Exercise Tiger (D-Day landings rehearsal 1944)

Thought I would share my Father's Day visit to this historic Place.

Google-Slapton Sands Devon

Exercise Tiger, or Operation Tiger, were the code names for a full-scale
rehearsal in 1944 for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
During the exercise, an Allied convoy was attacked,
resulting in the deaths of 946 American servicemen.

Exercise Tiger

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Slapton Sands, Devon

Slapton Sands is a beach of coarse sand near Dartmouth in south Devon.
The beach is perhaps best known as the scene of a tragic exercise in preparation
for the D-Day invasion of June 1944.
Slapton Sands was selected for a huge practice run for the invasion of Utah Beach
in Normandy, due to similarities between Utah Beach and Slapton Sands.
Both beaches are made up of gravel, and both have a large lake sitting behind them.
On 28th April 1944 failures in organisation of escort ships allowed
German torpedo boats to attack troop and tank carrying vessels preparing
to land at Slapton Sands. Over six hundred servicemen were killed.
Once the surviving ships landed their troops on the beach,
many were killed by live shells fired by a British cruiser.
The shells were fired in an attempt to reproduce conditions which troops
would have to face in Normandy.
But confusion over planning led to American soldiers crossing
into restricted areas where shells were falling.

Official casualty numbers were released after D-Day,
and revealed that over nine hundred men were killed.
This compares with two hundred men killed on Utah Beach on D-Day itself.
Although documentation is scanty, it seems that the casualties
were hastily buried in an attempt to maintain security
for the approaching invasion.

Today a Sherman tank, raised from the seabed near Slapton Sands,
stands near Torcross as a memorial to those who died.
This memorial was the work of a local resident, Ken Small.
Showing great initiative he managed to get the submerged tank brought ashore,
and placed on a plinth provided by the local council,
who also provided a memorial plaque.

See also:-
Did Allies kill GIs in D-Day training horror?

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See also:-

Torquay, the US 4th Light Infantry and D-Day Landings

Also click on this link for this tragic event:-

Sherman Tank- History Of Exercise Tiger

Here is a short, documenting this disaster,
in which more US servicemen died, then in the actual D-Day beach landing.

Features U.S. Navy Vet, Steve Sadlon,
and original war footage

Hopefully all our members can view this
Operation Tiger- Slapton Sands

From my visit there last week

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As this week is the 70th anniversary, a timely reminder of the sacrifices made