Editing Operation Biting (section)

=== Training ===
The company spent time on [[Salisbury Plain]] in [[Wiltshire]] and then travelled to [[Inveraray]] in Scotland where they underwent specialised training on [[Loch Fyne]], practising night embarkations on landing craft to prepare the company for evacuation by sea after raiding the radar installation. After this, the unit returned to Wiltshire and began carrying out practice parachute drops with the aircraft and aircrews of 51 Squadron.

Despite the aircrews having no previous experience in dropping parachutists, these exercises proved to be successful.<ref name=Harclerode209>Harclerode, p. 209.</ref> The company's working-up was aided by the creation of a scale model of the radar installation and the surrounding buildings having been built by the Photographic Interpretation Unit.<ref>Jones, p. 239.</ref> During this period, Major Frost was introduced to [[Commander#Royal Australian Navy|Commander]] [[F. N. Cook]] of the [[Royal Australian Navy]] who would be commanding the naval force intended to evacuate the company after the raid, as well as to the detachment of 32 officers and men from [[No. 12 Commando]] who would arrive in the landing craft and cover the company as it withdrew from the beach.<ref>Chappell, p. 27.</ref><ref name="Otway67">Otway, p. 67.</ref>

Frost also met RAF [[Flight Sergeant]] C.W.H. Cox, who had volunteered to accompany C Company for the operation; as an expert radio electronics technician, it would be his job to locate the Würzburg radar set, photograph it, and dismantle part of it for transportation back to Britain.<ref>Millar, pp. 18–19.</ref> Derek Garrard of Jones' team asked Jones to obtain an Army uniform and identification number for Cox, as he would be the object of special attention from the Germans if he was captured in Air Force uniform, but the War Office were obdurate.<ref>Jones, p. 238.</ref>

Accompanying the strike force was a 10-man section of [[Royal Engineers]] of the 1st Air Troop led by Lt. Dennis Vernon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.paradata.org.uk/unit/1st-air-troop-re|title=1st Air Troop RE &#124; ParaData|website=www.paradata.org.uk}}</ref> Six of the sappers would dismantle the radar device whilst four sappers would plant [[anti-tank mine]]s to protect the force from counter attack.

[[File:Würzburg.Radar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|[[Würzburg]] radar of the type installed at Bruneval, folded for transport|alt=Wheeled radar looks like a circle cut down the middle forming two semi circles]]
Information about the Bruneval radar installation was also gathered during this period, often with the help of the [[French Resistance]], without whom detailed knowledge of the disposition of the German forces guarding the installation would have been impossible. This information was gathered by [[Gilbert Renault]], known to the British by the code-name 'Rémy', and several members of his resistance network.<ref>Jones, pp. 236–237.</ref>

The installation was composed of two distinct areas; a villa approximately {{convert|100|yd|m}} from the edge of a cliff which contained the radar station itself, and an enclosure containing several smaller buildings which contained a small garrison. The Würzburg antenna was erected between the villa and the cliff.<ref name=Otway68>Otway, p. 68.</ref> The radar station was permanently manned by {{lang|de|Luftwaffe}} radar technicians and was surrounded by guard posts and approximately 30 guards; the buildings in the small enclosure housed about 100 German troops, including another detachment of technicians.<ref name=Harclerode210 /> A [[platoon]] of German infantry was stationed to the south in Bruneval, and was responsible for manning the defences guarding the evacuation beach; these included a [[strongpoint]] near the beach as well as [[Pillbox (military)|pillboxes]] and [[Defensive fighting position|machine gun nests]] on the top of the cliff overlooking the beach. The beach was not land mined and had only sporadic barbed-wire defences, but it was patrolled regularly; a mobile reserve of infantry was believed to be available at one hour's notice and stationed some distance inland.<ref name=Otway68 />

Based on this information, Frost decided to divide the company into five groups of 40 men for the raid, each named after a famous Royal Navy admiral: '[[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]]', '[[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Jellicoe]]', '[[Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet|Hardy]]', '[[Francis Drake|Drake]]' and '[[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Rodney]]'.<ref name=Harclerode209 /> 'Nelson' would clear and secure German positions defending the evacuation beach, whilst 'Jellicoe', 'Hardy' and 'Drake' would capture the radar site, villa and the enclosure. 'Rodney' was the reserve formation, placed between the radar site and the main likely enemy approach to block any counterattack.<ref>Harclerode, pp. 209–210.</ref>

It was considered that the combination of a full moon for visibility, and a rising tide to allow the landing craft to manoeuvre in shallow water, was vital for the success of the raid, which narrowed the possible dates to four days between 24 and 27 February.<ref name=Harclerode209 /> On 23 February, a final rehearsal exercise took place, which proved to be a failure; despite ideal weather conditions, the evacuation landing craft grounded {{convert|60|yd|ft}} offshore and could not be shifted despite the efforts of the crews and troops.<ref name=Harclerode209 />