An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 28 | by PAUL O'BRIEN MA O n 28th March 1942, british forces launched one of the most daring raids of the Second World War, with an amphibious attack on the heavily de- fended dry dock at St nazaire, normandy, in German-occupied France. operation Chariot, as the attack was code named, was a daring assault that would change the way the war at sea would be fought for the remainder of the conflict. Located on the north bank of the Loire, the town of St Nazaire is home to the largest dry dock in the world since its construction in 1932. The port has an outer harbour known as the Avant Port, formed by two piers jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. This leads to two lock gates before the Bassin de St Nazaire. These gates control the water levels in the basin so it is not affected by the tides. Beyond this basin is the larger inner dock, which can accommodate ships of up to 10,000 tons. Built to accommodate the passenger liner, SS Normandie, the port was a key asset for the German Navy where its larger battleships, such as the Tirpitz and the Bismark, could dock for refitting and repairs. The alternative was to return to German waters, which would mean the ships having to run the gauntlet of the English Channel where they were susceptible to attacks by the Royal Navy and the RAF. British Naval Intelligence commenced planning for an attack on the dock in 1941. The purpose of the raid was threefold: the destruction of the Normandie dock; to de- stroy the old gates into the Bassin de St Nazaire, along with water pumping plants and other quay installations; and to put out of service any U-boats or other shipping in the dock area. A bombing raid by the RAF was ruled out, as precision bombing of the target could not be guaranteed and the loss of civilian life that would result without it was deemed unacceptable. The plan decided upon would utilise specially lightened destroyers, a flotilla of motorboats and an attack force of 265 commandos and 346 Royal Navy personnel. One ship would ram the gates, deploy the commandos and be rigged to explode at a set time, while the others would pro- vide covering fire against the shore batteries and pick up the raiding party after the operation. Central to the plan was the use of HMS Campbel- town. The ship, obtained from the American Navy, was converted for the planned attack by stripping off superfluous equipment and raising her draught to let her get over the sand banks in the estuary. Extra armour was added to the bridge and wheelhouse and two rows of armour were fixed along the sides of the ship to protect the commandos on the open deck. Two of the four funnels were removed and the re- maining two were cut at an angle to resemble those of a German destroyer. The holds were filled with 4.5 tonnes of explosives set in concrete. The explosive charge was set to detonate when the raiders had pulled back from the harbour. The officer tasked with the commando assault was Lt Col Charles Newman. Injured German troops in St Nazaire. British Commandos in WWII

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