Exercise Tiger: The WW2 Cover-Up Before D Day

Published 2024-05-23
Exercise Tiger 1944, was a large-scale dress rehearsal for the D-Day landings, off the Slapton Sands in England , that went horribly wrong.

Over 700 US servicemen were killed, more than were killed on Utah beach on D-Day itself!

With D-Day imminent, Allied Supreme Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, ordered the disaster to be hushed up.


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Following a friendly fire incident on Slapton Sands on the 27th April 1944, a convoy carrying US troops was attacked in the early hours of the 28th by German E-Boats.

In what is called the Battle of Lyme Bay, 2 ships in the convoy were sunk resulting in the loss of over 700 US servicemen.

Whilst rumours suggest that there were many casualties resulting from the friendly fire on Slapton Sands, the US Army has always remained tight-lipped.
To this day, the mystery remains as to what extent the casualty figures were covered up.

In the 1980's, a Sherman tank was raised from the seabed.
It now stands at the end of Slapton Sands (near the village of Torcross) as a memorial to the young men who died 6 weeks before D-Day during Exercise Tiger.

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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:42 D-Day 1944
1:40 Slapton Sands
2:30 Civilan Evacuation
3:22 Military Build-up
4:58 Exercise Tiger
6:07 Live Fire Disaster
7:37 Convoy T-4
9:15 Spotted by Germans
10:03 E-boat attack
11:41 Battle of Lyme Bay
14:06 Casualty Figures
14:43 D-Day Compromised?
15:37 Cover-up?
17:00 D-Day Success
18:08 Exercise Tiger Remembered


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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.

Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

All Comments (21)
  • @Ugnaught82
    Back in the early 1980's, I worked with a man who had been on one of the ships sunk. I still remember his exact words when I asked him about his WW2 service. He said: "Yeah, the Germans sunk our a@@" He said that the ship burned so bright, that it lit up the night sky like daylight. After he was picked up, they took him to a camp surrounded by barbwire and didn't let them out for a while, and he was told that the loss of his ship was a secret and not to tell anyone. Later he was assigned to another ship that was delivering men and supplies to the Normandy beach head. He said that after the ship had been emptied and they had to wait for a time before they could leave, some of his shipmates went onto the beach looking for souvenirs. He walked down to the edge of the ramp and was about to step onto the beach when he heard an engine revving, he looked up and a army truck was coming down the beach, and about the moment he looked at the truck, there was a tremendous explosion and the truck was destroyed. He didn't know how many were in the truck, but there were no survivors. He assumed it had hit a mine, and he never set foot on French soil.
  • @davegower6919
    A sad but fascinating story, but their loss should be remembered as well.
  • Chris, another wonderful success and telling a part of WW2 which has been largely forgotten and kept secret, I salute you sir for your dedication to preserving history for posterity. I am sure there was a sailor out there somewhere who during a drunken episode probably tried and was successful at walking across without getting his feet wet! 😂😅 One thing I learned about being a soldier is there is no such thing as friendly fire, all fire is hostile!
  • @HTM95
    Thanks for doing this story Chris. Talk about the wolves in amongst the sheep. I imagine those E boat crews had never experienced such an opportunity to attack their enemy before and never would again.
  • On a visit to the area in 2013 we were shown Slapton Sands by my late husband's brother in law. Thanks for the video explaining tge events. Tragic.
  • @annehersey9895
    I just found your channel about a month ago and it immediately became one of my favorites. Being an American Boomer, I kn😢so much through school and reading non-fiction history books about WWII regarding the US exploits but not so much about other Allies exploits and of course no one knew much about the Eastern Front until the fall of the Soviet Union! Your channel has shone a light on two of my favorite actors also-David Niven and Richard Todd. Keep up the great job and I’ll be watching and enjoying!
  • Another excellent video Chris. I have heard this story before but not in your detail. Very sad and certainly lessons learnt for D Day. As for more videos from you I will not be here to enjoy them. I am off to Sword Beach and Pegasus Bridge for the 80th commemorations. Have not attended there since pre covid and the 75th. Met Penny Bates, a lovely lady and daughter of Major Howard. The commemoration service just after midnight is very special. A holiday in Brittany follows then cross France for the commemorations at the Somme on July 1st. Your videos will be something to look forward to while travelling. Manythanks
  • @toddfeffe139
    My friend survived the sinking of his LST during Tiger. Instead of getting the standard leave for when your ship was sunk he was immediately assigned to another LST for D-Day. He kept the secret until it was declassified many years later.
  • @johnmurray1529
    Thank you, Chris, for honoring these men with your video. As an American veteran and military history lover, I've never heard of this. We Americans aren't big on highlighting our failures, especially in regards to the military. We look at blue on blue fire or training accidents as kind of "another day at the office". It's definitely a dark attitude that sometimes causes hate and discontent with our allies.
  • @jamesgarman4788
    Many thanks for posting Chris! Keeping British history alive through your channel!!
  • Was vaguely familiar with this battle but now i know really well. Thank you mr. Green
  • @historybuff1673
    Thanks for this video. I was hoping you would do some talks on D-Day as the 80th anniversary draws near. I appreciate hearing from the British perspective.
  • @davidcoleman757
    Morpurgo always chooses interesting topics for his books. The Slapton Sands incident deserves this sort of focus. Thanks for another fascinating video.
  • We have friends who live in south Devon very near the memorial tank shown at about 0:30. If anyone is visiting that area there's a really good pub almost opposite - their fish & chips is superb. 🍟
  • @Mookie1340
    Thank you for sharing this event. I’ve heard about it and have been there, but didn’t know the full details of the disaster. I do hope the youth of today realised the sacrifice that these young men gave.
  • Your comment about going across the harbour without getting your feet wet made me think about my home when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s (I was born in 1964). I am from (and have returned to) Peterhead, in the N.E. of Scotland. It used to be the biggest whitefish Port in Europe. And, yes, you could walk across the harbour without getting your feet wet. Sadly nowadays the fleet is reduced by about 95%, and all the fishing is done by giant factory ships.....progress? I have not looked into the actual history of WWII re. Peterhead - but my Mother claimed to have been witness to a machine gun burst during an air raid in the town. She says she was only saved when her uncle (a veteran of the Atlantic Convoys) pulled her into a doorway. When I think about it, I have a lot of stories. I spent so much of my childhood going fishing with men who had been in the last war that I almost felt I had been there. My best friend in the world was Mr. Harry Clyne (should be Klein, but you gotta love British border guys...). He was a Jew who fought with the Gordon Highlanders through N. Africa into Italy. Sorry, I am rambling, but on the level. George
  • I knew about the story, being a WWII nerd, but for some reason I always had the wrong type of LST in mind. Thanks for clearing that up. As for anyverseries, it's the aniversary of HMS Hood's sinking today. Maybe you could do a piece on her, or on her namegiver. As for Jack Higgins, another great book of his, under his earlier writing name of Harry Patterson, is called The Walhalla Exchange, a great novel, loosely based on the attack on castle Itter. Great episode as always.
  • @Lassisvulgaris
    German E-boats were active on D-Day. The Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Svenner was hit by two torpedoes, and sank with a loss of 34, where 32 were Norwegian, and 2 British.