subject: The Catastrophe of Exercise Tiger [print this page] The Catastrophe of Exercise Tiger The Catastrophe of Exercise Tiger
In the build up to the Allied invasion in Northern France in 1944, a superb deal of preparation and planning was needed. Data was frequently being harvested by a network of agents whilst supplies and hardware were being sent to England. These would be vital for the duration of and after what was and still is the largest invasion force ever assembled.
Planning and practise was an important part of the plans. Rangers who were to assault Point du Hoc prepared by climbing cliffs and men staged practice beach landings. An important aspect of the planning of secrecy and the inhabitants of Great Britain were expected to play their part. In Devon, an area called Slapton Sands was selected as a superb 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 scheduled for June 1944. Over 3,000 people were evacuated from the region around Slapton Sands. Many different exercises were planned and certainly one of the largest was Operation Tiger with close to 30,000 men (approximately 33 % of the existing strength of the British Army) were to be involved.
Exercise Tiger happened in late April 1944. The initial practice landings were completed without any complications but in the course of the exercise organised for the early morning of 28th April 1944, catastrophe hit. German E-Boats operating from Cherbourg came across a convoy of 8 LST (Landing ships). They fired torpedoes at the LSTs and desperate men leaped into the icy seas to escape the sinking boats. The majority of hadn't been directed how to put on their life vests and drowned.
Furthermore to the E-Boat attacks, there were further deaths on the beaches themselves. Using live ammo had been authorised and besides the fatalities in the water, more men were killed by friendly fire the moment they strayed into the wrong sections of the beaches.
In total n excess of nine hundred men died throughout Exercise Tiger and it was nearly forty years until the facts were made public. Ironically, only nearly two hundred men died on Utah Beach during the real landings in Normandy on 6th June 1944. Today, a Sherman Tank is on show at Slapton Sands as a memorial to the men who died for the duration of Exercise Tiger.
