Battle of the Litani River (9 June 1941) - As part of the advance on
BeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
in the
Syria-Lebanon campaignThe Syria-Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June-July 1941, during the Second World War....
of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the
Australian 7th DivisionThe 7th Division of the Australian Military Forces was raised in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...
, commanded by Major-General
John LavarackLieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
, first had to cross the
Litani RiverThe Litani River is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre...
.
During the first hour of 8 June 1941, the Australian forces in northern Palestine crossed the border into
southern LebanonThe French Mandate of Lebanon was a League of Nations Mandate created at the end of World War I. When the Ottoman Empire was formally split up by the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920, it was decided that four of its territories in the Middle East should be League of Nations mandates temporarily governed by...
. Guides from the
PalmachThe Palmach was the regular fighting force of the Haganah, the unofficial army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
supported many of the lead units. Initial resistance from Vichy forces south of the Litani River was scattered and generally disorganized.
The 21st Australian Brigade advanced along the coast road heading for Beirut and attempted to cross the Litani River.
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Battle of the Litani River (9 June 1941) - As part of the advance on
BeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
in the
Syria-Lebanon campaignThe Syria-Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June-July 1941, during the Second World War....
of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the
Australian 7th DivisionThe 7th Division of the Australian Military Forces was raised in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...
, commanded by Major-General
John LavarackLieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
, first had to cross the
Litani RiverThe Litani River is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre...
.
Operation Exporter begins
During the first hour of 8 June 1941, the Australian forces in northern Palestine crossed the border into
southern LebanonThe French Mandate of Lebanon was a League of Nations Mandate created at the end of World War I. When the Ottoman Empire was formally split up by the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920, it was decided that four of its territories in the Middle East should be League of Nations mandates temporarily governed by...
. Guides from the
PalmachThe Palmach was the regular fighting force of the Haganah, the unofficial army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
supported many of the lead units. Initial resistance from Vichy forces south of the Litani River was scattered and generally disorganized.
The 21st Australian Brigade advanced along the coast road heading for Beirut and attempted to cross the Litani River. The crossing was stubbornly contested by the Vichy French. The Australians came under fire from two Vichy French
destroyersThe Guépard-class destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1927 and commissioned in 1930. They were similar to the previous Chacal class, with a larger hull and with a slightly improved speed and gun armament with 138mm guns of a new design...
, the
Guépard and the
Valmy. Australian artillery had to drive off the warships which had come inshore to shell the advancing troops.
On 9 June, because the bridge over the Litani River was destroyed by Vichy French, two platoons of the Australian 7th Division had to cross the Litani River in canvas boats. They crossed the river successfully and captured several Vichy French positions on the far shore.
British
No. 11 (Scottish) CommandoNo. 11 Commando was a battalion-sized commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War.Formed in June 1940 from volunteers from Scottish regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Pedder, in February 1941 it became part of Layforce and adopted the designation of 'C'...
, under the command of Lt.Col. R.L.Pedder (Highland Light Infantry) who was subsequently killed in action during the operation, were transported by the
HMS GlengyleHMS Glengyle was an infantry landing ship of the Royal Navy. She saw service in the Second World War, formally known as a "Landing Ship Infantry Large" .-Design and conversion:...
landing ship. On 9 June, after a delay caused by rough seas, the commandos landed on the coast near the Litani River and led the crossing.