An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 29 The Germans believed that an attack on the base would be hazardous and highly improbable as St Nazaire was gar- risoned with 5,000 troops and festooned with anti-aircraft batteries and shore artillery that covered the approach to the docks. In addition, a destroyer, a minesweeper and an armed trawler patrolled the estuary. At 23:30hrs on the night of the 27th March 1942, British bombers began diversionary attacks in the area. Search- lights and anti-aircraft fire lit up the night sky. Realising that the attacks were perhaps a preliminary to a raid on St Nazaire, the Germans switched off the lights at 01:00hrs and ceased firing rather than identify the exact position of the docks to British aircraft. However, under the cover of the firing, the British ships had entered the estuary and were steaming ahead. The searchlights were switched on again at 01:22 hours, illuminating the convoy, but thinking the ships were theirs the Germans held their fire. The deception worked and the ships gained a valuable eight minutes as they pressed on with full steam ahead. When the Germans realised their error they opened fire. Bullets and shells hit the advancing ships but the Campbeltown sailed on, hitting the dock gate at a speed of 19 knots, the impact embedding the ship 33 feet onto the gates. Comman- dos jumped from the decks and rapidly assaulted the dock area. Assault teams fired on the defenders and demolition squads laid charges while the sounds of explosions echoed through the docklands. Plumes of smoke and flame shot into the air amidst the hail of gunfire. The Germans fought back, preventing some commandos from targeting some facili- ties along the docks. Many of the smaller motorboats were destroyed by the German shore batteries, preventing those on the docks from escaping. As the last of the naval person- nel left the Campbeltown and joined the commandos on the quays, the charges were set to explode. Realising that his men could no longer rely on the motorboats to facilitate their withdrawal, Lt Col Newman ordered his men to do their best to get back to England, not to surrender until all their ammunition was expended and not to surrender if they could help it. The stranded commandos fought running battles with the German defenders through the narrow streets and tried to break through from St Nazaire's old town to its new town but, outnumbered, surrounded, and running low on ammu- nition, they were forced to surrender. While some escaped via the sea, a few escaped overland, with five reaching neu- tral Spain with the assistance of the French Resistance. As those captured were taken to German headquarters under guard, they waited for the explosion of the Cambeltown, which was set for 04:30hrs, but there was none. As the time passed without an explosion some of the at- tackers believed that the wiring must have been damaged in the attack, rendering the explosives ineffective. However, when a party of senior German officers and a number of civilians arrived on the quay at noon and were being given a tour of the Campbeltown the ship exploded. It is estimated that the explosion killed 360 people, destroying the dock and rendering it useless for the remainder of the war. The delay in the detonation of the explosives has never been explained satisfactorily but some believe that the acid in the pencil detonators had distilled away. Whatever the case, the mission was a success but came at a huge cost both in the loss of ships and men. Of the men that partici- pated in the attack, 169 were killed and 215 captured, with only 228 men returning to England. For this raid, 89 awards for gallantry were granted, including five Victoria Crosses. Considered by many to be 'the greatest raid of all', Opera- tion Chariot has entered the annals of military operations as one of the most audacious raids in history. HMS Campbeltown in port at dry dock on 28th March 1942. Photo: Schaaf/Das Bundesarchiv St Nazaire Memorial in Falmouth, UK

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