Raid against Saint Nazaire

[Diagram by Task Groups]

Start: Saturday March 28, 1942

Ending: Sunday March 29, 1942

Operation "Chariot": British raid against Saint Nazaire to destroy the unique drydock able to lodge the German battleship Tirpitz on the French coast. At the end of the opération, the dock is destroyed but the losses are very heavy. Although the British did not know it at the time, the decision to keep the Tirpitz in Norway was already taken so that the whole undertaking was pointless.
It was the last commando operation on a large scale durin the war. Combined with the failure in Dieppe and the increasing allied air superiority, those operations became too dangerous and too costly.

Place: Bay of Biscay

Type: Commando

	Britain	Germany
Forces	Ryder: 1 destroyer, 2 motor torpedo boats, 14 motor launch. Escort of the commando convoy: 2 escort destroyers, 1 submarine. Total: 1 destroyer, 2 escort destroyers, 2 motor torpedo boats, 14 motor launch, 1 submarine 241 commandos.	-
Losses	1 destroyer lost. 59 commandos and 85 sailors killed or missing. 109 prisonners.	Losses and damages.

Additional information on the web : [BritishForces]



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