blow up shelter The Greatest Raid of All - Operation Chariot - St. Nazaire lock gates and role of HMS Campbeltown on 27th March 1942

Together with some other weaker countries in June 1940.The powerful Royal Navy and the outnumbered but brave Royal Air Force prevented Germany from trying to invade after the withdrawal of British troops from Dunkirk, which gave time for reconstruction and reconstructionEspecially armed forces.The emergence of the chariot operation was due to two major events in 1941 and 1942, and the strength of the Royal Navy was challenged by krisming.
The first was part of the British fleet's pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck and Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser prinprinprinz Eugen, among them are 1920 tall but powerful warships, the Hood and the Prince of Wales.On May 1941, the German vessel set off from their home port of gortenhaffen under the operation of the "Rhine banger" and headed for Bergen, where only KMS Prinz Eugen refuel, becauseOn May 1941, but within 10 minutes, the Hood crashed directly into its Light Armor magazine, and it was shocking that the entire ship was blown into pieces, there are only three survivors of a 1418-member shipping company.The two German ships quickly recovered and focused their firepower on the Prince of Wales, who was also ashamed and withdrew to reassess the situation.
However, Bismarck's kilometer was damaged, seemingly minor but severe, which caused it to loosen the oil and absorb the water.In May 1941, only 114 of the 2220 survivors were used from the company on board.KMS Prinz Eugen was destroyed but escaped in order to survive the war.
The history of the ship is amazing and I will be publishing a separate article soon on her fate.The second incident involved two German cruisers, KMS Scharnhorst and KMS Gneisenau, who had been lurking for months in Brest and survived almost unscathed,On February 1942, they left the port and boldly crossed the English Channel, ignoring the orders of the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and many coastal defense forces to travel to the Baltic port for relative security.Despite the sinking of port Bismarck, there is once again the threat of a strong German strike force entering the Atlantic Ocean, especially the sister ship tirtirpitz of port Bismarck, which is nearing completion.
In 1941, Britain was still fighting for the freedom of the European people, a lonely figure under Nazi and communist oppression.The success of the U-boat movement around the North Atlantic and British Isles has caused great difficulties as the UK relies on maritime routes to provide the shaft power of food and materials needed to support the fight against war.Although the U-boat is invisible, small fast destroyers and frigates can effectively hunt and neutralise, but the battleship and cruisers of the Kriegsmarine are completely different.
In January 1942, the KMS tierpitz was operational and remained at the residence of the Norwegian fjord in the Baltic Sea, as well as the pocket battleship kms l à tzow and Admiral Scheer.What they can do with the supply line of the British fleet, which is a nightmare for Winston Churchill, meaning six battleship ships (from December 1941, four British battleships plus they will be ready if they sprint north to the Atlantic.Since then, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force have spent too much time, bundled too much equipment, and designed ways to eliminate the great warships and the other two main ships.
Initially, the only option seems to be to attack them in the air when they break down, or if they sprint to the high seas, plan a strategy to neutralize them.If tilpitts venture into the Atlantic, her fatal weakness is to add and fix.Even though she mightBy using a fleet tanker, U-If the ship is damaged, she will eventually need to take refuge in a port that can accommodate her huge size.
The port of Saint Nazel is the only port on the Atlantic coast of France that can provide dry dock facilities.At that time, the huge Mahdi Pier was the largest dry dock in the world and was completed in April 1932 to accommodate the great passenger ship SS Mahdi.Saint Nazar is the center of the shipbuilding and marine repair industry that started in the town before World War II.
If Kriegsmarine is not able to use it, then they are unlikely to risk the North Atlantic Tirpitz, but are forced to use her to target the route of the Arctic fleet, hiding in the fjord between the two sorties.The loss caused by the merchant ship in 1942 was caused by the U.The ships are rising dramatically, and the threat of a new large German warship led by KMS Tirpitz has caught the attention of the British Navy.
In the face of the British fleet, it is impossible for any of them to come out and fight.If they do and are damaged, only the Mahdi pier located in Saint Nazar can accommodate large warships for repairs.Therefore, the attack on the Port of San Nazar will force the ships to re-hide, thus seriously hindering their war efforts.
In addition, a new German submarine base was built in Saint Germain.Make this goal more important and attractive.In the second week of January 1942, Tirpitz crossed the kilcanal from the Baltic Sea and headed north to tronigham on the Norwegian coast.
She will break into the North Atlantic and cause serious damage to the allied Atlantic Fleet, which is a very real danger..The naval situation around the world will change.On April, the British Royal Air Force used Halifax and Lancaster aircraft to bomb tilpitts, respectively, but failed to lose 13 aircraft and 60 people, and they also lost a beautician and four other pilots.
Clearly, the threat posed by this warship requires unconventional strategies.It is clear that any successful plan needs to be built around a repair facility that rejects Kriegsmarine, so focusing on the only practical port that can handle something of this size, as we mentioned, must be St.Nazar Island on the French coastThere are other countries in the world, one in Germany (Pier Elbe 17-Hamburg), Genoa and Singapore, but each one is in a dangerous place, or is of questionable value to the Germans.
St.
Nazar lies on the north shore of the Loire River, about 6 miles from the estuary, and the estuary is wide and has a deep dredging channel, of course, in an occupied country controlled by Germany.In order to successfully attack the dock, it is clear that it would be very expensive to use only air attacks in people and machines, so the planning department of the Navy came up with the idea of destroying the lock, Gates of Saint Nazar, therefore, kriegsmarine cannot use it.Captain Charles Lambe (who later became the first captain) was very interested in the concept and he told the idea to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the head of the joint operation, he was a great supporter of effective use of well-trained commando raids, and Hitler was very worried about it.
On top of that, Hitler was very scared of the British Commandos, and after this and other successful raids, he instructed the army chief of staff Alfred Judel on October 18, 1942 to kill them all without trial from now on, whether they are prisoners, in uniform, trying to surrender, injured or not.(Safety Service) performed by hanging, shooting, or injection death.Jodl was convicted of war crimes and hanged in Nuremberg on October 16, 1946.
The dock target area is sandwiched between the Loire River and the waters of the outer port and the San Nazar Basin --A small total area of less than one square mile.However, it should be understood that this is the most defensive area in Germany --Atlantic Coast.Power stations, pumping stations, warehouses, locks, distribution networks and the old town of Saint Nazel are all concentrated in this limited space.
The dry dock is large, a basin of 1,148.
by 164 ft.
It is turned on and off by a huge hollow 35foot-The heavy gate is so huge that it is called a "sink box ".They measured a huge 167.by 54 ft.It can only be moved on huge rollers.Denying that the use of dry docks by Germans will effectively eliminate the threat posed by Tirpitz, but a degree of lateral thinking is required to succeed in the raid.In the early days of the war, Saint Nazel was one of some French ports that Germany had identified and taken over to satisfy krigsming (and Brest, loréon, La Rochelle and Bordeaux) when they occupied France in 1940Facilities of StNazel includes building large, solid and good spacesThe fully equipped submarine fence is immune even with the heaviest bomb.
This allows the U-boat fleet to have a comfortable and well-equipped base from which to carry out the "Battle of the Atlantic" against Allied shipping ".This huge and spacious complex was built to accommodate the "gray wolf" of the 6 th and 7 th.The port is dominated by floating ships and a single structure.
Able to accommodate up to 20 U-It consists of 14 deep chambers, some of which can be drained and used as a dry dock for large-scale repairs.The building uses nearly 17 million cubic feet.Huge wall and roof with plenty of reinforced concrete and armored doors, gun stands and shooting positions.
All of this is combined to make it a selfContains a fort in which ships can be received, repaired, refueled, and dispatched almost independently of events occurring outside.It has been heavily bombed by British and American aircraft for several years, but the quality of the building has never been penetrated and its ships or personnel have not been damaged at all.The defense around Saint Nazar, especially at the mouth of the Loire river, complements a number of fixed gun launches of various caliber.
The Gunners are the experienced German Navy under the command of kapit n zur Zuckschwerdt.He was designated as Kommandant Loire, responsible for sea defense around the estuary and air defense at the port.His headquarters is located at the La Baule beach resort, about 8 miles west of the San Nazel marina facility.
Naval artillery battalion under efficient kapit n zur©Mulling point.The powerful camp in Dick Manna consists of about 20 people.Eight guns of different caliber, ranging from 75mm to more than 240mm railway guns in La Baule.
Capitta en Zur's Naval Anti-Aircraft BrigadeConrad Meek, based in St. Mark.).This is a powerful defense system. between them, there are 40 units in total.Three guns, mainly 20mm and 40mm, but there are several 37mm cannons covering the waters close to the estuary and the port itself and protecting the area from air strikes.
Mecke also directs countless searchlights, sweeping the river or Sky, lighting up air or sea targets for guns.There are four large 150mm searchlights and a large number of smaller 60mm searchlights as backup for smaller searchlightscalibre quick-firing guns.Finally, at the port command, led by korvettenkapit n Kellermann, they used guard companies equipped with small arms and light machine guns to maintain the tight defense of the dock, as well as Port defense vessels patrolling rivers and estuary.
.Moored in the mainstream is the heavily armed Sperrbrecher 137Botilla Russ) is an anti-aircraft gunboat specially designed to handle magnetic mines.In addition to the troops, it should not be forgotten that there are Navy technicians, industrial workers and the United States Navy.Vessel maintenance teams employed by the port itself, as well as temporary numbers of vessel crew and workers from prospective portsMilitary organization.
All of this can be used to defend the port.The Infantry Division is stationed on this part of the coast.This seemingly unlikely division was formed as early as January 1941 and is largely composed of Polish troops.
(These may be the Poles of German descent, otherwise it doesn't make much sense ).(For reference only, the division was clearly considered sacrifice and was moved to the Eastern Front in early 1943 to fight Poles who also hated the Russian enemy.Here, they suffered a great loss and were dissolved as combat units that actually ceased to exist ).
It arrived in early 1942 from Brittany and will cover the coast from Saint Nazel to Lyon.The infantry corps headquarters is just west of La Baule and as it is not immediately on alert, it takes time to mobilize the response to the attack.While the entire Mahdi terminal complex is undoubtedly considered an important asset, in fact, the United StatesAt that time, the ship was only the main weapon against Britain, not the German Air Force (which was heavily involved in the war against the Soviet Union at that time), which meant that most Germans believed that the United StatesAs the most important goal in the port.
Huge concrete structure provides a safe haven for the United StatesThe ships of the seventh submarine fleet and part of the 6 th were gradually moving to Saint Nazar.The Port's defense plan is in the event that any landing is expected to be against the United States.It is believed that the ship's fence, not the Normandi pier and supplies, is sufficient to repel any attack.
The day before the raid, General denitz, US Flag OfficerThe boat, visited the island of Saint Nazar and asked kapit nnleutnant Herbert Sohler, who commanded the Seventh submarine fleet, what would he do if the British landed at the port.replied Sohler.It was impossible for him to know that, at that time, the British Army was in the Bay of Biscayne, moving in the direction of Saint Nazar.The luval estuary is a complex water composed of numerous mudflats and rivers, with deep dredging sections.
In order to successfully carry out a positive attack in the climax, a shallow draft vessel is needed.Although it is a heavily guarded area, it seems that German planners have never considered the possibility of an attack on mud and shoals.The British Navy has carried out detailed planning, including suggestions on the two important variables of tide and wind, and studied French historical charts dating back to more than 100 years.
The outline plan is simple and bold.
, (Normandie dry dock), fast and stick to it there, anchor it with a wear charge.The crew and commandos will disembark and provide enhanced air cover nearby.raid shelter.The ship will then blow up the gate.Then, a mountain bike will pass through and launch a specially designed torpedo at the inner gate, and when the tide goes back, the torpedo will collapse under pressure and damage the submarine anchored in the protective fence.
The troops and crew will then look for and destroy as many dock targets as possible and evacuate in a quick, motorized launch that follows.All of this was achieved under the air raid cover of the Royal Air Force against selected targets.From the beginning, the planners themselves had questions about the exit phase.
Of course, it may be unknown and variable factors that cannot be imagined or planned, but the potential return exceeds the risk.However, outside the planning circle, there are some who believe that the chosen vessel will bounce back from the gate, thus reducing the power of the explosion, especially the uss c of Plymouth C.He even objected to the advice of the engineer who built it and insisted on his point of view.
He also believes that anyone within half a mile of the Big Bang will be killed.Mountbutton acknowledged the destructive power of the explosion and provided for the installation of a delayed action fuse so that the troops and crew had time to evacuate the area.However, he insisted on the use of the ship's impact lock door.
Another concession is to spread the raid power between the main ship and the supporting motorized launch, just to avoid the total loss of the commandos in the event of a disaster on the main ship.The draft plan was given a negative response when it was submitted to the Navy because they were unwilling to agree with certain losses of one of their destroyers, no matter how outdated these destroyers were, it is also possible to lose a second ship, although the destruction of the Mahdi Pier is the main target of their own choice.They recommend the use of 1927 free French destroyers built as a fleet of impact ships and motor launch and torpedo ships to carry additional commandos and operate them.
The idea is not perfect, but this action can now be submitted to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for approval.The RAF is also not enthusiastic because they are not happy to have no choice on the target, and the number of bombers eventually assigned to the operation is far less than they think they need.And the task code-named "chariot operation.
However, even if it costs a French ship, the chief of staff is reluctant to use it.To do so, some French troops and crew members need to be used in raids, which means approaching the leader of Free France, General Charles de Gaulle.By doing so, it is inevitable that the number of people who know the operation will be expanded and the risk of details being leaked will increase, as many believe, not all free French people are trustworthy, there is a reason for this.
The feeling is that it would be safer to find a suitable ship from within the Royal Navy, rather than risking a breach of safety.After many discussions, it was finally decided to lead the raid by the outdated 1260-ton HMS wooleltown;One of 50 U.S. wixban loansLeased destroyers built in 1919 (former Buchanan ).
Many people are in poor condition, but have been modernized, rearmed and re-classified as town categories, but Campbell Town has been redecorated especially for the task ahead.At HM Dockyard Devonport, the bridge armor was stripped off and lit up the interior in order to reduce her water intakeProvide plating and extra discreet armor protection for the commandos she will carry.Her image has changed a lot.Two funnels and other superstructure were removed to make her look like a German class m'we destroyer.
Prior to her choice, she had a remarkable history, previously damaged in a collision with SS Comus and did not lie down until March 1941.Escort team on September 1941.Over the next five months, she patrolled the North Atlantic and claimed that the two were "dead", assisting the U401 to sink and destroy an enemy plane.However, her swan song will be the explosive force on her bow, organized by Lieutenant Nigel tibeitz, who decides to use 20-four Mk.
Seven, deep water fee, 400lbs per pound.
These charges are tightly packed in a steel tank and then covered with concrete.The long-Insert a delay pencil fuse, connect through cortex (the fuse detonated instantly) and at 8-hour delay.A total of 150 commandos will be carried along with 15 mobile launches (MLs.
Every ship is B.
Have 112 mi/Of Inn Mill classfoot-Long and unarmored mahogany hull with very fragile auxiliary petrol tank loaded on deck with two Oerlikon 20mm guns and a pair of World War IOld Lewis machine gun.The four weak ships also carry torpedo.It must be said to them that MLs do have two advantages, they can do 20 knots, and they draw very little water.In the tide, they enter the mouth of the luval River and can pass around the shoal and mudflats outside the heavily guarded main channel.
Only one motor gunboat (MGB) is available-MGB 314, a C-Fairmilban, directed by Lt.Dunstan Curtis is faster than other ships at 30 knots and she carries a 2-Pound Vickers DefensePlane gun, twin.Installation, power operation.50-caliber pom-Pom machine gun and semi-automatic 2-pounder gun.
She will be used as a ship for the headquarters and also equipped with radar and echo depth detectors, making her the ideal ship to lead the attack.There will be 74 organic fish and Thunder boats (MTB) in the protected area.This is equipped with innovative, unverified flying torpedo that can break through the dry dock gate if Campbell Town fails to reach the target.
MTB-74 is 72 feet Vosper, this is a quirky boat that looks either flat or idling, she is shorter than the rest and has three 1, 250hpPackard and two Ford V8 engines gave her the highest speed of more than 45 knots, which could prove useful.Her fuel consumption is huge, so she will be dragged into action, which makes her captain submarine very upsetLt..These well-trained Commando volunteers know that this is only a suicide mission.
A outspoken man who never concealed the truth, deputy Adm.Louis mountbutton, head of Joint Operations, told Lt.Col.A.C.I'm sure you can get in and get the job done, but we can't have much hope for you to leave again.
Even if you lose, the result of the operation is worth it.For this reason, I want to tell you, to tell all men with family responsibility, or men who think they should resign for whatever reason, that they are free to do so, no one will think they are worse.Newman conveyed the offer of Mountbatten to his commandos, but none of them refused.
Led by Commander Robert Ryder, the Royal Navy contingent, who even had extensive sailing experience at the age of 34, served on the submarine for three years, command a sailing boat for three years to the North Pole, command the frigate, the fleewood, for six months, and have a Q-The boat came out from under him with a torpedo, and it took four days to float on the sea, clinging to a wooden ock.His current mission is to do a desk job in a solemn house in southern England, where his last ship collided in heavy fog and sank.His unenviable mission is to organize and finally implement the plan to land 200 commandos in Saint Nazar, get an aging destroyer to the port and make sure it hits the southern sink in the dry dock, then organize as many survivors as possible to withdraw to the UK.
No one has ever done things halfway, and given that they are a small group of well-equipped commando members who practice and practice again, there is no chance.Although they received intensive training in night Technology, in the first place2 The Legend of the Commando second-in-Commander, Major Bill Copeland.Their basic task is to provide protection teams for demolition teams that only carry side arms, to ensure and maintain positions that are critical to the results of the raid, and to keep the enemy troops long enough, so that the demolition team can finish their work.
All the soldiers who participated in the raid were experienced raid technicians, but the San Nazel raid required complex demolition skills designed specifically for the unique objectives of the waiting force.In this regard, they were fortunate enough to receive a highly qualified Capt.The recent experience of Royal Engineer w h Pritchard included blowing the bridge behind the retreating BEF on 1940.
In addition, his father is the owner of the docks in Cardiff and Capt.Pritchard worked as an engineering apprentice in the dock of the Western Railway before the war.His experience and expertise are invaluable, especially when he is asked to assess some ports and methods that may make it impossible for the enemy to use.
One of them was Saint Nazar, who concluded that aerial bombing would not destroy or damage the heavy machinery needed for the dock not to work.In order to do this, the report outlines the precise placement of the strong charge as well as the actual position and method.Another great catcher, Capt.Bob Montgomery also had extensive knowledge of the issue and assisted in the production of the original report, both officers are now assigned to help L.
Col.
Newman.
The demolition teams were dispatched from commandos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 12, respectively, to Burnt Island in fors Bay for specialized training in the identification and destruction of dock facilities.All teams were trained in the use of plastic explosives and detonators and were taught to determine the exact location of the explosives for maximum destruction.The teams then proceeded to the Rosyth shipyard to familiarize themselves with the work of the marina and to identify the weaknesses of the shipyard.
From there, they are divided into two different groups to travel to Cardiff or Southampton in order to practice their technology in large commercial ports.Here, the training strengthens the work of the team to set the time, sometimes in dark, cold and humid environments, and sometimes in the absence of a warning, the key members are taken away and they areIn Southampton, they were lucky enough to practice on the great George V Dry Dock, which is almost a replica of the Mahdi dock.Lieutenant Stuart Chant and his men repeatedly practiced going down the dark metal staircase from the pumping room, placing imaginary explosives on the fragile wheel pump.
Brett tenants and Lieutenant Burtenshaw climbed into the hollow sink for a fee, while Lieutenant Purdon and Lieutenant Smalley practiced charging for the removal of the basic winding house that opened and closed the gate.A week after perfecting their technology, the two teams rotated so that the two teams could gain the widest possible experience to deal with unforeseen events or casualties.The landing force consists of 257 officers and men from six different commandos.
Some relocated men carry only a Colt 45 M1911 A1 pistol and a backpack containing 90 lbs of plastic explosives.Work for five other peopleMen's Party, each equipped with a Thompson 1928A1 submachine gun and a Mk 1 Bren gun fired from the hip, was designed to cover the demolition personnel while they filed the charges.Other fighting groups of two officers and 12 soldiers will cancel gun positions, build a perimeter around the pier and prevent German reinforcements from entering the town.
There were 12 men and a doctor in response to the casualties (Lieutenant-Colonel David Parton) and a small medical team.The raid will be led by Lt.Col.A.C.Newman, a Territorial officer of the Essex RegimentThe commandos and veterans who successfully raided Norway.The naval contingent is commanded by Commander R.
E.
D.
Ryder-It is inevitably called "Red ".
Ryder is a typical British seadog.
he is polar exploration, submarine, Q-Ships and survivors sunk in two warsBoth are very smart, calm and thoughtful professionals.The people who followed them included some professional soldiers and sailors, but many were territorial forces.All of them were fully trained in finer places using the commando's horrible training program.
No one is allowed to survive a forced march of 60 miles within 24 hours, which is standard, and sometimes these people are pushed 7 miles with a full set of gear in an hour.A unit completed an unforgettable parade of 64 miles in 23 hours.Physically, officers, officers and soldiers share the responsibility.
Everyone is trained in the cold winter;Everyone trembled in the cold waters of the Hebrides, and everyone learned to kill people silently and quickly with both hands and cold steel.The attacker even invented a German.The sound of German.They also performed a little for the benefit of any German spy who might watch the event near Falmouth.10th Anti-And post rumors that they were set to search U-Ships far beyond the West are close to the British Isles.
They also made up a story saying that the unit would be stationed somewhere east of the Suez Canal and publicly showed what was loaded with Sun caps and hotThey will be taken to the weather equipment on the ship to France.The commandos have arrived at the intersection of Belgium,Now the Channel ferry, Princess Josephine Charlotte, is introduced to motorboats and has the opportunity to find their sea legs.They had a long and difficult cruise on the island of siliqun, and almost everyone was seasick.
The training and familiarity lasted for two weeks, and finally the commandos carried out a simulated night attack at Plymouth pier.They were easily discovered by the defense system that the whole thing ended up in chaos, and the biggest problem was that the crew of the vessel was blinded by a searchlight.The PRU flight confirmed that the following vessels were moored by the submarine or Penhouet basin.
There are 10 mine sweepers and four ports.Defense ship and 9 U-Although these submarines are expected to be driven only by the backbone crew.Two tankers were repaired inside the big dock and the other was repaired nearby.
Four more ladies.
we-The first-class torpedo ship anchored in the submarine basin is just where Ryder and Newman plan to deploy the MGB headquarters.With a little modification, the chariot operation will continue in any case.The odds are great: 611 Raiders, about half of the Navy and half of the commandos will bear 10 times their number.
Expertise, courage and surprises must make up for the gaps that exist.Join the MGB 314 lead and two escort "hunting" class destroyers, the "Atherstone" and the "Tyndale" to enter flanking and HMS wooleltown.Due to the limited fuel range of the two launches, HMS Tynedale is pulling MGB 314, and HMS limeltown is pulling unstable MTB 74, so it seems that a very powerful supercharged engine is either.
At this point, their Hurricane fighter escort has reached the limit of range and reluctantly returned to the UK.They met a surface U-in the southwest of Ushant-The ship, under the command of kapit, is almost new but damaged Type VIIC U593.The Tynedale quickly attacked with a deep water bomb within two hours, but did not damage or sink it.
The fleet left the area on a wrong route, and the submarine officially reported to their command and control headquarters, which believed they were heading to Gibraltar.Five German torpedo ships were sent from Saint Nazar to fight the ship, but as expected, completely in the wrong direction.They were still at sea during the raid.Soon after meeting UOn 593, the unit encountered a French fishing boat.
As we all know, the Germans often let observers or Vichy French people board these ships with their radios to report any movements in the UK, and Ryder has previously decided to sink any such ships they encounter.However, the French fishermen were friendly and assured him that there were no German observers on any of the ships, that the number of the ships prevented them from sinking, and that all Ryder decided to sink only two of them after taking off, their crew.At 1830 hours, one of the launches (ML 341 under Lt D Briault) caused its port engine to fail and decided that ML 446 (under Lt Falconar) would also join its commandos.
The sea transfer took some time to complete and the ML 446 finally caught up with the rest of the troops just as they arrived at the entrance to the mouth of the luval estuary.A disappointed ML 341 was left to limp back to England alone.The Raiders saw the bomb flash and the tracker lit up the sky.
The transfer-style bombing air strikes of 35 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and 27 Wikes Wellington have started, but 10/10 of the low clouds and ice-The disguised target and aircraft dropped only a symbolic bomb, or just circled.This caused an alarm in the town and its vicinity, rather than the expected effect of keeping the German army in their bunker, and the local German commander quickly suspected that it was not a normal raid.The RAF bombers were told to target specific military installations only to avoid civilian casualties in France, and those who failed to set specific targets did not drop bombs.
It was the secret that the Royal Air Force pilots did not know about the chariot operation, and later they said they would come in if they knew they would support the commandos on the ground.Back at the mouth of the luval River, each ship still flies the German flag to confuse the enemy and delay the identification.At about 23: 00, the explosion expert Nigel tibartz Lt set up and started the pencil fuse at the Campbell Town bow about 8 hours later, which will detonate a huge explosive.
It is well known that the fuse is inaccurate and the error range must be allowed, but it is expected that the explosives will detonate between 0500 and 09 hours.The unit slipped through Le Croisic's radar station without any incident into the mouth of the Loire river, where, 30 hours later, it passed through HMT LancastriaOn June 1940, at Dunkirk, during the Ariel operation, troops were packed, wounded soldiers and civilians evacuated France and traveled to Britain, losing at least 4,000 people.A quarter of an hour later, the unit passed 75mm guns at the Gildas corner, but was apparently not found yet.
From now on, the success or failure of the entire raid depends on one person, Royal Navy Lieutenant.R.Green, the pilot on the leading motor gunboat.All preliminary research work is expected to be rewarded in order to keep destroyers away from shoals and mudflats lurking in dark rivers.
Bobeltown scraped the bottom on the mud twice, reducing her speed from 10 to 5, but she moved on.Green's navigation proved to be great.After the war-.Ardon: legfa!(\ 'Note: the danger of landing!The German coast defense system did not respond until seven minutes later.When the Germans challenged the ship, the Searchlight suddenly punctured the darkness of the river bank, warning the lens to crack overhead.
Then there is the call sign of a German torpedo ship recently captured.Two ships damaged by the enemy's actions requested immediate entry into the port.The Germans stopped shooting and were confused about what to do.
However, after a delay, the Germans began to hesitate to open fire again, but as the heavier gun in the north gradually added to the battery of Dickman in ch.©The Moulin point and the de l \ 'Eve point..For a moment, the Germans were reluctant to open fire again, possibly because of the chaos caused by false signals, and the Germans might not believe anyone would try such an outrageous raid.
At this time, the German flag was shot down and replaced by a white military flag. the fleet is two miles away from the target.All the excuses were gone and the Germans opened fire with all their stuff for the remaining 15 minutes of running.
This intensity has killed or injured half of those in major league America in the horrific shelling of these fragile wooden launch devices.Despite the lack of armor, the launch hit back with every single gun, including the commando's Bren gun, although more accurate and concentrated than the British fire, and soon their fire began to manifest.Under the leadership of the force, MGB 316 has arrived at the outer port and moored at the German guard ship Sperrbrecher 137 near the East Pier.
As the ship approached, it was injecting a lot of firepower into the force, so the MGB 314 turned all the guns on board and pulled her from the bow to the stern as she passed.All the fire in Germany has stopped, the ship is in silence, the damage caused by MGB 314 has increased several other launches, Sperrbrecher has been suppressed, and her deadly 88mm gun has beenGerman fires from the coast began to decrease significantly, and several searchlights were fired.The British launch and the counterattack of HMS wooleltown were very effective.
In the chaos that followed, many of the smoky launch devices turned sharply to the black skyline of the dockyard complex, captain Lt of Campbell TownCmdr.R.H.Betty called for the revolution to be the biggest.The town of Campbell cleared the mouth of the river and sped up the speed, pulling her bow through the cable of the torpedo barrier into the dock gate.
The major league almost stopped, and only two of them landed successfully on all their commandos.Other major leagues are close to the landing area but forced to re-Set foot on their commandos in the face of heavy shooting from 20mm cannons.The fighting on the land was fierce and played in some places.
As she made her way to her noble finish line, orricons in Campbell Town was in action, pounding the German coast defense.The gun position does not have a shield, nor does it provide any protection, and when two Oerlikons crew members are hit, the other crew members run through the shell storm to replace them and continue to burn.The German tracker came to her and the heavier shell hit both sides of her.
She seemed alive on both sides, with exploding shells and casualties everywhere.Captain and Sergeant of Campbell town were cut down on the bridge.Tibbets walked calmly past another officer and took the helm.
He said that at the last time she went to glory, he caught the old ship directly.Beti and Tiba, with their beards, were almost covered by German searchlights, and they were still professionals in the Royal Navy, concise and important --of-In fact, even in the chaos and slaughter around them.HMS wooleltown hit a huge sink at about 20 knots in 0134 hours, causing the front compartment to collapse by about 36ft, so that 4 tons and 25 tons of explosivesIn fact, if they were moved there by hand, it would not be better, proving the superb skills of her crew.
The timing of the entire raid was so well arranged that HMS wooleltown was actually only 4 minutes behind schedule and most of her crew members were quickly taken away by MGB 314, while the unstable MTB 74 launches a torpedo on the basis of the old entrance dock.As soon as Campbell town hit the sink, it stopped, and beattie immediately organized the evacuation of the crew and commandos and started the charge of wear and tear, so even if the explosives failed to detonate, the stern of the ship also leaned directly against the bed of the Loire river, creating a huge one.The destroyer is now a sitting duck and the enemy's gun continues to attack her in all directions.
The commandos sneaked out to start their destructive missions, including Lieutenant Roderick and his team, who disembarked from Starboard and immediately attacked their first target, a sandbag gun closeBefore the Germans realized this, the commandos were on them and they had destroyed the positions in a short time and traded with the Gunners.They reached their second goal directly, it was a concrete bunker with a quickFired 37mm guns on the roof, pressed with some wellsPlace grenades and the crew are killed while trying to escape.The third designated target has been hit by fire from a river boat, so Roderick moved to his final target, the huge underground fuel tank.
However, Roderick stubbornly refused to catch fire, so he consolidated his position, provided a flank guard and waited for the return signal.Lieutenant Roy's team disembarked from the port of the destroyer and quickly headed to the important pump house to attack two German guns on the roof.However, they were abandoned when they got there.
Apparently, after seeing Roy and his team walk towards them, the gun staff decided they would not hang around but flee from the outside stairs.Professional charges were made against guns to destroy them, and the organization continued their next goal.It's an old entrance bridge, and it's important that Roy grab it and grab it to get the various demolition groups back on the old mole.
Once everyone is back on the bridge, they will be shocked by the allegations made by Lieutenant Woodcock, but unfortunately Woodcock and many of his teams have already been saddened by the ML 262.When they got there, Roy and his team found it abandoned by the enemy, so set the position to cover it and wait there, temporarily isolated from the action.ML 177 managed to get to the gate at the old entrance of the basin and successfully planted charges on two tugboats moored in the basin.
Not far from the destroyer is Chant and his four Sergeant demolition teams, who undertake the vital task of destroying the pump house and its machinery (these are large wheel pumps that pour water from the pier ).Their destruction means that even if the sinks remain intact, the Normandi Wharf will no longer be a dry dock, but will be restored to the tidal dock.Their inproximity means that it may take months for the repair work to be completed, which makes the dock rejected by Kriegsmarine, in particular Tirpitz.
UnfortunatelyChant and one of his sergeant Chamberlain were injured in both arms and legs as they approached the Loire River.Although the two injured people could only move hard, the team who left the camp found that the door of the Pump Room was opened and entered.The layout of the machine, as expected, justifies the countless hours of dry running and days of training, and they are now working.
Chamberlain began to be affected by the wound, so when the rest of the team started their mission, the chant asked him to guard the entrance.Sergeant A.H.It's called Dockerill.The Times choir of Erie cathedral, with two injured roomsHe carried his explosives-filled backpack and his own backpack up and down the long dark steel stairs.Arriving at the bottom, they started planting explosives (special shapes and waterproof materials) where Pritchard thought they would do the most harm ).
Everyone connected his explosives together, and then connected them to a rope.The repeated detonators will pass through the short-Slow lengthBurning safety fuse ignited by manual ignition.When each of their work was done, the officers shouted loudly.
Once everything was ready, Chant sent his two hands down to collect Chamberlain and move from the pump house to a safe place.He left a man, Dockerill, who became weak because he was also injured and knew it would be difficult to climb the stairs.Once someone else is clear, he lights the fuse and they have 90 seconds to climb 40-Stairs to safety.
Chant managed to climb the stairs in time, grab the belt of the indomitable Dockers and get to a safe place not far away.The explosion in the pump room caused a strong response around the dock.When Chant and his people came back to investigate the results, they were satisfied to see that the destruction had been completed.
Most of the floor collapsed, two huge Motors fell into the pumping room, and the other two were screwed off the base.The only task left was to ignite the oil that leaked into the ruins of the building, which was done by burning charge.Then he pulled his men back to the river and went to the "Old Mole", a dock that went straight into luval, south of the dry dock mouth.
Chant \'s people found their way blocked by a bridge swept by a German fire, and they walked hand in hand along the beam under the structure to the other side.Lieutenant Roy then reported to Captain Montgomery, who was responsible for the demolition of the house around the dry dock, that their task had been completed.They were then free to cross the bridge held by Lieutenant Roy by the old mole, waiting for the pick-up.
Just before Lt Chant and his men destroyed the pump house, the night air was also rented by the noise and debris generated by the destruction of the winding shed, only 50 yards away from Campbell Town.Lieutenant Smalley and his men left the camp with the Holy Song, moving along a water --Fill channels from the sink to the winding shed.The cottage was a relatively easy target, and Lieutenant Smalley and his men quickly started their charges, became clear and blew the sky of the cottage --high.
They were given permission to withdraw, but instead of going to the old mole as planned, they seized the opportunity to board Bert's ML 262, which hovered near the northern steps of the old entrance.Unfortunately, it was an unfortunate decision because when the ship was later struck by enemy fire, Lieutenant Smalley and some of his men were killed.Following the team of Chant and Smalley, there are other commandos that will attack the target further down the road, attacking the far end of the shoreditday pier.
Eches and his team were assigned the task of attacking the northern sink case and its winding mechanism.The destruction of the sink landed on Brett Lt and eight NCOs, and the winding mechanism was the target of Pelton Lt and four companies.They did their job to protect the two teamsArmed personnel were assigned as guards.
On top of that, Lieutenant Burtenshaw and his team added that if Campbell Town failed, the task of blowing the South sink would not be necessary because of Betty's excellent sailing skills.Lt.Etches was injured in his leg while running along the river and could hardly move.Two men in Denison hills were also injured, so they were hidden and felt comfortable waiting for evacuation, and both Purdon, Brett and Burtenshaw got off quickly from Campbell Town,Denison led the way but was fiercely resisted by the manned trenches.
Denison bravely opened fire on the enemy, while the other two destroyed the position with grenades.He then passed through the northern sinking well and the winding Lodge, allowing his team to overlook the North swing bridge.Lieutenant Purdon followed behind to prepare for the winding cottage, and Brett and Burtenshaw prepared for the road at the lock door.
Lieutenant Purdon and his team filed the charges, but waited for Brett and Burtenshaw to blow the sink first.Sergeant Zhong was sent to let them know that he was ready, but he was injured when he met a small weapon shooting wall.Meanwhile, Brett and Burtenshaw face greater danger when fired from several wellsHidden enemies.
To make matters worse, the design of the Northern sink is different from that of Southampton.He said to himself in the German fire.In the dark, he met the survivors of Lieutenant Gerrard Brett's party, who left the wounded commander and secretly entered the North sink at the pier, killing two Germans they met on the road.They tried to open the hatch leading to the inside of the huge sink, but did not succeed.
Burtenshaw, who has been injured, was under command and the joint team dropped a dozen 18-The pound demo rushes down into the water against the surface of the sink.The Germans opened fire violently from ships moored in the basin, and Burtenshaw led a small party along the pier wall to try to suppress the fire.As they were burdened with heavy explosives, Burtenshaw and his men carried only their pony pistols but used them accuratelyThey received range weapons and help from two Tommy gunners, and they charged the source of the automatic weapons that kept the relocated people in the sink.
The Germans were scared to run, but Bertenshaw, who was still humming, died at the dock.While the commandos managed to reduce the cost of the first group to a suitable location, it turned out that opening the Inside Passage cover was almost impossible.It is right in the middle of the road, covered with wooden boards and covered with tarps.
Burtenshaw tried to open it but it didn't work.So far, Brett and some commandos have been injured, and a major exchange of fire broke out between the enemy invading the commando positions and the British ships supporting them.As the number of casualties continued to increase (including Burtenshaw), Sergeant Carl decided that he would not be able to enter the sink, so in this case, once everyone was clear, he detonated the explosives hanging on the wall of the sink.
After a reassuring dull blow and a huge water column, Carl noticed that he could hear the sound of a satisfactory stream of water rushing into the hollow structure.It may not have destroyed it, but it has certainly been badly damaged and takes a lot of time and effort to fix it.When they retired, Lieutenant Burton was approved.
Blowing the winding hut in front, he cheered the heart of the beaten commandos with a loud rattle.The group then returned to the old mole through Roy Bridge.As the team completed various tasks, Lieutenant Colonel Newman landed and set up a headquarters in a building south of Roy Bridge.
Fortunately, the building turned out to be an existing German shipyard headquarters, so Newman waited for Sergeant Moss and his team.Sadly, this group has never arrived because quite a few people have been killed on the ML 267 of Beart.When Sergeant Haines and his team arrived, they were encouraged that they had completed the task of cleaning up the gun placement between the old entrance and the old mole and came back to accept the new order.
Newman deployed them as temporary protection at headquarters.Back to the river, under the Platt Lt, carrying the captain, 447 was leading the port vessel Pillar.Birney and 14 commandos were assigned to attack the old mole and clear the enemy's defenses, including two blockhouses placed along its length.
This will be the boarding point for the surviving Navy and commandos.Like ML 192, being the head of the column means the ship attracts a lot of enemy firepower.Many of the crew and commandos suffered heavy casualties, but Pratt did manage to pull the ship close enough for his commandos to land.
Unfortunately he was speeding, and when he tried again, the boat was hit by small arms and larger-caliber shells and lit the ship.Platt ordered all the people who could abandon the ship, one number managed to reach the shore, while the others were picked up by Boyd in ML 160.Lt Collier of ML 457 had better luck, managed to go hand in hand with the stone structure and stored his three commandos.
The first is the control party led by Lieutenant Pritchard, the second is Lieutenant Walton and his demolition team, and the third is the protection party led by Lieutenant Watson.When the ship was parked on the old mole, the officers on board saw a group of Germans holding hands to surrender along the stone wall.They thought the men were troops coming out of the mail box and went ashore to carry out the task.
Under the leadership of Lieutenant Wallis, ML 307 followed.Despite Lieutenant Pratt's warning, he tried to dock his ship, but he was too close to stop and miscalculated the landing.When he tried to move around, they hit an underwater obstacle and stopped flying.
The enemy's firepower was concentrated on stranded ships, and the casualties among the commandos quickly reached the captain's location.Bradley decided that he would not be able to complete the assigned task (blowing the central lock door at the south entrance) and after talking to Wallis, decided that the vessel withdrew and used German guns and searchlights that interfered with the raids.After ML 307 to ML 443 under Lt Horlock, ML 306 under Lieutenant Henderson and ML 446 under Lieutenant falconal (after the unfortunate Briat had to return to England, the team has been promoted from spare parts), and it is difficult for all these people to land on their team due to enemy fire and chaos on the river.
Everyone thought it was too risky.
Bob Nock Lt's ML 298 is a torpedo launch and there are no commandos on board.Its mission is to wait at sea and engage with the enemy until the withdrawal of its troops.Only one of the six ships scheduled to land in the commandos was successful.
Colliers found 20 out of 70 men, but the men immediately went inland to perform their assigned demolition tasks.Birney's team has stopped operations on the river, so the old mole is still firmly in the hands of the Germans, and it is almost impossible to capture with the remaining forces available now.This means that the withdrawal of the commandos gradually slipped away from Newman and his men.
The only group that landed on the old mole in the interior was to achieve their goal, but mistakenly thought Birney and his men had caught it, so set off in front of the German fire.Lieutenant Walton's team was there to destroy the suspension bridge to isolate the old town from the rest of Saint Nazar, and Lieutenant Watson and his team will provide them with tight protection.Unfortunately, the two men were separated and finally came to the square de la Velville (Old Town Square), which was very exposed to the German fire, and were soon suppressed.
Capt.
Pritchard walked another way to avoid the old town and came to the suspension bridge and found that the bridge was empty. except for a stubborn enemy bunker, it kept a steady stream of fire on anything moving.Pritchard then took Maclagan to check the progress of the other teams, but could not find traces of Bradley, Wilson or Swayne, and even the power station was abandoned.
When they crossed the street, Pritchard was unlucky and ran into a lonely German soldier who had retreated from the abdominal wound as they bypassed a cornerMcClagan shot and killed the newly started Germans, but Pritchard ordered them to be sent back elsewhere, and Pritchard was dying.McClagan left his officer reluctantly but was determined to seek help and return.He crossed the bridge again and found that the bridge was empty except for Lieutenant Walton's lonely body, so he went on to Newman's headquarters.
At the same time, Lieutenant Watson and his team tried again to occupy the bridge, but the German resistance was still too strong, so decided to retire to Newman headquarters to report the instability of the old mole.Cdr Ryder returned to the dry dock situation where everyone left Campbell Town and he was happy to hear the frayed explosives explode and see Campbell Town settle down on the river bed.Cdr Beattie and most of his people have now left safely and are seeking a journey home.
As wooleltown had previously described, Wynn Lt's MTB 74 was able to attack the outer lock door with his special torpedo.With the Roar, the ship turned around and Wynn was ready to lock the door.The two torpedo were fired, and a bang hit the gate, slowly sinking to the bottom as the ticking of the delay fuse.
Wynn then traveled to the rear of Campbell Town to help any injured commandos and Navy personnel take off.Then he walked along the river to the sea.Opened her section 40 and as he found two survivors sitting on a Carly water, he roared past the German gun (expecting the British to return to the sea ).
He ignored orders, but did not want to give up on them, sliding the boat neatly next to the floats, but before the men were pulled on board, the torrent of the German fire tore the mountain bike --74 apart.In addition to one eye, the brave Wynn was rescued by the chief Mech.Managed to get him on the Grove of Carly's float.
Both were eventually rescued by the German Army and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of warDetained in the infamous cordiz Castle, the "Mickey" submarine.Ships 160, 270 and 298 have been fighting enemy targets in the middle of the river.A German shell eventually hit 270 and damaged the steering wheel.
As no commandos landed, Lieutenant Owen decided to influence the restoration work they could do and return to the river to enter the estuary.Boyd Lt and ML 160 helped Platt's burning ML 447 launch to take off from survivors.He also decided that it was time to retreat and stopped to pick up three survivors on the way down the mountain.
Three shells from Dieckmann's precise battery crossed the spacecraft again, causing some damage and some casualties, but luckily he started very quickly, albeit at a slow pace.In addition, the crew managed to repair the engine and provided full speed for the bid to go home.The ML 298 under Lt Nock was also hit several times, so it was time for Nock to decide to leave.
He quickly scanned the old mole and the old entrance to find any place where the commandos could set off, but no one started the journey home.Unfortunately, his launch was accidentally ignited by a burning piece of fuel, which spread as he went downstream.The fire lit his ship up the enemy's gun, and he began to be hit by weapons of all sizes, especially several large-caliber blows that caused damage.
Finally, the survivors were trapped in the cold water.Burt's ML 262 found Collier's ML 457 on the old mole after leaving the team at Smalley Lt.Collier has just boarded the only commando team to board the old mole and is now on fire and in terrible trouble.
Bert moved in to help, but the two ships together provided a good target that was completely destroyed by enemy fire.Rodier Lt and ML 177 carried about 50 commandos and crew almost out to sea (passed Lt Fenton in ML 156) from luceltown but was hit and sunk by a 75mm shell.Rodier Lt was killed like Tibbits Lt, But Cdr Beattie Lt survived, entered the water and was rescued by the Germans.
The four remaining commanders, Wallis (ML 307), Hollock (ML 443), Henderson (ML 306) and falcona (ML446) I think, now it is impossible for the old mole to land in their commandos, a waste of human power and resources.The whole scene was illuminated by burning fuel and boats, so they returned to the safe zone of the river.Cdr Ryder still on MGB 314 I had seen Campbell Town gouged and Wynn smashed the lock door with a torpedo, but when he went to see things around the old mole, he was frustrated by the destruction that greeted him.
Apparently, it was impossible to evacuate from the old mole, so decided to go out to sea reluctantly.It is here that the capable sailor William Savage won the chase VC for bravely equipping the striker pom-At the pom on the MGB 314, although the enemy's firepower is very strong, it is still at war with the enemy's bunker.At 0230 hours Ryder decided it was time to quit.
By this time, his ship had been destroyed more than half and the rest had been severely damaged, and if he did not retreat as soon as possible, he would have lost all the ships.The mountain bike then traveled to the sea off the Loire River to join the British destroyer, with 26 men on board and 7 other ships.It stopped to pick up two other survivors but was hit by a precise shelling of shore batteries.
Only three of the 34 people on board survived.On the way, they met five German torpedo ships coming back from their futile mission.Further shots from the enemy, more ships were destroyed or chiseled, and their crew were transferred to the rest of the ships.
Of the 18 coastal ships departing from Falmouth, only 4 returned.The situation at Lieutenant Colonel Newman's headquarters is getting worse, especially after everything that happens in the river and the old mole becomes clear.Newman and Copeland had a small meeting when it became clear that there was no chance to evacuate the old mole by boat.
The two options are simple, either surrender or return to England