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: NameDateAttackersDefendersOutcomeMongol Raid into Hungary1241Mongol Empire Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of CroatiaParts of the Kingdom of Hungary controlled by the Mongol EmpireMongol Raid into Lithuania1259 Mongol EmpireGrand Duchy of LithuaniaLithuania left mostly untouched by the Mongol raidMongol raid into Poland1259 Mongol Empire Polish states and alliesTactical Mongol victoryMongol invasion of Byzantine Thrace1265 Mongol EmpireThraceThrace plundered by the MongolsSecond Mongol invasion of Lithuania1275 Mongol EmpireGrand Duchy of LithuaniaThird Mongol invasion of Poland1287 Golden Horde Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia Kingdom of Poland Kingdom of HungaryPolish victory; Mongol invasion repulsedChaseabout Raid26 August 1565 Protestant rebelsVictory for Mary, Queen of ScotsRaid of the Redeswire7 July 1575 Scottish victoryRaid of Ruthven27 August 1582 Presbyterian noblesKingdom of ScotlandShort-lived Presbyterian victoryRaid on the Medway6 June 1667 Kingdom of EnglandDecisive Dutch victoryRaid on Deerfield29 February 1704 New England colonists HaudenosauneeFrench and Native American victoryRaid on Pickawillany21 June 1752 Ojibwa
Odawa British America Miami PeopleFrench allied victoryMeigs Raid24 May 1777 Great BritainAmerican victoryCarleton's Raid24 October 1778 Great Britain United States Vermont RepublicBritish victoryCherry Valley massacre11 November 1778 Great Britain United StatesBritish victoryBattle of Paulus Hook19 August 1779 United States Great BritainAmerican VictoryBattle of Musgrove Mill18 August 1780 United States Great BritainAmerican VictoryBattle of Wahab's Plantation21 September 1780 United States Great BritainAmerican VictoryRoyalton raid16 October 1780 Great Britain Vermont RepublicBritish victoryBattle of Fort St. George23 November 1780 United States Great BritainAmerican VictoryRaid on Gananoque21 September 1812 United States Upper CanadaAmerican victoryCapture of HMS Caledonia and HMS Detroit9 October 1812 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryBattle of St. Regis22 October 1812 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryBattle of Frenchman's Creek28 November 1812 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryBattle of the Mississinewa17-18 December 1812 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryRaid on Elizabethtown7 February 1813 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryBattle of York22 April 1813 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryRaid On Philipsburg11-12 October 1813 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryRaid on Fort Oswego6 May 1814 United Kingdom United StatesBritish victoryRaid on Alexandria20 August 1814 United Kingdom United StatesBritish victoryBattle of Longwoods4 March 1814 United States United KingdomAmerican Tactical victoryRaid on Port Dover14-16 May 1814 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryMcArthur's Raid6 November 1814 United States United KingdomAmerican victoryAndrews' Raid12 April 1862 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryNewburgh Raid18 July 1862 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryRaid on ChambersburgOctober 1862 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victorySinking Creek Raid26 November 1862 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryWest Tennessee RaidsDecember 1862 – January 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryMosby's Raid on Herndon Station17 March 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryGrierson's RaidApril – May 1863 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryStreight's RaidApril – May 1863 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Confederate victoryStoneman's 1863 raidApril – May 1863 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Confederate victoryJones–Imboden RaidApril – May 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryHines' RaidJune 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Union victoryRaid on Combahee FerryJune 1863 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryMorgan's RaidJune – July 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Union victoryWytheville Raid18 July 1863 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryQuantrill's Raid21 August 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryShelby's Raid (1863)September – October 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryWheeler's October 1863 RaidOctober 1863 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)InconclusiveDahlgren RaidFebruary – March 1864 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Confederate victoryWilson–Kautz RaidJune – July 1864 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)InconclusiveGilmor's RaidJuly 1864 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryPrice's RaidAugust – December 1864 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Union victoryBeefsteak RaidSeptember 1864 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victorySt. Albans Raid19 October 1864 CSA (Confederacy) United States (Union)Confederate victoryThe Burning RaidNovember – December 1864 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryStoneman's 1864 raidDecember 1864 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryStoneman's 1865 raidMarch – April 1865 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryWilson's RaidMarch – April 1865 United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)Union victoryFenian raidsApril 1866 Fenian Brotherhood Irish Republican Brotherhood United States(Alleged) British Empire Canada (1867–71) Province of Canada (1866)Stalemate; Fenian raids ceaseWarren Wagon Train raid18 May 1871Kiowa United StatesNative American victoryJesse James Northfield Raid6 September 1876Law enforcementJames-Younger GangDestruction of the gangJameson Raid29 December 1895 Cecil Rhodes Leander Starr Jameson Reform CommitteeSouth African victoryBezdany raid26 September 1908Polish revolutionariesRussian EmpirePolish successRaid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby16 December 1914 United KingdomGerman victoryRussian raid on Gotland2 July 1915 Russian Empire United Kingdom German EmpireAllied victoryZeebrugge Raid23 April 1918 United Kingdom German EmpireIndecisiveMalgaç Raid16 June 1919 Kuva-yi Milliye Kingdom of GreeceTurkish victorySoviet raid on Stołpce3 August 1924 Soviet Union PolandSoviet victoryChittagong armoury raid18 April 1930Indian revolutionariesChittagong police forceRevolutionaries fail to complete objectiveChristmas Raid23 December 1939 Irish Republican Army (IRA) Irish ArmyInitial completion of objectives; equipment recovered shortly afterOperation Ambassador14 July 1940 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyNazi victoryOperation Colossus10 February 1941 United KingdomBritish victoryOperation Claymore4 March 1941 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victoryOperation Savanna15 March 1941 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyNazi victoryBardia raid19-20 April 1941 United Kingdom Nazi Germany ItalyAllied victoryRaid on Alexandria (1941)19 December 1941 Italy United KingdomItalian victoryOperation Anklet26 December 1941United Kingdom Norway Poland Nazi GermanyAllied victoryOperation Archery27 December 1941 United Kingdom Norway Nazi GermanyAllied victoryOperation Biting28 February 1942 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victorySt. Nazaire Raid27 March 1942 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victory (all objectives complete)Indian Ocean raid31 March 1942 Empire of Japan United Kingdom Australia Netherlands United StatesJapanese victoryOperation Albumen 7-8 June 1942, 4–5 July 1943 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyAllied victoryMakin Island raid17 August 1942 United States Empire of JapanAmerican victoryDieppe Raid19 August 1942 Canada United Kingdom Poland Nazi GermanyGerman victoryTatsinskaya Raid16 December 1942 Soviet Union Nazi GermanySoviet victoryOperation Chestnut12 July 1943 United Kingdom ItalyBritish failureThe Gran Sasso Raid12 September 1943 Nazi Germany ItalyMussolini successfully rescuedOperation Jaywick26 September 1943Z Special Unit (Allies) Empire of JapanAllied victoryOperation Begonia2 October 1943 United Kingdom Italy50 POWs rescuedOperation Candytuft27 October 1943 United Kingdom Italy Nazi GermanyBritish victoryOperation Saxifrage27 October 1943 United Kingdom ItalyRail lines successfully cutRaid on Choiseul28 October 1943 United States Australia Empire of JapanIndecisiveRaid on Koiari28-29 November 1943 United States Empire of JapanJapanese VictoryOperation Baobab30 January 1944 United Kingdom ItalyBritish victoryBrécourt Manor Assault6 June 1944 United States Nazi GermanyAmerican VictoryOperation Cooney7 June 1944 Free French Forces Nazi GermanyTactically indecisive Strategic Allied victoryOperation Gaff25 June 1944 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyObjective not completedRaid on Symi13-15 July 1944 United Kingdom Kingdom of Greece Nazi GermanyAllied victoryOperation Dunhill3 August 1944 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyObjectives completedRaid at Ožbalt31 August 1944 Nazi GermanySlovene victoryOperation Greif16 December 1944 Nazi Germany United Kingdom United StatesGerman failureRaid at Cabanatuan30 January 1945 United States Empire of JapanAllied victory; 552 POWs liberatedOperation Cold Comfort17 February 1945 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish failureRaid at Los Baños 23 February 1945 United States Empire of JapanAllied victory; 2,147 Allied civilians and military personnel liberatedGranville Raid8 March 1945 Nazi Germany United States United KingdomGerman victoryOperation Tombola23 March 1945 United Kingdom Italian resistance movement Nazi GermanyAllied victoryOperation Roast1 April 1945 United Kingdom Nazi GermanyBritish victoryOperation ClaretJuly 1964 - July 1966 United KingdomObjective complete; Indonesian forces kept off balanceOperation Danube20-21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact Soviet Union
Mission successful Prague Airport captured Major military bases, centers and significant government buildings capturedOperation Bulmus 619 July 1969 Israel Defense Forces Egypt As-Sa'iqa Mission successful, all Egyptian facilities destroyed 6 attackers KIA and 11 wounded; 80 defenders KIA Targeted radar installation determined to be fakeOperation Ivory Coast21 November 1970 United StatesMission failureOperation Green Sea22 November 1970 Portuguese Military Guinean dissident forces Guinean People's Militia PAIGCLimited Portuguese success; liberation of all 26 POWs and enemy naval and air assets destroyed Failure to capture or kill Amílcar Cabral and Ahmed Sékou TouréOperation Entebbe3 July 1976 Mission successful; 102 of 106 hostages rescuedOperation Eland9 August 1976 ZANLA (ZANU) MozambiqueDecisive Rhodesian victoryOperation Dingo23-25 November 1977 Rhodesia Zimbabwe African National Liberation ArmyDecisive Rhodesian victoryCoup of the Republic of Afghanistan27-28 April 1978 PDPA Supported by: KGB Republic of AfghanistanMission successful; Mohammed Daoud Khan overthrown and assassinatedOperation Storm-33327 December 1979Soviet victory; Hafizullah Amin assassinatedOperation Eagle Claw24 April 1980 United States