Shout It Loud

Throughout the build up to the Allied assault in Normandy in 1944, a exceptional deal of groundwork and organizing was required. Critical information was frequently being compiled by a system of spies at the same time products and tools were being brought to England. These would be vital in the course of and soon after what was and still is the largest invasion force of them all.

Organisation and training was an important component of the operation. Rangers who were to assault Point du Hoc became proficient by climbing cliffs and soldiers made practice beach landings. A major piece of the planning of secrecy and the locals of the UK were expected to play their part. In Devon, an area called Slapton Sands was picked as the ideal practice area on account of the similarities with the Utah landing beach in Normandy.

Exercises for the landings started in late 1943 with the main invasion planned for June 1944. Over 3,000 locals were evacuated from the local area around Slapton Sands. Various exercises were planned and amongst the most significant was Operation Tiger with approximately 30,000 men (approximately one third of the current size of the British Army) were to be involved.

Exercise Tiger occurred in late April 1944. The initial practice landings were made without any complications but for the duration of the exercise scheduled for the early hours of 28th April 1944, disaster struck. German E-Boats patrolling from Cherbourg came across a fleet of 8 LST (Landing ships). They aimed torpedoes at the LSTs and desperate men jumped into the icy seas to escape the sinking boats. A good number of hadn’t been advised how to put on their life vests and perished.

Additionally to the E-Boat attacks, there were further deaths on the beaches themselves. The use of live ammunition had been authorised and together with the fatalities in the water, there were further deaths by friendly fire the minute they strayed into the wrong sections of the beaches.

In total ın excess of nine hundred men were killed in the course of Exercise Tiger and it was close to forty years before the facts were made public. Ironically, only roughly 200 men died on Utah Beach for the duration of the real landings in Normandy on 6th June 1944. These days, a Sherman Tank is on display at Slapton Sands as a memorial to the men who perished for the duration of Exercise Tiger.