page_title: Operation EF (1941)
section_title: Force P
hierarchical_section_title: Operation EF (1941) / Prelude / Force P
caption_attribution_description: Fairey Fulmar Mk. II carrier-borne fighter and recce with serial number N4062 in 1941(?) (Mk I airframe completed as Mk II)
context_page_description: Operation EF (1941), also the Raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo took place on 30 July 1941, during the Second World War. After the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Fleet Air Arm aircraft flew from the aircraft carriers HMS Victorious and Furious to attack merchant vessels in the northern Norwegian port of Kirkenes and the north Finnish port of Liinakhamari in Petsamo.
  The War Cabinet and Admiralty pressed Admiral John "Jack" Tovey, commander of the Home Fleet, to attack, despite his reservations, that the prospects for success were not commensurate with the risks. The operation was intended to be a surprise but in the far north, the midnight sun at that time of year made it unlikely that the raiding force would go undiscovered.
  A German aircraft passed Force P and the carrier aircraft flew over a ship on their flights to Kirkenes and Petsamo, depriving the attackers of surprise. The Kirkenes force was intercepted by several German fighters as the aircraft attacked the few ships to be seen in the harbour, sinking one ship and setting another on fire.
context_section_description: Furious embarked Fairey Fulmar fighters of 800 Naval Air Squadron (800 NAS) and four Sea Hurricanes (A Flight) nine Swordfish of 812 NAS and nine Fairey Albacores of 817 NAS. Victorious had the Albacores of 827 and 828 NAS and the Fulmars of 809 NAS. Rear-Admiral Frederic Wake-Walker in HMS Devonshire sailed from Scapa Flow on 23 July with Force P, the two carriers, HMS Suffolk and the destroyers HMS Escapade, Active, Anthony, Achates, Antelope and Intrepid. The force reached  Seyðisfjörður (Seidis Fjord) in Iceland on 25 July, refuelled and sailed the following day for Norway. Achates struck a British mine off Iceland on 25 July and lost its bow, having to be towed home by Anthony. The destroyers were replaced by HMS Inglefield and Icarus. Little opposition from the Luftwaffe was expected, despite the intensity of German ground operations in the direction of Murmansk and the Fulmars were expected to provide adequate air cover during the attack.
  The aircrew on Victorious were briefed to attack Kirkenes and those on Furious to raid Petsamo. Should the harbours be empty, the force from Victorious would attack an iron ore plant and those from Furious some oil storage tanks. During the night of 26/27 July Force P made course for its rendezvous, about 80 nmi (92 mi; 148 km) north-east of Kirkenes and arrived three days later, dangerously within range of land-based aircraft, dependent on their fighter cover and anti-aircraft guns as the cloudy weather gave way to clear skies, increasing the risk of discovery. Just before the aircraft began to take off, a He 111 aircraft was seen, foiling the attempt at surprise. The three Albacore and one Swordfish squadrons took off first and the Fulmars followed after twenty minutes, the Sea Hurricanes remaining to guard the ships.
caption: Fairey Fulmar Mk I (M4062)
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