Nazaire by james dorrian available from rakuten kobo. Nazaire raid also called operation chariot was a successful british seaborne attack on the heavily defended docks of st. But traveling through france some years ago, i came across the ugly uboat base in saint nazaire, which is an unlikely tourist attraction but one i was fascinated by. The saint nazaire dock was the target of operation chariot, a british commando raid in 1942. Building on the success of various commando raids during 1941, headquarters combined operations moved up the scale of size and complexity by electing to attack and deny the only dry dock that could take a german battleship for repairs, the normandie dock at st nazaire on frances atlantic coast. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a successful british amphibious attack on the heavily defended. Nazaire is james dorrians fascinating account of the british commando raid on st. Because this is a place where things get done, and it attracts people on exactly those terms. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a successful british amphibious attack on the heavily defended normandie dry dock at st nazaire in germanoccupied france during the second world war. The mission was a formative step in the building of a special operations capability for the allies, and a painful lesson learned in combined operations.
British commandos with boats and a destroyer full with explosives against german 280 naval artillery battalion,22 naval. The attack, known as the st nazaire raid, successfully destroyed the adjacent drydock by ramming an explosivefilled destroyer into it, but the uboat pens were not targeted. Great gallantry was displayed by the raiders and there were many casualties amongst the commando and naval personnel. Nazaire in occupied france on the night of march 28, 1942 during world war ii. The operation was therefore bound to be exceedingly. Because of this they had to be lightly armed, making them reliant on the protection parties for cover and suppressive fire whilst placing their charges. This important base was known to be heavily defended and bomber support had to be abandoned owing to bad weather. Aerial reconnaissance photograph of the docks at st nazaire taken.
It was written in the mid 1990s with the full cooperation of the members of the stnazaire society, the commemorative body established by survivors of the raid while they were still guests of the reich. It was an important strategic asset for the german fleet in world war two. The defences around st nazaire, especially at the mouth of the river loire were upgraded by the addition of a number of fixed gun emplacements of varying calibre. Rajd na saintnazaire wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. France operation chariot the raid on saintnazaire, 28march 1942. Now known as the greatest raid of all, operation chariot was an attack on the docks at st nazaire in germanoccupied france. St nazaire raid wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
This is the first complete account of the british commandos dramatic. Preserving and protecting the memory of operation chariot, the great combined operations raid on the french atlantic port of st. I discussed buildings and roads as tourist attractions before, here. U boat wolf packs, surface raiders, and warplanes had sent about eight.
The destroyer opened fire at 4,000 yards, and the uboat crashdived. Double agents have leaked intelligence pointing to a major enemy operation aimed at st. Saint nazaire progressively replaced nantes as the main haven on the loire estuary. It set sail for the french port of st nazaire after splitting up from the prinz.
From there, we set off to patrol around 5 to 8 miles off shore during the raid on st nazaire. In march 1942, more than 600 men left falmouth in cornwall in a flotilla of three destroyers and 16 smaller boats. When he asked the port commander about defensive measures, the officer said a plan was ready, but he considered a raid unlikely. The dock busting raid of 1942 by james dorrian the st. For a more readable narrative, but limited to operation chariot only, then jim dorrians storming st nazaire is absolutely excellent. Nazaire, france, on april 1, 1942, after the battle with german forces. You should definitely get hold of a copy as it covers the aftermath of the raid as well, including what must have been the terrifying period hiding in small groups in cellars expecting to be captured and.
Nazaire reference package includes a complete set of printable spare parts for the game, variants, every avalon hill general article on the game, and a bonus raid on st. On 28 march 1942, british forces launched one of the most daring operations of the second world war. Kilted tribute for commando killed in greatest raid of all. James dorrian has drawn on interviews with over 100 survivors, both british and german, to present this remarkable account. At the request of a module user, i have made the following tweaks. The british raid of st nazaire proved to be a feat of planning. With jeremy clarkson, corran purdon, bob wright, james dunning. While this raid has been covered in detail in a variety of other books, this latest edition of the osprey campaign series adds detailed maps and diagrams that help to make sense of a very confusing night action.
However the port was miles up a well defended estuary. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading st nazaire 1942. The operation was undertaken by royal navy and army commando units under the auspices of louis mountbattens combined operations. Just after 0700 the next day, ryders lookouts spotted a uboat idling on the surface miles west of saintnazaire. It was an operation so heroic that it resulted in the award of five victoria crosses and 80 other decorations for gallantry. Dorrian, james storming st nazaire, leo cooper, london, 1998 dunning, james it had to be tough, pentland press. The british plan was to ram an explosive laden destroyer into the normandie dock at st. Situated on the west coast of france, the town of st nazaire was home to a dry dock that had been the largest in the world when it was built in 1932. In memory of the royal navy sailors and army commandos killed in the raid on st nazaire on 28 march 1942. All went smoothly for the raiders until they were 2kms from the docks when a searchlight stabbed out and a warning burst of 20mm gunfire, but a four minute reprieve was earned by a quick thinking signalman who flashed back a message that they were making to st. See entry dated 2nd september 1940 for a report of her taking part in a prior action. It was written in the mid 1990s with the full cooperation of the members of the st nazaire society, the commemorative body established by survivors of the raid while they were still guests of the reich.
The operation was undertaken by the royal navy and british commandos under the auspices of combined operations head. Rare photos of history the sas storming the iranian embassy to free. Farewell to last hero of st nazaire world war ii raid. Nazaire is a solitaire board game simulation of that raid where the player controls the british forces and the game system controls the germans. The special fleet included hms campbeltown, which was. Storming st nazaire, is based largely on original research. Naval warfare is as old as conflict on land and as our title implies, maritime warfare is as important to us as terrestial battles. St nazaire 1942 is an excellent narrative summary of the famous british commando raid in march 1942. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a british amphibious attack on the heavily defended normandie dry dock at st nazaire in germanoccupied france during the second world war.
A ceremony has been held to remember the heroes of the raid on st nazaire. The following were awarded the victoria cross, the united kingdoms highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy. Tirpitz was the second of two bismarckclass battleships built for the german kriegsmarine war navy during world war ii. So he radioed saintnazaire, british naval force sailing on a westerly course. While this raid has been covered in detail in a variety of other books, this latest edition of the osprey campaign series adds detailed maps and diagrams that help. Your objectives are to protect the normandie dock and all docked uboats within the harbor. It was an operation so heroic that it resulted in the award of five victoria crosses and 80 other decorations for. Saintnazaire was a small village until the industrial revolution but became a large town in the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the construction of railways and the growth of the seaport. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The author also recommends the avalon hill boardgame raid on st nazaire 1987 as well as the general magazine, volume 24, issue 4 april 1988 for wargamers who want to try their hand at operation chariot, as well as for additional historical information. Oct 11, 2007 a part from the wochenschau shows the st.
Our purpose was to help in the rescue of survivors. It was a feat of cunning and daring that helped to shape the war at sea. The aim of the st nazaire raid the st nazaire docks, 1942. Saintnazaire progressively replaced nantes as the main haven on the loire estuary. Fixed infinite loop when advancing vp indicator with left arrow key. The st nazaire raid or operation chariot was a british amphibious attack on the heavily. Nazaire was targeted as the loss of its dry dock would. Nazaire, france, in 1942 was a display of cunning and skill. A german soldier inspects the battlefield with dead english soldiers lying on the ground at the bay of the port city st. Around midnight on the 2728th march, the raiders saw bomb flashes and tracers light the sky. You mention only raf aircraft in support of the action, but we patrolled a few miles offshore all the time the attack on st nazaire took place. Submarine hms sturgeon was used to confirm the position of the raiders prior to their entering the loire on their way to st.
Storming st nazaire the dock busting raid by james g dorrian. At this time, admiral karl donitz, the dour chief of germanys uboat force, was inspecting the concrete pens at saintnazaire. Commando roll of honour st nazaire 2 commando, operation chariot. Sacrifice at saintnazaire naval history magazine april 2017.
The raid on st nazaire 1942 naval historical society of. Added gun 222a to initial deployment and pieces window. The saintnazaire dock was the target of operation chariot, a british commando raid in 1942. Jedynym miejscem na atlantyckim wybrzezu, gdzie tirpitz mogl przejsc takie naprawy byl wlasnie suchy dok w saintnazaire. Hms campbeltown exploded, dry dock at st nazaire disabled, 169 british men lost, 150300 germans killed. Your first task is to defend the french port of st. Nazaire raid has not been covered in the detail warranted by its role in the evolution of special warfare tactics. From the great galley battles of ancient greece and rome, salamis and actium, through the barbary coast pirates, the spanish armada and the long wars between england, france and holland for control of colonial trade, control of the seas has meant political and. St nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock. Jeremy clarkson tells the story of one of the most daring operations of world war ii the commando raid on the german occupied dry dock at st.
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