Best raid ever. The United States Navy established a naval air station on 27 November 1917 to operate seaplanes during World War I. Captain Robert Ryder was one of five men awarded Victoria Crosses for his part in the raid. HMS Tynedale was a Hunt-class destroyer of the first subgroup which served during the Second World War. They are true heroes one and all…. It was based on Micky’s own archive and interviews I conducted with him. ” Well, the transports let us down again”. Your email address will not be published. Beattie smiled. Some 360 Germans were killed in the explosion and the damage to the dock took until several years after the end of the war to be repaired. Sixteen such MLs were assigned to the force and were to carry commandos and demolition parties into St Nazaire. On 28 March 1942, British forces launched one of the most daring operations of the Second World War. can anyone tell me his date of birth & where he was born? Awesome. Public Relations Officer 28th March 1942: The Commando raid on St. Nazaire. And each and every man worthy of many more honours than the ones given….. A hard book to put down, following a brief description of the participants to the moment by moment action of the raid itself. Technical journals from before the war detailing aspects of Saint Nazaire were studied in depth. All the groups had separate teams for assault, demolition, and protection and objectives were set to cripple the harbor and German naval operations. They did, however, destroy the most important harbour in German-occupied France, dealing a monumental blow to Germany and especially the Kriegsmarine. Ryder’s book. Michael Burn was one of the officers from No. St. Nazaire Society. In due time the old site will be closed. I feel thats a bargain as the original publication was only a year ago. I am seeking information on my uncle Kenneth Hills who was on ML262 and sadly did not make it home. DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF They fought their way through the town until they were surrounded and had expended all their ammo, before being captured by German soldiers. I recall stories of this raid when I was younger from my relatives … I just came across this site and the remarkable story of courage and determination by all involved in this raid… And still some 70 years on it makes the hairs on my neck stand up… It was and is the greatest raid of all… And will stand as a testimony in history to all those involved and especially those that gave their lives that day… Disembarkation from Campbeltown and the MLs, "HMS Campbeltown Commemorates the Raid on St Nazaire 28 March 1942", "Campbeltown pays tribute to the Greatest Raid of All", After action report by Commander Ryder; includes detailed maps, St Nazaire: Operation Chariot, Combined Operations, I Was There! However, as the tale unfolds, the author jumps from one small group to another, losing sight of the overall raid. This is a unique and telling account of a military event that should be remembered. Not only had she exploded, but taken with her scores of German investigators, sightseers and souvenir-hunters. Using personal accounts, James Dorrian describes the background and thrilling action that resulted in the award of five Victoria Crosses.In a dramatic final twist of events, once the battle was over, the converted former US warship Campelton blew up wrecking the dock gates and killing many Germans who thought the battle was won. 2 Commando who found themselves left on the dockside among a number of men who had completed their task of blowing up various military installations. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Called torpedo boats by the Germans, they were the equivalent in firepower to a small destroyer; indeed, Allied forces referred to them as destroyers. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière". Robert is speaking at The National Army Museum, Chelsea, at 7.00 p.m. 5th December 2013 (advisable to book ticket in advance). Without any thought of themselves, these commandos and sailors, a true band of brothers, proceeded against overwhelming odds to do the impossible. We heard the explosion in the guard-room and gave a big cheer. Captured after his boat had to be abandoned, he was sent to Colditz after an escape attempt. Called torpedo boats by the Germans, they were the equivalent in firepower to a small destroyer; indeed, Allied forces referred to them as destroyers. The Commando Veterans Association has an online collection of original documents relating to Sergeant Durrant and his family, including the letters written from Prisoner of War camp by which they learnt of his death. On 4 September 2002, a tree and seat at the National Memorial Arboretum were dedicated to the men of the raid. if you want to contact me i am on shaun130465@hotmail.com . I visited St Nazaire a few years ago to see the submarine pens and the Normandie dock, I wish I could have read this book first, it shows what an incredible undertaking Operation Chariot was. This time it was a joint Royal Navy – Commando raid. And as the officer made his poorly-timed remarks, the charges in the Campbeltown detonated. In this action Sergeant Durrant continued to fire at the destroyer’s bridge with the greatest of coolness and with complete disregard of the enemy’s fire. The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. Long live the memory of these brave men. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you could post the full name of your grandfather that would be most helpful. He became a Conservative Member of Parliament after retiring from the navy. That little delay didn’t last long before the Germans guarding the estuary, the vital Saint Nazaire harbor, and Normandie dry dock opened up all their guns on the approaching British sailors and commandos. The seat bears the inscription: In memory of the Royal Navy Sailors and Army Commandos killed in the raid on St Nazaire on 28 March 1942[80], A fictionalised version of the raid was the climax of the 1952 British war film, Gift Horse. Sergeant Durrant, in his position abaft the bridge, where he had no cover or protection, engaged enemy gun positions and searchlights ashore. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2014. It was decided that the Campbeltown would be used to ram to dry dock and transport one group of commandos. This story tells of the Commando raid on St. Nazaire in the early part of WW2. Also, the account highlights the high cost in human lives these daring raids cost, while the raid was considered a success fully a third of the participants were casualties. [80] The bell was returned to the town on 21 June 2011 when HMS Campbeltown was decommissioned. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. This was a triumph for the many gun-layers in the coastal craft and in the Campbeltown. He definitely took part in the raid and had a whole bunch of clippings and stories and even went on an organised visit back to St Nazaire in the 1980s on the QE2. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. website TheWorks.co.uk Does this book contain quality or formatting issues? Originally classified as an armored ship (Panzerschiff) by the Reichsmarine, in February 1940 the Germans reclassified the remaining two ships of this class as heavy cruisers. Five men actually made it to Spain. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2014. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock … Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2016. might be able to point you in the right direction. I recommend this book for you history buffs. It was indeed an unfortunate day for that vessel, as she not only received bursts of fire from each craft in turn as they passed but finally provided an excellent target for their own shore batteries, who fired on her until she scuttled herself. I found the extracts of personal experiences very moving - they faced overwhelming odds and took a high loss rate. relevant to the Raid.