Interesting Events In History: Exercise Tiger, The World War II Disaster At Slapton Sands
Naval History and Heritage CommandUSS LST-289 arrives in Dartmouth Harbor, England, after being torpedoed by German torpedo boats during an invasion rehearsal off Slapton Sands, England, on 28 April 1944.
Everyone knows the story of D-Day. The Allies landed on the shores of Normandy to invade German-occupied Europe and liberate the people from Nazi control.
Operations like D-Day need to be practiced to be successful. Nobody just invades a country and wins without a run through or two.
However, even though these run-through’s are practice rounds for the real thing, it doesn’t mean they always go as planned. One such unsuccessful run-through of D-Day was known as “Exercise Tiger,” and it actually resulted in the deaths of 749 American soldiers.
To prepare for the invasion of Normandy, the British government set up training camps along the shores of Slapton Sands, Devon. To keep the operations secret, the British Royal Navy patrolled the area and kept a close watch on the bay that leads to the beach.
The first casualty took place on the morning of April 27.
A practice assault was scheduled to take place, involving real ammunition so the soldiers could become accustomed to the sights and sounds of battle. They originally had scheduled the exercise for 7:30 a.m., however one of the boats that was supposed to be simulating a naval approach was held up at sea for repairs. The generals decided to move the exercise to 8:30, though the communication did not make it to the landing craft in time.
Naval History and Heritage CommandDartmouth Harbor after being torpedoed by German MTBs.
When they landed on the beach at 7:30, they were attacked, as the crew believed they were actually being attacked. In an exchange of friendly fire, roughly 450 men were killed before anyone realized they were shooting at their own men.
Then, the day after that, an actual attack happened, though this time they were not prepared. Two of the ships that were patrolling the bay that lead to Slapton Sands beach were attacked by German E-boats.
Though the Allied ships ended up fighting back, four of their ships were lost in the attack. In the end, the E-boats retreated from the battle, leaving the Allies to tend to their losses.
Wikimedia CommonsAmerican troops land on Slapton Sands in England during rehearsals for the invasion of Normandy. April 1944.
Out of fear that word would get out about their failed practice missions, the Allied generals swore their surviving soldiers to secrecy, keeping this interesting historical event below the radar for years. Ten of the officers who had gone missing during the two attacks had high levels of clearance regarding actual D-Day, and because of that, the entire operation was almost called off.
In the end, the generals decided to go ahead with the mission, which ultimately resulted in a victory for the Allied powers.
