St Nazaire, 80th anniversary of the ‘Greatest Raid’

HMS Campbeltown lodged in the Normandie dock gates, St Nazaire on the morning of the 28th March 1942. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3722-22

Operation Chariot is often referred to as ‘the greatest raid of all’. Its aim was to deny docking and repair facilities for Hitler’s warships, notably the Tirpitz, on the French Atlantic coast. This focused on the Normandie Dock in St Nazaire which was the pre-war berth of the cruise liner SS Normandie and was large enough to handle ships of that size. The difficulty was that St Nazaire was 8km (5 miles) from the sea, up the Loire estuary reducing any element of surprise for the attacking force.

After a detailed planning process, an old destroyer HMS Campbeltown was modified at Devonport, stripping all unnecessary weight allowing a shallower draught and altering the silhouette to look like a German destroyer. Delayed-action explosives were packed in the bow compartments and sealed in a steel and concrete case. The aim was to ram the destroyer into the dock gates, while allowing a commando force to disembark and destroy any associated infrastructure before the charges detonated neutralising the dock. A force of motor torpedo boats (MTBs) were allocated to attack the lock gate in case Campbelltown failed and provide return transport for the surviving commandos.

St Nazaire with the Normandie Dock marked. Photo: © IWM C 2351

The attacking force departed Falmouth on 27 March 1942 consisting of 18 coastal force craft and two destroyers accompanying the Campbeltown. The Royal Air Force provided a diversionary bombing raid during the night.

Entering the Loire estuary at high tide, Campbeltown ran aground twice, but managed to break free. The attacking force almost make it to the dock gate before being spotted and fired upon. Despite coming under heavy fire, the old destroyer increased speed and rammed the gates driving 33 feet (10 meters) into the structure. The accompanying MTBs took heavy casualties meaning any transport home after the raid was almost impossible.

The commando assault teams disembarked Campbeltown supported by the teams from the remaining MTBs targeting the dock pumping machinery. Once this was achieved, their objective was to try and get back to England by any means possible. Attempting to get through the streets of St Nazaire, they were surrounded and eventually surrendered when their ammunition ran out, although five managed to get to Spain and later returned to England.

HMS Campbeltown exploded at midday, destroying the dock and denying Hitler’s navy the facilities it required for the rest of World War Two. The dock was finally put back in service in 1948.

However, this was achieved at a cost. Of the 612 Royal Navy and commando personnel involved in the raid, only 228 returned to England. 169 were killed and 215 were captured, becoming prisoners of war. 89 decorations were awarded for the raid including five Victoria Crosses.

The fallen from this audacious raid are remembered by the CWGC in Escoublac-la-Baule War Cemetery to the west of St Nazaire among the 325 British and Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. These include Sergeant Thomas Frank Durrant, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry conduct during the raid. Many of those who have no known grave are commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial.

Ceremony taking place at Escoublac-la-Baule Cemetery.