| Operation Flipper or the 'Rommel Raid' | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Crusader during the Second World War | |||||||
 Geoffrey Keyes VC | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Germany Italy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Robert Laycock Geoffrey Keyes † |
Erwin Rommel Alfredo Mercuro | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 killed 28 captured (incl. 3 wounded) 3 escaped |
4 killed 3 wounded | ||||||
Operation Flipper (also called the Rommel Raid) was a British commando raid during the Second World War, mainly by men from No. 11 (Scottish) Commando. The operation included an attack on the headquarters of Erwin Rommel, the commander of Panzergruppe Afrika in North Africa. It was timed for the night of 17/18 November 1941, just before the start of Operation Crusader. The operation failed as Rommel had left the target house weeks earlier and all but two of the commandos who landed were killed or captured. One member of the Special Boat Section team, who had secured the beach for the commando party, also escaped.