I am, of course, aware of another thread dealing with daring raids and missions, but I thought I'd start a fresh one, with a view to examining how much influence one - or a small team had upon the War. Of course, the crew of the Enola Gay, for instance could be included, but (without belittling their contribution!) they were the tip of a huge and expensive iceberg. What they did was planned out in advance to the minutest degree... What I am thinking about is the spontaneous improvisation brought about by local events. Dog-fights, naval skirmishes and small unit actions have always interested me, but generally their effects are local, only cumulatively affecting a tactical theatre: few had repercussions that later influenced the course of the war.

The Operation Vengeance mission which resulted in the assassination of Admiral Yamamoto was significant (but again it could be argued that it was hardly spontaneous!), but the capture of the Bridge at Remegan is a good example of what I'm getting at.

Any suggestions?