During the build-up to the Allied assault in Northern France in 1944, a terrific deal of preparation and planning was necessary.
Critical information was consistently being gathered by a community of agents even while materials and equipment were being ferried to England.
These would be necessary during and just after what was and still is the largest invasion force of all time.
Planning and practise was a necessary element of the operation.
Rangers who were to attack Point du Hoc prepared by climbing cliffs and troops made practice beach landings.
A major piece of the planning of secrecy and the locals of Great Britain were counted upon to play their part.
In Devon, an area called Slapton Sands was picked as a good practice area on account of the similarities with the Utah landing beach in Normandy.
Exercises for the landings began in late 1943 with the main invasion scheduled for June 1944.
About 3,000 people were evacuated from the area near Slapton Sands.
Plenty of exercises were organised and certainly one of the biggest was Operation Tiger with nearly 30,000 men (approximately 33 % of the existing size of the British Army) were to be involved.
Exercise Tiger took place in late April 1944.
The first practice landings were carried out without any problems but during the exercise planned for the early hours of 28th April 1944, catastrophe hit.
German E-Boats patrolling from Cherbourg intercepted a convoy of 8 LST (Landing ships).
They aimed torpedoes at the LSTs and desperate men jumped into the frozen seas to get away the sinking boats.
Numerous had not been directed how to put on their life jackets and drowned.
Additionally to the E-Boat attacks, there were further deaths on the shores themselves.
The use of live ammo had been sanctioned and together with 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 in excess of nine hundred men died throughout Exercise Tiger and it was about 40 years until the facts were made public.
Ironically, only approximately 200 men died on Utah Beach for the duration of 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 in the course of Exercise Tiger.
Critical information was consistently being gathered by a community of agents even while materials and equipment were being ferried to England.
These would be necessary during and just after what was and still is the largest invasion force of all time.
Planning and practise was a necessary element of the operation.
Rangers who were to attack Point du Hoc prepared by climbing cliffs and troops made practice beach landings.
A major piece of the planning of secrecy and the locals of Great Britain were counted upon to play their part.
In Devon, an area called Slapton Sands was picked as a good practice area on account of the similarities with the Utah landing beach in Normandy.
Exercises for the landings began in late 1943 with the main invasion scheduled for June 1944.
About 3,000 people were evacuated from the area near Slapton Sands.
Plenty of exercises were organised and certainly one of the biggest was Operation Tiger with nearly 30,000 men (approximately 33 % of the existing size of the British Army) were to be involved.
Exercise Tiger took place in late April 1944.
The first practice landings were carried out without any problems but during the exercise planned for the early hours of 28th April 1944, catastrophe hit.
German E-Boats patrolling from Cherbourg intercepted a convoy of 8 LST (Landing ships).
They aimed torpedoes at the LSTs and desperate men jumped into the frozen seas to get away the sinking boats.
Numerous had not been directed how to put on their life jackets and drowned.
Additionally to the E-Boat attacks, there were further deaths on the shores themselves.
The use of live ammo had been sanctioned and together with 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 in excess of nine hundred men died throughout Exercise Tiger and it was about 40 years until the facts were made public.
Ironically, only approximately 200 men died on Utah Beach for the duration of 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 in the course of Exercise Tiger.
Source...