Editing Operation Gambit

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World Wat A22903.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|{{centre|An X-Craft under way in Loch Striven, near Rothesay A22903}}]]
{{Campaignbox Normandy}}
'''Operation Gambit''' was a part of [[Operation Neptune]], the landing phase of the invasion of northern France ([[Operation Overlord]]) during the [[Second World War]]. Gambit involved two [[X class submarine]]s (British midget submarines) marking the ends of the Anglo-Canadian invasion beaches. Using navigation lights and flags, the submarines indicated the western and eastern limits of [[Sword Beach|Sword]] and [[Juno Beach]]es. ''X20'' and ''X23'' arrived in position on 4 June and due to the delay caused by bad weather, remained in position until {{nowrap|4:30 a.m.}} on 6 June (D-Day) when they surfaced, erected the navigational aids, an {{cvt|18|ft|m}} telescopic mast with a light shining to seaward, a radio beacon and echo sounder, tapping out a message for the [[minelayer]]s approaching Sword and Juno.

A similar operation had been offered to the US [[landing forces]] to mark their beaches but this was declined. The team of Captain [[Logan Scott-Bowden]] and Sergeant Bruce Ogden-Smith did investigate [[Omaha Beach]] for General [[Omar Bradley]], returning with a sand sample.{{sfn|Mayo|2014|pp=128–129}} The submarines were at some risk of damage due to friendly fire and to avoid this, Lieutenant [[George Honour]] the captain of ''X23'' flew a [[White Ensign]] of the size more normally used by capital ships.{{sfn|Kemp|1996|pp=170–172}}

==See also==
* [[Operation Maple]]
* [[Operation Postage Able]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=Underwater Warriors |last=Kemp |first=Paul |year=1996 |publisher=Arms & Armour Press |isbn=978-1-85409-228-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Mayo |first= Jonathan |title=D-Day: Minute by Minute |year= 2014 |publisher= Marble Arch Press |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4767-7294-3}}
{{refend}}

{{World War II}}
{{Battle of Normandy}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambit, Operation}}
[[Category:Normandy landings]]
[[Category:Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom]]