# St Nazaire Raid - Operation Chariot



## dangerboy (21 Oct 2016)

Just watched an interesting documentary about OPERATION CHARIOT (Raid on St. Nazaire) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXusKM5uX0s.

The documentary presented by Jeremy Clarkson (host of Top Gear) is about OPERATION CHARIOT the raid on a heavily defended dry dock in German occupied France (Normandie  area). It had the goal of taking damaging the Dry Dock so as to cripple the German Navy. 611 commandos took place in the raid (along with sailors of the Royal Navy), of those 611 troops 169 were killed and 215 became PWs.  There were five Victoria Crosses awarded for actions during the raid along with 84 other decorations. Without spoiling too much of the documentary it was successful, the dry dock was destroyed and in fact was not repaired until two years after the end of the war in 1947.


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## medicineman (22 Oct 2016)

I remember reading about this raid many moons ago in a book about the British Army/Royal Marines Commandos - incredible feat of combined arms work and a plan you'd expect to see in a far fetched novel where everyone comes home in one piece (except for the bad guys of course).  I also seem to recall a good B&W flick was done about it too.  

MM


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## jollyjacktar (22 Oct 2016)

I watched the presentation some time ago, it's very well done and worth every minute.


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## ModlrMike (22 Oct 2016)

medicineman said:
			
		

> I also seem to recall a good B&W flick was done about it too.
> 
> MM



Sean, I think this is what you mean: Attack on the Iron Coast

or perhaps this one: Gift Horse


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## Colin Parkinson (24 Oct 2016)

My Uncle said that he sailed on the HMS Campelton for several trips doing escort duty.


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## Good2Golf (24 Oct 2016)

Colin P said:
			
		

> My Uncle said that he sailed on the HMS Campelton for several trips doing escort duty.



Did he ever mention it looked/behaved more like a corvette than a destroyer? 1000-1100 tons? yikes...how does that get called a DD? ???

Regards
G2G


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## Colin Parkinson (24 Oct 2016)

He said he was on the forward gun, a wet post for sure. One thing he said was it had a canteen where crews ate as opposed to the RN's messing arrangement and therefore the food was hot.


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## Furniture (26 Oct 2016)

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> Did he ever mention it looked/behaved more like a corvette than a destroyer? 1000-1100 tons? yikes...how does that get called a DD? ???
> 
> Regards
> G2G



DD's in WWI and WWII tended to be fairly small, but they were fast to keep up /screen ahead of the heavies. The corvettes and frigates were small and slow, because it made them cheaper to make and their role was escorting slow merchant convoys.


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## NavyShooter (26 Oct 2016)

That was a great way to spend a couple of hours....I ended up watching this video and a few more.  

Thank-you!

NS


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## Colin Parkinson (26 Oct 2016)

WeatherdoG said:
			
		

> DD's in WWI and WWII tended to be fairly small, but they were fast to keep up /screen ahead of the heavies. The corvettes and frigates were small and slow, because it made them cheaper to make and their role was escorting slow merchant convoys.



The problem was that DD had the speed to run down U-boats that had been DF and return to the convoy, but had short legs and would often have to abandon the convoy to refuel. The Corvettes were to slow for that job, but had good fuel reserves. I think it was late 1943 they experimented with mid-ocean refueling, basically by buoying a hose and trailing it behind a tanker, which the DD would pick up and connect. The Frigates combined the range of the Corvette with the speed of the DD and better sea-keeping than the corvettes.


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