After the Bismarck had sunk HMS Hood on 24th May 1941 she was hunted down and destroyed by elements of the Royal Navy but, when initially damaged, had signalled her intention to make for St Nazaire, the only dock on the western seaboard of Europe that could accommodate her. Realising that such a port could also be a haven for the Tirpitz, should she leave Norwegian waters for the Atlantic, planners set their minds to destroying the port facilities, in particular the Normandie Dock.
On 26th March 1942, a force consisting of HMS Campbeltown (a converted former US destroyer) and eighteen small launches of coastal forces, twelve of them carrying commandos, set sail from Falmouth on the 400-mile passage to St. Nazaire. The destroyer carried five tons of explosives in her bows and was to ram the caisson of the Dock, the explosives timed to detonate some hours later. The destroyer and the motor launches carried commandos who would storm ashore and disable many of the port facilities.
The launches, being wooden and carrying auxiliary petrol tanks on deck, suffered severely and easily caught fire, but the Campbeltown was successfully lodged on the caisson at 01.34 on the 28th and blew up later that morning, putting the Normandie Dock out of action for the remainder of the war. The Tirpitz never came out into the Atlantic and the success of the Raid was a huge boost to morale at home when most of the news was bad. More importantly, it was the first sign of hope for the French in their belief that they would one day be liberated.
Of the 625 personnel involved 169 were lost, mainly in the burning waters of the estuary, 101 of them having no known grave. Over 200 were made prisoners of war but 239 were able to return to England. Among the 131 decorations awarded were five Victoria Crosses.
The Raid was a truly joint operation. The Royal Navy provided the essential core, the commandos came from the Army and during the four days of the operation the Royal Air Force lent their support by sweeping the Bay of Biscay, searching for survivors and mounting a diversionary bombing raid immediately prior to the landings. They lost seven planes and nine aircrew and three were made prisoners of war.
Operation Chariot Memorial Project will inform the wider public about the Raid, the heroism of the Charioteers and what they achieved.
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