Exercise Tiger

Among of historical disasters that people tried to cover up, Exercise Tiger is one of them. A terrible tragedy occurred on the night of April 27, 1944, just off the coast of Devon. 946 American servicemen were killed during Exercise Tiger, which served as a dress rehearsal for the D-Day landing on Utah Beach in Normandy, France.

As part of the build-up to D-Day, 3,000 local residents in the South Devon towns of Slapton, Strete, Torcross, Blackawton, and East Allington were evacuated from their homes in 1943 to allow the American military to conduct exercises. The area around Slapton Sands was chosen for these exercises because it resembled parts of the French coast, which was chosen for the largest sea invasion of the war—the Normandy landings.

The normally tranquil River Dart was filled with landing craft and ships for the operation. Nissen huts sprouted up in Dartmouth's Coronation Park, and new slipways and ramps were built along the river's edge from Dartmouth to Dittisham.

The Tiger was designed to be as realistic as possible, and it began on April 22, 1944. Landing craft carrying soldiers, tanks, and other equipment were stationed along the coast. Thanks to the training at Slapton, fewer soldiers died during the actual landing on Utah Beach than during Exercise Tiger, and so the training in Devon was not in vain.

Footnote: Slapton was not the only site in Devon to be used by the American military during World War Two. The north coast around Woolacombe Bay was also used for practising amphibious landing assaults in preparation for the D-Day landings.

Date: 28 April 1944
Location: off Portland, England, Lyme Bay, English Channel
Result: German victory
Deaths: 746
Causes: the impending invasion of Normandy