St Nazaire raid

St Nazaire raid
Sémhur (talk) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Conflict	Raid on the Normandie dry dock at Saint-Nazaire
Partof	Second World War
Caption	The destroyer Campbeltown (foreground) and motor launches during the raid
Date	28 March 1942
Place	Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France
Result	Allied demolition of the Normandie dock gate; heavy Allied casualties
Combatant1	United Kingdom; Canada; Free French Naval Forces
Combatant2	Nazi Germany
Commander1	Louis Mountbatten; D. A. Brand; G. C. Gay
Commander2	Erwin Rommel; Fritz Sauckel
Strength1	1 destroyer, 16 motor launches, 6 motor torpedo boats, commandos
Strength2	Kriegsmarine garrison, coastal artillery, Luftwaffe units

St Nazaire raid

The St Nazaire raid was a combined Royal Navy and British Commandos operation during the Second World War, undertaken to destroy the Normandie dry dock at Saint-Nazaire to deny its use to Scharnhorst-class and Tirpitz-class capital ships. The assault combined naval ramming, demolition parties, and small-boat raids, and is often cited alongside operations such as the Dieppe Raid and Operation Chariot in studies of amphibious raiding. The action involved coordination among units and figures from the British Army, Royal Navy, and allied forces.

Background

By 1942 the German Kriegsmarine surface fleet, including heavy cruisers and battleships such as Tirpitz and Scharnhorst, posed a threat to Allied convoys in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. The only dock on the Atlantic coast capable of servicing such capital ships was the Normandie dry dock at Saint-Nazaire in the Loire-Atlantique estuary, whose availability would permit German battleships to operate more freely than from bases at Brest or La Rochelle. Intelligence from British Intelligence sources, including reports associated with Bletchley Park decrypts and MI6 reconnaissance, indicated the strategic imperative of denying that facility. The decision to strike the dry dock followed earlier British raids and naval actions such as the Battle of the Atlantic and was advocated within the Admiralty and by planners associated with Combined Operations Headquarters.

Planning and preparation

Planning was directed by Admiralty and Combined Operations Headquarters staff under figures involved with Mountbatten, drawing on experiences from British Commandos raids and special naval operations like those led by Donald P. V. S. (Don) A. Brand and officers experienced in small-craft actions. The operation required conversion of an obsolete destroyer, the HMS Campbeltown, to resemble a German destroyer in silhouette to deceive coastal defences and was packed with delayed-action explosives. Training took place in the Solent and aboard motor launches based at Plymouth, with involvement from Commonwealth units including Canadian and Free French seamen and soldiers. Reconnaissance was conducted against Saint-Nazaire by Special Operations Executive agents and naval intelligence officers, while coordination involved air reconnaissance elements from the Royal Air Force to suppress German coastal artillery emplacements and to obscure the attacking force.

The raid (Operation Chariot)

On 28 March 1942 the flotilla, including HMS Campbeltown, a screen of Royal Navy destroyers and motor launches, advanced up the Loire estuary toward the Normandie dock. The heavily camouflaged Campbeltown rammed the Normandie basin gate while commandos and naval demolition teams disembarked to assault the quays and engage German garrisons. Close-quarters fighting involved units from No. 2 Commando and naval demolition parties tasked with placing explosive charges on dock infrastructure and on the destroyer itself. Motor launches and motor torpedo boats attempted to extract survivors under fire from coastal batteries and Luftwaffe aircraft, while elements of the German Heer and Kriegsmarine directed small-arms and artillery fire. The explosive-packed Campbeltown detonated later, when delayed charges placed by sappers destroyed the gate and rendered the dry dock unusable for large warships. The raid inflicted damage on dock works but at heavy cost to the raiding force; many commandos and sailors were killed or captured after fierce engagements at the dockside and in nearby streets.

Aftermath and consequences

The destruction of the Normandie dock cited by historians as a strategic success denied the Kriegsmarine a vital repair facility on the Atlantic coast for the remainder of the Second World War, forcing German capital ships to rely on makeshift repairs or risk returning to ports such as Brest and Kiel. The raid influenced later Allied amphibious doctrine and was studied by planners involved with Operation Overlord and Combined Operations for lessons in joint operations, deception, and demolition. German reprisals and increased coastal defences followed, including strengthening of fortifications in the Atlantic Wall and redeployment of Luftwaffe and coastal artillery assets in western France. The operation also had political and morale effects in Britain and among occupied allies, being publicized alongside other special operations such as raids by Free French Forces.

Honours and casualties

Honours awarded for the operation included the Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry among participants and numerous Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross awards to officers and enlisted personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army, Canadian and Free French contingents. Casualties were high: many sailors and commandos were killed in action, and significant numbers were taken prisoner by German forces, some later interred in camps such as Stalag X-B or Frontstalag facilities. The raid remains commemorated in memorials at Saint-Nazaire and in British military histories, and is widely referenced in accounts of Combined Operations and special naval actions during the Second World War.

Category:1942 in France Category:Operations of World War II Category:Royal Navy operations of World War II