 Two aircraft , each towing one glider , left Scotland on the night of 19 November 1942 . All managed to reach the Norwegian coast , but none were able to reach their objective . The first pair suffered from navigational difficulties and severe weather , which resulted in the tow rope snapping and the first glider crash @-@ landing , with its towing aircraft returning to base ; eight airborne troops were killed outright , four were severely injured and five unhurt . The survivors were captured shortly after the crash . The second pair fared even worse , with both aircraft and glider crashing into a mountain for unknown reasons ; the aircrew and several men were killed outright , and those who survived were taken prisoner . None of the prisoners survived for very long , being either poisoned or executed as a result of Adolf Hitler 's Commando Order , which stated that all British Commandos personnel were to be killed immediately when captured . 
