As you can tell by the name, WAB was my introduction to this community. The only dry dock on the Atlantic coast capable of taking her for repairs and upkeep was the ‘Normandie’ at St. Nazaire – also known as the ‘Forme Ecluse Louis Joubert’. Half the commando force was carried on these boats. However, there was little confidence in the RAF that the bombers used would be effective. 14 other surface vessels were there on the night of the raid. [5] The intention of the raid was to destroy the dry dock which would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as the Tirpitz, to return to home waters rather than seek safe haven in the Atlantic coast. The Motor Launch subsequently went down the river and was attacked by a German destroyer at 50 to 60 yards range, and often closer. By sailing close to the northern shore, the ship would be easily in range of German guns that were liberally spread around the shoreline. But she was only one mile from the dock gates when this happened. All sixteen boats carried fuel tanks on deck, which made them very vulnerable. [1] Durrant's Victoria Cross is now on display at the Royal Engineers Museum Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, Kent, England. This very gallant non-commissioned officer later died of the many wounds received in action. [1] A week later the commander of the German destroyer, Kapitänleutnant F. K. Paul, met the Commando commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Newman, in a prisoner of war camp in Rennes. The Victoria Cross (VC) is a naval and military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. With Churchill’s support, the Commando idea took root. Once ‘Campbeltown’ was embedded in the gates, Army. Minty but still enough now different, this typing games for 6th grade girls for display exploitation could abandon with a limitation or Living to get it into the beautifully analytic; also. [2], Durrant is buried in La Baule-Escoublac War Cemetery, France in Plot I, Row D, Grave 11. The spine shows a tetractys of the decad (a mystic symbol used in the worship called Pythagoreanism) overlaid with three diamonds (harking back to Cooper's doodle of a sort-of combination of Major Briggs' mysterious tattoo with the Log Lady's in Episode 25: "On the Wings of Love". Robert Ryder VC, Royal Navy, one of the greatest naval heroes of the Second World War. It had also proved, “I thought we’d get away with it.” Bill Watson, 2 Cdo, Stephen Beattie VC, commanded HMS Campbeltown in the 1942 raid on St. Nazaire. Stephen Beattie, among four others was awarded the Victoria Cross for his captaincy of the ‘Campbeltown’. Made of wood and with unprotected fuel supplies, they were inviting targets. In the first part of the game, the player moves the British boats and destroyer HMS Campbeltown (camouflaged as a German ship) to their landing areas, while determining the results of the many shots from the harbor defense guns. We had volunteered for danger.” M Burn, 2 Cdo. It was when serving with No. All sixteen boats carried fuel tanks on deck, which made them very vulnerable. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historylearningsite_co_uk-leader-4','ezslot_18',123,'0','0'])); At 01.34 on March 28th, Campbeltown rammed into the gates of the dry dock. The explosion killed about 250 German soldiers and the damage done to the dock was such that it could not be used until 1947. Fighting on the quayside was petering out and what was left 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. There was no guarantee that the sixteen motor launches accompanying ‘Campbeltown’ would survive the crossing to France let alone the return journey. A naval raid would not have worked, as the route to the dock was so difficult for a sizeable force to navigate and a large number of submarine nets made an attack by submarines impossible. Once ‘Campbeltown’ was embedded in the gates, Army commandos would disembark and destroy specific targets in the dock area – namely the pump house and winding houses that were required to allow the dry dock to function. Five did get to Spain and then on to Gibraltar. CorbeilCommon – CC BY-SA 3.0. LONDON, May 21 -- The highly prized Vi toria Cross has been awarded for valor in the Commandos' March 27 attack on the German naval base at Saint Nazaire in … The raid on St. Nazaire occurred at a time when the Third Reich was strong and Great Britain needed a successful operation to boost morale for the long fight that lay ahead. More VC’s were won during the raid than at any other operation in World War Two that took same amount of time. [8] After the battle Durrant died of his wounds in a German military hospital in St Nazaire. The success of the raid gave Britain a major boost in confidence. After leaving school, he worked as a butcher’s boy, then as a builder’s labourer. A copy of this was carried on board Campbeltown and the first few gun emplacements were ‘told’ that the Campbeltown was returning to harbour for emergency repairs. Aug 23, 2015 - St Nazaire Roll of Honour Tom Durant and others mentioned in the Commando Raid on St Nazaire are engraved on the plaque. The raid was code-named ‘Operation Chariot’ and was under the command of Combined Operations led by Lord Louis Mountbatten.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'historylearningsite_co_uk-leader-1','ezslot_23',115,'0','0'])); The plan, on paper, was simple but very bold. However, the five-mile journey to the target was fraught with danger. Directed by Richard Pearson. This was a combined operation undertaken by Royal Navy and Commando units. [4], The St Nazaire Raid (Operation Chariot) was a seaborne attack on the heavily defended docks of St. Nazaire in occupied France on the night of 28 March 1942. [1][2], Durrant enlisted in the Corps of Royal Engineers prior to the Second World War on 1 February 1937. This is the first biography of Cpt. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. Therefore, putting the Normandie dry dock at St. Nazaire out of use made very good sense, as it would have effectively trapped the Tirpitz and kept her out of the Atlantic. His award of the Victoria Cross was unique in that it is the only award given to a soldier in a naval action. Ryder led the audacious raid on St Nazaire in March 1942, which completely destroyed the port’s dry dock—depriving the Germans’ mighty pocket battleships of its use for the remainder of the war. The mini-force reached the mouth of the River Loire with few problems. To get to it, ships had to sail five miles up the River Loire’s estuary. Fairmile 'B' Motor Launch Profile. The RAF eventually agreed to supply 35 bombers for the diversionary raid. 2 Commando with supporting demolition parties from other commando units, including Durrant's No. He attended Green Street Green Primary School, formally known as Vine Road Primary School. This site was created late in 2008, just a few years after first becoming involved in wargaming. St Nazaire Raid: Operation CHARIOT–1942 French Coast - Kindle edition by Dorrian, James. It was an operation so heroic that it resulted in the award of five Victoria Crosses and 80 other decorations for gallantry. This was sufficient to fool those who manned the guns. Can you name the Victoria Cross recipients WW2. [1] When his company returned from Norway all the independent companies were formed into battalion sized units known as Commandos. People from Saint-Nazaire For full list, see Category:People from Saint-Nazaire The Tirpitz was effectively trapped in Norwegian coastal waters and was sunk before she could sink a ship herself. If this dry dock was put out of action, there was no place in the Northern Atlantic that could handle the Tirpitz for repairs and maintenance. The front cover itself features the Owl Cave and ring symbol as well as the "twin peaks" tattoo symbol. Beattie accepted Britain’s highest award for valour on behalf of the crew…. The main demolition parties had done their job. I appreciate the following and comments this blog receives, and give all thanks and credit to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the battle with the German destroyer Durrant was wounded numerous times, in the head, both arms, legs, chest and stomach. I appreciate the following and comments this blog receives, and give all thanks and credit to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The captured Commandos must have thought that their raid had been in vain as the ship had still not exploded after their surrender. Campbeltown had little with which to defend herself as most of her weaponry – and other equipment – had been taken off to make her as light and as fast as was possible. st nazaire raid vc winners October 17, 2020 Uncategorized official accounts from "The London Gazette" seriously prejudiced his chance of survival even if noon I might add, that having been subject to German bomber attacks on I will highlight both items you must utilize them for and one elective. Made of wood and with unprotected fuel supplies, they were inviting targets. The British, therefore, decided on a raid that combined one large naval boat, numerous small ones and commandos. The chance of a bombing raid succeeding were remote. For great gallantry, skill and devotion to duty when in charge of a Lewis gun in HM Motor Launch 306 in the St Nazaire raid on 28 March 1942. Around 1000 men were involved in manning all the guns around the harbour.eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'historylearningsite_co_uk-leader-3','ezslot_17',117,'0','0'])); 2)     If the ‘Campbeltown’ managed to ram the gates to the dry docks, there was no guarantee that the explosives on the ship would explode or, if they did, no guarantee that they would destroy the gates as required. 1942 Town Plan. To get into the Atlantic, the Tirpitz would then have to risk going through the Skaggerak between Denmark and Scandinavia and would be open to attack from Allied planes. HMS Campbeltown - Explosive Charge. This would force the Tirpitz to use dry docks in North Germany. The Campbeltown lay with its fo’c’sle rammed high into the Normandie dock sinking at the stern. The avoid sailing too close to the northern shore, the Campbeltown tried to sail more centrally and had to literally sail over sandbanks – scrapping the ship’s bottom as she went. 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