ORDER OF BATTLE // January 1, 1942
Operation Biting
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 232 estimated
Reich allemand
113
Medium-confidence figure
Royaume-Uni
119
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
Operation Biting, also known as the Bruneval Raid, was a British Combined Operations raid targeting a German coastal radar installation at Bruneval in northern France. The operation demonstrated the viability of combined airborne and amphibious raiding as a tactical instrument against fixed coastal installations. By striking a radar site, British forces sought to gather intelligence on German radar technology, which held broader implications for the air and naval campaigns being waged across the European theater. The raid was conducted with a small force under John Frost against a German contingent of comparable size, underscoring the precision nature of the operation rather than a conventional engagement of scale.
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