List of raids


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 page contains a list of military raids, not including air raids, sorted by the date at which they started:
NameDateAttackersDefendersOutcome
Mongol Raid into Hungary1241Mongol Empire Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Croatia
Parts of the Kingdom of Hungary controlled by the Mongol Empire
Mongol Raid into Lithuania1259Mongol EmpireGrand Duchy of LithuaniaLithuania left mostly untouched by the Mongol raid
Mongol raid into Poland1259Mongol Empire Polish states and alliesTactical Mongol victory
Mongol invasion of Byzantine Thrace1265Mongol EmpireThraceThrace plundered by the Mongols
Second Mongol invasion of Lithuania1275Mongol EmpireGrand Duchy of Lithuania
Third Mongol invasion of Poland1287 Golden Horde
Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia
Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Hungary
Polish victory; Mongol invasion repulsed
Chaseabout Raid26 August 1565Protestant rebelsVictory for Mary, Queen of Scots
Raid of the Redeswire7 July 1575Scottish victory
Raid of Ruthven27 August 1582Presbyterian noblesKingdom of ScotlandShort-lived Presbyterian victory
Raid on the Medway6 June 1667Dutch Republic Kingdom of EnglandDecisive Dutch victory
Raid on Deerfield29 February 1704 New England colonists




French and Native American victory
Raid on Pickawillany21 June 1752Kingdom of France
Ojibwa
Ottawa
Kingdom of Great Britain
Miami People
French allied victory
Meigs Raid24 May 1777 Great BritainAmerican victory
Carleton's Raid24 October 1778 Great Britain United States
Vermont Republic
British victory
Cherry Valley massacre11 November 1778 Great Britain
United StatesBritish victory
Royalton raid16 October 1780 Great Britain Vermont RepublicBritish victory
Battle of Fort St. George23 November 1780 United States Great BritainAmerican Victory
Raid on Gananoque21 September 1812 United States Upper CanadaAmerican victory
Raid on Elizabethtown7 February 1813 United States United KingdomAmerican victory
Raid on Fort Oswego6 May 1814 United Kingdom United StatesBritish victory
Raid on Alexandria20 August 1814 United Kingdom United StatesBritish victory
McArthur's Raid6 November 1814 United States United KingdomAmerican victory
Andrews' Raid12 April 1862 United States CSA Union victory
Newburgh Raid18 July 1862 CSA United States Confederate victory
Raid on ChambersburgOctober 1862 CSA United States Confederate victory
Sinking Creek Raid26 November 1862 United States CSA Union victory
West Tennessee RaidsDecember 1862 – January 1863 CSA United States Confederate victory
Mosby's Raid on Herndon Station17 March 1863 CSA United States Confederate victory
Grierson's RaidApril – May 1863 United States CSA Union victory
Streight's RaidApril – May 1863 United States CSA Confederate victory
Stoneman's 1863 raidApril – May 1863 United States CSA Confederate victory
Jones–Imboden RaidApril – May 1863 CSA United States Confederate victory
Hines' RaidJune 1863 CSA United States Union victory
Raid on Combahee FerryJune 1863 United States CSA Union victory
Morgan's RaidJune – July 1863 CSA United States Union victory
Wytheville Raid18 July 1863 United States CSA Union victory
Quantrill's Raid21 August 1863 CSA United States Confederate victory
Shelby's Raid September – October 1863 CSA United States Confederate victory
Wheeler's October 1863 RaidOctober 1863 CSA United States Inconclusive
Dahlgren RaidFebruary – March 1864 United States CSA Confederate victory
Wilson–Kautz RaidJune – July 1864 United States CSA Inconclusive
Gilmor's RaidJuly 1864 CSA United States Confederate victory
Price's RaidAugust – December 1864 CSA United States Union victory
Beefsteak RaidSeptember 1864 CSA United States Confederate victory
St. Albans Raid19 October 1864 CSA United States Confederate victory
The Burning RaidNovember – December 1864 United States CSA Union victory
Stoneman's 1864 raidDecember 1864 United States CSA Union victory
Stoneman's 1865 raidMarch – April 1865 United States CSA Union victory
Wilson's RaidMarch – April 1865 United States CSA Union victory
Fenian raidsApril 1866 Fenian Brotherhood
British Empire
  • Canada
  • Province of Canada
  • Stalemate; Fenian raids cease
    Warren Wagon Train raid18 May 1871Kiowa United StatesNative American victory
    Jesse James Northfield Raid6 September 1876Law enforcementJames-Younger GangDestruction of the gang
    Jameson Raid29 December 1895 Cecil Rhodes Leander Starr Jameson
    Reform Committee
    South African victory
    Bezdany raid26 September 1908Polish revolutionariesRussian EmpirePolish success
    Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby16 December 1914 United KingdomGerman victory
    Russian raid on Gotland2 July 1915 Russian Empire
    United Kingdom
    German EmpireAllied victory
    Zeebrugge Raid23 April 1918 United Kingdom German EmpireIndecisive
    Malgaç Raid16 June 1919 Kuva-yi Milliye Kingdom of GreeceTurkish victory
    Soviet raid on Stołpce3 August 1924 Soviet Union PolandSoviet victory
    Chittagong armoury raid18 April 1930Indian revolutionariesChittagong police forceRevolutionaries fail to complete objective
    Christmas Raid23 December 1939 Irish Republican Army Irish ArmyInitial completion of objectives; equipment recovered shortly after
    Operation Ambassador14 July 1940 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyNazi victory
    Operation Colossus10 February 1941 United KingdomKingdom of ItalyBritish victory
    Operation Claymore4 March 1941 United Kingdom
    Nazi GermanyBritish victory
    Operation Savanna15 March 1941 United Kingdom
    Nazi GermanyNazi victory
    Bardia raid19-20 April 1941 United Kingdom
    Nazi Germany
    Italy
    Allied victory
    Raid on Alexandria 19 December 1941 Italy United KingdomItalian victory
    Operation Anklet26 December 1941United Kingdom
    Norway
    Poland
    Nazi GermanyAllied victory
    Operation Archery27 December 1941 United Kingdom
    Norway
    Nazi GermanyAllied victory
    Operation Biting28 February 1942 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victory
    St. Nazaire Raid27 March 1942 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victory
    Indian Ocean raid31 March 1942 Empire of Japan United Kingdom
    Australia
    Netherlands
    United States
    Japanese victory
    Operation Albumen7-8 June 1942, 4-5 July 1943 United Kingdom
    Nazi GermanyAllied victory
    Makin Island raid17 August 1942 United States Empire of JapanAmerican victory
    Dieppe Raid19 August 1942 Canada
    United Kingdom
    Poland
    Nazi GermanyGerman victory
    Tatsinskaya Raid16 December 1942 Soviet Union Nazi GermanySoviet victory
    Operation Chestnut12 July 1943 United Kingdom ItalyBritish failure
    The Gran Sasso Raid12 September 1943 Nazi Germany ItalyMussolini successfully rescued
    Operation Jaywick26 September 1943Z Special Unit Empire of JapanAllied victory
    Operation Begonia2 October 1943 United Kingdom Italy50 POWs rescued
    Operation Candytuft27 October 1943 United Kingdom Italy
    Nazi Germany
    British victory
    Operation Saxifrage27 October 1943 United Kingdom ItalyRail lines successfully cut
    Raid on Choiseul28 October 1943 United States
    Australia
    Empire of JapanIndecisive
    Operation Baobab30 January 1944 United Kingdom ItalyBritish victory
    Operation Cooney7 June 1944 Free French Forces Nazi GermanyTactically indecisive
    Strategic Allied victory
    Operation Gaff25 June 1944 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyObjective not completed
    Raid on Symi13-15 July 1944 United Kingdom
    Kingdom of Greece
    Nazi Germany
    Allied victory
    Operation Dunhill3 August 1944 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyObjectives completed
    Raid at Ožbalt31 August 1944 Nazi GermanySlovene victory
    Operation Greif16 December 1944 Nazi Germany United Kingdom
    United States
    German failure
    Raid at Cabanatuan30 January 1945 United States
    Empire of Japan
  • Allied victory; 552 POWs liberated
    Operation Cold Comfort17 February 1945 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish failure
    Raid at Los Baños23 February 1945 United States
  • Empire of Japan
  • Allied victory; 2,147 Allied civilians and military personnel liberated
    Granville Raid8 March 1945 Nazi Germany United States United KingdomGerman victory
    Operation Tombola23 March 1945 United Kingdom
    Italian resistance movement
    Nazi GermanyAllied victory
    Operation Roast1 April 1945 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victory
    Operation ClaretJuly 1964 - July 1966 United KingdomObjective complete; Indonesian forces kept off balance
    Operation Danube20-21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact
    • Soviet Union
    • Hungarian People's Republic
    Czechoslovak Socialist RepublicMission successful
  • Prague Airport captured
  • Major military bases, centers and significant government buildings captured
  • Operation Ivory Coast21 November 1970 United StatesMission failure
    Operation Green Sea22 November 1970 Portuguese Military Guinean dissident forces Guinean People's Militia
    PAIGC
    Limited Portuguese success; liberation of all 26 POWs and enemy naval and air assets destroyed
    Operation Entebbe3 July 1976Mission successful; 102 of 106 hostages rescued
    Operation Eland9 August 1976 ZANLA MozambiqueDecisive Rhodesian victory
    Operation Dingo23-25 November 1977 Rhodesia Zimbabwe African National Liberation ArmyDecisive Rhodesian victory
    Coup of the Republic of Afghanistan27-28 April 1978 PDPA
    • Supported by:
    • * KGB
    Republic of AfghanistanMission successful; Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrown and assassinated
    Operation Storm-33327 December 1979Soviet victory; Hafizullah Amin assassinated
    Operation Eagle Claw24 April 1980 United States
  • Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
  • Mission failure
    Operation Nimrod5 May 1980 United KingdomDemocratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan Mission successful; 24 of 26 hostages rescued
    Raid on Pebble Island14 May 1982 United Kingdom ArgentinaBritish victory
    Operation Destroy19 November 1985 Malaysia
  • PDRM
  • Pan-Malaysian Islamic PartyMalaysian victory
  • Ibrahim Mahmud killed
  • Operation Flavius6 March 1988 United KingdomProvisional Irish Republican Army3 IRA paramilitaries killed
    Operation Acid Gambit20 December 1989 United States PanamaMission successful; hostage rescued
    Raid at Renacer Prison20 December 1989 United States Panama Defense ForceMission successful; 64 hostages rescued
    Borovo Selo raid2 May 1991 SAO Krajina White EaglesSAO Krajina and White Eagles victory
    Battle of Mogadishu3 October 1993
    • United States
    Somali National Alliance Al-QaedaStrategic SNA victory
    Operation Chavín de Huántar22 April 1997 Peru Túpac Amaru Revolutionary MovementPeruvian victory
    • Hostages rescued
    Sauk siege5 July 2000 Malaysia
  • Malaysian Army
  • Royal Malaysia Police
  • Al Ma'unah terrorist groupMalaysian military victory
    Operation Barras10 September 2000 United KingdomWest Side BoysMission successful; 5 hostages and 21 additional civilians rescued
    Alkhan-Kala raid22-28 June 2001 Russian Federation Chechen Republic of IchkeriaRussian victory
  • Arbi Barayev assassinated
  • Operation Condor17 May 2002 United Kingdom Taliban insurgents Al-QaedaBritish victory
    2004 Nazran raid21 June 2004 Caucasian Front
    Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
    Russian Federation
    Chechen and Ingush separatist victory
    2004 Avtury raid12 July 2004 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Arab Mujahideen Chechen Republic Russian FederationRebel victory
    2004 Grozny raid21 August 2004 Chechen Republic
    Russian Federation
    Chechen Republic of IchkeriaRussian victory
    2005 Dagestan Raids15 January 2005
    Shariat JamaatRussian victory
    Lake Tharthar raid23 March 2005 New Iraqi Army
    United States
    Iraqi insurgentsIraqi security forces victory
    2005 Nalchik raid13 October 2005Yarmuk Jamaat Russian FederationRussian victory
    Dalola raid1 May 2006JanjaweedChadJanjaweed victory
    2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid12 July 2006 Hezbollah Israel Defense ForcesMission successful
    Tyre raid4 August 2006 Israel Defense Forces HezbollahMission failure
    Karbala provincial headquarters raid20 January 2007 Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
    Supported by:
    Mission successful
    Raid on Poti12 August 2008 RussiaRussian victory
  • Georgian torpedo and missile boats destroyed
  • 2009 Baraawe raid14 September 2009 United States Al-Qaeda Al-ShabaabAmerican victory
    2010 Tsentoroy attack29 August 2010 Vilayat Nokhchicho Kadyrovtsy Pro-Moscow Chechen Law EnforcementRussian victory
    • Chechen rebels successfully repelled
    Death of Osama bin Laden2 May 2011 United States Al-QaedaAmerican victory
  • Osama bin Laden killed
  • Kunar Raid17 February 2012 NATO
  • United States Air Force
  • TalibanMission failure; 6 civilian casualties
    Al-Otaiba ambush26 February 2014 Hezbollah Al-Nusra FrontSuccessful ambush
  • Over a hundred of Al nusra militants killed
  • Crimean Parliament raid27 February 2014 Russia UkraineRussian victory
  • Parliament building captured
  • Simferopol raid18 March 2014 Russia UkraineRussian victory
  • Ukrainian military base captured
  • May 2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria15 May 2015 United States
  • United Kingdom
  • DaeshAmerican victory
  • Abu Sayyaf killed
  • 2015 Myanmar cross-border raid9 June 2015 India NSCN-K Kanglei Yawol Kanna LupIndian victory
    2016 Indian Line of Control strike28-29 September 2016 India Lashkar-e-TaibaIndian victory
    Al Hathla Raid23 May 2017 Al-Qaeda in the Arabian PeninsulaAmerican victory
    Barisha raid26-27 October 2019 United States DaeshMission successful; Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed