N 15°40′38″E / 78.24667°N 15.67722°E / 78.24667; 15.67722 Result Norwegian–British victory
Belligerents
Norway  United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Ernst Ullring (Norwegian Military Governor)	Dr Erich Etienne (killed 23 July 1942)
Strength
57 men	18 men
Casualties and losses
	4 killed (23 July 1942)

Operation Gearbox (30 June – 17 September 1942) was a joint Norwegian and British operation to occupy the Arctic island of Spitsbergen during the Second World War. It superseded Operation Fritham, an expedition in May, to secure the coal mines on Spitsbergen, the main island of the Svalbard Archipelago which had failed when attacked by four German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bombers. The Norwegian force, with 116 long tons (118 t) of supplies, arrived by British cruiser on 2 July.

The survivors from Fritham had salvaged what equipment they could and set up camp in Barentsburg (deserted since the Operation Gauntlet evacuation and sabotage operation in August–September 1941) and sent out reconnaissance parties. The Admiralty arranged a survey flight by a Catalina flying boat from RAF Coastal Command but already knew much of what had happened, through Ultra decrypts of Luftwaffe Enigma coded wireless signals.

The reinforcements consolidated the Barentsburg defences and sent parties to attack the German weather party at Longyearbyen on 12 July, only to find that they had departed three days earlier. The German airstrip was blocked and on 23 July, a Ju 88, carrying an experienced crew and two senior officials, was shot down while flying low over the landing ground. In Operation Gearbox, Norwegian sovereignty had been asserted, no casualties had been suffered, the German plan to send another weather party had been thwarted and preparations had begun for Operation Gearbox II.