List of raids

Summary

A military raid is a mission where the main objective is to demoralize, destroy valuable enemy installations, free prisoners, gather intelligence, or capture or kill specific personnel. This contrasts to regular military operations where the end goal is to capture territory and advance. Raids are a quick attack, relying heavily on the element of surprise to achieve their objective. After the success or failure of the mission, the raiding force will attempt to retreat to friendly territory before the enemy is able to co-ordinate a counterattack.

Raids are favored by guerrilla, irregular, or special forces. Due to the disproportional affect that a raid can have on an enemy, relative to the attacker's strength and the duration of the attack, raids are a favored tactic in irregular warfare.

This article contains a list of military raids, not including air raids, sorted by the date at which they started:

Name Date Attackers Defenders Outcome
Mongol Raid into Hungary 1241 Mongol Empire Kingdom of Hungary

Kingdom of Croatia

 Teutonic Knights

 Knights Templar

Parts of the Kingdom of Hungary controlled by the Mongol Empire
Mongol Raid into Lithuania 1259 Mongol Empire Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lithuania left mostly untouched by the Mongol raid
Mongol raid into Poland 1259 Mongol Empire Polish states and allies Tactical Mongol victory
Mongol invasion of Byzantine Thrace 1265 Mongol Empire Thrace Thrace plundered by the Mongols
Second Mongol invasion of Lithuania 1275 Mongol Empire Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Third Mongol invasion of Poland 1287 Golden Horde
Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia
Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Hungary
Polish victory; Mongol invasion repulsed
Chaseabout Raid 26 August 1565  Kingdom of Scotland Protestant rebels Victory for Mary, Queen of Scots
Raid of the Redeswire 7 July 1575  Kingdom of Scotland  Kingdom of England Scottish victory
Raid of Ruthven 27 August 1582 Presbyterian nobles Kingdom of Scotland Short-lived Presbyterian victory
Raid on the Medway 6 June 1667  Dutch Republic England Kingdom of England Decisive Dutch victory
Raid on Deerfield 29 February 1704 "The Pine Tree flag of New England" New England  French colonists
 Abenaki
 Iroquois
 Wyandot
 Pocumtuc
 Pennacook
French and Native American victory
Raid on Pickawillany 21 June 1752  France

Ojibwa

Ottawa

 Great Britain

Miami People

French allied victory
Meigs Raid 24 May 1777  United States Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain American victory
Carleton's Raid 24 October 1778 Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain United States United States
Vermont Republic
British victory
Cherry Valley massacre 11 November 1778 Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain
 Seneca tribe
 Mohawk
United States United States British victory
Battle of Paulus Hook 19 August 1779 United States United States Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain American Victory
Battle of Musgrove Mill 18 August 1780 United States United States Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain American Victory
Battle of Wahab's Plantation 21 September 1780 United States United States Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain American Victory
Royalton raid 16 October 1780 Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain Vermont Republic British victory
Battle of Fort St. George 23 November 1780 United States United States Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain American Victory
Raid on Gananoque 21 September 1812 United States United States United Kingdom Upper Canada American victory
Capture of HMS Caledonia and HMS Detroit 9 October 1812 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Battle of St. Regis 22 October 1812 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Battle of Frenchman's Creek 28 November 1812 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Battle of the Mississinewa 17-18 December 1812 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Raid on Elizabethtown 7 February 1813 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Battle of York 22 April 1813 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Raid On Philipsburg 11-12 October 1813 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Raid on Fort Oswego 6 May 1814 United Kingdom United Kingdom United States United States British victory
Raid on Alexandria 20 August 1814 United Kingdom United Kingdom United States United States British victory
Battle of Longwoods 4 March 1814 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American Tactical victory
Raid on Port Dover 14-16 May 1814 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
McArthur's Raid 6 November 1814 United States United States United Kingdom United Kingdom American victory
Andrews' Raid 12 April 1862 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Newburgh Raid 18 July 1862 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Raid on Chambersburg October 1862 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Sinking Creek Raid 26 November 1862 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
West Tennessee Raids December 1862 – January 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Mosby's Raid on Herndon Station 17 March 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Grierson's Raid April – May 1863 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Streight's Raid April – May 1863 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Confederate victory
Stoneman's 1863 raid April – May 1863 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Confederate victory
Jones–Imboden Raid April – May 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Hines' Raid June 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Union victory
Raid on Combahee Ferry June 1863 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Morgan's Raid June – July 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Union victory
Wytheville Raid 18 July 1863 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Quantrill's Raid 21 August 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Shelby's Raid (1863) September – October 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Wheeler's October 1863 Raid October 1863 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Inconclusive
Dahlgren Raid February – March 1864 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Confederate victory
Wilson–Kautz Raid June – July 1864 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Inconclusive
Gilmor's Raid July 1864 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
Price's Raid August – December 1864 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Union victory
Beefsteak Raid September 1864 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
St. Albans Raid 19 October 1864 Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) United States United States (Union) Confederate victory
The Burning Raid November – December 1864 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Stoneman's 1864 raid December 1864 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Stoneman's 1865 raid March – April 1865 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Wilson's Raid March – April 1865 United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy) Union victory
Fenian raids April 1866 Fenian Brotherhood United Kingdom British Empire Stalemate; Fenian raids cease
Warren Wagon Train raid 18 May 1871 Kiowa United States United States Native American victory
Jesse James Northfield Raid 6 September 1876 Law enforcement James-Younger Gang Destruction of the gang
Jameson Raid 29 December 1895 United Kingdom Cecil Rhodes
United Kingdom Leander Starr Jameson
United Kingdom Reform Committee
 South African Republic South African victory
Bezdany raid 26 September 1908 Polish revolutionaries Russian Empire Polish success
Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby 16 December 1914  German Empire United Kingdom United Kingdom German victory
Russian raid on Gotland 2 July 1915 Russian Empire Russian Empire

United Kingdom United Kingdom

German Empire German Empire Allied victory
Zeebrugge Raid 23 April 1918 United Kingdom United Kingdom German Empire German Empire Indecisive
Malgaç Raid 16 June 1919 Kuva-yi Milliye Kingdom of Greece Kingdom of Greece Turkish victory
Soviet raid on Stołpce 3 August 1924 Soviet Union Soviet Union Poland Soviet victory
Chittagong armoury raid 18 April 1930 Indian revolutionaries Chittagong police force Revolutionaries fail to complete objective
Christmas Raid 23 December 1939 Irish Republican Army (IRA) Republic of Ireland Irish Army Initial completion of objectives; equipment recovered shortly after
Operation Ambassador 14 July 1940 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Nazi victory
Operation Colossus 10 February 1941 United Kingdom United Kingdom  Italy British victory
Operation Claymore 4 March 1941 United Kingdom United Kingdom
 Norway
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany British victory
Operation Savanna 15 March 1941 United Kingdom United Kingdom
 Free France
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Nazi victory
Bardia raid 19-20 April 1941 United Kingdom United Kingdom
 Australia
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Kingdom of Italy Italy
Allied victory
Raid on Alexandria (1941) 19 December 1941 Kingdom of Italy Italy United Kingdom United Kingdom Italian victory
Operation Anklet 26 December 1941 United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Norway Norway
Poland Poland
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Allied victory
Operation Archery 27 December 1941 United Kingdom United Kingdom
Norway Norway
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Allied victory
Operation Biting 28 February 1942 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany British victory
St. Nazaire Raid 27 March 1942 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany British victory (all objectives complete)
Indian Ocean raid 31 March 1942 Empire of Japan Empire of Japan United Kingdom United Kingdom
Australia Australia
 Netherlands Netherlands
United States United States
 Canada
Japanese victory
Operation Albumen 7-8 June 1942, 4–5 July 1943 United Kingdom United Kingdom

 Greece

 Free French

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Allied victory
Makin Island raid 17 August 1942 United States United States Empire of Japan Empire of Japan American victory
Dieppe Raid 19 August 1942 Canada Canada
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Poland Poland
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany German victory
Tatsinskaya Raid 16 December 1942 Soviet Union Soviet Union Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Soviet victory
Operation Chestnut 12 July 1943 United Kingdom United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Italy British failure
The Gran Sasso Raid 12 September 1943 Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Kingdom of Italy Italy Mussolini successfully rescued
Operation Jaywick 26 September 1943 Z Special Unit (Allies) Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Allied victory
Operation Begonia 2 October 1943 United Kingdom United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Italy 50 POWs rescued
Operation Candytuft 27 October 1943 United Kingdom United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Italy

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany

British victory
Operation Saxifrage 27 October 1943 United Kingdom United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Italy Rail lines successfully cut
Raid on Choiseul 28 October 1943 United States United States
Australia Australia
Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Indecisive
Raid on Koiari 28-29 November 1943 United States United States Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Japanese Victory
Operation Baobab 30 January 1944 United Kingdom United Kingdom Kingdom of Italy Italy British victory
Brécourt Manor Assault 6 June 1944 United States United States Nazi Germany Nazi Germany American Victory
Operation Cooney 7 June 1944 Free France Free French Forces Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Tactically indecisive

Strategic Allied victory

Operation Gaff 25 June 1944 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Objective not completed
Raid on Symi 13-15 July 1944 United Kingdom United Kingdom
Kingdom of Greece Kingdom of Greece
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
 Italian Social Republic
Allied victory
Operation Dunhill 3 August 1944 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Objectives completed
Raid at Ožbalt 31 August 1944 Slovene Nation Slovene Partisans Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Slovene victory
Operation Greif 16 December 1944 Nazi Germany Nazi Germany United Kingdom United Kingdom

United States United States

German failure
Raid at Cabanatuan 30 January 1945 United States United States Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Allied victory; 552 POWs liberated
Operation Cold Comfort 17 February 1945 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany British failure
Raid at Los Baños 23 February 1945 United States United States Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Allied victory; 2,147 Allied civilians and military personnel liberated
Granville Raid 8 March 1945 Nazi Germany Nazi Germany United States United States

United Kingdom United Kingdom

German victory
Operation Tombola 23 March 1945 United Kingdom United Kingdom

Italian resistance movement

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany Allied victory
Operation Roast 1 April 1945 United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Nazi Germany British victory
Operation Claret July 1964 - July 1966 United Kingdom United Kingdom  Indonesia Objective complete; Indonesian forces kept off balance
Operation Danube 20-21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact  Czechoslovakia Mission successful
  • Prague Airport captured
  • Major military bases, centers and significant government buildings captured
Operation Bulmus 6 19 July 1969 Israel Israel Defense Forces
  • Mission successful, all Egyptian facilities destroyed
  • 6 attackers KIA and 11 wounded; 80 defenders KIA
  • Targeted radar installation determined to be fake
Operation Ivory Coast 21 November 1970 United States United States  North Vietnam Mission failure
Operation Green Sea 22 November 1970 Portugal Portuguese Military
Guinea Guinean dissident forces
Guinea Guinean People's Militia
PAIGC
Limited Portuguese success; liberation of all 26 POWs and enemy naval and air assets destroyed
Operation Entebbe 3 July 1976  Israel Mission successful; 102 of 106 hostages rescued
Operation Eland 9 August 1976  Rhodesia ZANLA (ZANU)

Mozambique Mozambique

Decisive Rhodesian victory
Operation Dingo 23-25 November 1977 Rhodesia Rhodesia Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Decisive Rhodesian victory
Coup of the Republic of Afghanistan 27-28 April 1978 PDPA Afghanistan Republic of Afghanistan Mission successful; Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrown and assassinated
Operation Storm-333 27 December 1979  Soviet Union  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Soviet victory; Hafizullah Amin assassinated
Operation Eagle Claw 24 April 1980 United States United States  Iran Mission failure
Operation Nimrod 5 May 1980 United Kingdom United Kingdom Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan (DRFLA) Mission successful; 24 of 26 hostages rescued
Raid on Pebble Island 14 May 1982 United Kingdom United Kingdom Argentina Argentina British victory
Operation Destroy 19 November 1985 Malaysia Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party Malaysian victory
  • Ibrahim Mahmud killed
Operation Flavius 6 March 1988 United Kingdom United Kingdom Provisional Irish Republican Army 3 IRA paramilitaries killed
Operation Acid Gambit 20 December 1989 United States United States Panama Panama Mission successful; hostage rescued
Raid at Renacer Prison 20 December 1989 United States United States Panama Defense Force Mission successful; 64 hostages rescued
Borovo Selo raid 2 May 1991  Croatia SAO Krajina SAO Krajina
White Eagles White Eagles
SAO Krajina and White Eagles victory
Battle of Mogadishu 3 October 1993 UNOSOM II Somali National Alliance (SNA)
Al-Qaeda
Strategic SNA victory
Operation Chavín de Huántar 22 April 1997 Peru Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement Peruvian victory
  • Hostages rescued
Sauk siege 5 July 2000 Malaysia Al Ma'unah terrorist group Malaysian military victory
Operation Barras 10 September 2000 United Kingdom United Kingdom West Side Boys Mission successful; 5 hostages and 21 additional civilians rescued
Alkhan-Kala raid 22-28 June 2001 Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Russian victory
Operation Rhino 19-20 October 200 United States United States Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan American victory
Operation Condor 17 May 2002 United Kingdom United Kingdom Afghanistan Taliban insurgents
Al-Qaeda
British victory
2004 Nazran raid 21 June 2004 Caucasian Front
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Russian Federation Chechen and Ingush separatist victory
2004 Avtury raid 12 July 2004 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Arab Mujahideen Chechen Republic
Russian Federation
Rebel victory
2004 Grozny raid 21 August 2004 Chechen Republic
Russian Federation
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Russian victory
2005 Dagestan Raids 15 January 2005  Russia
 Dagestan
Shariat Jamaat Russian victory
Lake Tharthar raid 23 March 2005 New Iraqi Army

United States United States

Iraq Iraqi insurgents Iraqi security forces victory
2005 Nalchik raid 13 October 2005 Yarmuk Jamaat Russian Federation Russian victory
Dalola raid 1 May 2006 Janjaweed Chad Janjaweed victory
2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid 12 July 2006 Hezbollah Israel Israel Defense Forces Mission successful
Tyre raid 4 August 2006 Israel Israel Defense Forces Hezbollah Mission failure
Karbala provincial headquarters raid 20 January 2007 Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq

Supported by:

 United States Mission successful
Raid on Poti 12 August 2008 Russia Russia  Georgia Russian victory
  • Georgian torpedo and missile boats destroyed
2009 Baraawe raid 14 September 2009 United States United States Al-Qaeda
Al-Shabaab
American victory
2010 Tsentoroy attack 29 August 2010 Vilayat Nokhchicho Kadyrovtsy
Pro-Moscow Chechen Law Enforcement
Russian victory
  • Chechen rebels successfully repelled
Death of Osama bin Laden 2 May 2011 United States United States Al-Qaeda American victory
Rescue of Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted 25 January 2012 United States United States Somali Pirates American victory
  • Both Hostages successfully rescued and all 9 Pirates killed
Kunar Raid 17 February 2012 NATO NATO Afghanistan Taliban Mission failure; 6 civilian casualties
Al-Otaiba ambush 26 February 2014 Hezbollah Al-Nusra Front Successful ambush
  • Over a hundred of Al nusra militants killed
Crimean Parliament raid 27 February 2014 Russia Russia Ukraine Ukraine Russian victory
Simferopol raid 18 March 2014 Russia Russia Ukraine Ukraine Russian victory
  • Ukrainian military base captured
May 2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria 15 May 2015 United States United States
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom (surveillance)
Daesh American victory
2015 Myanmar cross-border raid 9 June 2015 India India NSCN-K
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup
Indian victory
2016 Indian Line of Control strike 28-29 September 2016 India India Lashkar-e-Taiba Indian victory
Mohmand Valley raid 26-27 April 2017 United States United States Daesh American victory

• Emir of ISIL-KP killed

Al Hathla Raid 23 May 2017  United States Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula American victory
Barisha raid 26-27 October 2019 United States United States Daesh American victory

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed

2020 Nigeria hostage rescue 31 October 2020 United States United States Nigerian Bandits American victory

• Hostage Successfully Rescued

2022 Panjgur and Naushki raids 2 February 2022 Pakistan Pakistan Baluch Liberation Front Mission successful
2023 Alaqsa Flood raids 7 October 2023 Hamas Hamas Israel Mission successful