At the request of a module user, i have made the following tweaks. The former flush decked wwi destroyer campbeltown was converted to look like a german eboat and was loaded with explosives, and rammed into the normandie dry dock. Tirpitz was the second of two bismarckclass battleships built for the german kriegsmarine war navy during world war ii. The film is based on the commando raid on the french port of st. In march 1942, a combined force of royal navy and army commandos sailed up the river loire in france, under fire from german forces, to st nazaire, where. Captured british commandos after the st nazaire raid, march british forces successfully complete operation chariot, the saintnazaire raid, with the cost of 622 men of the royal navy and. With jeremy clarkson, corran purdon, bob wright, james dunning. The attack, known as the st nazaire raid, successfully destroyed the adjacent drydock by ramming an explosivefilled destroyer into it, but the uboat pens were not targeted. Nazaire is james dorrians fascinating account of the british commando raid on st. Raid on saintnazaire photographs world war ii database. The life and times of robert ryder vc, richard hopton. Nazaire, on the west coast of france, had dry docks that the. The results of the raid are best measured in relation to its effect on the overall war effort. Apr 03, 2014 into the jaws of death britains operation chariot and the raid on saintnazaire by 3 april, 2014 3 comments by 1942, the allied war was stalled.
Our ships were following the b17 formations, bombed, and continued following. Detailed information for port of st nazaire, fr snr. Of the 622 men of the royal navy and commandos who took part in the raid, only 228 men returned to england. Jeremy clarkson tells the story of one of the most daring operations of world war ii the commando raid on the german occupied dry dock at st. Photo british prisoners of war, saintnazaire, france, late mar 1942 bundesarchive photos 1933 all fields of wwii. At the time of the raid, several german propaganda kompanie teams were still in town, having come to saint nazaire to cover admiral donitzs visit to the uflotillas based there. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a british amphibious attack on the heavily defended normandie dry dock at st nazaire in germanoccupied. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a british amphibious attack on the heavily defended normandie dry dock at st nazaire in germanoccupied france during the second world war.
To recognize their bravery, 89 decorations were awarded to members of the raiding party, including five victoria crosses. In 1942, commandos raid france to destroy the docks at st nazaire, a virtual suicide mission that turns out to be the most successful of the war. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a successful british amphibious attack on the heavily defended normandies dry dock at st. Saintnazaires shipbuilding yards became one of the.
Nazaire, published by the avalon hill game company, in 1987. Nazaire, that increased to more than 8 percent losses with more than 55 percent damaged. German naval personnel removing a killed british commando from a house, saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942. The st nazaire raid had been a success, but at a cost. It was an important strategic asset for the german fleet in world war two. This is the uboat, that german filmmakers, made the movie. Nazaire in march 1942 remains one of the outstanding acts of heroism in world war two. Nazaire occurred at a time when the third reich was strong and great britain needed a successful operation to boost morale for the long fight that. Building on the success of various commando raids during 1941.
A war drama about the impossible british raid on heavily defended dry deck saint nazaire, in german occupied france, in 1942. St nazaire raid wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Nazaire and brit commmandos so i was quite pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this movie to see it based on. Operation biting british commandos raid on coastal radar installation.
A new release on dvd from battlefield history tv and pen and sword digital, the saint nazaire raid is the most complete analysis of the epic saint nazaire raid available. It was an operation so heroic that it resulted in the award of five victoria crosses and 80 other decorations for gallantry. Warfare featured articles the raid on saint nazaire. Into the jaws of death britains operation chariot and. Nazaire, france, began to receive american expeditionary forces that same month. Building on the success of various commando raids during 1941, headquarters combined operations moved up the scale of size and complexity by electing to attack and deny the only dry dock that could take a german battleship for repairs, the normandie dock at st nazaire on frances atlantic coast. It was little more than a fishing village until the mid19th century, when the port was built to accommodate vessels too large to sail up the loire to nantes. Operation chariot during world war ii in the dark early days of 1942, britains atlantic lifeline was stretched to the breaking point.
The mission was a formative step in the building of a special operations capability for the allies, and a painful lesson learned in combined operations. On 28 march 1942, british forces launched one of the most daring operations of the second world war. Saintnazaire is thought to be the site of the ancient galloroman seaport of corbilo. I just wanted to point out, that this movie is indeed based on an actual event, the raid on st. Shot on location with the help of extensive veteran testimony, leading experts on commando operations and combat experienced soldiers, the lid is lifted on the complex antimony of the raid and the team marvel at the heroism. The town was one of the most damaged in france during world war ii. The operation was undertaken by the royal navy and british commandos under the auspices of combined operations headquarters on 28 march 1942. Hms cambeltown wedged in the dock gates of saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942, photo 07 of 10. The officer in charge of the naval phase of the raid on st nazaire, commander r. At the time of the raid, several german propaganda kompanie teams were still in town, having come to saintnazaire to cover admiral donitzs visit to the uflotillas based there. Specifically the charioteers received five victoria crosses the largest number awarded. The defences around st nazaire, especially at the mouth of the river loire were upgraded by the addition of a number of fixed gun emplacements of varying calibre. It was a feat of cunning and daring that helped to shape the war at sea.
Now known as the greatest raid of all, operation chariot was an attack on the docks at st nazaire in germanoccupied france. When he asked the port commander about defensive measures, the officer said a plan was ready, but he considered a raid unlikely. Readers of this site interested in the raid on st nazaire may wish to know of my 2009 book commando to colditz. German personnel on hms campbeltown at saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942, photo 1 of 9. Nazaire raid was a very successful if highly costly commando raid on the port of st nazaire in germanoccupied france on march 28, 1942. The motor gunboat and four motor launch boats survived the raid and along with 228 men, made it safely back to england. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a successful british amphibious attack on the heavily defended.
The 10 best things to do in saintnazaire 2020 with. So he radioed saintnazaire, british naval force sailing on a westerly course. Gift horse 1952 attack on the iron coast 1968 april, 1942. German personnel on hms campbeltown at saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942, photo 2 of 9. The st nazaire port information gathered by marinetraffic includes, wind forecasts and realtime updates for vessels in the port of st nazaire. Thirteen of the 44ths aircraft were scheduled and took off but only eight managed to complete the formation and bomb the target. I understand the movie turn towards the sun starring michael burn, may be available on amazon by christmas. More vcs were won during the raid than at any other operation in world war two that took same amount of time. A biography of the naval commander at the st nazairre raid, who after a prewar career dominated by sailing ships he sailed home from china in a yacht built for the task and was the naval commander on the british graham land expedition, he had a fairly distinguished wartime career, which included the raid on st. Port of st nazaire fr snr details departures, expected. Into the jaws of death britains operation chariot and the raid on saintnazaire.
As a major submarine base for the germans, saint nazaire was subject to a british raid in 1942 and it was heavily bombed by the allies until 1945. British prisoners of war, saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942. They were therefore perfectly placed to record the aftermath of the raid, as seen in this german newsreel extract. Saint nazaire progressively replaced nantes as the main haven on the loire estuary. Situated on the west coast of france, the town of st nazaire was home to a dry dock that had been the largest in the world when it was built in 1932. Inside the french submarine espadon and base saintnazaire cnet.
Commando raid on the german occupied dry dock at st. Uboats were sinking allied merchantmen faster than they could be replaced, and to this threat was added the lurking menace of german surface raiders. The saint nazaire dock was the target of operation chariot, a british commando raid in 1942. Of the commandos who fought through saint nazaire, five managed to evade capture and escape to spain with the help of the french and eventually to gibraltar and back to england. I have just been reading in my local french newspaper that a fictional film about the st nazaire raid will be released in 2012. Photo british prisoners of war, saintnazaire, france, late mar 1942 bundesarchive photos 1933 all fields of wwii page 19. The port of saint nazaire was the location of whats called the greatest raid of all, a daring and flatout incredible attack by the british on the only drydock outside. Added gun 222a to initial deployment and pieces window. Nazaire out of action so germans could not repair their. Hms cambeltown wedged in the dock gates of saintnazaire, france, 28 mar 1942, photo 08 of 10. Attack on the iron coast is a 1967 deluxe color angloamerican oakmont productions.
A complete account of the rafs support role during the victorious command raid on st nazaire, march 1942. The sheer intensity of the fighting in and around saintnazaire is reflected by the fact that the actions of almost one in four men were recognized subsequently by medal awards or mentions in despatches. Associate membership of the st nazaire society is open to everyone with an interest in learning more about operation chariot, in contributing to, or benefiting from, the societys unique knowledgebase, and in keeping the raid s memory alive for the benefit of future generations. Il avait consiste, pour 611 marins et commandos britanniques, a bord d. In early 1942, shipping losses in the atlantic threatened britains.
Saint nazaire s great distance from british ports meant that the commandos, whose job it was to land at several locations in the port and complete a complex plan of demolitions, had to be transported by sea. The raid on saint nazaire fri th november a look at operation chariot. Saintnazaires great distance from british ports meant that the commandos, whose job it was to land at several locations in the port and complete a complex plan of demolitions, had to be transported by sea. Information about port of st nazaire frsnr departures and expected arrivals. Established in june 1917, the naval operating base at st. The westcoast port was disestablished after the war. Fixed infinite loop when advancing vp indicator with left arrow key. Attack on the iron coast 1968 attack on the iron coast. Typically, in 1943, the usaaf would lose approximately 5 percent of its bombers on a mission.
Nazaire glen towler says i find this event very interesting the best bit was that the germans thought the raid was a failure when the ship didnt explode straight away and we stood on the ship when the explosives went off must have been quiet a sight for the commandos as they were lead away to prison camps. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. However the port was miles up a well defended estuary. Nazaire raid writes, the port is located five miles up the treacherous estuary of the river loire and is only approachable from the sea by a single narrow channel, which, in 1942, was covered by several batteries of coast defense guns. The port of st nazaire is also known as saint nazaire. Mar 26, 2014 this week in the war, on 26 march 1942, a force of british commandos left falmouth in cornwall on board a flotilla of destroyers and motortorpedo boats heading for the german naval base at saint nazaire on the loire estuary on the western coast of germanoccupied france.
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