Operation Blackcock
A relatively unknown but successful WWII operation to clear the Roer Triangle.
Operation Blackcock was a military operation conducted by the British Second Army between 13 and 26 January 1945 to clear German troops from the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard in the Netherlands and Heinsberg in Germany during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War.
- Franchise
- Medal of Honor
- Era
- World War II
- Genre
- First-person shooter / tactical combat
- Player role
- Allied soldier (player character)
- Core mechanics
- Squad coordination, stealth, close-quarters combat
Lore & Background
The operation was carried out by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps by three divisions: the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Lewis Lyne), the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Thomas) and the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division (Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith). The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the rivers Roer and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation, named after the Scottish male black grouse, is relatively unknown.
In Their Own Story
The radio crackles with static before a terse order cuts through: 'Blackcock is a go. Move out.' You check your bolt-action rifle, feel the cold steel of the magazine, and fall in behind the squad. The village ahead is quiet—too quiet. A single MG42 nest in a barn roof tells you the quiet is a lie. You signal the man to your left to take the tree line, the man to your right to watch the road. Then you push forward, boots crunching on frost-hardened earth, the objective a concrete building two hundred meters ahead where an enemy communications array is broadcasting coordinates that will cost thousands of lives if not destroyed. The first burst of fire from that MG42 will decide everything. You lower your center of gravity, ease the bolt back one more time, and move.
Reader's Guide
The clearing of the Roer Triangle was planned along three axes. The left axis, formed by the 7th Armoured Division, aimed at capturing the bridge across the Roer in Sint Odiliënberg. The centre axis, formed by the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, aimed at the capture of Heinsberg. The right axis, formed by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, aimed at clearing the area south-east of Dremmen.
Did You Know?
- The Battle for the Dutch village of Sint Joost was a turning point in Operation Blackcock; the 7th Armoured Division launched four attacks to clear the village, taking sixty prisoners.
- Between 19 and 23 January 1945, the Dutch village of Montfort was shelled or bombed on seven occasions, killing 186 civilians.
- The 52nd (Lowland) Division suffered 752 casualties during the operation, while the 7th Armoured Division suffered just over 400 casualties.
- Two posthumous Victoria Cross recipients are associated with the operation: Fusilier Dennis Donnini and Lance Corporal Henry Eric Harden.
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