Hitler got a postcard ?

[Lindsay Westphal 2]

I study a fair bit of military history as a hobby/interest and I have been asked a question, and I can not find the answer.

A guy asked me if it was true that there was a British Commando raid in Europe in WW2 before the Normandy invasion, where the Commandos set postcards to Hitler from the post office in the town/city where they did their raid, advising what they did.. He said he saw this stated on a documentary. I have heard this claim before, but thus far, I am unable to find any documentation of this event to say it actually happened. Maybe just a myth??.

Does anybody know if it true?  (references please)

[George Collins 39]

I tried a quick search about British commando raids to France, and the only one I came up was the raid on the Channel island of Sark in October 1942. But, from the brief description here, it sure does not look like they had any time to spare on such freevolities as a postcard to Hitler:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4036826/How-crack-team-WWII-British-soldiers-invaded-Nazi-occupied-Channel-Island-capture-German-troops-help-local-widow-1920s-guide-book-triggering-Hitler-s-infamous-Commando-Order.html

[Ron Walker 118]

Look at the practicalities of sending postcards (you need the postcard itself, a stamp and a post box...) Quite a small number of raids were  undertaken - a "raid" is, after all, mostly a "proof of concept", that demonstrates what CAN be done anytime you want. The enemy is forced to defend anything that he doesn't want attacked, driving the cost of raids (in terms of men and equipment) too high to be worth undertaking. Given the length of coastline Germany was defending, the size of the required garrison is absolutely MASSIVE. The majority of raids took place at night. HOWEVER... Back at the start, raids on Norway were rather more leisurely. Plenty of time in (for example) Lofoten to purchase a post card and a stamp....

[Lindsay Westphal 2]

Ron Walker, I share the same frame of thought as you.... To walk into a post office of a Nazi occupied country was high risk and likely to be detected. In practicality, sending a post card does not in my mind seemed to be justified given the risk.

[Ron Walker 118]

1 hour ago, Lindsay Westphal said:

Ron Walker, I share the same frame of thought as you.... To walk into a post office of a Nazi occupied country was high risk and likely to be detected. In practicality, sending a post card does not in my mind seemed to be justified given the risk.

Sorry to nit-pick, but I didn't say (or even suggest!) that it didn't happen... just tried to calculate where it COULD have happened, if it did in fact do so. The Lofoten raid was quite a substantial attack on a Norwegian factory which converted fish oil into strategic materials. The factory's supply of its product was confiscated, the factory was blown up, several German ships sunk, German prisoners were taken and volunteers sought to join the Norwegian army in exile. Aside from air cover, the raid actually commanded a local superiority of troops, and since (back then) Norway was relatively lightly garrisoned, there were no other German troops in the area. So, sending a postcard - from a town that was briefly entirely under the control of the raiding force - would have been quite plausible. The Germans responded (exactly as had been intended!) by increasing the size and strength of their garrisons, which soaked up huge resources (30,000 extra men in Norway alone!).Sending a postcard after Germany got its act together WOULD have been implausible.

Our old friend Wikipedia offers a helpful detailed list of the Commando raids which were mounted against Occupied Europe (in this case, specifically France) None look plausible candidates for sending postcards.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Commando_raids_on_the_Atlantic_Wall